The slowly recovering economy has taken its toll on the education sector. Now, one state is trying to reform its education standards during the tough economic time. According to WVLT-TV, state and local officials held a public education forum in Knoxville to discuss the new “Expect More, Achieve More” campaign for state public schools. “We’re gonna get [test] scores out here, in a month or two, they’re not going to be good,” said Governor Phil Bredesen to the news source. “And I want I want is for people to understand, ‘Okay, this is part of a process we have to go through.’ We are being honest now and not just react to that and say, ‘Oh this is terrible’ and go back to the old standards.” Academic standards are rising in the classroom, according to the news provider, but the initial TCAP scores from testing done in April, may shock parents. These are the first results to reflect the new and higher standards in the classroom. Test scores are expected to rise as students, parents and teachers adjust to tougher expectations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of teachers is expected increase by 13% between 2008 and 2018.  |