Barbara A. Nye, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Avon Williams Campus
615-963-7231
The Center for Research and Policy on Basic Skills at Tennessee State University is one of Tennessee’s accomplished Centers of Excellences. Centers were established by action of the Tennessee General Assembly in 1984 to expand research and contribute to the overall economic and community development base of the state. The mission of the Center for Research and Policy on Basic Skills is to conduct multidisciplinary research and demonstrations concerning the practices, policies and programs of institutions and communities that influence the educational, social, physical, and psychological well-being of children and families. The Center produces and disseminates research and information to support the formation of public policy and the programmatic decisions of schools, agencies and communities in Tennessee and in the nation.
Center goals are:
• To provide an environment and facilities to conduct significant research studies.
• To demonstrate research capability, which denotes the Center as accomplished among peer institutions and in the broader research community.
• To disseminate research that has an impact on policies, programs, and practices which can improve opportunities for children and families to succeed and to strengthen community infrastructures.
The Center for Research and Policy on Basic Skills continues to expand its research agenda to achieve these goals as a part of Tennessee State University’s commitment to excellence. The Center has three research departments:
• Academic Skills Acquisition
• Child and Family Studies
• School/Community Partnerships
These research departments interface with the Center’s Bureau of Evaluation and Research Services (BERS). This unit administers projects and programs of a research, service, and academic nature. Additionally, these projects and programs provide laboratories and demonstration sites for conducting and disseminating research, promoting innovation, and enhancing collaboration with various agencies and organizations. BERS also provides linkages with agencies for accessing additional Center research opportunities and funding.
Bureau of Evaluation and Research Services (BERS)
Barbara A. Nye, Ph.D.
Executive Director
The Bureau of Evaluation and Research Services (BERS) administers a variety of Center projects and programs. These provide training, research demonstration, and /or services to education, human service and other organizations. These programs and projects encompass academic instruction, in-service training, consultation, district services, curriculum dissemination and public service activities. Several types of activities are administered through specific grants and contracts. For example, the Teacher Enhancement and Materials Management (TEMM) Center provides professional development for teachers and school administrators, consultation, and material distribution on systemic change in K-12 science education. Additional Bureau projects include school-community and private sector partnerships, conferences, early childhood, higher education and coordination with state offices and federal projects. BERS publishes research reports and educational training materials.
Tennessee CAREs
Early Head Start Program
The Tennessee Comprehensive Area Resource Efforts (CAREs) unit administers the Early Head Start Program, one of the original 68 national Early Head Start research and demonstration programs. The Early Head Start program focuses on prevention and early intervention with low-income children and families. The unique program provides and coordinates comprehensive, intensive, and continuous support services to enable families to attain self-sufficiency, while recognizing the integrity and unique needs of families and children. The Tennessee CAREs unit also collaborates with the state pilot preschool programs for low-income children and administers other HHS grant programs. The goals of Tennessee CAREs encompass successful health, economic, and educational outcomes, and long-term academic success. The Early Head Start Program is funded by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families and is part of the national laboratory for research on best practices for infant-toddler/preschool, family and community development programs.
Tennessee Early Childhood
Training Alliance (TECTA) Program
The Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) Program is part of the Research Policy Center’s Child and Family studies research department. TECTA provides management and technical assistance to Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions and consortia, who serve as subcontractors to implement a statewide system of certificate and degree training programs for early childhood education teachers and administrators. TECTA includes center-based, family and group home preschool models as well as school age models. Additional Child and Family Research and demonstration programs include:
• ECATS – Early Childhood Assessment Training System
• Infant/Toddler Model Sites
• TN-CCPT – Tennessee Child Care Provider Training
• Davidson and Mid Cumberland Assessment Units
• In-Touch Davidson Child Care Resource Center
• UAW – Community Child Care Network
• PATHS – Partnership for Academic Training with Head Start
• Apprenticeship
Science, Mathematics, Technology
Research Project
National Science Foundation
The Center administers one of the National Interagency Educational Research Initiatives for the National Science Foundation. Dr. B.A. Nye, PI conducts research on the influence of science reform and standards-based curriculum on student achievement. The Research and Policy Center administers one of the original 26 National Science Foundation Local Systemic Change (LSC) Projects in partnership with Metro-Nashville Public Schools, and with Rutherford, Sumner, and Williamson Counties public schools. The project promotes exemplary science education focused on national standards, scientific literacy for all, and provides professional development for 3,400 teachers, and 150+ elementary and middle schools to enhance K-12 science teaching and learning.
The Center also is conducting a NSF Interagency Educational Research Initiative. This research concerns the improvement of student achievement and an investigation of the relationship of achievement to teacher development and standards-based curriculum.
The Tennessee Science and Technology Consortium (TSTC), involving six Tennessee school systems, is administered by the Center. Areas of emphasis include teacher and administrator enhancement, material management and evaluation. Also, the Bureau houses a Teacher Enhancement and Materials Management (TEMM) Center that serves as a state and national model for science and technology distribution. The TEMM Center distributes nationally validated, standards-based science/technology curriculum materials, and provides custom-designed training for teachers and principals.
State Employee Child Care Center (SECCC)
The states employee child care center is administered by the Center’s Bureau of Evaluation and Research through a contract with the state of Tennessee. The Center serves 72 children from 6-weeks through 5 years of age, and meets national accreditation guidelines set by the National Academy of Early Childhood Professionals. SECCC has provided qualified teachers and services to offer a quality early childhood education program for the last decade. SECCC is located at 110 Stockyard Street, in the downtown Nashville area.
Head Start State Training and Technical Assistance Center
The State Training and Technical Assistance Center has operated as the principle training resource for Head Start Programs in Tennessee since the 1970s. A variety of academic and continuing education courses and programs as well as training and technical assistance programs are offered to Head Start personnel and parents through contractual arrangements. The State Training and Technical Assistance Center also provides services on a contractual basis to Head Start agencies and their grantees throughout the United States. Major programs include:
• Child Development Associate Training Program. The Child Development Associate (CDA) Training Program is a national credentialing effort to improve the quality of performance of individual staff members in their role as child caregivers. The program emphasizes competency-based instruction, including supervised field experiences. BERS administers the CDA program, and CDA courses are offered through the Department of Home Economics. The CDA program is coordinated with the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) to promote degree preparation. In 1998, the Center’s CDA program celebrated credentialing the 100,000th CDA in the United States, who completed her CDA Program at TSU.
• Tennessee Head Start Academic Excellence Model creates a statewide uniform model for Head Start program staff to pursue Early Childhood Education (ECE) (@2000) degree. The model offers the necessary professional and career development classes for those staff with degrees other than in ECE in order to meet the Reauthorization requirements. The Academic Excellence Model initiative builds on the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) model and is enhanced by the specially designed 60 hour ECE associate degree program for Head Start staff. Vision 2003 supports the CDA credential requirement by offering the academic and practical preparation and advisement for the direct assessment method. Additionally, it provides review for advanced standing credit for current CDA credentialed teachers, who have earned valid college credits. Administration, management, quality assurance, and coordination of program development is provided through TSUs Research and Policy Center, in collaboration with the Tennessee Board of Regents Higher Education System, the Tennessee Head Start Association, and Region IV ACF. Additionally, the academic excel model includes a Social Services degree program (@2002).
• Social Services Competency Based Training Program The Social Services Competency Based Training Program (SSCBT) is a national training program for the development of generic competencies through the improvement of job practice skills of human service workers. The program was developed through the BERS during a 3-year research and evaluation project that resulted in the publication of a competency-based curriculum. In conjunction with the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare, a Social Service Practitioners credential is awarded to interns enrolled in the SSCBT Program. BERS was funded to implement the program throughout the Southeast and also has program adopters in several other states.
Business, Youngsters, Technology, and Education Consortium
Barbara A. Nye, Ph.D. Director
The Business, Youngsters, Technology, and Education (BYTE) Consortium is a non-profit public service which provides the following services in the area of technology and learning: 1) teacher, parent and administrator training, 2) child enrichment classes, 3) research, 4) conferences, 5) technical assistance, and 6) a variety of public-private partnership programs.
The Consortium is administered through the Bureau of Evaluation and Research Services. The BYTE Consortium also sponsors programs, which offer credit from the College of Education in the area of technology and learning, and conducts statewide preschool projects with microcomputer demonstration sites in schools and preschool classrooms. BERS has offered many services through its technology and learning laboratory supported through contributions to the BYTE Consortium. An advisory committee works with the Consortium on local, state, regional, and national programs.