Education is in a constant state of change. But ask almost anyone who has spent a career in education, and they may say it has always felt that way.
The education pendulum swings from one reform to another. Stay in the profession long enough, and yesterday’s discarded idea can resurface as tomorrow’s innovation. Meanwhile, pandemic-era disruptions led to significant declines in student achievement nationwide. In response, states have increasingly refocused on phonics, foundational skills, and early literacy.
Consider reading. Louisiana offers a striking example. Its fourth-grade reading performance rose from near the bottom nationally in 2019 to among the stronger-performing states in 2024, following sustained emphasis on foundational literacy, the science of reading, high-quality curriculum, and intervention.
Mississippi and Alabama have also drawn national attention for their literacy gains. Tennessee’s 2024 NAEP reading results showed that 32% of students were at or above NAEP Proficient in both fourth and eighth grades, slightly above the national average.
Some veteran teachers might reasonably ask: Didn’t we already know some of this? That question captures the frustration educators feel after decades of reform.
Consider academic standards. Common Core was formally a state-led initiative, although the Obama administration strongly encouraged states to adopt college- and career-ready standards through Race to the Top and related federal policies.
Tennessee adopted the Common Core standards in 2010 under Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration. Gov. Bill Haslam later became a strong supporter of the standards and served on the board of Achieve, an organization that supports Common Core and college- and career-ready standards. After considerable debate and a state review process, Tennessee ultimately replaced Common Core with its own Tennessee Academic Standards.
Standards are not the core issue. The real challenge often lies in how reforms are implemented, sometimes without sufficient consideration for educator experience and institutional memory. Eventually, districts introduced tools such as “I Can” statements to translate standards into language that teachers and students could more easily understand.
Then came another major reform. Tennessee became one of the first states to receive federal Race to the Top funding, totaling approximately $501 million. The state subsequently implemented a new teacher evaluation system that included classroom observations, student achievement measures, and extensive feedback.
Accountability is necessary. Every profession should expect improvement. Fair and meaningful accountability can protect students, strengthen instruction, and recognize excellent educators—however, implementation matters.
In many schools, educators faced repeated observations, new documentation requirements, and additional demands on evenings and weekends. Some veteran teachers viewed the shifting expectations as a signal that it was time to retire.
Then technology transformed classrooms. Educators were told that the divide between the future “haves” and “have-nots” would, in part, hinge on technological literacy. Schools invested heavily in devices, digital curricula, and one-to-one computing.
During the pandemic, remote instruction made technology indispensable. Chromebooks and other devices served as classrooms, libraries, and communication tools. When schools reopened, many of those devices remained central to daily instruction.
Now, another reassessment is underway. Technology can be very useful in a classroom. It can provide accessibility for students with disabilities, individualized interventions, immediate access to information, and opportunities that previous generations never had. Technology should be a tool, not the teacher.
Research suggests screens can be useful in certain contexts, but for younger children, print, handwriting, and direct human interaction often support deeper cognitive processing and skill development.
Tennessee policymakers have responded. Beginning in 2026, state law requires school districts and public charter schools serving K–5 students to adopt policies governing the age-appropriate use of digital devices, with the stated purpose of minimizing unnecessary screen time while preserving effective instructional uses.
Think about the journey teachers have experienced. Common Core. Race to the Top. New evaluation systems. One-to-one technology. Pandemic learning. Learning loss. The science of reading. Now, a reconsideration of how much technology belongs in elementary classrooms.
The lesson is not that education should resist change. Change must be evidence-based, carefully implemented, and guided by educator expertise.
Some reforms worked. Some did not. Others contained good ideas that became less effective due to poor implementation. Too often, the education reform process can become an end in itself, with attention shifting from whether students are actually improving to the next reform.
That is why educators’ voices matter. Teachers are not opposed to accountability, higher standards, or innovation simply because they question how a policy will work in a real classroom. Asking practical questions is part of professional practice.
Parents are understandably confused. Teachers are exhausted by constant change. Students ultimately bear the consequences. The problem is not that education has changed too much; reform too often moves faster than the evidence, implementation, and professional judgment needed to make it work.
Education reform requires more than a promising idea. It requires clear goals, reliable evidence, careful implementation, time to evaluate results, and the discipline to improve a policy without discarding what works. Above all, it requires listening to the educators who turn policy into practice.
Education does not need a new reform every year. Real progress comes from proven ideas, educator expertise, and giving good reforms time to work. Constant change is not progress.
Karolyn Marino is the vice president of the Professional Educators of Tennessee.
JC Bowman is the executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee.
