Education Policy Matters Blog – Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., PhD

Nashville’s LEAD Public Schools Unveils An Innovative Teacher Compensation Model

March 9, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

LEAD Public Schools is a high performing, homegrown network of charter schools in Nashville serving predominantly low-income students of color. The network recently unveiled a new teacher compensation model aimed

High School High School Graduation

The Hollowing Out of High School Diplomas: We’re Not Doing Students Any Favors

March 4, 2020March 17, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

In a new paper, Dr. Macke Raymond makes the case that rising rates of high school graduation for American students is a false positive of student success and graduates’ readiness

Rural Education School Funding

Federal Funding Controversy Around the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP)

March 2, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

There is currently a bit of controversy around the US Department of Education (REAP) and one of its programs for funding rural school districts across the country. You may be

Nashville Teacher Preparation Teachers Tennessee Uncategorized Urban Education

Belmont’s Metro Nashville Urban Teacher Residency

March 2, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

One of my favorite teacher preparation programs at Belmont is our Teacher Residency Program. I think I am so fond of the program because it is intended to directly address

Uncategorized

American Public Education is Not the Great Equalizer. But It Should Be.

February 27, 2020April 4, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

I often hear American public education described as the great equalizer. It is not, but it should be. Truthfully, American public education has never been anything close to an equalizer

Career and Technical Education (CTE) College/Career Readiness

What Career and Technical Education (CTE) Is, and What It Is Not

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

I was attending a meeting in the Board Room at the Kentucky Department of Education. This was prior to my time as Commissioner. I was serving on an accountability steering

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Effective Instruction and High Quality Curriculum Matter, A Lot

February 19, 2020February 21, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

I never aspired to become a teacher, and no one had ever suggested I consider it. But there I was, at the age of 23, entering teaching through a post-baccalaureate

Equity School Funding

School Funding is Only One of the Essential Ingredients to More Equitable Schools

June 5, 2019February 21, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

[Taken from the Commissioner of Education’s Report to the Kentucky Board of Education, June 5, 2019] I have had the honor and privilege of leading the Kentucky Department of Education

Community College middle-skill jobs

Free Community College Program in Kentucky: Too Few Kentuckians are Taking Advantage

April 26, 2019February 21, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

Over the last few weeks I’ve heard the conversation about free college in Kentucky pick up steam. There’s more and more interest in tuition-free options for college in the state.

Academic Standards Kentucky Pedagogy Standards students of color Teacher Content Knowledge Teacher Preparation Teachers

New Academic Standards Roll Out in Kentucky: An Opportunity to Address Instructional Inequity

April 23, 2019February 21, 2020 Wayne D. Lewis 0

Kentucky recently adopted new academic standards in reading and mathematics. Academic standards are, very simply, what teachers teach and what students are expected to learn, by subject area and by

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. is Dean & Professor of Education at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. He previously served as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education (2018-2019), Executive Director of Education Policy & Programs in the Kentucky Education & Workforce Development Cabinet (2016-2018), and as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky (2009-2019). Prior to assuming positions in higher education and state government, Wayne worked as a public school teacher in Louisiana and North Carolina (2003-2008). He earned a bachelor’s degree at Loyola University New Orleans and a master’s degree at The University of Akron. He completed teacher training at University of New Orleans and earned a PhD in Educational Research & Policy Analysis at North Carolina State University.