Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN) FY26

Human Development Institute Evaluation Unit, University of Kentucky Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN) Evaluation Prime Sponsor: TN Department of Education subcontract of [University of Kansas] YR 5 of 5 Budget 7/01/2025 – 6/30/2026 Abstract The Human Development Institute''s Evaluation Unit will co-assess the TN Department of Education’s (TDOE) professional development efforts related to their Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN) under the primary direction of the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (KU-CRL). The evaluation will employ a utilization-focused evaluation system that measures the effectiveness, implementation, and sustainability of efforts essential to increasing adult capacity, preventing educational inequity, establishing safe and supportive learning environments, and fostering student achievement. Furthermore, the project will provide the TDOE TN-TAN with systems-level support to ensure Tennessee State Board of Education strategic goals, Tennessee’s Best For All strategic plan, and the Tennessee State Board of Education outcomes are addressed. A utilization-focused evaluation approach contributes to the continuous improvement of TN- TAN professional development by creating data-informed, self-correcting feedback loops. To this end, the TN-TAN Evaluation is an ongoing, collaborative process that enhances the expertise of TDOE and TN-TAN providers to build the capacity of teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches collect, analyze, and take action from meaningful data including root cause analysis, fidelity of implementation, and student outcomes. The overarching goal of the TN-TAN Evaluation is to assist the TDOE TN-TAN in designing and implementing an evaluation system that focuses on measuring the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of efforts to increase educator efficacy and improve student results.