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Education Commissioner Visits West Carroll, McKenzie

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ATWOOD (February 13) — Penny Schwinn, Tennessee’s new commissioner of Education, was well pleased following her visit to two local schools in Carroll County. Both are among the limited number of Reward Schools in the state.
While a tight schedule did not allow her time to visit with media representatives at McKenzie, she did have comments following her afternoon visit at West Carroll Junior-Senior High in Atwood.
She said, “This is an incredible school. There are a few things that made it incredible. One, I saw teachers who love what they do, passionate about what they do, and passionate about the kids. I heard from kids who know what they want to do and how they are going to get there. And most importantly, they felt like they are home. When they came to school, they felt just like they are home. There is something special about that. I don’t think we talk enough about feeling that level of community when you are at school. I was very moved and impressed by that. I met leaders who knew their kids, they had vision for comes next. You need leaders who know where they are going, you need teacher-leaders who care deeply about the content and the child, and you need students who are excited about learning. I saw all that.”
She continued, “Part of the work of being commissioner is to make sure you know what is happening in classrooms across the state. She said she uses that to help develop the policies across the state.”
In a roundtable discussion, Commissioner Schwinn met with students Andrew Springer, Natalie Moore, Hope Coleman, Kassidy Simmons, Kaylie Harris, Savannah Sutton, Marah Bryant, Courtney Minton, Seth Edwards, Tatym Keymon, Riley Weaver, Jack Lawrence, Lainee Hawkins, Jana Clark, Anessa Higgs, and River Hays.
Each of the students told of their post-secondary plans, how they have benefited from the instruction and care of teachers and administrators at West Carroll. The also made a few recommendations to improve the path to the future.

Dexter Williams, director of schools, presented Commissioner Schwinn with a token of their appreciation for her visit. She said the school board recently adopted a new mission statement. It reads, “educate the whole child by providing options and opportunities for success.”
Earlier in the day, Commissioner Schwinn visited McKenzie Elementary School. She visited the classrooms of Lorrie Brown, Amy Wilkes, and Courtney Chadwick Kee.
Schwinn was traveling with Cathy Pressnell, former teacher of the year for the state, and Hillary Knudson, deputy chief of staff of the Department of Education.
Prior to joining the Tennessee Department of Education, Commissioner Schwinn served as the Chief Deputy Commissioner of Academics at the Texas Education Agency, where she oversaw the Office of Academics and was responsible for the following agency departments: School Programs (including Early Childhood Education, Reading, and College, Career, and Military Preparation); the Deputy Commissioner of Special Populations and Monitoring (including Special Education); the Deputy Commissioner of Standards and Engagement (including Curriculum, Digital Learning, Assessment, and Performance Reporting); Research and Analysis; and Special Projects.   
Commissioner Schwinn also previously served in other state and district roles as an Assistant Secretary of Education in the Delaware Department of Education and as Assistant Superintendent of Performance Management for the Sacramento City Unified School District. She is also the founder and former superintendent of Capitol Collegiate Academy, at the time one of the county’s highest performing charter schools serving low-income students from a region of Sacramento where she grew up. She also served as an elected Trustee for the Sacramento County Board of Education.
Commissioner Schwinn earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California-Berkeley and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. She has a PhD in Education Policy from Claremont Graduate University in California.

Commissioner, Education, West Carroll, McKenzie, Schwinn