Candice McQueen
CommissionerEducation
Dr. Candice McQueen was sworn in as Tennessee’s commissioner of education on January 17, 2015. During her first year as commissioner, McQueen led a statewide effort to create a new strategic plan and vision for our schools called Tennessee Succeeds. The comprehensive plan provides aligned goals, priorities, and strategies focused on increasing postsecondary and career readiness for all of Tennessee’s 1 million students.
McQueen also connected with over 10,000 teachers on the first leg of her Classroom Chronicles Tour, spending time in more than 75 school districts and 125 schools in 16 months. Under her leadership, McQueen worked to open lines of communication between the department and the public through avenues such as the Assessment Task Force and Assessment Task Force 2.0, Early Literacy Council, Career Forward Task Force, and the department’s inaugural Parent and Student Advisory Councils. In addition, she continued to oversee and participate in the department’s Teacher Advisory Council and the Governor’s Teacher Cabinet. Commissioner McQueen also worked alongside the governor and first lady of Tennessee to launch a comprehensive statewide literacy campaign called Read to be Ready, with the goal of having 75 percent of third graders reading on grade level by 2025. During this past year, McQueen also worked with the governor and the general assembly to pass the largest investment in K-12 education without a tax increase in Tennessee’s history.
Prior to her appointment as Commissioner of Education, McQueen served as senior vice president and dean of the college of education at Lipscomb University. Under her leadership, Lipscomb’s college of education and teacher preparation program were consistently highlighted as one of the top teacher training programs for quality and effectiveness. Prior to joining Lipscomb University, McQueen was awarded multiple awards for both her teaching and the curriculum design of a new magnet school.
She began her career as a classroom teacher, teaching in both public and private elementary and middle schools. Dr. McQueen has a bachelor's degree from Lipscomb, a master's degree from Vanderbilt, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Regents and was recently appointed to serve on the national board for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and as a commissioner for Education Commission of the States (ECS).
- Presentations by Topic
- Presentations by Event
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- December 5, 2016 - TN Reading Conference
- December 2016 - ESSA Town Hall Meetings
- November 7, 2016 - TSBA Winter Meeting
- November 1, 2016 - Hendersonville Chamber
- October 26, 2016 - LEAD Presentation
- October 20, 2016 - TERA Launch
- October 11, 2016 - Work-Based Learning Summit
- September 30, 2016 - Lee University
- September 28, 2016 - Conditions for Learning Forum
- September 27, 2016 - Read to be Ready Coaching Network
- September 27, 2016 - Knox Rotary
- September 26, 2016 - School Counselor Conference
- September 22, 2016 - Teacher Advisory Council Meeting
- September 1, 2016 - TSBA Fall Regional Meetings
- August 27, 2016 - Parent Advisory Council Meeting
- August 26, 2016 - Assessment Task Force Meeting #4
- August 22, 2016 - TOSS Beginning Superintendents Meeting
- August 17, 2016 - Education Committee Summer Study
- August 15, 2016 - ESSA Stakeholder Feedback with SCORE
- August 3, 2016 - Cheatham County Back-to-school Meeting
- July 28, 2016 - Benton County Back-to-school Meeting
- July 26, 2016 - Kingsport City School Back-to-school Meeting
- July 20, 2016 - Assessment Task Force 2.0, Meeting #3
- June 17, 2016 TSBA Perspective Superintendents Workshop
- June 14, 2016 - Assessment Task Force 2.0 Meeting #2
- May 26, 2016 - Assessment Task Force 2.0, Meeting #1
- May 17, 2016 – Tennessee STEM Innovation Summit
- May 10, 2016 – Building Best Practices Conference
- May 5, 2016 – Mid Cumberland Children’s Reading Foundation
- April 28, 2016 – Tennessee Tech University Teacher Appreciation Celebration
- April 21, 2016 – Tennessee Data and Attendance Supervisors’ Conference
- March 31, 2016 – Chattanooga Rotary Club
- March 30, 2016 – Brentwood Rotary Club
- March 23, 2016 – Carnegie Foundation Summit
- March 17, 2016 – National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) TAP Conference
- March 11, 2016 – Green Hills Rotary Club
- March 1, 2016 – Lexington City Rotary Club
- March 1, 2016 – Conexión Américas Education Summit
- February 19, 2016 – Union City Rotary Club
- February 17, 2016 – Read to be Ready Campaign Launch
- February 11, 2016 – Tennessee STEM Education Research Conference
- February 11, 2016 – Partners in Education Conference
- January 25, 2016 – House Education Committee
- January 15, 2016 – Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals
- January 14, 2016 – Bradley County Schools’ Readers are Leaders Community Celebration
- January 7, 2016 – Oak Ridge Human Resources Association
- December 8, 2015 - Tennessee Principals Association
- December 6, 2015 – Tennessee Reading Association
- November 18, 2015 – Tennessee Association of School Business Officials
- November 15, 2015 – Tennessee School Boards Association
- November 5, 2015 – Tennessee Association of School Personnel Administrators
- McQueen's Minute
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December 2016