Comprehensive Educational Resources

Congratulations to our job-embedded course educators, who finished the program in May. This year's cohort included early-career educations from Carter County Schools, Cocke County Schools, and Hawkins County School District.

CER’s Job-Embedded Course is a year-long program where early-career educators learn about teaching through practical, hands-on activities. The program is specifically designed to support teachers who have pursued a nontraditional path to education, often earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in another field before deciding to seek teacher licensure later in their careers. The Job-Embedded Course gives these teachers a place to share their unique experiences, ask questions, and learn together.

Registration closes on June 1! The Niswonger Foundation has a full slate of engaging breakout sessions and an exciting keynote address planned, so you don't want to miss it. Check out the schedule of sessions here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ftva9jbvBvXd35oIkrb5hqiZ_Utw_vFg0wwH_HXA_Hg/edit?usp=drive_link

Have you registered for this year's Niswonger School Success Symposium yet? Elevating Excellence 2026 will bring regional and national experts in education to Greeneville, TN on Tuesday, June 23. Throughout the day, attendees will be able to attend breakout sessions as well as an afternoon keynote address from renowned educator and speaker, Chase Mielke.

Stay tuned for the upcoming release of the day's full session schedule! We currently have over 40 different breakout sessions scheduled to repeat throughout the day, so there is something for everyone--with topics targeting everything from Pre-K to 12th grade to school counseling.

Register now to experience an incredible day of learning! Link to register: forms.gle/WxcfVgJxCUg6yPvz5

Attendees will receive a certificate for 6 hours of PD credit. Coffee, donuts, and lunch will be served for those who register in advance.

On May 6, educators in West Tennessee attended CER's Principal Study Council (PSC) Conference in White Bluff.

Lisa Ryan, founder of Grategy, LLC, addressed a room full of K-12 principals, assistant principals, associate principals, central office administrators, and instructional coaches.

The training, titled "Building Connection & Capacity: Strengthen Teams, Reduce Burnout, and Reignite Purpose," focused on using retention as a leadership strategy and strengthening leaders' emotional intelligence and stamina. The day concluded with an activity where attendees built their own 30-day culture commitment and reflected upon the day's different learning sessions.

CER hosts two PSC conferences each year—one for educators in East Tennessee and one for those in West Tennessee.

To learn more about this and other opportunities, visit CER's website: www.comprehensiveeducationalresources.org

We would like to extend our congratulations once again to the educators from the 2025-2026 Leadership Academy Cohort! 👏 👏 👏

This achievement reflects not only your dedication to professional growth but also your commitment to making a lasting impact on the students, colleagues, and communities you serve.

Learn more about CER's Leadership Academy here: https://www.comprehensiveeducationalresources.org/leadership-academy

For information about how your district can join CER, email Dr. Mia Hyde at [email protected]

🥳 Congratulations to CER's Leadership Academy Class of 2026!

Thirty teacher leaders from CER districts gathered this afternoon for a reception in their honor and to share their leadership projects. The next time you see one of these amazing teacher leaders, be sure to congratulate them on this huge milestone!

Have you registered for this year's Niswonger School Success Symposium yet? Elevating Excellence 2026 will bring regional and national experts in education to Greeneville, TN on Tuesday, June 23. Throughout the day, attendees will be able to attend breakout sessions as well as an afternoon keynote address from renowned educator and speaker, Chase Mielke.

Stay tuned for the upcoming release of the day's full session schedule! We currently have over 40 different breakout sessions scheduled to repeat throughout the day, so there is something for everyone--with topics targeting everything from Pre-K to 12th grade to school counseling.

Register now to experience an incredible day of learning! Link to register: forms.gle/WxcfVgJxCUg6yPvz5

Attendees will receive a certificate for 6 hours of PD credit. Coffee, donuts, and lunch will be served for those who register in advance.

✨ 👩‍🏫 Meet Heidi Kerley, an instructional coach at Johnson County Middle School and member of CER's Instructional Coach Collaborative!

Heidi Kerley has been an instructional coach for grades 7 and 8 in Johnson County for three years. Prior to that, she taught twelfth grade English. Naturally, one of her favorite things to do is read, and her favorite part of the coaching collaborative so far has been participating in its book studies.

Heidi enjoys being an instructional coach because it "allows [her] to build relationships with educators and have a positive impact on students through those relationships." She also values the sense of belonging and support the collaborative provides, saying, "the collaborative is such a blessing in that we may not know one another well, but we know we are all on a similar mission and we all are supporting one another regularly."

✨ 🏫 Meet Sumer Humphrey, an instructional coach for Bristol Tennessee City Schools and member of CER's Instructional Coach Collaborative.

Sumer taught fourth and sixth grade before becoming an instructional coach six years ago. Her favorite part about being an instructional coach is being able to support teachers and through them, support their students as well. She has found the CER Instructional Coach Collaborative a helpful way to network with coaches from other districts and discover solutions to common instructional problems. Outside of her coaching role, she enjoys spending time with her family–including her husband, two daughters, and golden doodle.

Sumer has been profoundly impacted by the collaborative’s recent book study. She said, “There are so many things I have been able to add to my toolbox from the coach collaborative, but I would have to say the current book study we are doing has truly been a right on time support. It is so nice to dig into emotional resilience and have the support of other coaches as we walk through this journey together. If you haven't read Onward, by Elena Aguilar, add it to your list of great reads!”

Discover more about CER's programming by visiting our website: https://www.comprehensiveeducationalresources.org/

✨ Spotlight on...
Kelly Campbell
K-5 Instructional Coach, Dickson County

As a first year instructional coach, Kelly Campbell has found CER's Instructional Coach Collaborative especially helpful. Kelly's favorite part about being an instructional coach is "being able to help teachers teach more effectively. " She elaborated, "Many times it is small shifts that we have seen such high student impacts, and I love it when teachers feel more confident."

Kelly would like other instructional coaches in CER districts to "find the time to dig into the lessons! They are SO worth it, especially for newer teachers! Great resources, great questions!"

Before transitioning into an instructional coach position, Kelly taught 4th Grade Math and Science. She commented on CER's science materials, saying, "I really like how the CER science lessons and questions are set up. I wish I had those when I was a teacher." Outside of the classroom, Kelly loves to spend time with her family and travel the world.