NASHVILLE– Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce. His testimony will highlight the role that teachers and teacher evaluation can play in the effort to build a better education system as Tennessee’s plan to implement a statewide teacher evaluation system goes into effect this coming school year. The full committee hearing, “Education Reforms: Exploring Teacher Quality Initiatives,” will explore ways state and local school districts are encouraging and supporting more effective teachers in classrooms.                           WHEN:           Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:00am – 10:00am CDT   WHO:             Commissioner Kevin Huffman Tennessee Department of Education                         Joining Commissioner Huffman in testifying before the committee are: Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of Denver Public Schools David Cicarella, President of New Haven Federation of Teachers Kate Walsh, President of the National Council on Teacher Quality               INFO:              A live webcast of the testimony in its entirety will be available when the Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing is in progress. To learn more about the Committee on Education and the Workforce,  visit  . The full text of Commissioner Huffman’s prepared testimony will be made available on the Tennessee Department of Education following the hearing.                   .