As school year nears, Tennessee's education chief asks: 'How do we keep this momentum?'
Meghan Mangrum, Nashville Tennessean
Fifth-grader Jaidyn scowls as her boat made from duct tape and plastic straws leans to the right as her classmates add pennies to weigh it down, the edge slowly sinking under the water.
The girl returns to her desk inside a classroom at Parsons Elementary School in Decatur County and gets to work.
A few minutes later, Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn looks around the room for Jaidyn, purposefully following up with the student after her failed sailing attempt.
"Hey, how are you going to weigh this side down?" Schwinn asks Jaidyn as she pulls up a chair.