Few things have united Americans throughout our country’s history like support for our men and women in uniform.  No matter our differences, we have come together in the name of service to our country.It is in this spirit of service that we formed the AIM High TN initiative. AIM (Achievement, Innovation, Measurement) High TN is an initiative led by military, education, and community leaders from across Tennessee working to raise awareness about the unique challenges military families face, provide educational resources to military families, and help support the academic success of military children.

AIMHighTNMany Tennesseans would be surprised to know that our state is home to almost 40,000 military children, making the Volunteer State the 12th largest military child state in the country. With active, reserve, and National Guard installations all across the state, every county in Tennessee is home to a military family.

Our pride in the service of our fellow Tennesseans is coupled with the reality of the challenges military children face.Parental deployments, frequent moves, isolation, and new schools are all realities for military kids – sometimes on an annual basis.  These tough challenges make military children resilient, but we have a responsibility to do everything we can to support them.

With Tennessee’s transition to the new, more rigorous TNReady assessment, AIM High TN is offering military families extra resources to help prepare their children to succeed.  Through the AIM High TN website, military parents can find tips to help their children succeed in school and prepare for the challenges that military families often face.

We know that the military lifestyle is not always easy for members or their families, but AIM High TN is a way to help Tennessee’s military children achieve academic success.

Join us in supporting Tennessee’s military families by telling your friends, neighbors, and colleagues about this important initiative and visit our website at www.aimhightn.com.

This blog post is by the Steering Committee of AIM High TN. The members of the committee are Chairman Major General Terry M. “Max” Haston,  Tennessee adjutant general; Theresa Carl, Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation; Dr. Carolyn Davis, Sevier County Schools and MIC3 Liaison; Major Paul Dean, Hamilton County Department of Education; Representatives Craig Fitzhugh, John Forgety, and Joe Pitts and Senators Mark Green and Dolores Gresham, Tennessee General Assembly; Major General Gus Hargett, retired adjutant general; Taylor Hall and David Mansouri, SCORE; Anne Haston and Dr. Mary Keller, Military Child Education Coalition; Mike Krause, Tennessee Higher Education Commission; Wayne Miller, Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents; Lieutenant Colonel Jim Reed, Tennessee Military Department; Dr. Lana Seivers, Middle Tennessee State University; Lieutenant Colonel Martha Shaffer, Metro Nashville Public Schools; Major Stephanie Welch, Great Schools Partnership; and Major General Jan Young, Assisi Foundation.