Resources

Delve into research on current education issues and gain a deeper understanding of policies that help students succeed.

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2026 State of Education in Tennessee: Moving Every Student Forward

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Perspectives & Press

Get insights and updates on the fast-moving education landscape from our expert team.

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Perspectives
Read SCORE’s blog to get insights on key education topics.
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Stay up to date on the latest news surrounding SCORE and Tennessee education.

Perspectives

Perspectives is SCORE’s blog that offers insights and thought leadership on key issues in education. This platform features contributions from SCORE team members and other experts who share viewpoints on improving educational outcomes in Tennessee. Through Perspectives, SCORE aims to inspire innovative thinking and foster informed discussions that advance student success.

Recent Perspectives

Wooden door partially open, showing a classroom in session. The glass inset displays a "KIPP Nashville" logo. Students and desks are visible inside.

Real-World Problems, Real-World Solutions: KIPP Nashville Leads the Way in Innovative Work-Based Learning

February 13, 2026 | Sam Brobeck

In partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, Teamship, and local business leaders, KIPP Nashville is showing how high-quality work-based learning can bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce by equipping students to take on real-world organizational challenges and propose practical solutions.

Read More Teacher assisting students with tablets at a round table in a classroom setting, colorful walls and educational materials in the background.

Five Insights from Tennessee’s 2025 School Letter Grades

January 15, 2026 | Jack Roberts Jue

Each year in Tennessee, nearly all public schools receive an A-F letter grade, giving a snapshot of how students performed during the prior school year. The SCORE team analyzed data from the 2024-25 school letter grades and identified five key insights about how schools are performing and what the results reveal about Tennessee’s accountability system. This analysis comes as state leaders are actively considering changes to how school performance is measured and communicated.

Read More A smiling group of children and a woman with glasses, wearing purple, gather together in a hallway, showcasing joy and camaraderie.

Small School, Big Impact: How Perea Elementary Is Redefining What’s Possible in Tennessee Schools

January 9, 2026 | Jay Brown, Erin Malafronte

Perea Elementary, a charter school in the Klondike/Smokey City community in Memphis and a pilot site in SCORE’s Tennessee Educator Staffing Innovation (TESI) Network, is showing how strategic staffing and instructional coherence can transform student outcomes.

Read More A student in a gray sweater attentively listens and takes notes in a classroom, with another student in the background.

Measuring Readiness, Unlocking Opportunity: Five Insights From Tennessee’s 2025 ACT Results and Why They Matter for Students

December 18, 2025 | Jack Roberts Jue

A key indicator of postsecondary readiness in Tennessee is student performance on the ACT, a nationally recognized assessment that measures the cumulative skills students learn throughout their K-12 journey. The SCORE team reviewed the 2024-25 ACT state results and identified five key insights highlighting bright spots in the data and areas where Tennessee can improve.

Read More Five smiling children standing close together outside on grass, with a building in the background.

Tennessee Student Health: Three Insights From New Data Dashboard

November 10, 2025 | Dr. Zachary Hyder, Erin Malafronte, Yaze Li

When Tennessee prioritizes student health, we advance student success and workforce opportunity. This Perspective highlights three key learnings from a new health resources and services dashboard that details how Tennessee schools connect students to health services.

Read More Two people sitting in a classroom, conversing and pointing at a book. Several other people are seated in the background.

Partnering to Strengthen Literacy: Putnam County Schools & TN Tech Prepare Future Teachers for Success

October 14, 2025 | Jay Brown

Ensuring that all students can read proficiently by the end of third grade is critical to Tennessee’s long-term success. That’s why districts and universities across Tennessee are working together to better prepare future teachers for the classroom, especially in literacy instruction.

Read More A teacher reads a book to a group of young students seated at a classroom table, with colorful decorations on the walls.

Five Key Lessons From the 2025 Tennessee Educator Survey

September 30, 2025 | Bailey Deavers

Five key insights from the 2025 Tennessee Educator Survey that reveal both strengths in our education system and opportunities for improvement.

Read More Young students in matching uniforms focus on assignments at desks in a well-lit classroom.

Progress Worth Building On: What 2025 TCAP Results Tell Us About Charter Schools

September 24, 2025 | Emma McWeeney

The 2025 school-level results from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tell a story of progress and possibility. From big gains in math to stronger early literacy proficiency, Tennessee’s public charter schools are helping students move forward.

Read More A laptop displaying the "Education to Employment Dashboard" with charts and data, on a wooden table in a bright room.

Dashboard Updates Unlock New Insights on Economic Opportunity for Students

September 22, 2025 | Dr. Zachary Hyder, Yaze Li

To better understand education and workforce alignment in Tennessee, we provide three new insights enabled by updates to Tennessee’s Education-to-Employment Dashboard.

Read More A teacher helps a young student with a worksheet at a colorful classroom table, focusing on his work while others study nearby.

The Collaborative Expansion of Tennessee’s Future Teacher Scholarship

July 22, 2025 | Amanda Glover

A look at how recent legislation made key improvements that expand the reach of the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship.

Read More A student with long hair focuses intently, sitting at a desk with a pencil case and notebooks in a classroom setting.

What Matters: 2025 TCAP Data is Our Compass for the Work Ahead

July 11, 2025 | David Mansouri

SCORE President & CEO David Mansouri unpacks five key data insights from the 2025 TCAP results, offering a look at the wins and persistent gaps while charting the course for our work ahead.

Read More Two people working at a computer in a technical lab setting, focused and engaged.

What Matters: Catalyzing Transformative Change in Education Through the Future Forward Innovation Grant

June 23, 2025 | Mary Cypress Metz

Seeing firsthand how strong education-employer partnerships transform the ways students are prepared for careers, SCORE launched the Future Forward Innovation Grant to support the incubation and scaling of innovative education-to-work models in Tennessee. Seven innovative partnerships have been announced as grant winners.

Read More

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