The past 12 years have seen a remarkable turnaround for students in Tennessee. In 2007, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report found severe flaws in the quality of education in Tennessee, especially in key areas like student achievement and postsecondary and career readiness. Just six years later, Tennessee had become the fastest-improving state in the nation in student achievement, and today the state is a national leader in innovative, student-centered education policy.
How did Tennessee make so much progress, and what must policymakers, advocates, and educators do to build upon the state’s significant gains? In the following video, Senator Bill Frist, founder and chairman of SCORE, answers these questions.
Senator Frist explores the history of Tennessee education reform and charts a path forward as we continue to make progress. He emphasizes that there is still much work ahead to ensure that all students in Tennessee are prepared to succeed, especially as they move on to college or careers. In fact, only one in five Tennessee high school graduates are prepared for college in all subjects. As part of SCORE’s expanded mission to focus on classroom-to career-success, Senator Frist, SCORE, and our advocacy partners are all committed to improving postsecondary readiness for every Tennessee students.
Will Newell recently completed an internship at SCORE.