New report outlines bold vision and statewide priorities to strengthen student success from kindergarten to career
Nashville, Tenn. — Building on Tennessee’s continued pursuit of success for every student, today the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) shared the organizations latest report: 2026 State of Education in Tennessee: Moving Every Student Forward. Leaders gathered in Nashville to hear from SCORE and a panel of experts from the K-12, postsecondary and nonprofit sectors who shared insights and explored strategies to accelerate student progress. A full recording of the event can be found here.
Serving as an annual milestone for both SCORE and the broader Tennessee education community, today’s event and report revisit the state’s shared TN2030 goals and introduce four priorities the state should pursue in 2026 and beyond. Together, these priorities aim to unlock and expand opportunity for all students as they move across the journey from K-12 and postsecondary education to a thriving career that enables economic independence.
“Tennessee has always moved with purpose and intention, and our progress shows what is possible when we work together for students,” said Sen. Bill Frist, M.D., chairman and founder of SCORE. “For more than 15 years, we have raised expectations and expanded opportunity, and those efforts have helped transform the classroom experience for many more students across our state. But progress is not a signal to slow down — it is a call to go even further.”
Sen. Frist said this year’s report reflects both the progress the state has achieved and the work still ahead to address persistent gaps in student achievement, postsecondary completion and career preparation.
Rooted in a bold statewide vision, the 2026 State of Education report offers four priorities to help propel the state forward.
- Transform Education into an Engine for Economic Opportunity: Ensure every student has a clear, intentional path toward earning an impact credential. This path should be one supported by dual enrollment opportunities, high-quality work-based learning, advising and clear alignment of outcomes with labor market needs.
- Elevate Excellence in Teaching as Tennessee’s Most Powerful Investment: Strengthen teacher evaluation systems, create alignment between core instruction and intervention, and support excellent teachers to advance in their role and expand their impact.
- Expand Access to High-Quality School Options for Every Family, in Every Community: Ensure students have access to strong public school options that meet families’ needs and deliver strong academic outcomes. By strengthening funding and streamlining authorization for charter schools and guaranteeing access to quality schools within and across school districts, more Tennessee students will have the opportunity to succeed.
- Strengthen Accountability Systems to Turn Data into Action and Insight into Impact: Use clear, aligned data and assessments to drive improvement, connect student progress to long-term outcomes, and maintain transparency and rigor across the system.
To help unpack and illuminate the importance of the four priorities, a panel of expert leaders from across the state discussed practical applications, barriers to overcome and tangible next steps.
Moderated by Janet Ayers, chairman of the Ayers Foundation Trust, the distinguished panel included:
- Dr. Ricki Gibbs II, chief executive officer, LEAD Public Schools in Nashville
- Dr. Brian Noland, president, East Tennessee State University
- Rory Thomas, president, Memphis Medical District Collaborative
- Dr. Annette Tudor, director of schools, Bristol Tennessee City Schools
“Advancing these priorities requires a shared commitment across the state to prepare students for careers enabling economic independence, to strengthen teaching, to expand high-quality public school options and to use data to drive continuous improvement,” said David Mansouri, president and CEO of SCORE. “By working together, we can ensure that every student has the support, opportunities and guidance they need to succeed.”