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Connecting the Dots: The Environment’s Impact on Student Success

October 14, 2025
Informative flyer titled "Connecting the Dots: The Environment’s Impact on Student Success" with text and a quote by Sen. Bill Frist.

In 2024, SCORE launched the Connecting the Dots series to spotlight emerging issues beyond our core priorities that are increasingly impacting student success in Tennessee. This year’s symposium focused on how the changing environment — from extreme weather disruptions to the effect on current and future careers — is impacting students’ learning, physical and mental well-being, and long-term opportunities. This memo serves as a continuation of the day’s discussions and includes speaker insights, key data, and practical action to benefit students, our workforce, and the planet.

Co-hosted by SCORE with our founder and board chair, Sen. Bill Frist M.D., this Connecting the Dots event drew on national research and Tennessee-based policies and practices to examine how environmental factors play a role in education and preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow. 

 

Key takeaways include:

  • Extreme weather events are negatively impacting students’ physical health, mental well-being, and academic outcomes.
  • Schools are positioned to lead climate solutions by modernizing infrastructure, cutting emissions, and strengthening community resilience.
  • Nature-based learning, as well as cross-curricular learning about the changing environment, supports student success.
  • Preparing students for a workforce shaped by environmental change opens doors to opportunity, leadership, and innovation.
  • Centering environmental considerations in policy and practice strengthens Tennessee’s economy, culture, and quality of life.
  • Cross-sector, nonpartisan collaboration is essential as we support students to build and participate in a resilient, future-ready Tennessee.

Learn more about the Connecting the Dots: The Environment’s Impact on Student Success event.

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