Series: Informing the Conversation
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Postsecondary Success | Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways
Building Pathways to Success: Work-Based Learning in Tennessee High Schools
May 14, 2025
Tennessee has made significant investments in preparing all students for postsecondary education and a career. Research suggests that work-based learning (WBL) is one opportunity that can provide students with the confidence, skills, and social capital to succeed in college and the workplace. However, for these positive impacts to be realized, work-based learning must be high quality, providing students with valuable learning that sets them up for later career success. To gain a better understanding of the current state of work-based learning in Tennessee, the SCORE team analyzed data from several sources and produced this series of memos.
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Postsecondary Success | Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways
Barriers to Implementing Work-Based Learning
May 12, 2025
High-quality work-based learning is an important component of Tennessee’s efforts to prepare all high school students for postsecondary education and a quality career. This second memo in our Building Pathways to Success series uses data collected from interviews with district leaders to help us better understand barriers to implementing work-based learning (WBL) programs throughout Tennessee. State policymakers and leaders can use this information to provide the right solutions and supports.
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Postsecondary Success | Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways
Work-Based Learning Participation and Success
May 12, 2025
This first memo in our Building Pathways to Success series explores the current status of work-based learning (WBL) in Tennessee. This foundational knowledge shows us the strength of defining what constitutes a WBL experience but also highlights where Tennessee is falling short in assessing the impact of these experiences on future learning and future career pursuits.
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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Lead in Literacy Case Study: Aligning Teacher Candidate Preparation and Mentor Support Experiences
May 12, 2025
To support strong early literacy educator preparation in our state, Tennessee Technological University (TN Tech) and the Putnam County School System (PCSS) have partnered through the Lead in Literacy network to strengthen TN Tech’s educator preparation program (EPP). This EPP-district partnership is constructing a shared vision for literacy instruction and revising undergraduate literacy coursework methods to bolster skills around the science of reading and high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). This case study outlines their work to date.
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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Piloting Instructionally Coherent Literacy Intervention in Knox County Schools
May 7, 2025
Four elementary schools in Knox County tested a literacy intervention approach that brings better instructional coherence to students by using the same high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) that are used in the student’s main classroom, rather than introducing new materials that may follow a different scope and sequence of learning. In a previous report from SCORE, this approach showed promising results when compared with students receiving support in settings that used different materials.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Postsecondary Success | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Tennessee Public Charter Schools Are Preparing Students For Postsecondary Education
April 3, 2025
In Tennessee, many public charter schools build a strong postsecondary culture to support students to strive for success in college, career, and life.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Innovative Models
Historically Underserved Student Groups in Tennessee Public Charter Schools
April 2, 2025
Public charter schools serve a greater proportion of students from historically underserved groups — namely students of color and economically disadvantaged students — compared to noncharter schools across the state. On average, these charter students show faster academic growth and higher proficiency levels than their district peers.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Innovative Models
Tennessee Public Charter School Students See Strong Growth
April 2, 2025
You may have heard claims suggesting that charter schools target enrollment efforts at high-achieving students, a practice commonly referred to as “cherry picking” or “skimming.” When it comes to Tennessee public charter schools, it’s important to understand the opposite is true.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
National Study Highlights Student Growth in Tennessee Public Charter Schools
April 2, 2025
According to a 2023 national study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), public charter school students experience more average growth in math and English language arts than their counterparts in noncharter schools. In Tennessee, this growth equals an additional month and a half of learning for public charter school students.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Innovative Models
2023-24 Tennessee Public Charter School Demographics
April 2, 2025
Public charter schools serve a larger proportion of students from historically underserved groups — including Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students — than their traditional public school peers.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Innovative Models
Public Charter Schools Across Tennessee
April 2, 2025
In 2025, there are 115 charter schools in Tennessee, serving over 44,000 students — 5% of the state’s total student population.
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High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Innovative Models | K-12 Success
Nashville Charter Schools Provide Families With an Alternative to Priority Schools in Their Area
April 2, 2025
Charter schools are a free public school option, with many located near Nashville’s lowest-performing schools (priority schools). For the 2023-24 school year, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) had 19 priority schools serving over 9,000 students. Eighteen of these priority schools are traditional district-run schools and one is a charter school.
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