2026 State of Education in Tennessee: Moving Every Student Forward
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Education Finance | Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways
Workforce Pell: A New Opportunity for Tennesseans to Build Skills Through Short-Term Credentials
January 21, 2026
Tennessee’s economy needs more skilled workers, and forecasts predict that by 2031 most jobs will require some form of postsecondary education. Beginning in 2026, Workforce Pell — the new federal expansion of the Pell Grant program — will provide financial aid for high‑quality short‑term training programs that help Tennesseans quickly gain skills, earn credentials aligned to employer needs, and access high‑wage, in‑demand careers.
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Education Finance | Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways
Driving Workforce Opportunity Through the Outcomes-Based Funding Formula
October 10, 2025
For decades, Tennessee has been a national leader in higher education reform. Yet today, too many students are earning credentials that don’t connect to economic opportunity. This memo makes the case for aligning Tennessee’s outcomes-based formula to an urgent education priority: preparing students for high-wage, high-growth careers.
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Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways | K-12 Success
Leveraging Credential Stackability to Reach Workforce Opportunity
May 20, 2025
Tennessee has a growing number of postsecondary credential options available in today’s dynamic economy. As part of this trend, students are increasingly stacking credentials — earning multiple credentials over time to build skills. This practice is not just more common but also increasingly necessary to unlock career opportunity. Yet Tennessee lacks a clear definition of what it means for a student to “stack” credentials or how stackability can lead to high-wage, high-demand job opportunities. Tennessee can lead the nation in defining stackability and supporting students across their education-to-career journeys.
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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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Data Insights | Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways
SCORE Institute: Unlocking Opportunity With Nondegree Credentials
March 18, 2025
Tennesseans are increasingly pursuing nondegree credentials to develop skills that can expand their career options and increase their earnings potential. But do we have a clear understanding of the various nondegree opportunities, the data behind the benefit they offer, and the best way to communicate their value to potential credential earners? This SCORE Institute on March 18, 2025, brought together national and state experts to discuss the increasing opportunity that nondegree credentials offer to prepare Tennesseans for high-demand, high-wage jobs.
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Postsecondary Success | Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways
Understanding the Impact of Nondegree Credentials in Tennessee
March 18, 2025
Nondegree credentials are becoming increasingly popular among students and workers who want to sharpen their skills, while employers see them as an opportunity for talent development. In fact, nondegree options provided by postsecondary institutions are growing rapidly, and those provided by nonacademic providers, like employers, already represent over 60% of the credentials offered across the full landscape of options.
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Data Insights | Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways | K-12 Success
SCORE Institute: AI's Impact on Education and Career Pathways
January 17, 2025
How can education and workforce leaders work together to explore the transformative potential offered by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and equip students with the skills and knowledge to be successful in careers of the future? A virtual SCORE Institute, AI’s Impact on Education and Career Pathways, on Jan. 13, 2025, focused on this very important connection as the influence of GenAI grows in real time across Tennessee.
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Teachers & Leaders | High-Quality Public Charter Schools | Data Insights | Education-to-Career Pathways | K-12 Success
2025 State of Education in Tennessee: Casting a Vision for Student Success
December 6, 2024
In 2025, SCORE will focus on a critical question that will have a lasting impact on the success of every student in Tennessee: "Are Tennessee students prepared for careers that enable economic independence?" Answering this question requires an intentional look at the entire educational journey and will take greater alignment across K-12, postsecondary, and the workforce.
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Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways | K-12 Success
TN2030: Data-Driven Goals for Tennessee
November 20, 2024
Are Tennessee students prepared for careers that enable economic independence? Today, too many students in Tennessee are not realizing the life-changing impact of a successful educational journey that leads to this result. Welcome to TN2030, a new vision for Tennessee student success rooted in data-driven goals. These ambitious but attainable goals will help our state answer that critical question and ensure more Tennesseans are on clear pathways toward opportunity. Powered by SCORE and informed by stakeholders across the state, these goals are shared transparently as a unique web-based resource.
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Innovative Models | Education-to-Career Pathways
Connecting Education & Opportunity: A Framework for Credential Impact in Tennessee
October 24, 2024
Tennessee stands at a crossroads where the future prosperity of its students and its economy depends on better supporting students through education toward workforce opportunities. In Connecting Education and Opportunity: A Framework for Credential Impact in Tennessee, SCORE presents a data-informed lens through which we can identify which postsecondary pursuits are also matched to high-demand, high-wage jobs. This framework is rooted in key measures of earnings, job outlook, and stackability that work together to give a clearer pathway toward student opportunity.
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