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SCORE provides research and insights on the latest education issues to provide a deeper understanding of policies and practices connected to improving student success. 

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Teachers & Leaders | Education Finance | Postsecondary Success | K-12 Success

Tennessee Education Primer: A Guide for Policymakers, Candidates, and Advocates

January 15, 2025

Educational achievement in Tennessee has shown an encouraging trend over the last several years: In so many cases, students are reaching new heights and pursuing new endeavors. Much credit is due to the foundational laws, policies, and rules established and implemented by leaders who desire to see students succeed.  SCORE’s biennial Tennessee Education Primer — featuring educational statistics, trends, and initiatives — reflects that continuing progress.

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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 & 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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Teachers & Leaders | Innovative Models

Unlocking AI: A Primer for Educators

September 24, 2024

As of fall 2023, more than half of all U.S. workers use artificial intelligence (AI) for work. The education field is no exception to this trend, as teachers across the nation are exploring ways AI can transform their work and help students learn. Despite the incredible promise of this new technology, many educators are still at the starting line — nationally, over half of teachers have never used AI. The opportunity that generative AI (GenAI) — programs that can generate text, images, and other media — brings to Tennessee’s classrooms, however, is worth the exploration. Our memo outlines two readily available tools for teachers to either dip a toe in the water or take a full-on first dive into AI to experience the possibilities and limitations of AI in its current state.  

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Teachers & Leaders | Education Finance | K-12 Success

Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement: Prioritizing Student-Centered Funding

September 18, 2024

The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) modernized the state’s K-12 education funding formula to focus on individual student need while establishing a foundation of education finance that supports all students to succeed in school, careers, and life. Tennessee should remain committed to the TISA funding formula as a foundational policy that provides the resources for initiatives and investments that drive improved student outcomes.

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Education-to-Career Pathways

Funding Student Opportunity Through Tennessee’s Outcomes-Based Formula

August 12, 2024

Postsecondary education leads to improved earnings and employment on average, but not all credentials and degrees yield meaningful economic returns. There’s also a persistent shortage of educated Tennesseans to meet our workforce needs. The outcomes-based funding formula is one among a series of important strategies to ensure the state’s education systems drive students toward career success and steer Tennessee toward economic growth. It’s time to align the outcomes-based funding formula to include measures that show whether students are prepared for careers that enable economic independence.

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Teachers & Leaders | K-12 Success

Standards and Assessment: Setting High Expectations and Monitoring Progress

July 7, 2024

Tennessee’s commitment to high academic standards, aligned assessments, and to using data to support improved student outcomes moved our state from the bottom of the pack nationally in education outcomes to one of the fastest growing in the country. We should remain committed to high expectations through rigorous academic standards and aligned assessments that provide essential data about student achievement and growth.

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Postsecondary Success | Education-to-Career Pathways

Building a Vision of Opportunity for All Tennesseans: Measuring Credential and Degree Outcomes

June 20, 2024

Economic development in Tennessee has increased career opportunities, but we need to ensure students are earning degrees and credentials that prepare them for those jobs and enable them to benefit from this economic opportunity. This report offers a vision for measuring what success looks like for Tennessee students entering the workforce.

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A view of a college campus. This view contains a central path with trees and foliage on either side, a light post, and a red-brick building.
Data Insights | Postsecondary Success

Higher Ed by the Numbers Data Dashboard

April 17, 2024

SCORE analyzed data from Tennessee’s public higher education institutions and compiled a snapshot of preparation, persistence, and success for postsecondary students. With the right data about student outcomes, state leaders, educators, and advocates can better understand the key metrics to watch and begin to understand the successes and challenges of improving degree and credential attainment.  

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An elementary student wearing a maroon bow in their hair sits at their desk and works. They use a whiteboard marker to write on a mini dry-erase board.
Teachers & Leaders | Data Insights | K-12 Success

Strengthening The Educator Labor Market: A Look At Tennessee's Data Webinar

February 26, 2024

Access to highly effective teachers is essential for student achievement. However, growing evidence suggests students have unreliable and inequitable access to effective educators, with many school districts reporting high levels of teacher vacancies. SCORE partnered with 15 school districts and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) to understand the broader trends behind educator labor market challenges. This webinar highlights key findings from TERA’s research along with insights from district leaders and experts from across the state.

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Teachers & Leaders | Data Insights | K-12 Success

Understanding The Educator Labor Market: A Look At Tennessee’s Data

February 26, 2024

Access to highly effective teachers is essential for student achievement. However, growing evidence suggests students have unreliable and inequitable access to effective educators, with many school districts reporting high levels of teacher vacancies. SCORE partnered with 15 school districts and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) to understand the broader trends behind educator labor market challenges.

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