SCORE Blog

A veteran educator Eveyln Rafalowski reflects on her career, the importance of strong literacy materials, and the power of leadership.

Great teachers make an impact on students that stays with them long after they leave the classroom. SCORE and Middle Tennessee State University have just embarked on a ground-breaking partnership that we expect will bring dramatic, innovative changes to how teachers are prepared for their careers and how students are prepared for life.

Implementing new and demanding materials is a substantial undertaking. Leveraging a network of districts with the same goals provides for greater effectiveness and provides a system of support that is otherwise impossible.

Members of the 2018-19 Tennessee Educator Fellowship are busy planning how they’ll continue their student-focused advocacy in the year ahead. We caught up with a few members of last year’s cohort to hear how they will continue to make a difference for Tennessee students every day beyond the walls of their classroom.

In 2016, Tennessee set a goal for 75 percent of Tennessee students to be on track or mastered in third-grade English language arts (ELA). Three years later, the 2019 TNReady grade 3 ELA results show Tennessee has not yet made widespread, sustained progress for students at this critical milestone.

Representatives from organizations across the country convened in California recently for the PIE Network’s annual Educator Voice Meeting. SCORE’s advocacy manager, Shaundraya Hersey, was there and reflects on the common themes that emerged from the gathering.

This year’s TNReady results show that while there are some bright spots, there are more students who are not on track than those who are. This first in a three-part blog series takes a look at the students facing the most crucial opportunity gaps.

As part of the LIFT network, Putnam County Schools has had the opportunity to mentor other districts across the state as they introduce high-quality instructional materials into their classrooms.

The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) celebrated a decade of work this week with partners who share our student-centered approach to policy and innovation.

As SCORE marks the milestone of 10 years in education advocacy and the significant progress made for students, our partners and friends share this Tennessee story in a video highlighting Senator Frist’s vision for SCORE.

As a student at high-achieving, suburban public schools in Tennessee, Jasmine Blue didn’t immediately recognize the inequities in the school system. Upon completing a summer internship at SCORE, Jasmine shares her thoughts on the state of education in Tennessee — and its future.

How did Tennessee make so much progress in education over the last 12 years, and what must policymakers, advocates, and educators do to build upon the state’s significant gains? Senator Bill Frist, founder and chairman of SCORE, answers those questions in a new video.

In mid-July, educators from across Tennessee gathered for the first convening of SCORE’s Tennessee Educator Fellowship. Through this yearlong program, fellows strengthen their capacity to advocate on behalf of their students at the local and state levels.

Education beyond high school is a critical part of a successful future. Moving forward on our new strategic plan, SCORE will work to ensure public education in Tennessee continues to deliver academic progress so that all students receive an excellent public K-12 education and earn a credential or postsecondary degree after high school.

Last fall, SCORE hosted the Future Ready Summit, an event focused on improving student readiness for college and career. To start the conversation, SCORE shared a pair of videos that demonstrate the need for better student preparation and what it can achieve.

Tennessee’s fast-growing economy demands an answer to this question: Who will fill those jobs in the future? The answer that SCORE works toward, and hopes for, every day is this: The students who sit in Tennessee classrooms.

SCORE has set four new goals for Tennessee to achieve greater student success. Two of those goals are to ensure that all students receive an excellent public K-12 education and that all students have equitable opportunities for success. These two goals cannot be accomplished without Tennessee’s dedicated K-12 educators who work in and outside the classroom as advocates for their students’ success.

Last month, SCORE announced an exciting expansion of our work under a new strategic plan, which will allow us to ensure that the important work happening in K-12 is seamlessly connected to work in postsecondary, leading students to success in life. As we transition into this new work, I’m excited to have the opportunity to…

In the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition’s latest report, The Lay of the Land: A Closer Look at Rural Schools in Tennessee, we found that when it comes to education, rural matters. Rural matters for English Learner instruction and supports, for ensuring access to early postsecondary opportunities in high school, and for recruiting and supporting strong educators.

Knox Promise is an innovative new initiative to help more Tennessee Promise students in Knox County persist and graduate from college.