SCORE Blog

I am a mother of three and a first-grade teacher. I spend my days with young children, and I love young children. I understand the importance of exploration, discussion, and play. I believe that friendship and fun are essential to a developing child. I believe there is a place for ‘cute,’ and I love to partake in their laughter and creative play. But lowering the bar for the content children receive in the classroom because of their age is a disservice to our youngest learners. 

My educational roots have been shaped from the very beginning of my life. With an educator for a mom, there are not many days I can remember going without having someone read to me or reading on my own. Through this constant push for reading, the importance of education has always been present in my life.

More than 100 principals gave their time and came together in Nashville for SCORE’s inaugural Institute for Principals. They spent the day learning about state policy, current research, and courageous school leadership, all while connecting with peers from across the state.

These past eight years at SCORE working beside you have been such a pleasure and so rewarding because we created lasting, positive impact for students, families, educators, and communities across our state.

I am writing today to share exciting news about SCORE and steps our Board of Directors have taken to continue the momentum of our organization and the historic educational gains Tennessee students are making.

Vicki Shipley, Tennessee’s 2018-19 Principal of the Year, reflects on the important lessons she’s learned as a leader.

One way that organizations improve is by making strategic decisions about their personnel: hiring good people, placing them where they can be most effective, supporting them, and holding on to them—or not, depending on their fit and their job performance. As two Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) studies highlight, this thinking applies to schools and school districts as well.

The job of a school leader has changed dramatically in recent years, leading many education advocates to a new, heightened focus on principals as instructional leaders and to an increased interest in better supporting principals. Through work that includes supporting teacher growth and creating a strong school culture, school leaders account for up to a quarter of in-school factors that affect student performance.

Dr. Penny Ferguson, an alumna of the 2017-18 cohort of Tennessee Educator Fellows, is a beloved educator in the Maryville community. Dr. Ferguson is enjoying her 50th year in the classroom—serving all but her first year as an English teacher at Maryville High School. Julie Pepperman reflects on Dr. Ferguson’s profound influence on her daughters.

Things are looking a bit different here at SCORE’s online home. We recently rebuilt our website to better tell the story of what SCORE cares about and works for every day. First and foremost, SCORE is focused on students and what is needed to help them achieve at their highest levels. So you will see many photos of Tennessee students and the educators who work with them featured on the site.

The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) recently convened the Future Ready Summit: Helping Students Discover Successful Routes To College, Career & Opportunity. Participants from across the state and country explored how Tennessee can adopt innovative practices and use policy levers to ensure that our students are prepared for success in the jobs of their choice. Dr. Tunisha Hobson, a Tennessee educator, shares her three key takeaways from her day at the summit.

The statewide average ACT composite score of 20.2 is the highest ever for Tennessee students, up from 20.1 in 2017. Here are other notable indicators from these ACT results.

Over the last several months, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has worked with K-12, industry, and higher education leaders to identify ways Tennessee can ensure that when students walk across the stage at high school graduation, they have a plan and can succeed in whatever route they choose in college and career.

The steps announced today to improve the 2018-19 administration of TNReady have rightly prioritized the needs of students and the feedback of teachers.

Leading Innovation for Tennessee Education (LIFT) is a group of Tennessee districts working together to explore innovative approaches and share best practices that benefit students. One of LIFT’s primary areas of focus has been improving literacy outcomes in the early grades. In spring 2018, Trousdale and Sullivan County Schools surveyed parents regarding their child’s early literacy…

Every student deserves to find in high school a route that will lead to success in the future. The Future Ready Summit on October 18 in Nashville will explore how Tennessee can adopt innovative practices and use policy levers to prepare every student to make the most of postsecondary opportunities that lead to a successful…

In SCORE’s report, Excellence For All: How Tennessee Can Lift Our Students To Best In The Nation, one of the five key priorities is supporting every student to become a strong reader and writer. Leading Innovation for Tennessee Education (LIFT), a group of dedicated district, school, and classroom leaders from across Tennessee, has been working to improve…

The ACT is one of the most important college-ready indicators that we use for our students in Lenoir City. In Tennessee, we have the tremendous opportunity to provide a free retake to all public high school seniors who took the ACT for the first time as a junior. In 2017, nearly 52,000 students took advantage…

If I had asked my second-grade class three years ago to write a paragraph about a text we were studying that included an introductory sentence, at least four details, irregular nouns and verbs, and vocabulary like “colossal” and “enchanted,” I would have seen a lot of blank stares—especially in September. But this year when I…

Education ranks among the most important issues for Tennesseans who are likely to vote in the November election for governor, according to a statewide poll. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), a nonpartisan education policy and advocacy nonprofit that focuses on improving student achievement, today released the results of the survey of 600 likely…