SCORE Blog

A day of learning on education policy helps one advocate realize her important role in developing and sustaining the path forward for Tennessee students.

At the first of four meetings for the 2019-20 CTLI cohort, participants discussed how to support underserved student populations and close equity gaps.

Thanks to a grant from the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program, a West Tennessee teacher sees new opportunities for his students to have a bright future.

A teacher’s testimonial on the power of high-quality instructional materials in providing students with a strong foundation in reading, the educational cornerstone for career and life success.

Tennessee has put a significant focus on early literacy in recent years, and while we still have far to go to reach the statewide goal of 75 percent of third-graders reading on grade level, there are a number of groups and organizations doing innovative work to promote early literacy in Tennessee.

Research shows that computer science helps drive job growth, and computing occupations are some of the highest-paid and fastest-growing careers in the United States, but access to computer science courses is not universal.

While we know that high-quality advising has a positive impact on student success, we also know that we need to improve and expand access to high-quality advising services.

The National Forum to Advance Rural Education recently brought advocates together from across the country for a conference in Louisville, Kentucky. National experts, leading researchers, K–12 and higher education practitioners, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders met to learn, collaborate, and lead 21st century learning in rural schools.

The recent report Why Rural Matters, released by the nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust, underscores the need to improve educational opportunities for rural students in Tennessee.

Progress in Tennessee’s reading achievement is consistent with a discouraging national trend. There are concerning patterns across student groups in reading performance.

With disappointing results nationally on the 2019 Nation’s Report Card, Tennessee’s math results are a relative bright spot.

A uniform set of academic standards ensures that students are learning the same rigorous content across the state; by law, academic subjects must be reviewed at least every six years. Over the next few weeks, the Tennessee State Board of Education is inviting educators and community members to provide feedback and comments on the state’s K-12 math academic standards.

The 2019 NAEP results show that across all tested grades and subjects, Tennessee is either at or very close to the national average. This comes at a time when achievement declines are trending across the nation.

From teachers, school district leaders, and state department officials to parents, policymakers, and average citizens, so many people in Tennessee are committed to making the state a great place for teaching and learning.

The Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute is an action-based answer to this question. Participation in the CTLI program reinforces the urgency around ensuring all students have access to higher education and encourages all educators to see themselves as advocates.

SCORE’s most recent public opinion survey, conducted September 23-25, surveyed 500 registered Tennessee voters from across the state and asked them about the most important and talked about education issues in 2019. Three key items stood out.

UT Promise is a scholarship program that offers free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee students (with a family household income of less than $50,000) at UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga, and UT Martin.

A better understanding of education policy allows educators to more confidently advocate for student-centered policy. SCORE’s Tennessee Educator Fellowship and events like SCORE’s upcoming Policy Institute for Educators are ideal opportunities to gain this knowledge.

It’s EPSO Week in schools across Tennessee, a time designed to increase awareness of Early Postsecondary Opportunities that exist for students and to encourage more students to enroll in them.

Educators in the LIFT network recently released an annual report highlighting what they have learned this past year as they worked to sustain their progress in early literacy.