SCORE works to ensure public education in Tennessee continues to deliver academic progress for students from kindergarten through career. SCORE informs and influences state policy, monitors progress to measure impact and identify challenges, and prioritizes Tennessee’s education agenda.
SCORE has four goals centered on students and their success:
- All students receive an excellent public K-12 education. Success measures include the percentage of students performing at or above grade level on the statewide assessment and the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
- All students earn a credential or postsecondary degree. Key success indicators are the college-going rate of high school graduates, retention in postsecondary education, and postsecondary credential and degree attainment.
- All students are prepared for a career that enables economic independence. Success measures include statewide progress in wages and employment.
- Across all goals, all students have equitable opportunities for success. All metrics will examine student subgroups based on household income, race, ethnicity, geography, and special needs.
SCORE believes three components are essential to achieving Tennessee’s student achievement goals.
Preparing, recruiting, supporting, and retaining excellent teachers & leaders
Ensuring all schools and systems meet high expectations
Aligning K-12 and college with career and life success
Student Focus: We are mission-driven and make decisions seeking to urgently improve the academic and life prospects of Tennessee students. We are relentlessly student-centered in our decision-making, prioritizing the needs of students over the comfort of adults. We commit to holding ourselves and partners accountable to this question: What is best for students?
Collaboration: We believe that effective collaboration leads to sustainable change. We recognize that our resources and abilities are only a small part of what is needed to help all Tennessee students reach their potential. Therefore, we believe that partnerships enhance our ability to achieve greater impact. We are mindful that we do not have all the answers, so we work as an organization and as individuals to listen and learn with humility. We believe that collaboration within our team is equally important and commit to working with a spirit of camaraderie, respect, and flexibility. We value different perspectives and experiences knowing that diversity of thought, background, and experience helps us be better advocates for students.
Optimism: We believe that all students in Tennessee can achieve and succeed at a high level when we provide the opportunities and supports that they deserve. As a team and as individuals, we operate with a strong sense of possibility and positivity, responding to barriers by elevating solutions.
Excellence: We hold ourselves and our partners to high standards in our daily work and in reaching our goals. We value pushing and encouraging each other to continuously improve as individuals and as a team, and we embrace a learning mindset in actively seeking and giving feedback to improve outcomes for ourselves and the students we serve. We approach our work with enthusiasm and flexibility, doing whatever is needed to get the job done well. We support the professional and personal well-being of team members because it is important to achieving excellence.
Innovation: We believe that many of the most difficult challenges in education can be solved through creative and innovative solutions. Similarly, we are committed to continuous improvement in our work and to an organization that fosters, actively seeks out, and embraces new ideas. We operate with a spirit of curiosity and courage, looking for innovative paths to success in our work. We know that change happens through people, and we value the unique perspective every individual offers.
Commitment To Diversity And Inclusion
SCORE’s mission is to drive transformative change in education so that all Tennessee students can achieve success in college, career, and life. From its founding in 2009, SCORE has been grounded in the belief that diverse perspectives are required to identify solutions that will best serve Tennessee students, so we seek to bring as many viewpoints as possible into our daily work and live out collaboration as a core value.
Within our organization, we believe it is important for our team to reflect the rich diversity of Tennesseans and Tennessee students, and we aspire for our team to understand varied viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. We strive to build an inclusive organization where each team member feels respected and supported, knowing that when team members are empowered to use their individual gifts, we become more effective in advancing our mission.