The week in politics: How House Republicans plan to fund their version of voucher bill

SCORE builds on 10 years of student success | Opinion

Organization sets new goals with students' futures, employers' needs in mind.

Bill Frist
Guest columnist
  • Bill Frist is a physician and served in the U.S. Senate for Tennessee from 1995 to 2007, retiring as majority leader. He founded SCORE and Nashville Health.

This month, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is celebrating 10 years of our collective work to improve K-12 student achievement in Tennessee.  

I am tremendously proud of how SCORE and our many partners have championed student-focused education policy and important changes in our classrooms. The hard work by so many has contributed to the significant gains and improvements across the state that have directly and positively affected Tennessee students.  

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

The origins of SCORE

When a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report in 2007 gave Tennessee an “F” — not only for our low academic performance but also for not sharing the hard facts about low student achievement with their parents — we knew we had much work to do.   

That is when our state’s education, government, business and philanthropic leaders joined forces to ensure we would do better for our state’s families and communities. SCORE was founded in this spirit of collaboration in 2009.  

SCORE report outlines need for improvement in teacher training

After I retired as U.S. Senate majority leader and reflected on my career and training in medicine, I knew we must first begin by convening conversations with stakeholders from across the state to develop a shared vision. The health of our state has always been intrinsically tied to realizing the full potential of our children, and studies have shown the health and well-being of Tennesseans is closely tied to individual academic achievement.  

In these past 10 years, we have worked with governors and legislators to raise expectations and set high academic standards, to advance new policies on assessment and accountability, and to create greater support for our educators who work so tirelessly to improve teaching and learning in our schools. And we’ve made real progress. 

Tennessee is improving quickly

Today, Tennessee is consistently ranked as one of the fastest-improving states in the nation in student achievement. In the past eight years, students have jumped from the back of the pack to 34th in the nation in fourth-grade math and the top half of states in fourth- and eighth-grade science. Our high school graduation rates and ACT scores are now the highest in the history of the state. 

Throughout this work, we have also tried to put students first and partisanship last. SCORE’s work and partnerships have spanned three governors from two political parties and involved educators and leaders from every corner of our state. This common focus, persistence and nonpartisan collaboration have set Tennessee apart and truly made us an example for the nation. 

Tennessee education collaborative shows need for diverse teachers

But even with our historic progress, we know there is still so much more to do.  

If we want to lift our students to be the best in the nation — not just the best of the bottom half as we are today — we must renew our sense of urgency, innovation and optimism. We must do more to ensure K-12 and college become even more aligned with actual employer needs and long-term career and life success for our students.  

Four new goals

To that end, SCORE has recently set four new goals for the organization and for Tennessee to ensure: 

  • That all students receive an excellent K-12 education. 
  • That all students earn a credential or postsecondary degree after high school. 
  • That all students are prepared for a career that enables their economic independence. 
  • And that all students, no matter who they are or where they live, have equitable opportunities for success. 
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education, advocates for student-focused policies to help all Tennessee students succeed in K-12, post-secondary education and career.

In short, we want to build a cohesive education system to ensure all students have the skills and knowledge they need to be full participants in our economy, our communities and our democracy. 

This is not easy. It will take all of us — as parents and voters, as leaders and volunteers, as educators, employers and entrepreneurs — to build on the hard work and foundation of improvements Tennessee has already put in place. 

So while we pause this month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SCORE, and the hard work of so many of our partners, we know we have much more to do. We must recommit to this work until our education system — from classroom to career —  provides every child in Tennessee the opportunity to succeed in life and truly achieve the American dream. 

Bill Frist is a physician and served in the U.S. Senate for Tennessee from 1995 to 2007, retiring as majority leader. He founded SCORE and Nashville Health.