MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) hosted Mid-South education leaders for a forum Thursday to discuss key priorities for schools across the state.
This comes with the release of SCORE’s annual State of Education In Tennessee report.
The group said there are three main priority areas for next year:
- Focus on preparing all students for careers
- Address Tennessee's decline in college enrollment
- And high-quality instruction for all students, including support of the teacher pipeline.
"Talk about how we can make the teaching programs more attractive to young professionals who are thinking about wanting to give back to the community, wanting to do a job we know matters,” said Jamia Stokes with SCORE. “We know that teachers are the foundation of everything that happens in the workforce and the economy.”
Terence Patterson, CEO, Memphis Education Fund, said Memphis-Shelby County schools saw significant declines in proficiency as a result of the pandemic, but have since bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. But those levels were still low, with just two in ten students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools able to read and write on grade level.
“Memphis-Shelby County schools have seen some initial signs of recovery for students," Patterson said. "However, the data shows that we have work to do in making sure the education-to-work pipeline functions for students."
SCORE said to address the college enrollment decline, they’d like to see the state to strengthen the Tennessee Promise scholarship program and make sure students know about opportunities to get financial aid.
"This year, SCORE is zooming in on the connection between learning and work — and sounding the alarm that we can and must do better in strengthening this connection for students," David Mansouri, president and CEO of SCORE, said in a news release. “As we look to 2023, SCORE is calling on policymakers, educators, business leaders, and communities to reimagine the education-to-work pathway in Tennessee. It is time for schools, colleges, and industry to work together comprehensively so that every Tennessee student is ready for a career that enables economic independence.”
Read SCORE’s report: A Stronger Path Forward: 2023 State Of Education In Tennessee.