Dear Educators,
In 2012, Tennesseans showed they were up to the challenge
of education reform. Over the last several years, Tennessee has
become a national leader by enacting bold policies to ensure that
all students graduate from high school prepared for college and the
workforce. This past year, after educators continued the tough work
of implementing these new policies in schools and districts, Tennessee’s
students made the most academic progress in state history. Not only are
proficiency levels increasing in reading, math, and science, more of Tennessee’s
students are graduating from high school and enrolling in higher education than
ever before. While much work remains to be done, it is our belief that we must
take time to reflect on the successes of reform in order to learn the most from
our achievements.
Last October, SCORE awarded the second annual SCORE Prize to the
elementary, middle, and high school, as well as one school district in Tennessee,
that have most dramatically improved student achievement. While our aim in
awarding the SCORE Prize is to identify and reward those schools and districts
that are effectively preparing their students for success, an equally important goal
is to highlight best practices and distill them into a usable format for educators.
Pathways to the Prize is an important part of our work to highlight best practices
and provide educators with the tools they need to replicate these strategies in
their own communities.
In the following pages, you will find information about our 2012 SCORE Prize
winners and their efforts to support students and improve student achievement.
Their work reflects the key elements of successful schools: supporting teachers
and leaders; using data to drive instruction; engaging students with technology
and personalized learning; and embracing high standards for everyone. In each
case, the SCORE Prize winners have demonstrated a deep commitment to
improving outcomes for their students, and have shown that strong leadership
and dedicated teachers are the most important ingredients for success.
We hope Pathways to the Prize will both inspire you and provide you with the
information you need to take the lessons collected here back to your classroom,
your school, and your community. These schools provide many examples of
how we may work toward achieving our most important goal: preparing all of our
students for success in college and the workforce.
Very sincerely,
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2012 SCORE Prize School Winners
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