Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 9

Why Education Matters for Tennessee
Education is the key to both Tennessee’s
school diploma earns on average $28,645. Currently, only 22
future and the future of every individual
percent of the adult population in Tennessee has a bachelor’s
who lives in our great state. In a recent speech
degree or higher, resulting in many Tennesseans not being able
to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President Obama
to obtain the high-paying jobs they desire.3
emphasized the importance of education
to our nation saying, “We know that
Education also affects the economic welleconomic progress and educational
being of every community in Tennessee.
achievement have always gone hand in
Research collected by the University
hand in America . . . [L]et there be no
of Tennessee Center for Business and
E d u c atio n is t h e k e y
doubt: the future belongs to the nation
Economic Research found that the ten
that best educates its citizens.” Education
counties with the largest recent job growth
to b ot h T e n n essee ’ s
is and will continue to be the number one
had on average 76 percent of adults with
determinant of prosperity and well-being
at least a high school diploma, while the
f u t u re a n d t h e
for each individual and community in
ten counties with the least job growth
our country and in our state.
had only 66 percent of adults with a high
f u t u re o f every
school diploma.4 Similarly, a recent study
The jobs available to young adults today
by McKinsey found that inequalities in
i n d ivi d ua l w h o l ives
require a very different level of education
education created “clusters of Americans
than the jobs that were available to their
largely unable to participate in the greater
i n o u r g re at state .
parents and grandparents. Over the past
American economy due to a concentration
forty years, there has been a substantial
of low skills, high unemployment, or
decline in manufacturing and other
high incarceration rates.” 5 These clusters,
blue-collar jobs that required relatively
which exist in many rural and urban areas
little formal education. At the same time,
in Tennessee, contain a disproportionate
there has been a tremendous growth in service sector jobs,
number of people who are unable to compete for decent-paying
which require greater critical thinking and communication
jobs that can support a family. Not only does this make it very
skills. These new jobs require a higher level of education than
difficult for these individuals to make ends meet, but it also
the blue-collar jobs they are replacing (see Figure 2.1). For
makes it very difficult for their communities to thrive.
example, eight of the ten occupations
with the fastest projected growth between
Figure 2.1
2004 and 2014 require at least a bachelor’s
Minimum Education Requirements for Growing Industries
degree or postsecondary vocational
certificate. In contrast, none of the ten
most rapidly declining occupations
At least an
At least a
require any postsecondary education.1
Associate’s Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
A recent report by ACT, Inc. found it is
not only new jobs, but also the remaining
Registered Nurse
Public Relations Manager
blue-collar jobs, that are requiring more
eduction. Specifically, the study found
Computer Support Specialist
Loan Officer
employers are increasingly expecting
blue-collar workers, such as electricians,
Medical Records Technician
Industrial Engineer
construction workers, and plumbers, to
Health Records Technician
Forester
have at least an associate’s degree.2
There is no question the level of
education an individual attains has
significant implications for their own
personal earnings. While an individual
with a bachelor’s degree on average earns
$51,554, an individual with only a high

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Physical Therapy Assistant

Computer Software Engineer

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Sales Manager

Veterinary Technologist

Network Administrator

Source: Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Achieve, Inc.

T h e S t a t e o f E d u c a t i o n i n T e n n e ss e e