Tennessee Scholars

Tennessee Scholars

The State Scholars Initiative is a simple, low-cost, high-impact strategy to motivate students to complete high school courses that prepare them for college and careers. The Initiative places business people in classrooms to promote the study of math, science, language arts, and social studies (the Scholars course of study) immediately before students select high school courses. The Initiative also provides technical assistance to business/education coalitions working to align state policy with the Scholars course of study.

Background

The Initiative is based on work done between employers and educators in communities in Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia dating back to 1988. On August 29, 2002, President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige launched the State Scholars Initiative to provide support to states' business and education coalitions committed to improving the academic achievement of high school students.