Annual Joint Report on Pre-Kindergarten through Higher Education in Tennessee, 2011

Overview & Synopsis

This report complies with the requirements established in T.C.A. (Tennessee Code Annotated) Section 49-1-302(a)(10). The act directs the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to provide a report to the Governor and General Assembly, all public schools, and institutions of higher learning and their respective boards. This report is to include, but not to be limited to, a discussion of the following four areas: (1) The extent of duplication in elementary-secondary and postsecondary education; (2) The extent of compatibility in high school graduation requirements and admission requirements of postsecondary institutions; (3) The extent to which respective master plans of the board and the higher education commission are being fulfilled; and (4) The extent to which state needs in public education are being met as determined by such board and commission. This year's joint report marks the beginning of a new era for education in Tennessee. In response to the special session of the 106th General Assembly, landmark legislation was passed, including First to the Top and the Complete College Tennessee Act. Each is focused on raising the level of statewide accountability and support in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. Taken together, this work provides the framework for collaboration between all state systems of education, addressing the overarching need to produce a higher proportion of college- and career-ready graduates. Tennessee will use this framework to make significant progress toward increasing postsecondary educational attainment to the national average by 2025. Appendices include: (1) Tennessee High School Graduation Requirements; and (2) Minimum High School Course Requirements for Regular Undergraduate Admission to Tennessee Public Higher Education Institutions. (Contains 8 footnotes.) [For "Annual Joint Report on Pre-Kindergarten through Higher Education in Tennessee, 2010", see ED512242.]