September 25, 2017
Governor Haslam announced the 2016-2017 graduation rate was a record-high 89.1 percent. What’s more, 56% of districts saw their graduation rates increase, 13 districts improved graduation rates by 5 points of more, and 83% – a three-year high – of students who identify as Black, Hispanic, or Native American students graduated.
We know the rate of graduating students isn’t the only marker of student success, and while these numbers are worth celebrating, there is still work to be done. But, we know there’s value in celebrating success! We’re especially proud of Lake County Schools with the largest jump in graduation rates – increasing 23.1% in one year.
With high academic standards, an assessment aligned to those standards, accountability for everyone involved in the classroom, and more publicly-funded options for students we are confident we’re on the right track for success.
We couldn’t do this work without you. We certainly wouldn’t see gains like these without the great work of Tennessee’s teachers. Last week we spent the day in Knoxville at our inaugural Tennessee Teacher Voices Summit. It was a powerful day of helping teachers find and use their teacher voice to advocate for students. Here’s a great recap from our #VolsVoices hashtag.