Innovative School Models
Building upon the state’s strong commitment to ensure Tennessee is future workforce ready, Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly made an historic investment of $500 million to bring Innovative School Models to every public high school and middle school in the state. By expanding Tennessee’s Innovative School Models aimed at building readiness and preparing students for success after high school, more students will have opportunities to participate in innovative local programs aligned to Tennessee’s highest-demand skills and careers.

May 2021, the department awarded 21 school district Innovative High School Model grants, which included an initial investment of $30 million to foster local community partnerships that boost student readiness. These partnerships have already shown an incredible impact on students’ experiences and readiness for the workforce and postsecondary opportunities.

The future of innovative programs to boost student and workforce readiness in Tennessee is brighter than ever. Through reimagining the high school experience; becoming more strategic about engaging younger students in career exploration; expanding access to courses; improving how data is collected and used; and being even more intentional in how we listen to—and learn from—Tennesseans, we will continue to keep our state’s workforce strong for years to come.

AP Access for All (APAA)
APAA is a partnership between Niswonger Foundation and TDOE that began in June 2021 with the goal to increase students’ access across the state to Advanced Placement (AP) courses. When the program began, approximately 50% of public school districts in the state had access to AP courses. Today, 97% of public school districts have signed on to participate in APAA! Over 4,000 students have taken courses through the program and approximately $1.2 million in potential tuition dollars has been saved by students earning college credit through qualifying exam scores. The program also provides professional development for teachers, enabling more teachers to be qualified to teach AP coursework. In the first two years of the program, almost 900 teachers have participated in AP Summer Institute training, increasing AP teaching capacity for both virtual APAA classes, as well as on ground AP classes at local school districts!

Chapter 979 of the Public Acts of 2022 – Computer Science Legislation
Tennessee believes computer science is foundational, not vocational, to a 21st century student and future worker. Access to the content and skills included in computer science and computational thinking are essential to function in the global society in which all students will live. Therefore, access will not be limited to only those who will work in that career field. Tennessee’s legislature and Governor agree with the importance of all students having access to high quality computer science instruction; exemplified in Chapter 979 of the Public Acts of 2022. The legislation has allowed funding to flow to meet the demands of the act which you can read about here.

There are four main components/results of the bill:

• K-12 Computer Science Courses and Standards
• New graduation requirement
• Teacher endorsement opportunities
• Professional Development to prepare all teachers for implementation

Dual Enrollment Grant
The Dual Enrollment Grant program is defined as a grant for study at an eligible postsecondary institution that is funded from net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded to students who are attending an eligible high school and who are also enrolled in college courses at eligible postsecondary institutions for which they will receive college credit.
The Dual Enrollment Grant program is funded by the Tennessee Lottery and administered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. This program provides opportunities for students to earn an initial technical credential or a semester of college credit free of tuition and fees, while still pursuing a high school diploma.