Better Health, Better Learning Report - July 2017 SCORE Better Health Better Learning Report_July 20 | Page 2

“There is an undeniable connection between education and
health. That’s why now, more than ever, we need a public
education system producing more high school graduates
who are better prepared for a career or college, and life.”
– Former US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD, 2011
Across Tennessee, students have made important academic achievement gains
compared to their peers nationally, outpacing averages on the Nation’s Report Card
in math, science, and eighth-grade reading since 2011. 1 The state has set more
rigorous academic standards for students, and thanks to the work of teachers, school
and district leaders, and other educators—along with communities of support—more
students are gaining the skills and knowledge they will need to prepare for success in
college and their careers. Still, these gains have not benefited all students or narrowed
many of the achievement gaps affecting students from low-income backgrounds or
students of color. These gaps continue to challenge Tennessee’s efforts to remain the
fastest-improving state for academic achievement and to reach the goal of ensuring all
students are prepared for success beyond high school.
Even as more students are achieving at higher levels in Tennessee’s public schools, too
many face physical, mental, and emotional well-being challenges. On average, young
Tennesseans are in poorer health and engage in behaviors such as smoking at higher
rates than their peers in other states. In Tennessee, and nationally, stark gaps also
exist in youth access to health services. For example, research by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation shows that students in a quarter of the nation’s public schools do
not have access to a school nurse. 2 Historically underserved students, in particular,
disproportionately experience inadequate access to quality health care and nutrition,
which leads to disparate rates of certain health conditions for these populations. 3
1