Editing Tennessee (section)

==Education==
{{see also|List of school districts in Tennessee|List of high schools in Tennessee}}
Education in Tennessee is administered by the Tennessee Department of Education.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=286–287}} The state Board of Education has 11 members: one from each Congressional district, a student member, and the executive director of the [[Tennessee Higher Education Commission]] (THEC), who serves as ex-officio nonvoting member.<ref>{{cite web |title=Governor Appointed State School Board Members Process Requirements - Statutes, Rules and Regulations |url=https://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/GovernorAppointedSBOEProcess.pdf |website=ncsl.org |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=January 2011 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527012145/https://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/GovernorAppointedSBOEProcess.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Public primary and secondary education systems are operated by county, city, or special school districts to provide education at the local level, and operate under the direction of the Tennessee Department of Education.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=286–287}} The state also has many private schools.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nonpublic Schools |url=https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options/non-public-schools.html |website=tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527003332/https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options/non-public-schools.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The state enrolls approximately 1 million [[K–12]] students in 137 districts.<ref name=edchoices>{{cite web |title=Education Choices in Tennessee |url=https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options.html |website=tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527003313/https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, the four-year high school graduation rate was 88.7%, a decrease of 1.2% from the previous year.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=TDOE Releases 2020-21 Graduation Rate Data|url=https://www.tn.gov/education/news/2021/11/23/tdoe-releases-2020-21-graduation-rate-data.html |location=Nashville |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |date=November 23, 2021 |access-date=June 23, 2022}}</ref> According to the most recent data, Tennessee spends $9,544 per student, the 8th lowest in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rau |first1=Nate |title=Education funding in TN reaches breaking point as BEP lawsuit advances |url=https://tennesseelookout.com/2021/03/25/education-funding-in-tn-reaches-breaking-point-as-bep-lawsuit-advances/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=Tennessee Lookout |date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>

===Colleges and universities===
{{main|List of colleges and universities in Tennessee}}
[[File:Vandy-kirkland.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Kirkland Hall at Vanderbilt University in Nashville|[[Vanderbilt University]] in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation]]

Public higher education is overseen by the [[Tennessee Higher Education Commission]] (THEC), which provides guidance to the state's two public university systems. The [[University of Tennessee system]] operates four primary campuses in [[University of Tennessee|Knoxville]], [[University of Tennessee at Chattanooga|Chattanooga]], [[University of Tennessee at Martin|Martin]], and [[University of Tennessee Southern|Pulaski]]; a [[University of Tennessee Health Science Center|Health Sciences Center]] in Memphis; and an [[University of Tennessee Space Institute|aerospace research facility]] in Tullahoma.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the UT System |url=https://tennessee.edu/about/ |website=tennessee.edu |publisher=The University of Tennessee System |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref> The [[Tennessee Board of Regents]] (TBR), also known as The College System of Tennessee, operates 13 community colleges and 27 campuses of the [[Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology]] (TCAT).<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Institutions |url=https://www.tbr.edu/institutions/our-institutions |website=tbr.edu |date=May 2018 |publisher=Tennessee Board of Regents |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref> Until 2017, the TBR also operated six public universities in the state; it now only gives them administrative support.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberts|first=Jane|date=June 9, 2016|title=Haslam marks University of Memphis independence from Board of Regents|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/schools/haslam-marks-u-of-m-independence-from-tbr-in-event-today-34da6806-8404-606d-e053-0100007f302c-382389981.html|work=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis|access-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref>

In 2014, the Tennessee General Assembly created the [[Tennessee Promise]], which allows in-state high school graduates to enroll in two-year post-secondary education programs such as associate degrees and certificates at community colleges and [[trade school]]s in Tennessee tuition-free, funded by the state lottery, if they meet certain requirements.<ref name="tnpromise">{{cite web |last1=Carruthers |first1=Celeste |date=May 6, 2019 |title=5 things to know about the Tennessee Promise Scholarship |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/05/06/five-things-to-know-about-the-tennessee-promise-scholarship/ |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] |access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref> The Tennessee Promise was created as part of then-governor [[Bill Haslam]]'s "Drive to 55" program, which set a goal of increasing the number of college-educated residents to at least 55% of the state's population.<ref name="tnpromise"/> The program has also received national attention, with multiple states having since created similar programs modeled on the Tennessee Promise.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tamburin |first=Adam |title=Tennessee Promise inspires national trend |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2017/02/09/tennessee-promise-inspires-national-trend/96164406/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=February 9, 2017 |location=Nashville, TN}}</ref>

Tennessee has 107 private institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=College Navigator - Search Results |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=TN&ct=2+3 |website=nces.gov |publisher=[[National Center for Education Statistics]] |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> [[Vanderbilt University]] in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the nation's leading research institutions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university/#353b4ac46c61|title=Vanderbilt University|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2019|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref> Nashville is often called the "Athens of the South" due to its many colleges and universities.<ref name="Kreyling1996">{{cite book |title=Classical Nashville: Athens of the South |publisher=Vanderbilt University Press |location=Nashville |first1=Christine M |last1=Kreyling |first2=Wesley |last2=Paine |first3=Charles W |last3=Warterfield |first4=Susan Ford |last4=Wiltshire |year=1996 |isbn=0-585-13200-3}}</ref> Tennessee is also home to six [[historically Black colleges and universities]] (HBCUs).<ref>{{cite web |title=HBCU Schools in Tennessee - 2018 Ranking |url=https://hbcu-colleges.com/tennessee |website=hbcu-colleges.com |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref>