Education

  • Tennessee must refocus our education system to help more students succeed (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | For the better part of two decades, Tennessee has been on a journey to significantly improve public education and workforce opportunities for all Tennesseans. And by working together, we have made significant progress, moving from the back of the pack to one of the most improved and innovative states in the country…

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  • 65 Years Later: A School Bombing, A Steady Leader, And A Message Of Hope (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | In times of uncertainty, we know leadership matters more than ever. I see this from leaders firsthand every day – leadership in improving health outcomes, in driving better policy, in rising to the moment to solve tough challenges – from conservation to economic mobility. Recently, I have been reflecting on the power and…

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  • Changed Hearts And Minds – A Personal (Ongoing) Journey To Better Understanding LGBTQ+ Equity Issues (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | Last week, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas opined that we should revisit several major Supreme Court decisions, including Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage. This startled me. But it also moved me to reflect on my own past. And some of these recollections are painful to look back upon. Two decades ago I…

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  • To Prioritize Both Student Learning and Student Health, Schools Must Work Differently This Fall | Opinion (The Hill)

    by Bill Frist

    BY FORMER SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TENN.) AND DAVID MANSOURI, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS The Hill | As states and communities across the nation address the significant public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and begin the intentional reopening of our communities, it is important to also look ahead to an important benchmark: the return to…

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  • Tennessee’s education progress has slipped. Specific steps can turn it around (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | By Bill Frist, MD and David Mansouri A decade ago, the nonprofit State Collaborative for Reforming Education, or SCORE, began collaborating with Tennessee’s leaders, educators, and community and education advocates to make Tennessee one of the fastest-improving states in the nation. Children in Tennessee today have better opportunities for success in college…

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  • Virtual Reality Isn’t Just For Gamers Anymore; It Will Change Your Health (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | I’ve got one big idea that can change your health. But first some history. Heart transplants were once rare. When I was training to be a heart transplant surgeon at Stanford, at every opportunity I would go to the operating room to observe and study my mentor (and the “father of heart transplantation”) Dr….

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  • A Tribute to Uwe Reinhardt: Remarks at the April 21st Memorial at Princeton University Chapel

    by Bill Frist

    For each of the last 46 years, Uwe Reinhardt touched me like a father, a brother, a son, a friend. He walked by my side on every leg of my journey and supported me at every major turning point. These are the remarks I gave at his memorial service at Princeton on April 21 and shared…

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  • Tennessee gubernatorial candidates discuss education in forum (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | On Tuesday night, Tennessee voters will have their first chance to hear from candidates running for governor on one of the most important topics for the future of our great state: Education. This first statewide forum featuring gubernatorial candidates from both political parties is being hosted by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE),…

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  • Congress Must Act Now to Improve School Nutrition (The Hill)

    by Bill Frist

    THE HILL | While headlines harp that the U.S. is a nation “hopelessly divided,” there is something lawmakers can band together on: forging a solution to our obesity epidemic.  In addition to being one of the greatest health threats our nation has ever faced, it is a terrible burden for employers, who are forced to…

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  • Let’s stand with retired military leaders to get healthy school meals over the finish line (The Hill)

    by Bill Frist

    THE HILL | While headlines harp that the U.S. is a nation “hopelessly divided,” there is something lawmakers can band together on: forging a solution to our obesity epidemic.  In addition to being one of the greatest health threats our nation has ever faced, it is a terrible burden for employers, who are forced to…

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  • Hector Frank and a New Opportunity for Cultural Unity

    by Bill Frist

    Last October, Tracy and I visited Cuba and got an up close view of the country, the people, and their challenges. I’ve written about my impressions of their healthcare structure–in many ways woefully lacking, but with some surprising lessons for us in America. What I didn’t write quite as much about was the art. We found…

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  • Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind matters to Tennessee (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | Tennessee teachers, parents and local education leaders know what’s best when it comes to educating our children. Federal education law has a powerful role to play in ensuring that our nation’s schools equip the next generation of global leaders, but only if the law is carefully crafted so that local expertise can be…

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  • Save the Children’s Insurance (New York Times)

    by Bill Frist

    NEW YORK TIMES | NO child in America should be denied the chance to see a doctor when he or she needs one — but if Congress doesn’t act soon, that’s exactly what might happen. For the past 18 years, the Children’s Health Insurance Program has provided much-needed coverage to millions of American children. And yet,…

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  • We Must All Play a Role in Ending Childhood Obesity (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

    by Bill Frist

    ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION | We all want our kids and grandkids to grow up happier and healthier than we did. Instead, today’s children are the first generation of young Americans to face the prospect of living their entire lives in poorer health and dying younger than previous generations. The reason is no mystery. Too many…

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  • November Update

    by Bill Frist

    The fall has been exceptionally busy around here with several international trips and speaking engagements, but I was able to be home for Thanksgiving and got to enjoy some of the beautiful autumn color that Middle Tennessee has to offer. I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s an update on some of…

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  • 2014 SCORE Prize Awards

    by Bill Frist

    Each year in late October I have the privilege of hosting the Annual SCORE Prize celebration. Every year just gets better and last night was no exception! We had a great time with school representatives from across the state and country music artist Dustin Lynch. The SCORE Prize celebrates success in Tennessee’s schools, and this…

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  • Tennessee at Crossroads: 2013-14 State of Education Report

    by Bill Frist

    When SCORE was launched in 2009, we identified a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for unprecedented growth in student achievement in Tennessee. In November, we have learned that the efforts of educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders have helped Tennessee become the fastest improving state in the nation – and 2nd overall behind the District of…

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  • Tremendous Step Forward for Tennessee’s Children

    by Bill Frist

    Today the state of Tennessee has taken a tremendous step forward for our children and our future.  The Volunteer State has made more progress than any other state in the nation across 4th and 8th grade reading and math. When I launched the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) in 2009, we noted that “several…

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  • It’s Common Sense to Come Together for Our Kids

    by Bill Frist

    (The Huffington Post, October 2, 2013) By Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Bill Frist, M.D. When we served together in the Senate, we found ourselves on different sides of a variety of issues. But when it came to common-sense measures that benefitted our country and our citizens, we pulled together. We were proud to cosponsor…

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  • The Crucial Need to Hold Students to a Higher Standard

    by Bill Frist

    (The Week, posted on July 3, 2012) By Bill Frist, M.D. Far too many U.S. teens leave high school unprepared for college — not to mention the job market Over the last few months, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors have walked across a stage and received a diploma, an important moment that should be…

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  • America must invest in research universities — or get left behind

    by Bill Frist

    (The Week, June 5, 2012) By Bill Frist, M.D. Gone are the days when Bell Labs was the nation’s prime innovator. Today, we must rely on universities — and those universities need our help Innovation gave birth to Microsoft, FedEx, Xerox, Starbucks, Apple, and thousands more businesses that have powered America’s growth, making us the…

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  • How the U.S. Can Find and Train More Great Teachers

    by Bill Frist

    (The Week, April 10, 2012) By Bill Frist, M.D. Consider Laura. When she entered the third grade, she couldn’t understand the stories all her friends enjoyed. She was even too embarrassed to read aloud. Why? She could only read at a first grade level. Laura’s hardly alone — but that’s small comfort. A recent study…

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  • 3 ways to fix America’s child poverty problem

    by Bill Frist

    (The Week, February 28, 2012) By Bill Frist, M.D. One in five American children suffers through extreme financial hardship. It doesn’t have to be that way Americans hear a lot about decline. Declines in manufacturing, fading productivity, plummeting home values, spiralling deficits, and sadly, dwindling faith in the American dream. Let me tell you where…

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  • Tennessee SCORE

    by Bill Frist

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  • Importance of K-12 Education

    by Bill Frist

    I was asked yesterday about education reform, specifically charter schools and vouchers. However, I used the opportunity to talk about some of the big issues in K-12 education and how important it is to the greatness of America. Take a look… The Greatness Of America from Bill Frist on Vimeo.

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  • SCORE Joins Highlands Town Hall Debate 2010

    by Bill Frist

    COOKEVILLE — The Highlands, Nashville’s WTVF NewsChannel5, Tennessee Tech University, and the League of Women Voters of Tennessee today announced that the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) is joining as a sponsor in the Highlands Town Hall Debate 2010, a general-election gubernatorial debate scheduled for September 14 at TTU in Cookeville. SCORE, a not-for-profit,…

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  • BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Pledges $500k to SCORE

    by Bill Frist

    BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee today announced a $500,000 contribution to advance K-12 public education reform — and better health outcomes — in partnership with the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. “BlueCross BlueShield has a history of supporting promising community work across Tennessee, especially when it…

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  • CGIU Student Grant Competition Extended to April 30

    by Bill Frist

    There is exciting and timely news for students looking to make a direct impact in the world. Each year, the Clinton Global Initiative’s CGI U sponsors a competitive grant program called the Outstanding Commitment Awards. These grants are given to students who submit proposals for “Commitments to Action” that are aimed at improving communities and…

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  • Frist Op-Ed in USA Today: “Race to the Top swiftly changes education dynamic”

    by Bill Frist

    NASHVILLE — Something remarkable is happening in American public education. In a matter of months, the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competition engineered the kind of wholesale reform that ordinarily would take a generation to pull off. Ideas once considered to be the realm of conservative education policy are seeing a refreshing bipartisan embrace….

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  • Frist’s Statement on Race To The Top.

    by Bill Frist

    NASHVILLE – Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who chairs the education-reform group Tennessee SCORE, on March 4 issued this statement following news that Tennessee is a finalist in the federal government’s groundbreaking Race to the Top competition: “Tennessee’s spot as a finalist confirms what we’ve known: The Volunteer State is poised to move…

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  • Frist Statement on Race to the Top

    by Bill Frist

    NASHVILLE — Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who chairs the education-reform group Tennessee SCORE, today issued this statement following news that Tennessee is a finalist in the federal government’s groundbreaking Race to the Top competition: “Tennessee’s spot as a finalist confirms what we’ve known:  The Volunteer State is poised to move farther, faster in public education reform…

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  • Special Session Presents Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

    by Bill Frist

    By: Sen. Bill Frist, M.D. In my 12 years of service to Tennesseans in the United States Senate, I learned that progress often comes from taking advantage of moments when the stars align around a specific goal.  In Tennessee, one of those moments is upon us, as for the first time in over 25 years…

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  • TN SCORE Summit Recap

    by Bill Frist

    Hosted at beautiful David Lipscomb University in Nashville, the Summit gathered together over 500 stakeholders from around the South for two days of panel discussions, breakout sessions, networking, and informal conversations all based on improving rural education and communities. Session topics included using technology to improve student achievement, strategies for improving high school graduation and…

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  • SCORE is used as Case Study in National Report

    by Bill Frist

    03.26.10 Tennessee SCORE is a case study in a new Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network report, “The Race to Reform: How Education Reform Advocates are Leveraging Race to the Top,” which tells the stories of state advocacy groups with an “outsized” impact on public education policy. The report opens with a description of SCORE and the collaborative…

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