Tennessee takes on education reform

TENNESSEE: State to launch large-scale high school reform

Poor reading and math scores have put Tennessee students at the bottom half of the nation for too long, according to state officials. So, this fall, the state will launch a large-scale high school reform aimed at aligning the state's standards with the rest of the nation's. Many high-profile leaders are backing this new non-profit project called the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), which will hold town hall meetings across the state and ultimately issue suggestions about what changes need to happen.

Part of the problem is curriculum, which was considered too easy by nationwide comparison before the coming reform effort. The state is also working to increase teacher quality and balance unequal funding issues between rich and poor districts.

And, with the state moving away from agricultural work to more industrial and technical jobs, education improvement is critical.

Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina are a few of the states where independent organizations keep a focus on school improvement. For example, in Alabama, the A+ Partnership helped students record the biggest gains in the nation on 2007 reading tests by raising money for a reading pilot program and providing professional development for teachers.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Legislators to consider voting rights of felons

ARKANSAS: Speculation continues on lottery proceeds, scholarship funding in legislature

FLORIDA: Attorney General wants to put a cap on what Florida pays attorneys

GEORGIA: Southern Poverty Law Center says hate groups are growing

KENTUCKY: State loan forgiveness program is out of cash, upsetting teachers who were promised help

LOUISIANA: "60 Minutes" profiles Gov. Bobby Jindal

MISSISSIPPI: Bill on immigrant poverty task force likely to die

NORTH CAROLINA: Military mother recalled by Army; reports to Fort Benning with children

SOUTH CAROLINA: A look at health care funding in South Carolina

VIRGINIA: Public school students take part in religious education in rural parts of state

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