Jefferson County High School Part Of New TN Advise Partner Schools

Thirty high schools selected for college counseling program, will bolster Drive to 55 campaign

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced today the 30 partner schools chosen to participate in Advise TN, a new program to increase the number of students accessing higher education.  Spanning from Shelby County to Washington County, these schools will work with an Advise TN college advisor to provide college counseling services to 10,000 junior and senior students across the state this fall.

Developed by the Governor’s Office in partnership with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), Advise TN aims to continue the momentum of Tennessee’s growing college enrollment rate, which increased to a historic high of 62.5 percent in 2015.

“Advise TN was developed to build on the work being done to create a college-going culture across the state. We want students to know that college isn’t only an option for them, it’s an expectation,” Haslam said. “Providing one more adult in students’ lives to help them navigate the transition from high school to college helps these students succeed, and it also supports our state and Drive to 55 goals.”

Advise TN services will include one-on-one counseling sessions for each junior and senior to map out college goals, participation in events such as College App Week and TN FAFSA Frenzy, and ensuring students are completing the applications and financial aid paperwork to enroll in college. Advise TN counselors will also provide parent and family outreach.

In May, Advise TN invited high schools with a college-going rate below the state average to apply for the program. More than 100 high schools applied. Selected schools, chosen through a rigorous evaluation process by THEC and a team of proposal readers, all indicated a commitment to collaborative and innovative college access programming.

“The Advise TN partner schools are a diverse and exciting group of high schools,” THEC Executive Director Mike Krause said. “Each school brings a strong commitment to partnership with Advise TN and a relentless dedication to helping students access higher education opportunities.”

THEC is finalizing the hiring of the 30 college advisors and creating implementation plans for the partner schools. In October, college advisors will undergo intensive training sessions from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, the Niswonger Foundation, the Ayers Foundation and tnAchieves. Advisors will begin delivering services in schools at the end of October.

Advise TN was included in Governor Haslam’s 2016-17 budget proposal and approved by the General Assembly with funding of $2,455,800. Advise TN partner schools are expected to develop sustainability plans to continue the program beyond initial state funding.

A list of Advise TN schools is below.

County                                           School

Cheatham                                      Cheatham County Central High School

Davidson                                        Hunters Lane High School

Dickson                                           Dickson County High School

Dyer                                                 Dyer County High School

Franklin                                           Franklin County High School

Gibson                                             Humboldt Junior and Senior High School

Greene                                            Chuckey-Doak High School

Greene                                            North Greene High School

Grundy                                            Grundy County High School

Hamilton                                         Brainerd High School

Henry                                               Henry County High School

Hickman                                          East Hickman High School

Hickman                                          Hickman County High School

Jefferson                                          Jefferson County High School

Knox                                                 Fulton High School

Knox                                                 Austin East High School

Lake                                                  Lake County High School

Lauderdale                                     Halls High School

Lincoln                                             Lincoln County High School

Loudon                                            Lenoir City High School

Madison                                          Liberty Technology Magnet High School

Monroe                                           Sequoyah High School

Montgomery                                 Kenwood High School

Montgomery                                 Northwest High School

Overton                                          Livingston Academy

Rutherford                                     LaVergne High School

Shelby                                             Overton High School

Warren                                            Warren County High School

Washington                                   David Crockett High School

White                                               White County High School

About the Drive to 55

In 2013, Governor Haslam launched the Drive to 55 to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or certificate to 55 percent by 2025. As a result, the Drive to 55 has established the Tennessee Promise program, the nation’s first scholarship and mentorship program that provides high school graduates last-dollar scholarships to attend two years of community or technical college free of tuition and fees; reduced the number of college freshmen requiring remediation through the SAILS (Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support) program; provided free technical college for adults through TCAT Reconnect Grants; created Tennessee Reconnect + Complete to help more adults return to college to complete unfinished degrees; developed a more comprehensive state approach to serving student veterans; and leveraged technology to enhance classroom instruction and college advising.