2021 Report to the Community
Looking Back
In the 5 years since the launch of Chattanooga 2.0, the residents of Chattanooga-Hamilton County have much to be proud of in the way of big wins from cradle to career.
Hundreds of high-quality early learning seats have been added, schools across the district are showing significant growth, and graduation rates for both high school and postsecondary are up. Each area of the cradle-to-career continuum, however, from early childhood through postsecondary completion, shows ample opportunities for improvement. The community faces an economic imperative to seize them.
In 2020, the collaborative spirit among Chattanooga 2.0 partners served as the foundation for the county’s response to the impacts of COVID-19 on children and students. As a result, the community witnessed what can be achieved when working together with urgency toward a common goal.
Looking Forward
Chattanooga 2.0 staff and partners are renewing their commitment to educational equity and, specifically, to ending the long history of racial inequity for children and students in local education systems. In order for the community to achieve overarching cradle-to-career goals, a focus on adequately resourcing and supporting those children and youth who are most behind will be required. Contained in this report is a new equity statement and a racial equity scorecard showing persistent racial achievement gaps that need the community’s attention.
The goals and strategies outlined for the next decade of collaborative work center around supporting the whole-child needs of children and youth by engaging everyone in the community and working to align and coordinate the systems that seek to serve them. The updated vision for the work looks beyond educational success to the attainment of a Thriving Wage job, so that all young adults can participate in an inclusive and thriving economy.
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