KINGSTON, Tenn.—Education matters to Roane County.

Education Matters, a program of the Roane Alliance, has exceeded the goal to have 80 tnAchieves mentors by 126 percent for the 2017–18 academic school year. tnAchieves is the statewide partner to the Tennessee Promise program, which provides last-dollar scholarships to students entering community or applied technology colleges in 85 of the 95 Tennessee counties.

tnAchieves was born out of KnoxAchieves, which included Roane County, in 2011. Since then, Roane Alliance has been a crucial part of the tnAchieves program because of their work with Education Matters. According to Allen Lutz, education and workforce development specialist for Education Matters, support from mentors in the area helps guide students through the challenges of higher education, therefore increasing post-secondary education graduation rates.

“Many of the kids don’t have someone that can reinforce the value of education … and education is often critical to helping them achieve their goals in life,” Lutz said. “Mentors come in to fill this gap and support them in achieving their goals.”

The Tennessee Promise program is life changing for many young citizens—60 percent are first generation college students, according to tnAchieves. Roane County was the third county to reach its goal for the 2017–18 academic year. Under the direction of the Roane Alliance and Education Matters, Roane County has exceeded its goal every year since tnAchieves’ launch in 2011.

“Because tnAchieves’ roots are in the Roane County area, our residents want to see it continue to succeed.” Lutz said. “Our community is dedicated to helping the next generation succeed.”