When it comes to working out the details of a pet project, it’s all about who you know, said former U.S. Senator Bill Frist.

Dr. Frist, a former Senate majority leader, stopped by Orchard Knob Elementary on Monday to brainstorm with teachers on how to improve education across the state.

Orchard Knob was the first of 40 stops Dr. Frist will make across Tennessee during the information-gathering phase of his initiative, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE.

Dr. Frist, who spent 20 years as a physician and 12 years in the Senate, said education is the most important issue in Tennessee and the country — “more than all the heart surgeries I’ve ever done.” He hopes to gather examples of what is working in K-12 education across the state, and try to recreate successes in the “citizen-led” reform.

“As the former majority leader, I have access to political leaders around the state and the country, and we will make specific recommendations to whoever is the next governor (of Tennessee),” he said. “I promise you, they’ll know.”

In six months, Dr. Frist said SCORE will make five specific recommendations for educational reform to state leaders.

Dr. Frist chose to meet with teachers and principals at Orchard Knob because of the school’s involvement in the nationally recognized Benwood Initiative. In 2001, local administrators pumped money and resources from the Benwood and Public Education foundations into eight high-poverty elementary schools. The program focused on professional development for teachers and was recently expanded to eight additional elementary schools.

“We’re identifying the places where things worked, and then sharing that with people across the state,” Dr. Frist told a group of teachers and administrators Monday.

Nikkia Hampton, the lead literacy teacher at Orchard Knob, said model classrooms, where experienced and highly trained teachers give pointers and support to their peers, is one of the best thing the Benwood Initiative began.

“When there’s someone in the building who has the same kind of kids that you have, and they’re able to meet their needs, it gives you hope,” she told Dr. Frist.

Carol Langston, the school district’s Area II elementary operations director, said the mentoring also helped reduce high teacher turnover in many of the Benwood schools.

“Our high needs schools have had such tremendous turnover, and in these schools, our new teachers would give up so quickly without anyone there to support them,” she said.

Dr. Frist said now is a critical time to reform education across the state since state curriculum and standards are set to get tougher this fall.