Newsroom

Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) at Vanderbilt University launched the 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey statewide. All educators, administrators, and certified school staff in Tennessee are invited to take the survey and share their perspectives and expertise on education issues affecting their classrooms and schools, to inform strategies and goals at the state, district, and local school levels.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released additional Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) resources explaining how the proposed student-based public school funding formula will update the way Tennessee funds public education for the first time in over 30 years.

Knoxville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education and the University of Tennessee System announced the launch of the Tennessee Reading Research Center, a Reading 360 initiative, to evaluate and independently analyze how the state’s over $100 million investment of optional literacy supports and grants are improving student literacy rates, increasing the use of sounds-first instruction in Pre-K-3 classrooms, increasing the use of high-quality instructional materials, and preparing future educators for literacy instruction. Additionally, the center will analyze the implementation of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced throughout the month of March, the state is celebrating Tennessee Literacy Month, highlighting how Tennessee’s educators, families, and community partners are focusing on improving literacy experiences for early learners through strategic investments and optional, free resources. Additionally, the department is excited to announce 98 districts have been recognized as Reading 360 Districts for their commitment to teacher training, leader support networks, and focused work on early literacy.

Nashville, TN- Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn released the details of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act (SB2396/HB2143) that would transition Tennessee’s K-12 public schools to a student-based funding approach. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the TISA would invest an estimated $9 billion in education funding for the state, including state and local funds, which includes $1 billion in new recurring state funds and $750 million in one-time state funds this year.

NASHVILLE - Today, AP Access for ALL, a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and the Niswonger Foundation, announced its enrollment numbers for the 2021-22 school year, with over 1,800 students from 192 high schools statewide now enrolled in AP Access for ALL classes- helping students prepare for college, skip introductory classes, and earn college credit while still in high school. Additionally, students are encouraged to register for fall 2022 AP Access for ALL classes, which open on March 1.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn will share legislation for the new student-based funding formula, known as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement formula (TISA), on Thursday, February 24. Tennesseans will have access to a livestream presentation that breaks down key aspects of the legislation and funding proposal. Details about the presentation will be announced next week.

Nashville, TN- Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced the 68 districts that have received statewide recognition as Best for All Districts for significantly investing federal COVID-19 stimulus funding to drive student achievement and improving academic outcomes. The department is celebrating these districts today for #BestforAllDay through a statewide livestream event from 9-10:30 a.m. CT, accessible here.

Nashville, TN- Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced next steps for the K-12 public education funding review process that includes a new student-based funding formula and more than $750 million in proposed investment.

Nashville, TN— Today, Governor Bill Lee proposed more than $1 billion new recurring funding for K-12 public education in Tennessee during his fourth State of the State Address, including a proposal for a new student-based public education funding formula, innovative school models in middle and high schools, new school buildings to get classrooms out of floodplains, and a $125 million increase for teacher compensation.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced all 147 Tennessee school districts have received approval on their required ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) plans to spend more than $3.5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding to benefit K-12 public school students in their districts. Per U.S. Department of Education guidelines, all districts were required to develop plans that outlined their local spending strategies for their portion of the historic amount of federal funding.

Nashville, TN—Today, Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education, in partnership with the SAS Institute, released pre-pandemic projected data compared to student’s actual TCAP scores to help measure the pandemic’s impact on student achievement via the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) public site, which is used annually to measure overall student growth. The results of this additional annual analysis from SAS show the negative impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and bright spots for schools that have outperformed expectations.

Nashville, TN- Following months of strong engagement and conversations about public education funding in Tennessee, today the Tennessee Department of Education announced over 1,300 public comments have been submitted on a potential student-based K-12 public education funding formula in Tennessee. Comments and input have been submitted by hundreds of parents, educators, superintendents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and citizens from across the state.

Nashville, TN— Paving the way for teaching and educator workforce development nationwide, the Tennessee Department of Education announced today it has pioneered a new way to develop teacher pipelines, and is the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University's Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country.

Nashville, TN-  After months of strong engagement and conversations about public education funding in Tennessee and years of consistent feedback, today the Tennessee Department of Education released an initial draft overview of a potential student-based funding formula, informed by input of thousands of Tennesseans-- parents, educators, superintendents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and citizens from across the state-- and is encouraging all Tennesseans to send feedback on this draft framework by an extended deadline of Tuesday, January 18th at noon CT. Comment should be sent to tnedu.funding@tn.gov.