State Education
Survey Finds Tennessee More Likely to Support Charter Schools, Open Enrollment, and Raising Teacher Pay Than Other States
Tennessee ranks above the national average for parents who favor charter schools.
Data and Polling
Coverage, analysis, and reporting on data and polling across Tennessee.
69 articles
State Education
Poll Finds Voters Oppose Removing Algebra II as a Graduation Requirement and Reductions in Required Exams
Of those surveyed, nearly 67 percent oppose removing Algebra II as a graduation requirement.
State Education
New Poll Finds Voters Support Removing Barriers to Enroll Students Across County Lines
The poll comes as lawmakers are poised to reduce barriers to open enrollment.
Elections
Sen. Marsha Blackburn Continues to Hold Strong Lead in the Latest Governor’s Race Poll
That poll found Blackburn leading with support from more than 60 percent of respondents.
Data and Polling
Senator Blackburn Continues to Hold a Strong Lead in the Latest Poll of the Governor’s Race
56 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they’d vote for Blackburn.
State Education
New Poll Finds Strong Support for Expanding School Choice and Open Enrollment
More than 60 percent of respondents said they support expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship and adopting policies that allow parents to send their childre...
Data and Polling
Senator Marsha Blackburn Holds Strong Lead in Latest Poll of Governor’s Race
Blackburn held the support of 60 percent of the 484 Republican voters surveyed online in the poll, well ahead of Congressman John Rose’s 10 percent and State Re...
National Education
New Survey Finds Most Parents Would Send Their Kids to Private School if Tax Dollars Were Available
A new national survey reveals that most parents would send their children to private or religious schools if public funding were available, signaling a major sh...
Elections
Senator Marsha Blackburn Leads Congressman John Rose in First Poll of 2026 Governor’s Race
The Beacon Center says 66 percent of respondents said they support Blackburn compared to the 14 percent who chose Rose. 19 percent of voters were undecided.
State Education
As Lawmakers Convene Hearings on Potentially Reducing Testing and Teacher Evaluations, a New Poll Shows Republican Voters Overwhelmingly Support Preserving Both
TSS’ poll of 1,000 Republican voters found 86 percent consider it important for public school students to receive annual statewide assessments and 91 percent su...
Data and Polling
Two polls find Tennessee voters are less enthusiastic about high-profile public education changes than the lawmakers approving them
Both polls asked voters for their support of key education policies that have been backed this year by Republican leaders, including President Trump and Governo...
State Education
New poll finds most parents believe public charter schools produce better results
That poll of 400 parents across the state last month by Public Opinion Strategies found 58 percent of respondents believe charter schools produce better results...
News
Brookings Institution report finds parents “woefully unaware” of how engaging their students’ learning experiences are
A new report from the Brookings Institution says that parents “consistently overestimate the quality of learning experiences that students report having in scho...
News
Poll shows widespread support for expanding charter schools, private school vouchers
A new statewide poll from the Beacon Center of Tennessee indicates that 61 percent of Tennesseans support expanding charter schools statewide, with only 14 perc...
News
Research suggests gender stereotypes play a role in discouraging girls’ STEM interests
A new report from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) suggests that gender stereotypes remain a major barrier to increasing women’s participation in scie...
News
Vanderbilt Poll finds economic anxieties relating to education, ‘no clear direction’ on school voucher issue
A new poll from Vanderbilt University notes that parents are growing increasingly concerned about not having enough money to support their children’s education,...
News
New survey indicates school satisfaction varies across income levels
A recent report from the education advocacy organization 50CAN indicates that overall school satisfaction in Tennessee is similar to the national average, despi...
News
New report finds Tennessee is bucking the trend of declining high school graduation rates other states are seeing
A new report from the Grad Partnership notes that high school graduation rates in Tennessee have remained relatively stable in recent years, compared to 26 stat...
News
Tennessee Higher Education Commission says overall enrollment has increased across public colleges and universities
Despite witnessing a decline in first-time freshmen enrollment, overall enrollment has increased across Tennessee’s public colleges and universities, according ...
News
Tennessee Higher Ed Commission notes ‘record-breaking’ year for Tennessee Promise Class of 2025
A record-breaking number of students applied for the Tennessee Promise program, with over 67,000 applicants from the Class of 2025, an announcement from the Ten...
News
New study suggests Tennessee’s school turnaround models are not leading to long-term improvements in student performance
A new study published by Brown University’s Annenberg Institute indicates that middle school students in the state’s two primary school turnaround models have m...
News
Statewide graduation rate reaches 92.1 percent, breaking previous record
New data from the Tennessee Department of Education shows that the statewide graduation rate from the 2023-24 school year was 92.1 percent, breaking the previou...
News
Young adults aren’t seeing the value of postsecondary education. A new SCORE report highlights one way to help
A new report from SCORE notes that “too many Tennesseans are still not realizing the full economic benefits of their education,” despite the state’s efforts in ...
News
East Tennessee State University poll finds economic concerns and divided opinions on book bans
A new survey study from the Applied Social Research Lab at East Tennessee State University indicates that 56 percent of Tennesseans believe the state is “headed...
News
Leaders of two public charter schools say professional development is the key to success with special populations
Schools like Leadership Preparatory Charter School in Memphis and KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary (KACPE) in South Nashville have invested heavily in profe...
News
New study finds low-income students in 10 major cities with charter schools are catching up
A new study from the Progressive Policy Institute indicates that low-income students in both public charter schools and traditional public schools in 10 major c...
News
Beacon Poll shows support for school choice policies in Tennessee
A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found that Tennessee voters are “more likely to vote for candidates” who support school choice by a 4...
News
Study finds low math confidence among Black female students in Nashville
A new study published in Sage Journals suggests that Black female students in Nashville have significantly less confidence in math than their male counterparts ...
News
New study of education funding determines an unprecedented amount of public money is now available for private school tuition
A new report from the Georgetown University education think tank FutureEd notes that 569,000 K-12 students received public subsidies for private schooling in 20...
News
TennesseeCAN survey: 46 percent of parents ‘very satisfied’ with schools, despite satisfaction with school choice
A recent parent survey study from the education advocacy organization TennesseeCAN indicates that despite overall satisfaction with school choice in Tennessee a...
News
SCORE report highlights the promise of AI in education
A new memo from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) says that more than half of U.S. teachers have never used artificial intelligence tools, ...
News
SCORE report finds Tennessee’s new school funding formula has had a ‘positive impact’ on schools
A new memo from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) says the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) school funding formula has ha...
College and Higher Edu...
University of Tennessee sees record-breaking retention, graduation rates
The university has had another historic year for enrollment, retention and graduation rates, according to recent data.
Local Education
New study suggests Metro Nashville tutoring program was less impactful than expected
Despite increased investments in academic support to combat “learning loss” that came as a result of COVID-19, a recent report from Brown University researchers...
Data and Polling
New study examines role of socioeconomic factors in racial achievement gaps
A recent study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute suggests that socio-economic factors like household income and parents’ education play a role in perpetuatin...
Data and Polling
Tennessee Department of Education announces improvements in K-12 literacy and efforts to maintain progress
While recent state assessment data trends show that students throughout the state are making gains in literacy, officials from the Tennessee Department of Educa...
Data and Polling
SCORE memo notes need to update state higher-ed funding formula
A new memo from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) highlights the need to revise Tennessee’s outcomes-based postsecondary funding formula to...
Data and Polling
State Board of Education seeks feedback on state ELA standards
The Tennessee State Board of Education has launched a new survey to gather public comments and feedback about Tennessee’s K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) stand...
Data and Polling
Knox County Schools makes changes to early dismissal schedule
Following recent discussions between board members and with parents in the community about their preferences, the board decided to do away with two “early relea...
College and Higher Edu...
UT study shows need for more civic education in Tennessee
A recent statewide survey from the University of Tennessee’s Institute of American Civics suggests there's a critical need to improve civics education in Tennes...
Data and Polling
SCORE memo notes important role of data in building student literacy
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has released a new memo highlighting how policymakers have helped advance early literacy in the state wit...
Data and Polling
Memphis selects new school board members, Democrats dominate Nashville, Republicans maintain control in Knox County
Thursday's election results are bringing major changes to school boards representing the state's largest school districts.Families with children attending Knox ...
Data and Polling
Tennessee Public Charter School Commission schools' comparing well with other public schools on state tests
State education officials say the schools overseen by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission are faring well when compared to the school districts that ...
Data and Polling
SCORE TCAP analysis indicates need to address performance gaps
While recent results from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) exam indicate that students across the state achieved “record-high” proficiency ...
Data and Polling
State of AI in Education Survey says higher education is leading AI adoption
A new report from the ed tech platform Quizlet suggests that higher ed institutions are leading in AI adoption when compared to high schools.
Data and Polling
Scarlett Family Foundation launches new Nashville Public Schools Data Finder
The education philanthropic organization Scarlett Family Foundation recently launched a new tool designed to allow parents and other education stakeholders to f...
Data and Polling
New report suggests students still need more academic support after COVID-19
A new report from the education research organization NWEA suggests that K-12 academic performance is still lagging behind pre-pandemic trends, despite efforts ...
Data and Polling
SCORE report notes improvements in ELA and math scores
A recent report from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) analyzing results from the 2024 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) no...
Data and Polling
More Tennessee schools now eligible for free meal programs
More school districts in Tennessee are now able to serve free meals to students, thanks to recent changes in federal rules governing free meal program eligibili...
Data and Polling
Beacon Poll notes voters' concerns about public education along with support for former President Trump and Sen. Blackburn
A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found 50 percent of registered voters in Tennessee are dissatisfied with the way things are going in ...
News
SCORE report finds student assessments and teacher evaluations combine to improve performance
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has released a pair of memos highlighting how annual teacher evaluations and assessments have worked toge...
Data and Polling
Survey: parents 'in the dark' about how K-12 testing data is used for academic support
While parents strongly support the use of statewide summative assessments to measure student progress, many believe that few K-12 leaders are clearly sharing ho...
Data and Polling
Walton-Gallup student success survey study suggests room for improvement
A new survey study from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup suggests that students are still in need of additional academic support to improve performance a...
Data and Polling
Metro Nashville school board lauds state test results
The Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education celebrated gains made across grade levels and subjects in this year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Asses...
Data and Polling
Tennessee Department of Education praises steady improvements in TCAP test results
Student performance is slowly but steadily improving in math, English language arts (ELA) and social studies, according to 2023-24 Tennessee Comprehensive Asses...
Data and Polling
SCORE memo notes need to align career credentials with workforce trends
A memo released today from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) said the state’s schools must do more to ensure Tennessee students receive the...
Data and Polling
Tennessee Disability Coalition report suggests more work needed to support students with disabilities
A new white paper from the Tennessee Disability Coalition suggests that K-12 schools throughout the state have a lot of work to do when it comes to supporting s...
Data and Polling
EFI Charter School Report: Tennessee charter school sector ranked in middle of the pack
Tennessee ranks 14th out of 30 states included in a recent report from the Education Freedom Institute that measures the quality and accessibility of states’ pu...
Data and Polling
Fourth-graders show reading gains on state assessments while third-graders hold steady
Tennessee's fourth-graders showed noticeable improvements in reading this year while third-graders' scores held steady.That's according to a Thursday announceme...
Data and Polling
School voucher voter polls vary wildly in Tennessee as many legislative candidates skirt the issue
While Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher proposal is clearly a key issue this election year, there is less agreement on where Tennessee voters stand on th...
Data and Polling
Governor Lee plans to bring his "voucher" plan back next year. Two polls show Tennessee remains divided.
Two polls released this month have found Tennesseans remain sharply divided on Governor Bill Lee’s plan to let parents use taxpayer dollars to send their childr...
Data and Polling
New survey of teachers finds most are concerned their students are falling behind
According to the annual report, which surveyed 1,000 teachers across the country, 70 percent of teachers believe that their students are falling behind academic...
Data and Polling
Poll finds Tennessee voters are more supportive of public charter schools than the school boards opposing them
A new poll finds the unanimous rejection of new charters at the school board level this year doesn’t align with the values of Tennessee voters who elected them.
Data and Polling
Poll finds improving education a much bigger priority for Tennessee voters than protecting gun rights
Tennessee lawmakers and school board members have spent a lot of time over the last few months debating whether teachers should be armed, but a new poll finds t...
Data and Polling
189 Innovative School Leaders: Teacher Staffing, AI, Mental Health Top Ed Issues
A common set of problems are keeping education leaders up at night: Will there be enough teachers to staff America’s schools? Can artificial intelligence enhanc...
Data and Polling
Poll finds 83 percent of parents support a minimum age limit for social media
A new poll from the National Parents Union (NPU) found a growing concern for the negative effects of social media consumption.That survey found 83 percent of pa...
Data and Polling
New Study: Two-Thirds of Teachers Censor Themselves Even When They Don’t Have To
Two-thirds of U.S. teachers have limited discussions of political and social issues in their classrooms, even in places where there is no law or policy prohibit...
Data and Polling
Comptroller report finds Tennessee reading proficiency is on the rise
Tennessee’s efforts to increase early literacy appear to be paying off according to the latest review by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.The Comptroller rele...
Data and Polling
Poll finds more than 60 percent of Tennesseans support public charter schools
A new poll finds Tennesseans want more out of their state’s education system.The poll on a variety of topics by conservative organization the Beacon Center, fou...