Tennessee

National School Choice Week is a great time to celebrate the opportunities and innovations taking place in America’s K-12 education system. At the core of school choice lies this belief: parents — not bureaucrats — know what’s best for their child’s education. Every year, there are school choice highlights, but this year is marked by extraordinary advances in education freedom. While school choice legislation at the state level is underway, there’s a brand-new, transformative law at the federal level: the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship. In a remarkably short period, 26 governors have opted their states into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship, unlocking new opportunities for families and demonstrating nationwide confidence in policies that put parents in the driver’s seat of Read More ›

It’s National School Choice Week in America, and the advancement of education freedom is sweeping the country. Governors are opting-in their states to the new federal tax credit scholarship at rapid rates. The scholarship allows taxpayers to contribute up to $1,700 per year to a qualified non-profit scholarship-granting organization and receive a nonrefundable dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Organizations like ACE Scholarships award scholarships to K-12 students. Federal tax credit scholarships can be used for a variety of educational expenses, including tuition, fees, books, tutoring, transportation, and services for students with special needs. The landmark legislation was fittingly signed into law on Independence Day last year by President Donald Trump as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Already, nineteen states are set to participate in the federal Read More ›

It’s been an incredible year thus far of education freedom victories. Six More States Have Signed Universal School Choice into Law This Year Massive legislative wins for education freedom have occurred at the state level this year, with Tennessee, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, Indiana, and New Hampshire passing universal school choice into law. That brings the total to 17 states granting all families statewide education freedom. First Federal School Choice Program in History Becomes Law on Independence Day As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the first federal school choice program in the history of our nation became law on July 4. The tax credit scholarship program, set to begin in 2027, will provide millions of children with educational scholarships! Read More ›

Today, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act into law, bringing the total to 15 states with universal (or near-universal) school choice! Last week, Idaho Governor Brad Little ushered in school choice for families statewide. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee brought education freedom to Tennesseans a few weeks ago. Last year, Alabama and Louisiana got the job done. The year prior, 2023, included Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and North Carolina enacting universal school choice in their states. All of these wins were built upon the courageous, bold, and forward-thinking leadership of West Virginia Senator Patricia Puertas Rucker and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who led the way in 2021 and 2022, helping advance universal school choice Read More ›

President Donald Trump hit the ground running, reforming K-12 education and restoring parental rights during his second week back in the Oval Office, which coincided with the 15th annual National School Choice Week. Last week, President Trump issued the “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” executive order. According to a White House fact sheet, the order “recognizes that parents, not the government, play a fundamental role in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.” The executive order states that within 60 days, “the Secretary of Education shall issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.” It also “directs the Secretary of Education to prioritize school choice programs in Read More ›

Last week was packed with significant victories for K-12 education reform and the protection of parental rights. Here are 10 big wins: #1: Tennessee Will Enact Universal School Choice The Tennessee House and Senate passed the Education Freedom Act of 2025. With Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, Tennessee will become the 13th state in the nation to enact universal (or near-universal) school choice. #2: Federal K-12 Scholarship Bill Introduced Senators Bill Cassidy and Tim Scott introduced The Educational Choice for Children Act, a federal bill that “would provide $10 billion in annual tax credits for individuals and businesses to fund K-12 scholarships.” If passed, approximately 2 million children in the United States will have access to scholarship funds for private school Read More ›

During a legislative special session on Thursday, the Tennessee Senate passed the Education Freedom Act of 2025 by a vote of 20 to 13. The bill had passed the House 54 to 44 earlier in the day. It now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. With the stroke of Gov. Bill Lee’s pen, Tennessee will become the 13th state in the nation to enact universal (or near-universal) school choice. While it’s not official yet, there is no question regarding whether Gov. Lee will sign the bill into law. He has been an enthusiastic education freedom champion and called the Tennessee General Assembly for a special session with the purpose of passing the Education Freedom Act. Last month, Gov. Lee said, “When it comes to education, more freedom Read More ›

Most state 2025 legislative sessions kicked off last week or this week. The remaining states will have their sessions underway by early February. Louisiana is the only exception, and it is not scheduled to convene its legislature until April. During the legislative sessions, K-12 education will continue to be a common top policy area throughout the country. Efforts to enact and expand school choice legislation will be front and center in several states, as has been the case since 2021. The prolonged public district school closures gave parents a front-row seat in their children’s classrooms through the remote Zoom sessions. What they saw concerned them greatly — a lack of quality academic learning and far-left political indoctrination. Public support for Read More ›

Huge historical legislative victories have occurred over the past four years, advancing school choice in states nationwide. In some states, the wins have entailed the creation of new school choice programs, while in other states, it has involved expanding existing programs to reach more students. Most noteworthy has been the enactment of universal or near-universal school choice in 12 states since 2021. Introduction The public education monopoly isn’t working, and it is failing to fulfill its function to a greater degree than in years and decades past. There is a better way: education freedom, which allows parents to choose the school or other learning avenue that best fits their unique child. A few years ago, widespread school choice was nearly Read More ›