School choice

Five judges in black robes sit in a paneled courtroom.

Vouchers Vouchers

Tennessee’s private school voucher law survives local challenge in state Supreme Court

The court order marks another win for Gov. Bill Lee, but more legal challenges loom

By Marta W. Aldrich

A stone building bearing the etched words “COURT HOUSE” beside a lamppost

Vouchers Vouchers

Tennessee private school voucher law is stuck at the starting gate, despite court victory

With more legal challenges pending, ‘there can’t be any steps going forward,’ Gov. Lee concedes

By Marta W. Aldrich

A woman in a red T-shirt speaks into a microphone to people carrying protest signs outdoors in front of a state Capitol building.

Vouchers Vouchers

Private school voucher ruling has Tennesseans talking. Here’s what they’re saying.

Cheers, frustrations, and promises to fight follow after Tennessee’s highest court overrules lower courts, clearing an obstacle to the state’s private school voucher law.

By Marta W. Aldrich

An educator stands in the middle of a school hallway flanked by four happy students.

How I Teach How I Teach

For this Memphis assistant principal, middle school is more than a workplace. It’s home.

Assistant principal Natasha Smith considers her KIPP co-workers and students family because they stand together or are “ten toes down for each other.”

By Tommie Curry

An 8-year-old girl takes a hearing test with the help of a woman audiologist.

Vouchers Vouchers

Students with dyslexia could get private school vouchers under Tennessee bill

The state’s voucher program for students with disabilities could double in size.

By Marta W. Aldrich

A man wearing a suit and tie speaks with two other men in an assembly room.

Vouchers Vouchers

Bill to resurrect Tennessee school vouchers dies in legislative committee

A House panel voted 5-4 to defeat a bill that critics said aimed to correct a voucher law overturned by judges.

By Marta W. Aldrich

A collage of Donald Trump, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, set against a panoramic view of Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Charters & Choice Charters & Choice

ACLU to Gov. Bill Lee: Release records on Hillsdale charter schools

The governor’s plan to bring dozens of Hillsdale charter schools to Tennessee and the mounting resistance to the partnership are the latest battle in the classroom culture wars.

By Cathryn Stout

Open entrance gate to a college campus with bricked walkway that leads to a courtyard with a bronze statue of an eagle

Charters & Choice Charters & Choice

Why a small private Christian college in Michigan is having an outsize influence in Tennessee

Hillsdale College is replicating charter schools that align with Gov. Bill Lee’s conservative ideology

By Marta W. Aldrich

A teenage girl participates in a remote class on her laptop, sitting at a desk in her room.

Vouchers Vouchers

Tennessee lawmakers advance school voucher bill targeting remote education

The proposal would target districts that don’t offer 180 days of annual in-person instruction beginning Sept. 1, 2022

By Marta W. Aldrich

The Tennessee House of Representatives is in the State Capitol in Nashville.

Statehouse policy and politics Statehouse policy and politics

Tennessee bill would extend school vouchers to parents upset over mask mandates, virtual learning

By Marta W. Aldrich

Eighth-grade boy in pale-blue shirt and beige trousers dances in front of classmates seated on a tile floor in front of lockers.

Charter schools Charter schools

Parents plea to save two KIPP Memphis schools from closure

Shelby County Schools administrators have recommended revoking charters of KIPP Memphis Academy Middle School and KIPP Memphis Collegiate Elementary based on low test scores at both schools.

By Samantha West