Dear Friends,

Changing our world for the better starts by listening. By elevating the voices of parents across our state, we can ensure that we are focused on the problems most important to them and that the solutions we seek are grounded in their hopes and dreams for their children.

This parent focus is core to our mission at TennesseeCAN, and why I am so excited to share with you a new survey on the state of education opportunity in Tennessee. Produced in partnership with 50CAN and Edge Research, this survey provides a unique window into the opportunities available to students in our state right now and allows us to compare those answers to other parents across our region and across the country.

The survey is organized into five categories of learning that families tell us are crucial for them and their children: 1) school quality and opportunity, 2) tutoring, summer and mental health, 3) out of school activities, 4) information and engagement, and 5) college and career readiness. A total of 407 parents and guardians of school-aged children in our state were surveyed between July 8 and August 22, 2024, as part of a nationwide research effort that reached more than 20,000 respondents.

Importantly, the Tennessee parents who participated in our survey reflect the makeup of our state – giving us a reliable snapshot of how our parents are thinking about their child’s educational opportunities. Here’s what they told us:

We love our schools, and we still want more for our children. Tennessee has among the highest percentages of families who believe they have a choice in where they can send their children to school, and who responded that, if given the choice, they would send their child to the same school they attend today. Yet less than half of Tennessee families said they are “very satisfied” with their child’s school.

Tennessee families demonstrate a willingness to engage in their child’s learning in meaningful ways. Tennessee ranks above the national average for parents who say they understand academic achievement, are familiar with how budget decisions are made at their child’s school and rely on assignments or tests to gauge learning progress. However, this trend does not apply at the school level. With only 26 percent of families saying they reviewed school performance, Tennessee ranked well below the national average.

Income level dictates different experiences for Tennessee families. We see concerning gaps between families of low-, middle- and high-income families in terms of student participation in learning opportunities like tutoring and summer camps as well as out of school activities, and in levels of confidence that children will be prepared for college and the workforce.

These responses reinforce a strong sense of optimism and aspiration that I have always known to be true in the Volunteer State: we believe in our kids, we believe in the value of K-12 education, and we are willing to do what it takes to ensure all our students can learn and achieve in school and beyond.

A digital copy of this report is available here. Visit our partners at 50can.org to view the nationwide report, the survey questionnaire and the full data set.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Crawford

Executive Director
TennesseeCAN