TN DOE News

Commissioner Reynolds Receives Honorary Tennessee FFA Degree

Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds of the Tennessee Department of Education received the Honorary Tennessee FFA State Degree at the 98th Tennessee FFA Convention in Gatlinburg. The award recognizes individuals who have rendered outstanding service to FFA and agricultural education at the state level. Tennessee FFA currently serves more than 34,000 members across 246 school chapters.

2026 Tennessee Educator Survey Opens, Due Apr 10

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) at Vanderbilt University launched the 2026 Tennessee Educator Survey. The voluntary, confidential survey is open from February 23 through April 10, 2026, and is available to all Tennessee educators, administrators, and certified school staff. Schools with over 90% participation are eligible for a $5,000 staff appreciation grant through a lottery drawing, and districts with at least 45% participation will receive aggregate results to inform local decisions.

EFS Scholarship Eligibility Decisions Released, 31.8% More Applications

The Tennessee Department of Education began releasing Education Freedom Scholarship eligibility decisions for the 2026-27 school year. Total applications increased 31.8 percent to over 56,000, with a 99 percent renewal rate among returning families. The program introduced income-based prioritization categories, with 17,426 new applications applying for Priority 2 and 3 income-based prioritizations.

Tennessee Celebrates Math Gains, Outperforms National Average

The Tennessee Department of Education announced the celebration of Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, proclaimed by Governor Bill Lee. Tennessee students achieved above-average performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), ranking highest nationally for eighth-grade math improvement in 2024. TCAP assessment data showed proficiency increases across all grade levels, including a gain of more than five percentage points among sixth-grade students.

Tennessee Literacy Month Celebrated with $35M District Grants

The Tennessee Department of Education announces Tennessee Literacy Month in March 2026, celebrating with $35M in state district grants for literacy acceleration. The department received a $27.5M federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant supporting 54 districts for adolescent literacy. Approximately 70 school districts also received $7.65M for tutoring programs through state funding.