Tennessee became the seventh state in the nation to pass a broad education savings account program this past week.
Gov. Bill Lee’s policy will give eligible students in Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools (which includes Memphis) an estimated $7,300 yearly to pay for approved educational expenses.
“I am most concerned about kids in this state getting a quality education … and that is what education savings accounts are about,” Lee stated during the bill’s signing.
Though often equated with vouchers, education savings accounts differ from this other type of school choice in that they can be used for a wider range of costs, including tuition, home-school curriculum and supplies, educational technology, tutoring, and more.
Though most use the funds to pay for tuition at private schools, ESAs offer the flexibility and personalization that families are increasingly demanding in education. They are student-centric, and empower parents to know and choose the best education for their child.
Researchers predict that the new ESA policy will pay dividends in the form of increased high school graduation rates, reduced criminal activity, and heightened economic returns to the state.
Education advocates in Tennessee knew it was time for a change when data on the state’s students revealed that only 23.6% of Nashville high school graduates are prepared for post-secondary education, and the other 76.4% need remedial courses when they reach college.
“While by no means a silver bullet to all of our educational ills, greater parental choice through ESAs is but one of many mechanisms that will improve education for all Tennesseans,” wrote Shaka Mitchell, Tennessee director for the American Federation for Children. “The status quo should rightly shake our faith in a school bureaucracy that is failing to serve thousands of students. Let’s put that faith in Tennessee’s parents to know and choose the best education for their children. Let’s give them a choice.”
Kate Hardiman is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. She is pursuing a master’s in education from Notre Dame University and teaches English and religion at a high school in Chicago.
