TennesseeCAN
5.1K posts
@TennesseeCAN
We're TennesseeCAN, a locally led campaign to ensure every Tennessee student has access to a high-quality education through great teachers and great schools.
This is a really astonishing claim: Students in Mississippi & Louisiana score higher on reading tests than students in California & New York despite spending way less money per pupil and having higher child poverty rates. Decided to double check the data because, if true, this should be alarming for blue state leaders. And yup, it checks out. Reading performance (NAEP 2024, Grade 4 reading, average scale score): Mississippi: 219 Louisiana: 216 New York: 215 California: 212 Child poverty (SAIPE; “estimated percent of people age 0–17 in poverty,” 2023): Louisiana: 25.2% Mississippi: 24.3% New York: 18.6% California: 15.0% Per-pupil spending (public K–12 “current expenditures per pupil,” FY2023, inflation-adjusted to FY2023 dollars) New York: $29,588 California: $18,568 Louisiana: $14,822 Mississippi: $12,238 It should be unacceptable to spend that much more taxpayer money while delivering worse results for students.
Thanks to @GovBillLee & Tennessee lawmakers, school choice is a reality for families across the Volunteer State. I proudly support Tennessee’s effort to DOUBLE Education Freedom Scholarships this year, empowering more parents with a say in their child’s education.
Parents know best — & Tennessee families are making their voices heard. Demand for Education Freedom Scholarships is high across our state. It’s time we meet the demand & expand opportunity for thousands more students by doubling available scholarships this year.
