In 2020 and 2021, Tennessee received nearly $4 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds — money that Congress directed to the states to stave off negative learning impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the single largest infusion of federal funds into the state’s K-12 system. Tennessee met the moment and developed a systematic approach to allocating funds that, in turn, led to nationally leading learning recovery and acceleration. These actions are a model for future efforts to disperse federal funding to the state in a way that can lead to accountability and student success.

Key Takeaways

A hallmark of the state’s approach to ESSER funds included the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) outlining four primary spending categories — academics, readiness, educators, and foundations — to guide district funding strategies.

This memo looks at how ESSER funding in Tennessee impacted student success, including:

An overview of the funding levels given to Tennessee and the timeline for state and district action
The guidance that TDOE provided to districts, including a requirement to submit a consistent spending plan through templated reports
Trends in how districts allocated funds, updating data from SCORE’s 2022 review of local ESSER plans
The impact of Tennessee’s intentional approach on student achievement, which landed Tennessee as a national leader in learning recovery
Spotlights for four Tennessee districts that ranked among only 106 school districts in the U.S. that exceeded prepandemic achievement levels in reading and math

As federal COVID relief dollars wind down and state departments of education anticipate changes to the federal role in education, Tennessee stands out as a national example for how states can offer clear guidance and processes for effective local spending that leads to improved student outcomes.