The Undercount, EdTrust-Tennessee’s new report, reveals a critical problem: the state’s current economically disadvantaged definition leaves roughly 50% of eligible students unseen and under-resourced.

As the cost of housing, food, and childcare continues to rise, too many families are struggling to make ends meet. We must act now to refine how we identify economically disadvantaged students to help ensure that the students in Tennessee’s communities have what they need to succeed.

Join us on January 26 at 3pm CT/4pm ET to learn how Tennessee’s narrow poverty definition is shortchanging schools and students and how you can get to involved to support meaningful legislative policy change.

Tennessee has already experienced unexpected drops in economically disadvantaged student counts as a result of SNAP changes in the first years of TISA implementation. Additional federal changes to SNAP will also soon take effect, with stricter eligibility requirements, further reducing the number of Tennessee students identified as economically disadvantaged.

This is a critical moment to understand what’s at stake and how to take action to ensure resources reach the students who need them most. Together, we can push for policies that reflect the full spectrum of student need and unlock opportunity across for all Tennessee students.