The Power of Us: How Students, Educators, and Advocates Continue Showing Up for Tennessee’s Kids
In 2026, lawmakers introduced sweeping changes to education policy. Lawmakers introduced a statewide voucher program then expanded it, attempted to bar undocumented students from public schools, questioned how we provide resources to students from low-income backgrounds, established new child care pilot programs for working families, and debated hundreds of other policies shaping what students experience in classrooms every day.
Some legislation advanced access to education for students, and others didn’t. But through every committee hearing, floor vote, and legislative visit one thing remained consistent: the people – students, educators, and families kept showing up to protect and advance education access and opportunity. EdTrust-Tennessee was right alongside them, helping ensure that the people most most affected by these decisions had the information, tools, and opportunities to be a part of the conversation.
By the Numbers
The 2026 legislative session required vigilance and coordination to cultivate meaningful collective action.
Research That Moved the Conversation
Policy conversations are stronger when communities have access to clear, research based information.
This session, EdTrust-Tennessee produced and shared legislative resources, research, and policy analysis that informed committee hearings, conversations between advocates and lawmakers, and media coverage across the state.
Grounded in research and centered on students, these resources helped keep the conversations focused on what matters most: equity, access, and opportunity for every Tennessee student.
Where Tennessee Heard from EdTrust-Tennessee
Our work did not stop at the Capitol doors.
Throughout the session, EdTrust-Tennessee’s research and advocacy informed education reporting across Tennessee. Our research was cited in stories, quoted in interviews, and used as trusted sources to help Tennesseans better understand what was at stake for students.
Every citation, quote, and story grounded in our work meant more families, educators, and advocates had access to accurate information about the bills moving through the legislature
The Advocates Who Showed Up
Policy change doesn’t protect or advance itself, it happens because of the people who refuse to let it slip and keep pushing for more.
2026 Ten for Tennessee
Ten for Tennessee recognizes policies and resources that move Tennessee closer to ensuring every student has what they need to succeed. This year’s theme, The Power of Us: Together We Shape What’s Possible for Tennessee’s Students, wasn’t just a tagline but a belief you could feel in the room.
Legislators from both chambers, coalition partners from across the state, and students with something to say all showed up to the same table to celebrate policies and champions moving our state closer to educational equity.
Each award was presented by youth advocates and Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education members, who connected the policy to the community, illustrating how these initiatives influence their work, their communities, and our shared commitment to educational equity.
Day on the Hill
The next day, Rep. Gabby Salinas welcomed advocates to the Tennessee capitol with words that recently inspired her and set the tone for everything that followed: “It takes courage to have hope, so thank you for being here exercising courage and bringing us all hope.”
That courage was visible throughout Day on the Hill.
The preparation happened days before, and by February 18, advocates arrived ready to meet with lawmakers, discuss Tennessee Alliance policy priorities, and ensure education policy conversations were grounded both in research and their lived experiences.
EdTrust-Tennessee, alongside our partners from across the state, showed up that day to do what this work requires: be present, be informed, and make sure students remain a part of the conversation.
Students as Experts
Fundamental to our student engagement approach is the understanding that students are experts in their own right.
Far too often, students are spoken for – policies written about them, debated without their input, and passed in their name. This is especially true for Black and Brown students whose experiences are frequently excluded from policy conversations.
This session we collaborated with Alliance partners Centro Hispano de East and Urban League of Chattanooga to bring their students to the Capitol. We equipped students with information about legislation affecting their schools and futures, and they did the rest.
Students met with their legislators not only as constituents, but as experts on the realities of Tennessee classrooms and no one could tell those stories better than the students themselves.
Legislative Wins: What’s Possible When We Push Together
While there were many challenging moments this session, we must also celebrate the wins. These two victories show what’s possible when research, advocacy, and community voices come together to push for access and opportunity in education.
New Legislative Advocates, More People Power
Students weren’t the only first time advocates at the Capitol.
Librarians from across Tennessee, their students and Authors Against Book Bans learned how to navigate the legislative process. How to meet with legislators, track bills, and make their voices heard in a system that isn’t always designed to make that easy.
While the bills they supported — HB 2435/SB 2400 and HB 2434/SB 2298 — ultimately did not pass, these advocates left with something equally important. The knowledge, experience, and tools to continue showing up. Advocacy is built over time, and this session helped expand Tennessee’s bench of informed, engaged advocates ready for what comes next.
Educators Who Testified
Educators showed up too. Teachers and school leaders testified before legislative committees, bringing firsthand knowledge directly to policymakers.
Melanie Tercilla-Allen, a Middle Tennessee educator and former English Learner, testified before various committees and was vital to the passage of HB30/SB1213 which strengthens supports for English learners in Tennessee classrooms.
Their advocacy reinforced that effective education policy is informed by the people closest to the classroom.
The Win That Took a Village: Education for All-Tennessee Holds the Line, Two Years in a Row
All of those advocates —and so many more — came together for the second year in a row to defeat bills that would have denied undocumented students access to public education.
HB 793/SB 836 and HB 1711/SB 2108, bills were designed to create challenges to Plyler v. Doe, the longstanding legal precedent guaranteeing access to education for every student, regardless of immigration status.
As a steering committee member, EdTrust-Tennessee helped lead the coalition’s efforts throughout the session. And students, faith leaders, educators, business owners, families, and advocates from across the state showed up and made their voices impossible to ignore.
Education for All-Tennessee held the line, as it did in 2025. This victory is a reminder that when communities organize across differences and stay focused on students, together we can stop harmful legislation.
The Power of Us Doesn’t Stop Here. Let’s Keep Going.
These past two years, thousands of advocates, students, educators, families, librarians and more showed up to a Capitol that wasn’t always built with them in mind. While the 114th General Assembly has come to a close, the work shaping Tennessee classrooms is far from finished.
EdTrust-Tennessee was built for this moment, built to bridge policy and community to make sure education policy is made so every student can succeed, particularly LGBTQ+ students, students of color, English Learners, students with disabilities, immigrants, and students from low-income backgrounds.
None of that happens without the people who believe this work is worth it and right now, that work is more urgent than ever
