Resources
Our infographics, policy briefs, reports, and other resources increase understanding of critical topics in public education and provide support for research-based solutions.
2024 Year in Review
Our annual review highlights our impact in 2024 and provides spotlights on some of our flagship programs. Check out this year's report to see how NPEF raises awareness about critical topics in public education and invests in research-driven solutions that help all students thrive.Download Report
Understanding Tennessee's State Assessment System
Our infographic unpacks the state's student academic assessment system, including important terminology, how MNPS students are performing, how testing data can be used in helpful ways, and what we can learn from other states.Download Infographic
What You Need to Know About Career and Technical Education
Career and Technical Education (CTE) describes courses in middle and high school that seek to expose and prepare students for careers aligned to industry needs and can lead to industry certifications and apprenticeships. Our Need to Know infographic breaks down CTE in Tennessee, including the 16 career clusters offered.Download Infographic
What Works in Urban Education: Teacher Retention
The second in our What Works in Urban Education series highlights the challenge of teacher retention and shares several creative practices showing promise in retaining public school teachers across the country.Download Brief
What Works in Urban Education: Teacher Recruitment
The first in our What Works in Urban Education series highlights the challenge of teacher recruitment and shares several creative practices showing promise in recruiting public school teachers across the country.Download Brief
Unpacking Tennessee's Education Savings Account/Voucher Program
In 2019, the Tennessee Legislature approved a pilot program in Memphis and Nashville to launch the Education Savings Account Program, also known as vouchers, which provide tuition vouchers to families to withdraw from public school and attend private school. Our infographic explains the potential impact of proposed legislation to expand the program statewide.Download Infographic
What We Know about the Impact of School Vouchers
In 2019, Tennessee passed its first law implementing school vouchers - a dedicated amount of funding that families can access and use for private school tuition. Research on vouchers has yielded mixed outcomes on student achievement at the same time that sustainability and accountability have posed challenges. Our infographic explores the research on voucher programs across the country.Download Infographic
Unpacking MNPS's A-F Accountability Ratings
Tennessee recently implemented an A-F school accountability system, assigning a letter grade to eligible public schools statewide. Our new infographic helps break down the distribution of letter grades across MNPS, explains the indicators used to assign these grades, and highlights bright spots and challenges posed by the new accountability system.Download Infographic
2023 Year in Review
Our annual Year in Review highlights our impact in the 2023 and our work towards ensuring all students thrive in public schools. This year's report highlights our resources, convenings, programs, strategic partnerships, and investments to identify challenges that get in the way of student success and advance evidence-based solutions.Download Report
What is the New A-F School Accountability System?
To help demystify the state's new plan for school accountability, we created an infographic to break down the details, share what we know about A-F systems in other states, and take a deeper look at lessons learned from Florida, the state with the oldest A-F system in the country.Download Infographic
What You Need to Know About Federal Funding for Education
The Tennessee General Assembly recently appointed a legislative panel to look into the impact of rejecting federal funds for public education. In order to help inform community conversations on this important topic, we’ve created this resource on how federal funding works in public education, including the use of federal funds in MNPS, the use of one-time federal COVID relief funds, and what is required of states that accept federal dollars for education.Download Infographic
What You Need to Know About School Accountability
As the TN Department of Education prepares to implement the new school letter grading accountability system this fall, we have released a new resource to help understand what school accountability looks like in Tennessee ahead of the new policy.Download Infographic
How Do Charter Schools Work in Nashville?
Our latest infographic explains how charter schools operate and serve public school students in Nashville, including key facts and data on enrollment, how these schools are authorized, and the requirements and accountability systems in place.Download Infographic
What You Need to Know about Early Postsecondary Opportunities
Our latest resource explains what Early Postsecondary Opportunities (EPSOs) are and why they are so important for student success.Download Resource
Toward Equity in Education: Prioritizing Nashville’s children and youth to reach student success
Our latest policy brief takes a look at the impact of Nashville's 2010 Child and Youth Master Plan, 14 For Our Future, and provides a baseline assessment of the progress on child and youth outcomes since 2010.Download Brief
Timeline: Towards a City that Prioritizes Children and Youth
For every student to thrive in school, we need a city that prioritizes children and youth in all aspects of their lives. Our timeline takes a look back at 20 years of city actions to support children and youth.Download Timeline
Understanding MNPS School Options
Our infographic breaks down the many different types of schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools, from traditional zoned schools to magnet schools to charters and nontraditional options. Learn more about the multiple ways MNPS schools operate for Nashville’s students.Download Infographic
Download Spanish Version
What is the 3rd Grade Retention Law?
Our infographic provides important information on the new Tennessee law on retaining 3rd graders not meeting expectations on the English/Language Arts state test. View this resource to learn more about this law, what it means for MNPS, and the results other states have seen from similar laws.Download Infographic
Download Spanish Version
2022 Year in Review
Our Year in Review shows our work in 2022 towards every child thriving in our public schools each day. Read the report to learn more about how we celebrate success and innovation, support Metro Schools, convene stakeholders, and advocate for change.Download Report
Infographic: Who are Nashville's Children and Youth?
Our infographic provides data and context for the children and youth of Nashville and the students of Metro Nashville Public Schools. We believe understanding who our children and youth are will help ensure we are meeting their needs and will help Nashville be the number one place to raise a family.Download Infographic
Designing the Future: How Measuring and Mapping Student Opportunities in Nashville Can Improve Outcomes for Kids
Our newest policy brief explores how measuring and mapping data about student experiences in and out of school is critical to informing policies and practices that help ensure all Nashville’s children and youth thrive. In the brief, we call for a Nashville Children and Youth Opportunity Index and recommend the school district build on its Equity Roadmap by regularly reporting on equity metrics.Download Brief
By Design: How Nashville Created and Sustains Inequities in our Schools
Our policy brief further unpacks how city structures and systems prevent low-income students and students of color from thriving. The brief outlines specific policies and decisions in our city's history - such as housing and zoning decisions - that have established, exacerbated, and continue to perpetuate inequities for students and families.Download Brief
The Limitations of Desegregation in Nashville's Public Schools
Our new, condensed version of the full documentary focuses specifically on the failings on desegregation-era policies in Nashville. This resource offers a 22-minute option for screenings where a shorter or more specific showing is desired.Watch Film
The Limitations of Desegregation in Nashville's Public Schools: Watch Guide
Our new Watch Guide accompanies the 22-minute condensed documentary by Design: The Limitations of Desegregation in Nashville's Public Schools. This resource facilitates solutions-driven conversations about the film and our collective role in designing a future that ensures all students thrive.Download Guide
2022 Bridge to Completion report
This is the fifth in a series of reports completed in partnership between the Nashville Public Education Foundation and the Tennessee College Access and Success Network. The report analyzes MNPS graduate data to identify trends in college enrollment, persistence, and attainment, as well as makes recommendations for how the city and state can improve and align supports for graduates to improve postsecondary attainment. The report also includes profiles detailing graduates' college-going for each MNPS high school.Download Report
Infographic: Why TISA Should Adjust for Districts' High Labor Costs
Nashville is an expensive place to live and work. The state's school funding formula should account for that. Our infographic breaks down how a Cost Differential Factor (CDF) could help appropriately account for Nashville's high labor costs and ensure the state's new funding formula could better meet our students' needs.Download Infographic
Infographic: How TISA Affects MNPS
The state's new funding formula makes some much needed improvements to the way our schools are funded, but also presents challenges for Nashville's schools. Our infographic breaks down how TISA affects funding in MNPS.Download Infographic
Webinar: Continuing the Conversation - Inequities of the Nashville Youth Experience
Watch our webinar from December 8, 2021 featuring Dr. Maury Nation, Johari Matthews, Kasar Abdulla, and Vanessa Lazón. This conversation focuses on how our community can come together to shape how we prioritize children and youth across our diverse city, and explores how our city's systems, structures, and resources affect children and youth in the classroom and beyond.Watch Webinar
2021 Annual Report
Our annual report shows our work in 2021 towards our mission of every student thriving in school each day. Read the report to learn more about how and why we advocate for change, promote excellence and innovation, support MNPS, and convene stakeholders to drive community solutions.Download Report
By Design: Action Guide
We created this Action Guide to accompany our documentary By Design: The Shaping of Nashville's Public Schools. Use this resource to discover how you can take action to ensure every child has what they need to thrive in school each day.Download Guide
By Design: Watch Guide
We created this Watch Guide to accompany our documentary By Design: The Shaping of Nashville's Public Schools. Use this resource as a starting point to lead a discussion with a group of family, friends, coworkers, or others in your community after watching the film.Download Guide
Policy Agenda
Our policy agenda focuses on two areas: school conditions and city and state systems. We believe collective action in both of these focus areas is crucial to eliminating inequities and barriers to educational experiences so that all students thrive.Download Agenda
By Design: The Shaping of Nashville's Public Schools
By Design: The Shaping of Nashville's Public Schools has been produced by NPEF in collaboration with education experts, leading historians, community and state leaders, and students from defining moments in Nashville’s public-school history dating back to the 1800s.Watch Film
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Bridge to Completion 2021
The 2021 Bridge to Completion report analyzes MNPS graduate data to identify trends in college enrollment, persistence, and attainment. The report makes several recommendations to improve the supports and opportunities for students to succeed in college and career, with an added lens of the effects on college-going of the COVID-19 pandemic.Download Report
Infographic: Attending school in a fully funded district
Imagine with us: What would it look like to attend school in a fully funded district? Our infographic explores the possibilities of what full funding would provide our students and families and how it would ensure all students thrive in school. What does a fully funded district look like to you?Download Infographic
Funding Our Schools: How Tennessee's Funding Formula Fails to Meet the Needs of Nashville's Students
Read our informational Policy Brief detailing what the BEP is, the challenges the current funding formula presents, and its significant consequences for our district, schools, and students.Download the Brief
Infographic: Teaching in a fully funded district
Imagine with us: What would it look like to teach in a fully funded district? Our infographic explores the possibilities of what full funding would provide our district's educators and the impact for students and families. What does a fully funded district look like to you?Download Infographic
Infographic: Education Funding Glossary
View our infographic to learn the definitions of key terms related to the funding of our city's public schools, such as BEP, fiscal capacity, and Student-Based Budgeting.Download Infographic
Infographic: How Are Our Schools Funded?
View our infographic to learn about what BEP (Basic Education Plan) is and how it affects education funding in our state and city.Download Infographic
Webinar: Exceptional Education in MNPS
Watch our webinar from January 27, 2021 titled "Exceptional Education in MNPS: How do we support our special education students to thriving?" with a panel featuring educator, family, and student voice.Watch Webinar
2020 Progress Report
Read our 2020 Progress Report to learn about our work as conveners, collaborators, and investors towards our goals: supporting teachers and leaders, celebrating success, and advocating for change.Download Report
Thriving Schools Advocacy Guide
This resource provides guidance on how we can collectively work together to create schools where all kids thrive. The guide includes a checklist for each of NPEF's Thriving Schools Framework conditions as well as a list of things you can do today to create a thriving school.Download Guide
Infographic: Who Makes Decisions About Our Schools?
This infographic provides information on the roles played by local and state government and other stakeholders related to public education in Nashville.Download Infographic
Webinar: Inequities of the Nashville Youth Experience
Watch our webinar from June 30, 2020 titled A City Where All Youth Thrive: A Conversation about Dismantling the Inequities of the Nashville Youth Experience led by Dr. Maury Nation from Vanderbilt University.Watch Webinar
Webinar: Navigating COVID-19 as an English Learner in MNPS
Watch our webinar from September 23, 2020 titled Navigating COVID-19 as an English Learner in MNPS: Community Perspectives on Supporting Students and Families with a panel of those working closest with Nashville's EL students and families.Watch Webinar
Bridge to Completion 2020
This is the third in a series of reports that analyze college-going data of MNPS graduates and use that data to understand the barriers affecting college completion in our city and make recommendations on how to eliminate them.Download Report
Bridge to Completion 2019
This report goes beyond 2018 report data by digging into the student pipeline across race and ethnicity and across district schools to better highlight opportunities to increase college completion.Download Report
Bridge to Completion 2018
This report takes a look into the challenges and barriers that high school and college students face, and suggests a community effort to bring up Nashville’s college-going and college-completion rates to the national average.Download Report
A Framework for Thriving Schools
Our Thriving Schools Framework explores the conditions necessary to create thriving schools and explains how the presence of these conditions leads to increased student performance and agency.Download Report
NPEF Inequities Brief
This brief includes our recommendations for identifying and dismantling the inequities baked into our schools and communities that prevent too many of our students from thriving.Download Report
