The Sycamore Institute, an independent and nonpartisan public policy research center for Tennessee, announced today the appointment of Beth Harwell and Garnett Decosimo to its board. The post Harwell and Decosimo Join the Sycamore Institute’s Board appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
It’s August, and as students head back to school, read this heartwarming story of how a Tennessee teacher changed a struggling homeless student's life, and how TikTok reunited them two decades later. The post The Scoop: A Teacher’s Impact appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
The Sycamore Institute received a national award from the Governmental Research Association at its 113th annual conference hosted by the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council in Providence, RI.| The Sycamore Institute
Meet the Sycamore Institute's 2025 summer policy interns Max Bernstein and Walt Spickler.| The Sycamore Institute
How we measure it, what it means, and how we're doing.| The Sycamore Institute
After accounting for inflation, Tennesseans’ 2023 median household income remained relatively unchanged, while the poverty rate grew.| The Sycamore Institute
It’s June, and around 200 volunteers worked to remove over 46,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River. While the cleanups took place at four regional lakes, most of the trash was collected from Douglas Lake, which Hurricane Helene impacted. The cleanup surpassed the previous record by more than 10,000 pounds of trash.| The Sycamore Institute
Impartial, data-driven research and policy insights for a thriving Tennessee| The Sycamore Institute
The Sycamore Institute, an independent and nonpartisan public policy research center for Tennessee, announced today that Veronica Jamison and Dan Springer have joined its board of directors. The post Memphians Jamison and Springer Join Sycamore Board of Directors appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
Tennessee ranks 37th in overall child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids across the country are faring. The data show Tennessee students have made significant gains since the pandemic—particularly compared to students across the nation. Yet opportunities remain for improvements in other areas.| The Sycamore Institute
Federal, state, and local policymakers can all influence various factors that affect housing access, supply, and affordability through existing or potential policy levers. This report offers an overview of policy levers for different levels of government. The post Access to Housing in Tennessee: The Federal, State, and Local Policy Levers appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
This interactive dashboard enables Tennesseans to better understand the scope of federal safety net programs in their communities, providing the most recent county-level data on enrollment and total expenditures for several key public assistance programs. The post Federal Safety Net Programs in Tennessee appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
Compared to the FY 2025 enacted budget, Gov. Lee’s budget reflects January’s special session spending and proposes new spending for FYs 2025-2026—funded mainly by previously unallocated recurring revenues, a large FY 2024 surplus, and new FY 2026 revenue growth.| The Sycamore Institute
Tennessee has five categories of private schools — each with different accreditation and approval standards and requirements for curriculum, testing, and teacher qualifications.| The Sycamore Institute
Tennessee’s 95 counties continued to experience significant differences in income levels, poverty rates, educational attainment, and health insurance status in 2019-2023.| The Sycamore Institute
As introduced, Gov. Lee’s proposed special session legislation would require at least $917.6 million, not including any amounts related to immigration enforcement actions. Policymakers likely have at least $1.7 billion in non-recurring and as much as $1.2 billion in recurring General Fund resources available in FYs 2025 and 2026, respectively.| The Sycamore Institute
The Sycamore Institute recently welcomed Josiah Hoss to our full-time staff as our Policy Analyst.| The Sycamore Institute
To earn a degree, students must cover the costs of school and life, which remain the single largest barrier to post-secondary enrollment and completion. This report explains how students cover those costs and the challenges of financing a post-secondary education.| The Sycamore Institute
Housing is a key driver of individual and family well-being and an important component of thriving communities.| The Sycamore Institute
As of August 31, 2024, Tennessee had collected about 7% of the $22.7 billion in total budgeted revenue for the current fiscal year. The post Tennessee Tax Revenue Tracker for FY 2025 appeared first on The Sycamore Institute.| The Sycamore Institute
