Voucher recipients make modest gains, still trail public school peers

Three years into Tennessee's original private school voucher program, Education Savings Accounts, participating students made modest gains in math proficiency, but average English language arts proficiency has slightly declined.

Participating parents say TCAP test scores don't give a full picture of the program's impact on the families who participate.

For Yadira Chalderon, whose child previously attended public schools in Nashville, an Education Savings Accounts scholarship was a lifeline out of a yearslong struggle for her daughter. Chalderon’s daughter Thomaise, who is now a high school senior, is autistic and has an individual education plan. Throughout middle school and high school, Thomaise experienced intense bullying.