Rajah Smart

Tennessee Educational Funding and Policy (TNEFP) is a new nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing equity in school finance through rigorous spatial analysis. Following approval from the Tennessee Secretary of State (CO54645), TNEFP is now authorized to begin its mission to inform public policy and promote equitable funding models across the state.

The landscape of Middle Tennessee is transforming at an unprecedented rate. As Nashville, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro expand, the physical boundaries of our communities are shifting, yet the structural frameworks governing our schools often remain tethered to the past.

My study analyzes the "Flint Cluster"—the urban core and its surrounding suburbs—through the lens of Critical Geography. By overlaying modern school finance data onto the 1937 Homeowners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) redlining maps, a startling pattern emerges.