State lawmakers returned to Nashville on Tuesday to begin a special legislative session on education called by Gov. Bill Lee. In a joint convention of the House and Senate, the governor laid out his legislative initiatives for the lawmakers. In his speech, Lee pointed to learning loss, low literacy rates and administering state assessments as some of the biggest obstacles schools in our state have grappled with since the start of the pandemic. To help schools overcome these challenges, House Republican leaders introduced four pieces of legislation this week. Increasing the student literacy rate has been a priority for legislators in the General Assembly for many years. Currently in Tennessee, only one in three 3