Beacon Poll notes voters' concerns about public education along with support for former President Trump and Sen. Blackburn

A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found 50 percent of registered voters in Tennessee are dissatisfied with the way things are going in K-12 public education.  

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AI policies are still a work in progress for several Tennessee school districts ahead of 2024-25 school year

Tennessee school districts are finalizing their AI policies ahead of the 2024-25 school year as they navigate new legislation requiring guidelines on AI use in classrooms.

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EFI Charter School Report: Tennessee charter school sector ranked in middle of the pack

Tennessee ranks 14th out of 30 states included in a recent report from the Education Freedom Institute that measures the quality and accessibility of states’ public charter school systems.

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Vanderbilt and Oak Ridge partner on AI research and development for national security

Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have announced a new partnership focusing on artificial intelligence research to develop technologies for national security, as U.S. universities continue to invest more in machine learning research and education programming.

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Biden Administration announces $12 million in EPA rebates for clean school buses in Tennessee

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing funding to eight Tennessee school districts to purchase more than 40 clean school buses to reduce their fleets’ emissions.According to a recent announcement from the EPA, the funding comes from the EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus Program, which is part of President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. It said the program provides rebate funding to selectees to replace older diesel-fueled school buses, which are linked to asthma and other respiratory issues in surrounding communities.

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Parent poll reveals 'Nashville's hidden literacy crisis'

The education and parent advocacy organization Nashville PROPEL has released a white paper detailing what local parents think about “Nashville’s hidden literary crisis,” as well as how that crisis affects students of color.According to a news release emailed to Tennessee Firefly, less than 30 percent of students in the Metro Nashville Public Schools district are reading on grade level despite nearly 80 percent of parents believing their children are at or above grade level, a finding consistent with national trends.

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Final Showdown Over ESAs in Texas as Abbott Looks to Oust Conservative Opponents

It’s not often that statehouse elections in rural Texas steer the national conversation about school choice. But things might change later this month.On May 28, voters will choose Republican candidates in 13 of the state’s 150 House districts. Four are currently held by representatives targeted by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for persistently stymying his attempts to create a statewide system of education savings accounts (ESAs).

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Who You Know: Social Capital is Key for First-Gen Students’ Career Success

A growing New York nonprofit is using a newly released report to cement data around the axiom that social capital — or who you know — is key for first-generation college graduates searching for their first job.The report by Basta, an organization that connects first-generation college graduates with careers, tracks the experiences of young job seekers, revealing that not all networks are the same. 

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Financial Aid Reform Was His Legacy. Now, Lamar Alexander Calls it ‘a Big Mess’

The turbulent rollout of a new federal financial aid application could mean thousands of low-income students miss out on college this fall.But one person feels especially perturbed by the botched implementation of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.Lamar Alexander — former governor of Tennessee, U.S. education secretary and Republican leader of the Senate education committee — thought the FAFSA Simplification Act would be his legacy.

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