Educators and community members rally behind Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Feagins amid efforts to terminate her contract
The parent advocacy organization Memphis Lift held a press conference Thursday to voice their support for Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Marie Feagins amid efforts by some school board members to terminate her contract.
End-of-course exams will now have less impact on high school students’ final grades
End-of-course exams for public high school students in Tennessee will now have less of an impact on students’ final grades, according to state education leaders.
Higher Education Commission requests $150 million to cover growing costs at universities across Tennessee
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is requesting new funding in the state’s higher-ed budget to capitalize on the progress made through other state investments geared toward boosting postsecondary enrollment and expanding workforce training.
Representative Cepicky promises “clean version” of voucher bill next year
Despite criticizing Gov. Bill Lee’s plan previously as “terrible,” Representative Scott Cepicky’s, R-Culleoka, expects lawmakers to iron out their differences about school choice legislation next year.
Hamilton County Schools to transport students to the polls for early voting
Hamilton County Schools will move forward with a plan to provide transportation to early voting sites for students who are eligible to vote, despite some debate about the initiative among Republican and Democrat board members at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board postpones pick for chair after split vote
The Middle Tennessee school district postponed its pick for chair after voting ended in a deadlock at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.
Rutherford County Schools leaders vote to remove six books from district schools
The Rutherford County Schools Board of Education voted to remove six literary classics from school libraries at Thursday’s regular school board meeting including “Beloved,” A Pulitzer-Prize winning novel from Toni Morrison about the horrors of slavery, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a coming-of-age novel by Stephen Chbosky, and “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire, a novel which retells the “Wizard of Oz.” In addition, the board also banned “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, “Queen of Shadows” by Sara J. Maas, and “Tower of Dawn, also by Sara J. Maas.
Williamson County Schools officials discuss AI guidelines, plagiarism concerns
According to current guidelines available on the board’s website, students and staff should only use AI programs that are approved by district leadership for instruction or completing student work approved AI programs may be utilized in student instruction or in completing student work.
SCORE memo notes need to update state higher-ed funding formula
A new memo from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) highlights the need to revise Tennessee’s outcomes-based postsecondary funding formula to better prepare students for career success after graduation.
State Board of Education seeks feedback on state ELA standards
The Tennessee State Board of Education has launched a new survey to gather public comments and feedback about Tennessee’s K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards, a Monday announcement said.
Whitehaven STEM lab project remains behind schedule due to funding woes
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. called on local officials to work together and figure out how to cover the remaining costs needed to construct a new STEM education lab at Whitehaven High School at Wednesday’s Shelby County Education Committee meeting.
Sumner County Schools officials discuss upcoming budget as deadline looms
The Sumner County Board of Education discussed potential ways to approach the 2024-25 fiscal year budget at Tuesday’s regular meeting after the Sumner County Budget Committee rejected their budget for a second time on Monday.
State Board of Education changes rules for students in out-of-state mental health facilities
The Tennessee State Board of Education unanimously voted Monday to pass emergency revisions to rules outlining admission requirements for Tennessee public school students to go to out-of-state residential mental health facilities.
Tennessee's Education Department is getting a new Chief Program Officer
The Tennessee Department of Education has appointed Jonathan Criswell as Chief Program Officer, where he will lead school improvement efforts and key programming initiatives across the state.
Kingsport City Schools to provide free meals to all students as Tennessee schools grapple with student lunch debts
All students in Kingsport City Schools (KCS) will be eligible to receive meals at no charge, regardless of socioeconomic status, beginning August 5, a recent district announcement said.
Williamson County House candidates weigh in on education funding, book bans and DEI
Candidates running for Tennessee House District 65 discussed their views on state education funding, banning inappropriate books in K-12 schools and how they think schools approached the COVID-19 pandemic during last week’s Williamson County Republican Party primary forum.
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.
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.