In 2021 the Tennessee Department of Education announced a major undertaking to reform early childhood literacy.The department’s Reading 360 initiative aimed to invest $100 million to help Tennessee students learn to read through the science of reading.A nationwide study released earlier this year illustrates just how big of a challenge Tennessee is facing ensuring all future teachers are utilizing research-based reading instruction techniques.

Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced she’s planning to step down in June, following four and a half years of service to the state.Schwinn says she made the decision to leave office now because she’s accomplished her primary goals for the department and the time is right for her family. She also said leaving now ensures that districts, teachers, students, and families feel supported.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee named Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds as the new Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education on Monday.Reynolds will succeed Commissioner Penny Schwinn who announced she’s transitioning out of the department on June 1, 2023.

Governor Bill Lee and education leaders are encouraging Tennesseans to recognize the state’s teachers throughout the month of May for Teacher Appreciation Month.Tennessee will celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week from May 8-12 and Teacher Appreciation Day on May 2.

The charter evaluation team for Knox County Schools is recommending approval for a second public charter school. The team formally presented its findings to the district board of education Monday night in support of Knoxville Preparatory School.

Parents’ movement the Memphis Lift is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Education to help raise awareness of the of the challenges students are facing learning to read and the resources that are available to Memphis families.The partnership is hosting a literacy event later this month to educate families on the importance of literacy and provide free At-Home Decodable books.

Tennessee’s teachers now have the opportunity to tell education leaders what's needed to improve their schools.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) launched its annual Tennessee Educator Survey in partnership Monday with Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) at Vanderbilt University.

One of major selling points in last year’s passage of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act was that it would provide money for teacher pay raises.Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn says that money will provide an average increase of $1,250 for each teacher in the state, but not everyone will see that much and some will receive more.

The Tennessee Department of Education is now offering Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship candidates free access to “Keys to the Classroom.” The suite of prep materials is designed to help aspiring teachers pass Tennessee’s licensure tests.These resources are available through the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center in partnership with Study.com.

A new survey finds Tennessee teachers support the key academic initiatives the state has launched to recover learning and accelerate student achievement.That was one finding of the results of its 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey (TES) shared by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) Friday

The Tennessee Department of Education announced two additional educator preparation providers (EPP) are now available to provide teacher apprenticeships through the state’s Grow Your Own (GYO) initiative.The University of Memphis will offer a bachelor's teacher apprenticeship pathway and Arete Memphis Public Montessori will offer a licensure-only pathway through Grow Your Own.

Wednesday the Tennessee Department of Education announced over $800,000 in grant funding to 34 school districts throughout the state. These dollars will be used for middle school career and technical education (CTE), school-based enterprise projects at the high school level and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.The department awarded  Middle School STEM Start-Up & Expansion Grants to 52 schools and 29 are receiving Middle School CTE Start-Up and Expansion grants. Seven schools will receive High School School-Based Enterprise grant funding. 

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced another sign of education recovery from the pandemic this week.The department says ACT participation among public school students is now back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, participation across the state sunk to 96%, but it has now risen to 98%. The 2018-19 graduating class is the last to have a participation rate that high.

The Tennessee Department of Education, in partnership with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, announced a free reading opportunity for students and families Wednesday. This winter, parents will have the opportunity to order free, at-home reading resources for children in grades K-2.Based on the child’s age, they will receive an At-Home Decodable Book Series. Decodable books are sequenced to include words familiar with the reader and allow the reader to practice word sounds, phonics and decoding at their grade level. These books allow families to work with their students to practice word sounds and advance the student’s reading skills.

Tennessee is taking steps to ensure that private schools get the opportunity to receive nearly $60 million in unused federal COVID relief funds set aside for them in 2021.But the state is considering loosening some of the strings that the federal government initially attached to those funds. In particular, under several options outlined Monday by Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, private schools wouldn’t necessarily have to serve a “significant” share of students from low-income families to be eligible for aid, as the Biden administration had required.