Local Education, News Brandon Paykamian Local Education, News Brandon Paykamian

These Memphis middle and high schools have a new program to boost student literacy

IOTA Community Schools, formerly Green Dot Public Schools, has partnered with Reading Horizons to boost literacy instruction in four Memphis middle and high schools. The partnership brings the Reading Horizons Elevate program, which focuses on foundational reading skills for older learners, to schools like Hillcrest High, Kirby Middle, Wooddale Middle, and Bluff City High. IOTA's Chief Academic Officer, Christina Austin, emphasized the program's goal of better preparing students for college and careers through enhanced reading instruction.

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Data and Polling, Knoxville, Local Education, News Brandon Paykamian Data and Polling, Knoxville, Local Education, News Brandon Paykamian

Knox County Schools makes changes to early dismissal schedule

Following recent discussions between board members and with parents in the community about their preferences, the board decided to do away with two “early release days” and turn the remaining four into “half days,” which officials say have less instruction time than early release days

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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.

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College and Higher Edu..., Knoxville, News Brandon Paykamian College and Higher Edu..., Knoxville, News Brandon Paykamian

UT leads research project to 'create the perfect pitches' at 2026 FIFA World Cup

A delegation from FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) recently visited the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as part of the FIFA Pitch Research Field Day event to inspect the university’s field turf research and development facility, as well as to meet the teams from UT and Michigan State University (MSU) tasked with creating "the perfect natural grass pitches for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” a university news release said.

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