Five people who were banned from Memphis-Shelby County Schools buildings and property have filed a federal lawsuit against the district, claiming officials violated their constitutional right to access public meetings.The people banned are activists in Memphis who have called on the school board to increase transparency and integrity in its search for a new superintendent.

Representative Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) joined four members of the so-called “School Board Five” in a protest Friday outside the Memphis-Shelby County School Board retreat.Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) banned the five community activists last month following disruptions during a decision to put the district superintendent search on hold.That decision has since faced pushback from the Memphis community, including members of the activists’ families and friends. The “School Board Five” includes local activists Amer Sherman, LJ Abraham and Damon Morris, former teacher’s union president Tikelia Rucker, and former school board candidate Rachel Spriggs.Multiple board members have since expressed a desire to meet with the activists and lift the ban and Board Chair Althea Greene thanked Representative Pearson for helping move that process forward.

About 1 in 5 Memphis Shelby-County Schools third graders who took a state retest in reading last month succeeded in earning an easier path to fourth grade — some 1,200 students in all.

Knox County Schools (KCS) Superintendent Jon Rysewyk unveiled a new strategic plan at Monday’s school board meeting to improve schools in the district’s Region 5 in west and north Knoxville.The five-year plan dubbed the “Region 5 Way,” intends to transform the outcomes of students by establishing a clear, aligned mission for excellence throughout the region.

Knox County Schools (KCS) Superintendent Jon Rysewyk unveiled a new strategic plan at Monday’s school board meeting to improve schools in the district’s Region 5 in west and north Knoxville.The five-year plan dubbed the “Region 5 Way,” intends to transform the outcomes of students by establishing a clear, aligned mission for excellence throughout the region.

Games have a way of expanding the world around us by introducing worldbuilding, writing, art, and fantasy.For Knowledge Academies senior James Loc, the game Skyrim expanded his world and his future.“I love Skyrim,” wrote James Loc in his Choice Champions Scholarship essay. “I remember back in 2012 coming home from school, turning on the television, and spending the rest of my day immersed in a world of might, magic, and dragons. I loved how there was an entire universe held within the television, and I mean literally. Like many children who grew up playing video games, or consuming any form of entertainment, I truly believed that everything shown actually existed somewhere in the universe, or at least inside the television. I clearly remember peeking into the speakers of the television every time I shut it off, hoping to see the characters or creatures inside unwinding and relaxing after a session of quests and adventures, all to no avail.”Loc was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Asian immigrant parents who came to the states to make a better life for themselves and their family. Two months later, the family decided to escape the cold weather and move to Antioch, Tennessee where Loc eventually enrolled in public school.

Members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board admit they don’t expect to be able to name a permanent superintendent by the start of the 2023/2024 school year.“We, unfortunately, will not have a superintendent by the first day of school,” said board member Joyce Coleman.Coleman’s comments came during Thursday night’s board retreat lead by former two-term board member and education advocate Tomeka Hart Wigginton. Members are utilizing the retreat to continue reevaluating the superintendent search and decide on the qualities and priorities each board member wants.Board members discussed multiple priorities including a focus on the budget, sustainability, literacy, and parental support. The superintendent qualities members discussed prioritizing included political savvy, community advocacy, financial knowledge, and the ability to be a collaborator.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) reported a welcome increase in scores from last week’s retake of the English language arts section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP).More than 20 percent of Nashville third-graders improved their scores on the retake including 11 percent who achieved proficiency and 10 percent who moved from “below” proficient to “approaching” proficiency. Students who tested proficient no longer need summer school and/or tutoring to advance to fourth grade under the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law.The Tennessee General Assembly passed the new law in 2021 to ensure students who showed a need for additional support in reading on the TCAP in April receive it before being promoted to fourth grade.The retake test is one component students who tested below proficiency on the TCAP can use to advance to the fourth-grade along with summer school programs and/or fall tutoring.  Some students are exempt from the retention law because of a disability or other factors and others will qualify for an appeal from retention.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) is facing pushback for banning five public commenters from all district property.The district made the decision to ban former teacher’s union president Tikelia Rucker, former school board candidate Rachel Spriggs, and local activists Amber Sherman, LJ Abraham, and Damon Morris following disruptions at the special meeting held May 9 when the board announced that the superintendent search will be put on hold.

Administrators with Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) say parents should learn today if their third-graders need to attend summer school and/or tutoring in the fall.The district announced that it plans to send an email to parents of children who took the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) English language arts retest last week that explains whether the child scored proficient and what options are available if they didn’t meet that threshold.

A Tennessee school district has joined a growing list of school systems across the nation that are suing major social media companies like TikTok and YouTube over a crisis in student mental health.

Nature isn’t just a part of the name of the Tennessee Nature Academy or even just a component of the new public charter school’s curriculum.When the academy opens in August, students will have a true nature-based classroom in the woods next to their school in Nashville’s Caine Ridge community.

Williamson County Schools Board of Education voted to give parents two notifications when there’s a request to remove a book from a school library.Last April, the board passed the first reading of a library materials policy that notifies parents after the board votes on  a challenged book.At last week’s meeting, board member Sheila Cleveland proposed updating the proposed policy to provide parents with an earlier notification.  Under Cleveland’s proposal, the district would provide parents an initial notification when the review committee makes its recommendation on challenged books.

Early state test results show Memphis third graders improved in reading this year, and more students in the cohort are mastering state reading goals.But about three-quarters of third graders in Memphis-Shelby County Schools are still not meeting expectations, which means they could face more tests, tutoring, and summer school this year. Unless they hit certain marks along the way, they could be held back.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Director Dr. Adrienne Battle laid out the district’s $1.2 billion spending plan to raise salaries, provide universal free lunch for students, and address problems with the substitute teacher system to members of the Metro Council Budget& Finance Committee.

School districts across the state should learn this week what students could be held back under the state’s new Third-Grade Retention Law.The Tennessee Department of Education expects to be able to send that information to districts by May 19. Districts will then check to see if any of those students meet exemptions to the new law and then inform parents.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants to clean up the way it cleans up its schools.Last year, the board approved a four-year, $34 million contract with ServiceMaster Clean to provide custodial services across the district. The cost was significantly higher than the previous year, when the work was split between two providers, but MSCS sought a wage increase to $15 an hour, which the district argued would help it hire and retain workers.

A new poll of likely Davidson County voters found strong support for raising teacher pay, even if that meant raising taxes.More than 56 percent of those polled said they’d support an increase in property taxes to pay for teacher raises. Just under 32 percent said they wouldn’t support a tax hike.

The proposed 2023/2024 budget for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) includes pay increases for school administrators, universal free lunch for students, and increased funding for classroom associates to address problems with the district substitute teacher system.