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Tennessee Education Association files lawsuit that could delay teacher raises

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) filed a legal challenge this week that could delay recently passed teacher raises.The TEA’s lawsuit challenges a provision of the “Teacher Paycheck Protection Act” Governor Lee signed last month.  The legislation is set to raise the minimum teacher salary to $42,000 in July, but the TEA is objecting to a section that also prevents unions like it from deducting dues from teacher paychecks.

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Stanford study finds Tennessee public charter school students outperforming traditional students more than any southern state

A new study by Stanford's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found public charter school students in Tennessee are not only making more average progress than their traditional public-school peers, but also outperforming them at greater rates than other southern states.

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Key Tennessee education official Eve Carney resigns amid leadership transition

The leadership transition at the Tennessee Department of Education accelerated this week with the resignations of two high-level officials, including a veteran manager responsible for many of the state’s biggest education programs and initiatives.Deputy Commissioner Eve Carney will step down on June 30, a department spokesperson confirmed Monday.

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Legislator Profile: Senator Bill Powers strives to bring common sense principles to education

State Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) took an unconventional path to politics and the Tennessee General Assembly where he's the Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Education Committee.The sixth generation Montgomery County resident served as former U.S. Senator Howard Baker’s page as a teenager in the 70s but didn’t run for office himself until four decades later.  Baker served two terms as a Clarksville City Councilman before succeeding former State Senator and current Congressman Mark Greene in what is now Senate District 22.

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Over 25,000 Tennessee 3rd graders retook reading test this week to try to meet new promotion policy

More than half of Tennessee third graders at risk of being held back because of their reading test scores took another test this week to try to advance to fourth grade without summer school or tutoring.The state began offering the retest on Monday. By Friday, 25,304 third graders had submitted a second reading assessment, said Brian Blackley, a spokesman for the state education department.

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Over 25,000 Tennessee 3rd graders retook reading test this week to try to meet new promotion policy

More than half of Tennessee third graders at risk of being held back because of their reading test scores took another test this week to try to advance to fourth grade without summer school or tutoring.The state began offering the retest on Monday. By Friday, 25,304 third graders had submitted a second reading assessment, said Brian Blackley, a spokesman for the state education department.

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District level data shows challenges for third-grade students in rural counties and West Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Education says four of five third-grade students in the Jackson-Madison County School System (JMCSS) failed to meet the testing threshold to advance to the fourth-grade. That’s the eighth lowest in the state and behind other large school districts including Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

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Parents could learn next week if their child is in jeopardy of being held back under Third-Grade Retention Law

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.

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