State provides updates to teacher licensure efforts in special ed, ESL and computer science
Tennessee’s additional endorsement program has helped over 1,200 educators add qualifications in special education, ESL, and computer science, while new pathways are being developed to meet the demand for computer science teachers.
House candidate Brian Beathard campaigns on myth that Williamson County is receiving less money for schools from the state
Last Thursday Republican State House District 65 candidate Brian Beathard took to his Facebook page to attack what may be Governor Bill Lee’s biggest education accomplishment.In 2022 lawmakers passed the Governor’s Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that invested a billion dollars into K-12 education and fundamentally changed the formula the state uses to fund schools. Beathard told his supporters that TISA is reducing the amount of money schools in Williamson County are receiving.
Dekalb Schools and Graduation Alliance launch new online high school completion program
Adults in Tennessee who have not graduated from high school can now earn a high school diploma rather than a GED through a new online program recently launched at Dekalb County Schools in partnership with the online education provider Graduate Alliance.According to a recent announcement, the new Dekalb County Diploma Completion Program gives students flexibility to complete their high school requirements, as well as access to 24/7 tutoring and personalized support from teachers and academic coaches.
Parent poll reveals 'Nashville's hidden literacy crisis'
The education and parent advocacy organization Nashville PROPEL has released a white paper detailing what local parents think about “Nashville’s hidden literary crisis,” as well as how that crisis affects students of color.According to a news release emailed to Tennessee Firefly, less than 30 percent of students in the Metro Nashville Public Schools district are reading on grade level despite nearly 80 percent of parents believing their children are at or above grade level, a finding consistent with national trends.
TDOE announces presidential teaching award state finalists
The Tennessee Department of Education has named four state finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation’s highest honor for U.S. K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers.According to a news release last week, awardees were recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning, as well as the
Clarksville-Montgomery school board discusses reading proficiency requirements, arming teachers and COVID-19 relief funding
Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board discussed reading proficiency requirements, the decision not to arm teachers, and the impact of COVID-19 relief funding during last week’s meeting.
13 new Tennessee schools earn STEM designation, redesignation awarded to Kingsport's DB-EXCEL
The Tennessee Department of Education awarded STEM/STEAM designations to 13 new schools, while Kingsport's D-B EXCEL earned redesignation for its program's continued excellence.
Tennessee lawmakers support proposed change that prioritizes funding CTE programs that lead to high paying jobs
The TDOE is looking to update how it reviews and classifies CTE programs in the state to determine that they align with the needs of employers across industries.
Governor Lee plans to bring his "voucher" plan back next year. Two polls show Tennessee remains divided.
Two polls released this month have found Tennesseans remain sharply divided on Governor Bill Lee’s plan to let parents use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school.
Memphis school and law enforcement officials oppose allowing teachers to carry guns
In a joint video message, Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Marie Feagins, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr., and Interim Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis emphasized that they believe firearms have no place in schools.
Governor signs law designed to reduce the number of children retained in the fourth-grade under new reading requirements
Governor Bill Lee signed legislation Tuesday that should ease some concerns parents have that their fourth-graders could be held back this year.That possibility is due to a provision of the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law that went into effect last school year.
Williamson County school board discusses reading proficiency requirements, Title IX changes
Williamson County parents will soon learn whether their kids will have to attend summer school to advance under state reading proficiency requirements.
Children to learn this week if they're at risk for retention under reading requirements
Parents across the state should learn this week whether their third and fourth-graders are at risk for retention because of new state reading requirements.Under the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law, third-graders who fail to show reading proficiency on state tests have to undergo either summer school or summer school and tutoring during their fourth-grade year to advance. Additionally, fourth-graders impacted by the law last year have to show “adequate growth” on state testing this year to be promoted to fifth-grade.
Tristar Reads contest encourages students to spend their summer break with a book
Last summer Rutherford County teen Taylor Aslup took advantage of every opportunity to read.Aslup balanced work and cheerleading while still finding time to spend more than 31 thousand minutes reading books she frequently downloaded on her phone. That devotion to reading helped her earn a $1,000 scholarship as the overall winner in the annual Tristar Reads contest.
New report details how segregation continues in school assignments 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision outlawed segregation in public schools, making it illegal for districts to turn away African American children because of their race.A new report finds cracks in that ruling have continued to persist over the seventy years following that decision. “The Broken Promise of Brown vs Board of Ed” report from nonprofit organizations Available to All and Bellwether Education uncovered loopholes that still create discrimination for low-income students, students with disabilities, and others.
Tennessee announces schools receiving the STEM and STEAM designation
The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN) announced 13 new schools have received the Tennessee STEM/STEAM School Designation for 2024.
Tennessee districts are facing 1,000 teaching vacancies. A new report says strategic school staffing might help.
School districts across the state began the 2022/23 school year with one thousand teaching vacancies according to data from the Tennessee Department of Education.
Poll finds Tennessee voters are more supportive of public charter schools than the school boards opposing them
A new poll finds the unanimous rejection of new charters at the school board level this year doesn’t align with the values of Tennessee voters who elected them.
School “vouchers” attracted headlines this legislative session, but charter support could have the lasting impact
Members of the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the legislative session Thursday following more than three months of sometimes contentious and challenging educational debate.Headlining the list of challenges was Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act that failed to reach either the House or Senate Floor.