A bill to create a scholarship program to help Tennessee’s low- and middle-income families pay for high-quality early child care cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday — even as some lawmakers questioned whether funding child care should be the state’s responsibility.

My life as a teacher is dramatically different now than it was five years ago. In my current Memphis high school biology classroom, students are caught in a whirlwind of activity, exchanging ideas and vigorously documenting observations. They’re immersed in an experiment analyzing pollution in local soil and its correlation to cancer rates, an all-too-real issue in our community. These are the moments that affirm my decision to become a teacher. They are also the moments that make me grateful to still be in the profession and grateful for the path that brought me here.

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.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton wants to create a task force to study the feasibility of Tennessee rejecting U.S. education dollars to free its schools from federal rules and regulations.

Memphis based TGAND Outreach Ministries envisions its CHANGE Academy as a new type of public charter school that focuses on the needs of male students with a vocational and financial literacy-based curriculum.The Quality Charter Review (QCR) found the proposed school does not meet state standards for its operations, financial, and academic plan.  In particular, the review found the all-male structure of the school questionable.

The union that represents Tennessee teachers made it crystal clear this week that it's not happy with Governor Bill Lee’s proposal to stop school districts from automatically deducting dues from teacher paychecks.

The union that represents Tennessee teachers made it crystal clear this week that it's not happy with Governor Bill Lee’s proposal to stop school districts from automatically deducting dues from teacher paychecks.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools would spend up to $6.3 million to bolster security in the district’s schools under a pair of contracts awaiting board approval.The contracts with Memphis-based Oteka Technologies LLC call for spending about $807,000 on security technology — including cameras, intercoms, servers, software licenses, and intrusion alarm systems — and $5.5 million for upgraded wiring to support it all, according to board documents.

Senator Raumesh Akbari admits it’s not easy getting legislation passed as a Democrat in the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly, but she’s found ways to find common ground with conservatives to accomplish important educational changes.One of the biggest was the legislation Akbari co-sponsored to create the Tennessee Promise.

Education organization Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) announced a new resource Thursday to provide parents and local school districts with more information about public charter schools that are applying to open in their communities.The organization’s Quality Charter Review will present an analysis of new start charter school applications in Tennessee to evaluate their academic plan design, operations plan, and financial plan. Each review will provide an overall recommendation for or against the application along with suggestions for improvements.

Gov. Bill Lee is proposing sweeping changes to enhance school safety across Tennessee, requiring all K-12 public schools to keep their exterior doors locked, or risk losing escalating amounts of state funding with each violation.

Tennessee Senators approve Governor Lee's plan to make summer learning camps available year-round for “at-risk” students in grades K-3 and create learning loss bridge camps for 9th graders.