Tennessee’s black male students statistically lag other demographics in enrolling, persisting, and completing post-secondary education. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) held a panel Wednesday to discuss how to reverse that as part of its SCORE Institute informational series on preparing students for Tennessee careers.“This SCORE Institute, and many of you have been here through kind of the series of SCORE Institutes, but this one in particular is focused on Black male success. And that’s not to say that there’s not room for improvement in serving all students well, but the data for Black males in particular is alarming,” said SCORE Vice President of Strategy Mary Cypress Metz.

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly have filed more than two dozen bills in advance of Monday’s special session on public safety.  More legislation is expected to be filed before the session begins at 4 PM, but bills filed so far deal with mental health facilities, gun locks, and extra penalties for threatening a mass shooting.

Parents and educators in Dickson kicked off a series of town hall events across the state Tuesday night designed to help the state grade its public schools.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) is hosting a total ten forums throughout August and September to fine tune the long awaited A-F School Letter Grades. When it launches in November, the new accountability resource will provide the public with a clear understanding of where schools fall on a grading scale in comparison to other schools.“What we wanna hear from you about is how do we measure a school’s academic progress. We’re thinking about developing a letter grade system for schools that’s really intended to provide parents and families with clear, understandable information that’s comparable across the state,” said a TDOE representative in the hearing.

Parents and educators in Dickson kicked off a series of town hall events across the state Tuesday night designed to help the state grade its public schools.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) is hosting a total ten forums throughout August and September to fine tune the long awaited A-F School Letter Grades. When it launches in November, the new accountability resource will provide the public with a clear understanding of where schools fall on a grading scale in comparison to other schools.“What we wanna hear from you about is how do we measure a school’s academic progress. We’re thinking about developing a letter grade system for schools that’s really intended to provide parents and families with clear, understandable information that’s comparable across the state,” said a TDOE representative in the hearing.

Fifth-graders walking into Intrepid College Prep’s Opportunity Academy Middle School this month will immediately notice something different.Unlike traditional public schools in Davidson County, their home room is named after a college or university. Director of Organizational Advancement Abby Barton says it’s all part of putting students on the path to higher education.

For more than two decades, Levar Brown has been proving to himself exactly what he can and cannot do.Along the way, Brown likewise has proven a consistent, persistent influence in the lives of Chattanooga-area youth.

Tennessee State University (TSU) President Glenda Glover announced her retirement from the position after a decade of service Monday.“Serving as president of TSU has been an honor of a lifetime. Words cannot express the emotions I have as I stand before you this morning. TSU prepared me for every accomplishment I have achieved throughout my career. This is indeed more than a full circle moment for me,” said Glover.Glover was born in South Memphis and later moved to Nashville to attend college at TSU where she would graduate in 1974.

Mauricio Calvo, the newest member of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board, took his oath of office next to the children’s section of a public library, with the county’s juvenile court judge swearing him in.

Nashville mayoral candidates Freddie O’Connell and Alice Rolli have taken part in numerous debates in the last few months but education hasn’t always played a large role in the discussion.In the forums leading up to their advancement to a runoff, mayoral candidates have largely only fielded one question at most on their educational positions.  That changes this Thursday.

Marguerite Powell felt her prayers had been answered when she first met Nashville Classical West principal Alexandria Lambert.Lambert was passing out flyers for the then soon-to-open public charter school on Davidson Drive and Powell immediately thought of her grandson who’s starting school this year.Nashville Classical West is opening with an all-kindergarten founding class.“When she said that, I knew it was God. I knew it. Cause I had been praying about it. My children are everything,” said Powell. “It’s a spirit of excellence with even Principal Lambert.”

Parents can now take part in creating a long awaited system that grades how well their child’s school is serving students.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) invited Tennesseans to participate in in a series of public meetings across the state to create the A through F school grading system.

The new school year is underway across Tennessee and teachers, administrators, parents, and students are looking forward to new opportunities and clean slates.

The new school year is underway across Tennessee and teachers, administrators, parents, and students are looking forward to new opportunities and clean slates.

After failing to reach contract terms with its first choice to run its growing private school voucher program, Tennessee has turned to a young Indiana company with a small staff, modest cash flow, and no state-level experience managing education savings accounts.

In 2021, Lewis County Schools’ career and technical education (CTE) department utilized a $124 thousand state grant to give its rural Middle Tennessee students a head start on getting the skills they need for a job after high school.The district spent the money to create a mock hospital and purchase healthcare training simulators to replicate clinical scenarios for students. That grant additionally helped purchase equipment enabling students to produce live-streamed school events and construction equipment to help them create a school-based enterprise that produces various products.“The district expects the purchases to promote student experiences with various industries and move them faster and further in dual enrollment and postsecondary programs and eventually to high-demand, high-wage jobs,” wrote Tennessee Comptroller Research Analysts Kim Potts and Allison Pams.

A special education task force says Knox County Schools (KCS) needs curriculum modifications and other culture changes to ensure special education students are learning in the right environments.Members of that task force provided the Knox County School Board with a list of recommendations Monday night to improve special education. The task force has spent the last three months evaluating how the district serves its special education students and determined there are cultural problems originating from outside of the local school level.

Two of the Memphis activists who were banned in May from entering Memphis-Shelby County Schools property lost a bid in court to have their bans lifted early.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) kicked off the 2023-24 school year Monday morning with teachers holding welcome back signs for students and bands on the steps of their high schools performing.The first day of school was considered successful.“A+ start! 🌟 Our students had a successful first day of school, filled with newness and excitement!” said MSCS on Twitter.”However, without a permanent superintendent, some community members feel that the district is not ready for success in the new school year.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools students return to class Monday for the 2023-24 school year.This one could be less turbulent than recent years, but no less consequential, as the district confronts key decisions about its next leader, the future of its school buildings, its strategy for improving student academic performance and wellness, and its budget for the post-pandemic era.

Metro Council member Freddie O’Connell and former Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Assistant Commissioner Alice Rolli beat out a crowded field of candidates to advance to the runoff in the Nashville mayor’s race Thursday evening.