Members of the House Government Operations Committee unanimously advanced legislation Monday that’s designed to help the state do a better job connecting students with the jobs that are available in their communities.That so-called “data bill,” sponsored by Representative Chris Hurt, R-Halls, would require the state to create a publicly available dashboard that includes data employers and students could use to see how well various instructional programs are working in Tennessee.

At 12:39 p.m., as the moon took its first bite of the sun, a group of Craigmont High School students looked up at the dome of the school’s planetarium to watch a video showing them exactly what would happen over the course of the day’s solar eclipse.This time, it wasn’t the “missed opportunity” school staff sensed during the last solar eclipse in 2017, when Craigmont’s planetarium was still in disrepair.Following a successful fundraising campaign several years ago, the Raleigh community jewel has become operational again, allowing students to visualize the perfect alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon that makes a solar eclipse happen.

The Knox County School (KCS) Board approved a historic $39 million investment to raise the salaries of teachers and school staff across the district.The vote was a unanimous 8-0 with board member Jennifer Owens recusing herself from the vote, stating she plans to return to teaching after serving on the school board.“There are few things that are easier yeses for me than this,” said vice board chair Steve Triplett.

A bill that would require schoolchildren to watch a fetal development animation video made by abortion opposition group Live Action is on its way to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.The State Senate voted 21 to 6 in favor of the legislation Thursday, voting down four proposed amendments by Senate Democrats hoping to provide parents and teachers with more discretion and consent for whether not to show the “Meet Baby Olivia” video.

When Lawrence Blackwell moved his family to Tennessee in 2010 to work for the University of Memphis, he chose to send his son to a unique Pre-K program operated by his new employer.The experience was so positive Blackwell kept his son on the university campus and enrolled him in its elementary school.

Members of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that’s designed to make it easier for public charter schools to access vacant school buildings.The bill would require local school districts that have public charter schools in them to provide a list of vacant and underutilized buildings on an annual basis.

Knox County School (KCS) leaders are proposing a historic $39 million investment to increase the salaries of educators and school staff.The spending proposal follows a compensation study by Florida-based firm Evergreen Solutions that found that KCS employees make nearly 9 percent less than the market minimum. Evergreen Solutions recommended the district look at what it can afford and invest in salaries in an appropriate, effective, and efficient way across the district.

For the first time in 35 years, a Tennessee teacher is the National Teacher of the Year.The Council of Chief State School Officers awarded Rogersville City Schools K-8 English as a second language (ESL) teacher Missy Testerman the honor, recognizing her dedication to students and community. She’ll spend the next year serving as an ambassador and advocate for teachers and students across the nation.

A key House committee advanced legislation this week that’s designed to address workforce shortages and early childhood literacy in one swoop.Representative Mark White’s, R-Memphis, “Promising Futures” bill intends to make this happen by combining an early childhood literacy program with childcare services for children. The goal is to help parents around the state where unaffordable childcare interferes with the workforce.

By every measurement, the three public schools the University of Memphis operates on its campus are producing academic results.The university has been operating a public school for more than 100 years as a training site for teaching candidates and today that effort serves 1000 students at Campus School, University Middle School, and University High School.

Tennessee lawmakers have expressed a desire to reduce the number of fourth-graders held back this summer under new state reading requirements, but with the legislative session winding to a close, there’s still disagreement on the best way to make that happen.Two different bills are advancing through House committees that would address the issue and a recent House committee meeting illustrated the potential challenges that may lie ahead deciding on one of them.

A proposal to shift low-performing schools from Tennessee’s sputtering takeover and turnaround district to other state-approved but locally managed intervention models passed unanimously Monday in the full Senate.The bill, which is awaiting action in the full House, seeks to phase out the Achievement School District, the state’s most ambitious and aggressive school improvement model, by the end of 2025-26 school year.

Craig and Joy Stevens raise goats and chickens on a 60-acre homestead about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City — a 35-minute drive from the church where they attend mass every Sunday and more than an hour away from the closest Catholic school.That’s why they’ve applied to send their daughter Chloe to St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, a first-of-its kind religious charter at the center of a national dispute over separation of church and state.

A Tennessee State University (TSU) student who lost his post on the university’s Board of Trustees last week says that controversial decision is a sign for supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to mobilize.Shaun Wimberly Jr. served as the student trustee on the board until Friday, when Governor Bill Lee signed legislation to vacate it. Wimberly joined other student leaders and TSU supporters in a press conference Monday morning to push back on what they say is an attack on HBCUs.

Firefly staff compared each MNPS public charter school’s performance on the Report Card to traditional and magnet schools serving the same age students in the same school cluster. Half of those charters outperformed every comparable district run school in a majority of subjects.

All ten members of the Tennessee State University (TSU) Board of Trustees may not continue serving the university in that capacity much longer.House Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly led a vote Thursday to vacate the entire board, going back on a previous compromise to vacate just three members whose terms were set to expire in June.

Parents and teachers say a proposal to place new restrictions on public comment at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education meetings will silence important voices members need to hear.Under current rules, community members who want to speak at board meetings must submit a written request six days before the meeting and speakers receive up to three minutes for their remarks.

About one-third of 12th graders across the country reported using marijuana over the past year, according to a study released March 12.During that same period, about 11% of 12-grade students reported using a lesser-known product, delta-8-THC, a psychoactive substance typically derived from hemp. It can produce a fuzzy, euphoric high similar to — but typically milder than — the THC effects delivered in cannabis.

Toni Williams spent part of her last school board meeting as the leader of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) looking back at everything she’s accomplished since her first meeting.Board members appointed Williams as interim superintendent in 2022 following the resignation of former superintendent Joris Ray. New superintendent Dr. Marie N. Feagins will officially take over the position on April 1.