Belmont University announced a $575,655 grant award from the John Templeton Foundation to research how religious engagement could help to reduce political polarization in the U.S.

Knox County Schools says the district has reduced teacher vacancies to near-zero levels through a “cultural shift” in the hiring process that simplifies the process for potential candidates.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins said during a Tuesday press conference that the district is currently working with school resource officers (SROs) and other security personnel to improve their job conditions moving forward.

Teacher of the year Bryan Kerns established a unique career and technical education (CTE) program geared toward preparing students for future careers in fire management.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is working to support first year students settling into campus this school year to help ease the transition from high school to higher education.

The Rutherford County Schools Board of Education is expected to decide if it will ban seven books next month to comply with a new state law instructing school libraries to remove books with sexual or otherwise inappropriate content.

Bryan Kerns, a math and fire management instructor from Kingsport City Schools, has been named the 2024-25 Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Kerns will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College is expanding global research efforts with the launch of the Peabody Global Initiatives program, aimed at fostering international partnerships in education and human development.

Sumner County Schools Director Scott Langford told board officials and community members that the district has made significant strides in expanding of advanced placement (AP) programming.

University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd told business and community leaders in Nashville that five myths are hindering the ability for institutions of higher learning to produce the workforce Tennessee needs.

Multiple Williamson County Schools students and community members continued to urge the Williamson County Board of Education to support raises for arts teachers at Monday’s meeting.

A recent study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute suggests that socio-economic factors like household income and parents’ education play a role in perpetuating schools’ racial achievement gaps.

The Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education approved budget amendments to fund pay raises for school resource officers (SROs) at Tuesday’s special call meeting and work session.

IOTA Community Schools, formerly Green Dot Public Schools, has partnered with Reading Horizons to boost literacy instruction in four Memphis middle and high schools. The partnership brings the Reading Horizons Elevate program, which focuses on foundational reading skills for older learners, to schools like Hillcrest High, Kirby Middle, Wooddale Middle, and Bluff City High. IOTA's Chief Academic Officer, Christina Austin, emphasized the program's goal of better preparing students for college and careers through enhanced reading instruction.

The Hamilton County school board updated its policy to allow school nurses to provide emergency care to students without parental consent, in response to a new Tennessee law requiring parental permission for non-emergency treatment. The law was initially aimed at restricting gender-affirming care but has broader implications, such as needing consent for basic medical care. The board unanimously passed the update to ensure emergency situations are addressed promptly. Additionally, the board approved funding for a new staff position to manage legislative updates and advocate for school funding, despite some opposition.

According to current guidelines available on the board’s website, students and staff should only use AI programs that are approved by district leadership for instruction or completing student work approved AI programs may be utilized in student instruction or in completing student work.

Commissioners said Roane’s new Associate of Applied Science in Nuclear Technology program will help build students' technical knowledge and engineering skills for careers in nuclear technology.

Scarbrough beat seven term Representative John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, by 258 votes in the House District 33 GOP primary.  At the time there were no complaints of voter irregularities, but Scarbrough says he expects his former opponent to contest the win anyway.

While recent state assessment data trends show that students throughout the state are making gains in literacy, officials from the Tennessee Department of Education say more work is needed to maintain that progress moving forward.

A new memo from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) highlights the need to revise Tennessee’s outcomes-based postsecondary funding formula to better prepare students for career success after graduation.