STATE EDUCATION NEWS

Extreme weather, rising temperatures, and other environmental changes are affecting how Tennessee students learn and thrive, and experts say action is needed now.

Virtual students in Tennessee are causing unexpected distortions in how the state calculates school funding, according to findings presented Thursday by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR).

Tennessee’s two largest school districts, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Memphis-Shelby County Schools, posted historic academic growth for the fourth year in a row, earning the state’s top rating on student progress in 2025, according to new Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) results.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced Dr. Brandi De La Cruz, a mathematics teacher at Collierville High School, as the 2025–26 Tennessee Teacher of the Year.

As Tennessee education leaders are moving forward with major changes to teacher licensure requirements, state legislators emphasized the need for these measures to be paired with strong accountability measures and targeted support to ensure teacher quality Wednesday morning.

Currently, 96 percent of teachers receive a level of effectiveness of meeting expectations or higher on the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) evaluation system.

A new national survey reveals that most parents would send their children to private or religious schools if public funding were available, signaling a major shift in attitudes toward school choice. The 57th annual PDK Poll also found declining confidence in public schools, urgent concerns about teacher pay and staffing shortages, and broad opposition to eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.

Tennessee education officials on Friday unveiled the full set of public-school funding allocations for districts across the state, and the average portion the state is providing is less per student than Tennessee is giving families through the new Education Freedom Scholarship.

The Tennessee Education Association reaffirmed its support for proposed legislation from earlier this year it called “Freedom to Teach,” that would have removed the annual evaluations for roughly 95 percent of public school teachers.

Statewide, three percent more charter students tested proficient in math on the TCAP than last year and English language arts proficiency grew by a single percentage point.

Tennessee’s public charter schools face an estimated $1,500 per-pupil facilities funding gap compared to traditional public schools, according to new data from the Tennessee Charter School Center (TCSC).

The program, frequently referred to as vouchers, is providing 20 thousand children with tax dollars to pay for private school expenses, and Blackburn says it will be a key part of her education policy if she’s elected governor next year.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Tennessee on Wednesday as part of her nationwide “Returning Education to the States” tour,.

Tennessee teachers who complete non-traditional pathways to licensure are significantly less likely than traditional degree program graduates to remain in the profession during their early careers, particularly by the start of their fifth year, according to a new study from TERA.

A new statewide poll of Tennessee teachers found many remain skeptical of cellphone use at school.

More than 80 percent of Tennessee teachers surveyed hold positive views of the state’s student-outcomes-based teacher evaluation system, according to the 2025 Tennessee Educator Survey released Friday.

Aspiring Tennessee teachers now have a clearer and more affordable pathway into the classroom. THEC voted this week to revise the TN Future Teacher Scholarship program, cutting the required teaching commitment in half.

Blackburn promised to make Tennessee America’s number one “job-creating, energy-producing powerhouse” and highlighted her support for President Trump and his priorities on multiple issues including school choice and illegal immigration.

Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) Chairman Robert Eby’s proposed study of Tennessee’s foreign language graduation requirement is sparking backlash from education leaders, college officials, and concerned community members.

Tennessee’s Class of 2026 high school seniors can now take their first step toward tuition-free college through the Tennessee Promise program through Nov. 3.

Blackburn announced she’s sponsoring two bills to revoke the NEA’s charter and prevent it from lobbying the federal government.

Tennessee lawmakers convened the Joint Federal Education Deregulation Cooperation Task Force Tuesday morning assess the impact of President Donald Trump’s proposal to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

The research of Tennessee’s more than 100 public charter schools found these students consistently outperformed traditional school peers in math and English language arts following the pandemic.

A new state legislative advisory committee met Thursday in Nashville to explore whether the state’s current 180-day school calendar should be replaced by a more flexible instructional time model, measured in hours or minutes.

With Tennessee’s annual Tax-Free Weekend scheduled for July 26–28, families across the state are preparing for back-to-school purchases.

TSS’ poll of 1,000 Republican voters found 86 percent consider it important for public school students to receive annual statewide assessments and 91 percent support holding teachers accountable for the success of their students.

Supporters say Tennessee is leading the nation with TN Direct Admissions, a new pilot program that automatically accepts eligible high school seniors into in-state colleges and technical schools—no application required.

The Advisory Committee on Innovations in K-12 Education will additionally discuss potential changes to the academic requirements for career and technical education (CTE) students, whether schools should have a minimum number of required instructional hours, and the licensure requirements for teachers.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) received top honors at the 2025 ACT State and District Summit for their leadership in preparing students for postsecondary success.

Franklin Special School District educator Ginger Colvett is being celebrated statewide as a 2025–26 Tennessee Teacher of the Year finalist for her remarkable work championing literacy, inclusion, and opportunity for English Learners.