CommentaryCommentary: Teacher’s Allegations of Grade Inflation Underscore a Need for Strong AccountabilityAUG 18, 2026 | Steven BergmanStatewide testing and accountability will help leaders identify and address grade inflation.
CommentaryCommentary: Tennessee Voters Demand Strong, Coherent Support for High-Quality Public EducationAUG 13, 2026 | Lana SkeloDemand for innovative, high-quality public education was a defining issue in last week's primaries, and voters sent a clear message.
CommentaryCommentary: After the Campaign, the Work Begins for Tennessee EducationAUG 9, 2026 | Trent HeathOpportunity must be accompanied by accountability.
CommentaryCommentary: Rose Campaign’s Connections to Pollster Raise Questions About ‘Independent’ PollAUG 5, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyCampaign records show John Rose’s campaign has spent more than $10 million with the D.C. political firm that conducted the recent poll.
CommentaryCommentary: Brent Jones Wants Your Vote. He Will Not Tell You What He SupportsAUG 3, 2026 | Firefly Editorial TeamThree organizations put questions in front of the challenger in House District 18. All three got nothing back. His opponent answered every one of them.
CommentaryCommentary: Polling Data Released by TSS Action Calls into Question Claims Made by Rose Campaign’s Internal PollingJUL 7, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyInternal polling showing Congressman Rose closing ground on Senator Blackburn is a drastic departure from any polling conducted by Tennesseans for Student Succe...
CommentaryCommentary: Tennessee Students Benefit from a Targeted Investment in Higher Education JUN 22, 2026 | Steven BergmanThe Tennessee Higher Education Commission is poised to deliver a better return on investment from higher education funding by incentivizing degrees in good-payi...
CommentaryCommentary: Investment in Undergrad Work Experience is the Lifeline Students NeedFEB 26, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyA combination of student debt, insufficient work experience, and underdeveloped professional networks can make leaving a university terrifying.
CommentaryCommentary: Better Incentivizing the Right Degree Programs is the Solution to Graduate UnderemploymentDEC 30, 2025 | Steven BergmanA 2024 study found 52 percent of college graduates were underemployed in their first year, meaning they held jobs that did not require a degree.
CommentaryCommentary: California’s Wholesale Rebuke of Statewide Testing in an Attempt to Impose Equity, Set Students Up for FailureNOV 19, 2025 | Steven BergmanThe number of incoming students at the University of California requiring remedial math increased thirtyfold over just a five-year period, with nearly one in fi...
CommentaryCommentary: A Memphis RISE Academy Senior's Perspective on the Importance of Postsecondary PlanningNOV 3, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyAs a senior at Memphis Rise Academy who wants to become a pediatric registered nurse, I have learned that success after high school is about having the right su...
CommentaryCommentary: Maintaining High Standards in Math and Science is Critical to Ensuring Tennessee Students Benefit from the ‘Nuclear Renaissance’OCT 29, 2025 | Steven BergmanAs Tennessee leads the nation in a “nuclear renaissance”, graduating students will be presented with new opportunities to enter high-skill, high-demand careers ...
CommentaryCommentary: A Senior's Perspective on Post-High School PathwaysOCT 16, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyMy journey toward becoming a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse illustrates both the opportunities available to students and the guidance needed to help ...
CommentaryCommentary: Lawmakers Should Aspire to Something Better by Building Upon the Assessment Policies that Kick-Started our State’s Gains SEP 23, 2025 | Lana SkeloTennessee lawmakers can go back to the education standards that routinely placed our state at the bottom or they can aspire to something better by building upon...
CommentaryCommentary: A Lesser-Known Provision in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Could Help Bridge the Gap Between Postsecondary Education and Workforce ReadinessJUL 15, 2025 | Steven BergmanBuried deep in the bill, this provision will expand Pell Grant eligibility to students pursuing nondegree credentials.
CommentaryCommentary on the 2025 TCAP Data: Our Compass for the Work AheadJUL 11, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflySCORE President & CEO David Mansouri unpacks five key data insights from the 2025 TCAP results, offering a look at the wins and persistent gaps while charting t...
CommentaryCommentary: Contention gets the spotlight, but collaboration is helping Tennessee students succeed. See for yourselfJUN 20, 2025 | Lana SkeloLawmakers achieved transformational victories that will truly improve the success of Tennessee children during the 2025 legislative session. You just have to kn...
CommentaryCommentary: Metro Nashville Public Schools fails students, gaslights over charter schoolsJUN 16, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyAcross Nashville, families are waking up to a painful truth: The public education system that’s supposed to serve all children is too often more invested in mai...
CommentaryCommentary: Expanding the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act is a commonsense way to address the state’s teacher shortageFEB 14, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyWhen we talk about the state of education in Tennessee, we often hear of staffing shortages and issues caused by teacher retention. Last fall, more than 800 cla...
CommentaryCommentary: The U.S. education system could learn a few lessons from TaiwanFEB 5, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyWalking into my first classroom in Taiwan was like stepping into another world of education. The desks were arranged with precision, the students were armed wit...
CommentaryCommentary: Education innovation can fuel economic independenceJAN 9, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyAs Tennessee looks to the future, the connection between innovative education pathways and economic independence is undeniable. By reimagining how students are ...
CommentaryCommentary: Writing Tennessee’s future starts in our schoolsNOV 12, 2024 | Lana SkeloWith the election season finally behind us, I find myself returning to two key themes after some reflection. First, the national electorate, and its preferences...
CommentaryCommentary: Correcting the “honesty gap” in testing was good business in TennesseeOCT 31, 2024 | Steven BergmanBetween 2007 and 2011, reforms to better align Tennessee with national assessments substantially narrowed the “honesty gap” that occurs when students score high...
CommentaryCommentary: My daughter has attended public, charter, and private school. Here’s what I learned and how school choice can improve your child’s educational journey.SEP 16, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyAs a parent, we spend our days constantly evaluating decisions that will shape our children into capable adults and preparing them for the journey ahead. Perhap...
CommentaryCommentary: Linking Mental Health and Education to Give Tennessee Kids a Healthier FutureJUN 18, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyIn 2007 — the year I retired as Senate majority leader — Tennessee got a wakeup call when a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report awarded our state an “F” for low aca...
CommentaryCommentary: How District Leaders Should Navigate the Perfect Storm of Budget Shortfalls & Declining Student EnrollmentMAY 21, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee FireflyIt makes intuitive sense: Smaller districts with fewer kids need fewer schools. A district with 40,000 students operates many more school buildings than a distr...
CommentaryCommentary: Making it in music is tough. A four-year degree in music can offer advantages.APR 29, 2024 | Sky ArnoldIt’s a classic American story: Someone moves to the big city with nothing to their name but a dream. Maybe, with good timing and some luck, they can turn that d...
CommentaryCommentary: Legislators should not join education reform opponentsAPR 9, 2024 | Sky ArnoldTennessee lawmakers face a choice: embrace innovation in public education by supporting charter schools or continue resisting change. Public charter schools pre...
CommentaryCommentary: We can do better with public charter school facilitiesFEB 23, 2024 | Sky ArnoldA few months ago, I was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania attending a wedding. Whenever I find myself in a capital city, I always make a point to visit the capitol bu...
CommentaryCommentary: New Superintendent offers hope for a new dawn in MemphisFEB 21, 2024 | Sky ArnoldAs the Memphis community embraces change with open arms, we stand on the threshold of a new era, welcoming Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) newly appointed ...
CommentaryCommentary: Colleges Must Extend Enrollment Deadlines after FAFSA DelaysFEB 12, 2024 | Sky ArnoldEvery March, my North Star Academy Lincoln Park High School students anxiously await financial aid offers from colleges and universities. But this year, they ma...
CommentaryThe charter facilities funding gap: how it happened, and how to fix itJAN 31, 2024 | Sky ArnoldPublic charter schools across the state are facing a facilities funding crisis that will continue to compound in the coming years. Just half of public charter s...
CommentaryEmergency-Hired Teachers Do Just as Well as Those Who Go Through Normal TrainingJAN 10, 2024 | Sky ArnoldWhen K-12 schools closed their doors for in-person instruction in spring 2020, it had a variety of negative effects on students and teachers. It also shut off t...
CommentaryCommentary: Workforce partnerships light the spark to improve student success. Tennessee needs more of them.NOV 21, 2023 | Sky ArnoldRecent conversation around school performance in Tennessee has been dominated by student growth and achievement measures. This is understandable, as both provid...
CommentaryOPINION: Nashville student activists not willing to wait a generation for gun controlAPR 10, 2023 | Sky ArnoldActivism has been part of Safiyah Suara’s young life since her politician mother hauled her along to demonstrations in a baby carrier. That’s why she’ll be spen...
CommentaryTransforming How High School Is Taught Is Tough, But Possible: How I Did ItMAR 15, 2023 | Sky ArnoldMy 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 whi...
CommentaryCommentary: Students in This Tennessee District Are More Literacy-Proficient Post-PandemicJAN 10, 2023 | Sky ArnoldAs instructional leaders in our district, we are fortunate to spend lots of time in classrooms. Cathy loves to share the story of popping in on one fourth-grade...
CommentaryCommentary: Parents and students in Knox County seek more education optionsJAN 9, 2023 | Sky ArnoldThe state of education is dire, and parents are seeking options. The achievement gap across the state in every subject, with a 23% spread between black and whit...
CommentaryCommentary: Compass Community Schools is a model Tennessee should followOCT 13, 2022 | Sky ArnoldThis year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results were rightfully cheered for the gains Tennessee students made, but it’s important to keep ...
CommentaryOxton Academy: A life-changing alternative for at-risk Clarksville studentsOCT 4, 2022 | Sky ArnoldAlthough other public charter schools have garnered more media coverage, Oxton Academy sets itself apart by focusing on high school students failing to thrive i...
CommentaryHillsdale shouldn’t impact support for high-quality public charter schools in TennesseeSEP 6, 2022 | Sky ArnoldGoing into college, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be smart enough. Most of my future peers had years of AP classes under their belts, and in some cases, a...
CommentaryTennesseans need an education focused news service like the Tennessee Firefly more than everSEP 1, 2022 | Sky ArnoldTennesseans simply aren’t getting the same quality of information about education as they once did, and they aren’t as informed as they could be.
Shining a light on education & government in TennesseeShining a light on education & government in Tennessee
Commentary
Coverage, analysis, and reporting on commentary across Tennessee.
Commentary: Teacher’s Allegations of Grade Inflation Underscore a Need for Strong Accountability
AUG 18, 2026 | Steven Bergman
Statewide testing and accountability will help leaders identify and address grade inflation.
Commentary: Tennessee Voters Demand Strong, Coherent Support for High-Quality Public Education
AUG 13, 2026 | Lana Skelo
Demand for innovative, high-quality public education was a defining issue in last week's primaries, and voters sent a clear message.
Commentary: After the Campaign, the Work Begins for Tennessee Education
AUG 9, 2026 | Trent Heath
Opportunity must be accompanied by accountability.
Commentary: Rose Campaign’s Connections to Pollster Raise Questions About ‘Independent’ Poll
AUG 5, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
Campaign records show John Rose’s campaign has spent more than $10 million with the D.C. political firm that conducted the recent poll.
Commentary: Brent Jones Wants Your Vote. He Will Not Tell You What He Supports
AUG 3, 2026 | Firefly Editorial Team
Three organizations put questions in front of the challenger in House District 18. All three got nothing back. His opponent answered every one of them.
Commentary: Polling Data Released by TSS Action Calls into Question Claims Made by Rose Campaign’s Internal Polling
JUL 7, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
Internal polling showing Congressman Rose closing ground on Senator Blackburn is a drastic departure from any polling conducted by Tennesseans for Student Succe...
Commentary: Tennessee Students Benefit from a Targeted Investment in Higher Education
JUN 22, 2026 | Steven Bergman
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is poised to deliver a better return on investment from higher education funding by incentivizing degrees in good-payi...
Commentary: Investment in Undergrad Work Experience is the Lifeline Students Need
FEB 26, 2026 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
A combination of student debt, insufficient work experience, and underdeveloped professional networks can make leaving a university terrifying.
Commentary: Better Incentivizing the Right Degree Programs is the Solution to Graduate Underemployment
DEC 30, 2025 | Steven Bergman
A 2024 study found 52 percent of college graduates were underemployed in their first year, meaning they held jobs that did not require a degree.
Commentary: California’s Wholesale Rebuke of Statewide Testing in an Attempt to Impose Equity, Set Students Up for Failure
NOV 19, 2025 | Steven Bergman
The number of incoming students at the University of California requiring remedial math increased thirtyfold over just a five-year period, with nearly one in fi...
Commentary: A Memphis RISE Academy Senior's Perspective on the Importance of Postsecondary Planning
NOV 3, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
As a senior at Memphis Rise Academy who wants to become a pediatric registered nurse, I have learned that success after high school is about having the right su...
Commentary: Maintaining High Standards in Math and Science is Critical to Ensuring Tennessee Students Benefit from the ‘Nuclear Renaissance’
OCT 29, 2025 | Steven Bergman
As Tennessee leads the nation in a “nuclear renaissance”, graduating students will be presented with new opportunities to enter high-skill, high-demand careers ...
Commentary: A Senior's Perspective on Post-High School Pathways
OCT 16, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
My journey toward becoming a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse illustrates both the opportunities available to students and the guidance needed to help ...
Commentary: Lawmakers Should Aspire to Something Better by Building Upon the Assessment Policies that Kick-Started our State’s Gains
SEP 23, 2025 | Lana Skelo
Tennessee lawmakers can go back to the education standards that routinely placed our state at the bottom or they can aspire to something better by building upon...
Commentary: A Lesser-Known Provision in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Could Help Bridge the Gap Between Postsecondary Education and Workforce Readiness
JUL 15, 2025 | Steven Bergman
Buried deep in the bill, this provision will expand Pell Grant eligibility to students pursuing nondegree credentials.
Commentary on the 2025 TCAP Data: Our Compass for the Work Ahead
JUL 11, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
SCORE President & CEO David Mansouri unpacks five key data insights from the 2025 TCAP results, offering a look at the wins and persistent gaps while charting t...
Commentary: Contention gets the spotlight, but collaboration is helping Tennessee students succeed. See for yourself
JUN 20, 2025 | Lana Skelo
Lawmakers achieved transformational victories that will truly improve the success of Tennessee children during the 2025 legislative session. You just have to kn...
Commentary: Metro Nashville Public Schools fails students, gaslights over charter schools
JUN 16, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
Across Nashville, families are waking up to a painful truth: The public education system that’s supposed to serve all children is too often more invested in mai...
Commentary: Expanding the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act is a commonsense way to address the state’s teacher shortage
FEB 14, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
When we talk about the state of education in Tennessee, we often hear of staffing shortages and issues caused by teacher retention. Last fall, more than 800 cla...
Commentary: The U.S. education system could learn a few lessons from Taiwan
FEB 5, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
Walking into my first classroom in Taiwan was like stepping into another world of education. The desks were arranged with precision, the students were armed wit...
Commentary: Education innovation can fuel economic independence
JAN 9, 2025 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
As Tennessee looks to the future, the connection between innovative education pathways and economic independence is undeniable. By reimagining how students are ...
Commentary: Writing Tennessee’s future starts in our schools
NOV 12, 2024 | Lana Skelo
With the election season finally behind us, I find myself returning to two key themes after some reflection. First, the national electorate, and its preferences...
Commentary: Correcting the “honesty gap” in testing was good business in Tennessee
OCT 31, 2024 | Steven Bergman
Between 2007 and 2011, reforms to better align Tennessee with national assessments substantially narrowed the “honesty gap” that occurs when students score high...
Commentary: My daughter has attended public, charter, and private school. Here’s what I learned and how school choice can improve your child’s educational journey.
SEP 16, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
As a parent, we spend our days constantly evaluating decisions that will shape our children into capable adults and preparing them for the journey ahead. Perhap...
Commentary: Linking Mental Health and Education to Give Tennessee Kids a Healthier Future
JUN 18, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
In 2007 — the year I retired as Senate majority leader — Tennessee got a wakeup call when a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report awarded our state an “F” for low aca...
Commentary: How District Leaders Should Navigate the Perfect Storm of Budget Shortfalls & Declining Student Enrollment
MAY 21, 2024 | Guest writer for the Tennessee Firefly
It makes intuitive sense: Smaller districts with fewer kids need fewer schools. A district with 40,000 students operates many more school buildings than a distr...
Commentary: Making it in music is tough. A four-year degree in music can offer advantages.
APR 29, 2024 | Sky Arnold
It’s a classic American story: Someone moves to the big city with nothing to their name but a dream. Maybe, with good timing and some luck, they can turn that d...
Commentary: Legislators should not join education reform opponents
APR 9, 2024 | Sky Arnold
Tennessee lawmakers face a choice: embrace innovation in public education by supporting charter schools or continue resisting change. Public charter schools pre...
Commentary: We can do better with public charter school facilities
FEB 23, 2024 | Sky Arnold
A few months ago, I was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania attending a wedding. Whenever I find myself in a capital city, I always make a point to visit the capitol bu...
Commentary: New Superintendent offers hope for a new dawn in Memphis
FEB 21, 2024 | Sky Arnold
As the Memphis community embraces change with open arms, we stand on the threshold of a new era, welcoming Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) newly appointed ...
Commentary: Colleges Must Extend Enrollment Deadlines after FAFSA Delays
FEB 12, 2024 | Sky Arnold
Every March, my North Star Academy Lincoln Park High School students anxiously await financial aid offers from colleges and universities. But this year, they ma...
The charter facilities funding gap: how it happened, and how to fix it
JAN 31, 2024 | Sky Arnold
Public charter schools across the state are facing a facilities funding crisis that will continue to compound in the coming years. Just half of public charter s...
Emergency-Hired Teachers Do Just as Well as Those Who Go Through Normal Training
JAN 10, 2024 | Sky Arnold
When K-12 schools closed their doors for in-person instruction in spring 2020, it had a variety of negative effects on students and teachers. It also shut off t...
Commentary: Workforce partnerships light the spark to improve student success. Tennessee needs more of them.
NOV 21, 2023 | Sky Arnold
Recent conversation around school performance in Tennessee has been dominated by student growth and achievement measures. This is understandable, as both provid...
OPINION: Nashville student activists not willing to wait a generation for gun control
APR 10, 2023 | Sky Arnold
Activism has been part of Safiyah Suara’s young life since her politician mother hauled her along to demonstrations in a baby carrier. That’s why she’ll be spen...
Transforming How High School Is Taught Is Tough, But Possible: How I Did It
MAR 15, 2023 | Sky Arnold
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 whi...
Commentary: Students in This Tennessee District Are More Literacy-Proficient Post-Pandemic
JAN 10, 2023 | Sky Arnold
As instructional leaders in our district, we are fortunate to spend lots of time in classrooms. Cathy loves to share the story of popping in on one fourth-grade...
Commentary: Parents and students in Knox County seek more education options
JAN 9, 2023 | Sky Arnold
The state of education is dire, and parents are seeking options. The achievement gap across the state in every subject, with a 23% spread between black and whit...
Commentary: Compass Community Schools is a model Tennessee should follow
OCT 13, 2022 | Sky Arnold
This year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results were rightfully cheered for the gains Tennessee students made, but it’s important to keep ...
Oxton Academy: A life-changing alternative for at-risk Clarksville students
OCT 4, 2022 | Sky Arnold
Although other public charter schools have garnered more media coverage, Oxton Academy sets itself apart by focusing on high school students failing to thrive i...
Hillsdale shouldn’t impact support for high-quality public charter schools in Tennessee
SEP 6, 2022 | Sky Arnold
Going into college, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be smart enough. Most of my future peers had years of AP classes under their belts, and in some cases, a...
Tennesseans need an education focused news service like the Tennessee Firefly more than ever
SEP 1, 2022 | Sky Arnold
Tennesseans simply aren’t getting the same quality of information about education as they once did, and they aren’t as informed as they could be.
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