National Education
New Research Finds Tennessee’s Teacher Unions are the Third Weakest
Union strength dropped eight places from the Fordham Institute’s last ranking a decade ago.
National Education
Coverage, analysis, and reporting on national education across Tennessee.
106 articles
National Education
Sen. Blackburn’s Math Act Heads to Senate Floor
The Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act aims to address the country’s STEM shortage.
College and Higher Edu...
U.S. Education Secretary Announces Earnings Indicator to Help Guide Students in Making Higher Education Choices
This "earnings indicator" will be included in the Federal Student Aid process that students undertake each year.
State Education
Organization Founded by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp Argues Tennessee ‘Must Prepare’ for Federal Education Funding Reductions
A new report from the Millennial Debt Foundation’s In the Black initiative argues that federal education funding “rests on shaky long-term economic foundations”...
National Education
New Survey Finds Bipartisan Parental Support for Annual Testing
A new national survey from The PIE Network finds bipartisan support for annual student testing, with ninety-five percent of respondents saying it is important f...
National Education
Amid Federal Shutdown, Tennessee Weighs Impact of Potential School Funding Changes on Disadvantaged Students
Tennessee lawmakers pressed state education officials this week for answers on how the ongoing federal shutdown and potential Trump-backed block grant proposals...
National Education
Senator Marsha Blackburn Tells Supporters the Department of Education Will be ‘Shuttered’ by Trump Before 2026
Blackburn said she’s the leader the state needs to take advantage of Trump’s work to shrink the federal government and provide more power to the states.
National Education
Austin Peay to Cover Military Tuition Assistance if Federal Shutdown Continues
As the federal government shutdown threatens to pause Military Tuition Assistance payments, Austin Peay State University has pledged to cover tuition for active...
National Education
Representative Mark White to Chair the Governing Board Overseeing the Nation’s Report Card
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon named White as the chair of the National Assessment Governing Board that oversees the National Assessment o...
State Education
New Research Provides a Caution as Tennessee Lawmakers Consider Potential Reductions in Graduation Requirements for CTE Students
Tennessee lawmakers are reconsidering graduation requirements for career and technical education (CTE) students, but new national research raises caution.
National Education
U.S. Department of Education Makes Record $500 Million Investment in Charter Schools
The U.S. Department of Education announced a record $500 million investment in public charter schools on Monday, marking the largest allocation in the program’s...
National Education
New Survey Finds Most Parents Would Send Their Kids to Private School if Tax Dollars Were Available
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 sh...
College and Higher Edu...
Trump-Appointed Education Secretary Linda McMahon Visits Tennessee to Promote State-Led School Policy and Literacy Gains
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Tennessee on Wednesday as part of her nationwide “Returning Education to the States” tour,.
National Education
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Attempts to Weaken the Impact of the Nation’s Largest Teachers Union
Blackburn announced she’s sponsoring two bills to revoke the NEA’s charter and prevent it from lobbying the federal government.
National Education
Trump’s Plan to Eliminate U.S. Education Department Could Reshape Tennessee Schools, Lawmakers Say
Tennessee lawmakers convened the Joint Federal Education Deregulation Cooperation Task Force Tuesday morning assess the impact of President Donald Trump’s propo...
National Education
Tennessee Workers Left Behind: New Study Finds Only 12% of Non-Degree Credentials Significantly Boost Wages Amid Rising Housing Costs
A national study finds just 12% of certificates and industry credentials significantly raise wages—leaving many Tennessee workers struggling as rent and home pr...
National Education
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Praises U.S. Supreme Court for Confirming the “Obvious”
The Court’s 6-3 decision puts a temporary pause on a lower court’s order that required the department to reinstate employees who were part of McMahon’s planned ...
National Education
Former Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s U.S. Department of Education Nomination Advances to the Full Senate
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced Schwinn’s nomination to the full U.S. Senate on a party-line 12 to 11 vote.
Local Education
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Face Possible Loss of $17 Million in Federal Funding
Memphis-Shelby Public Schools says district staff are monitoring pending federal decisions that could affect approximately $17 million in funding for district p...
National Education
Proposed Federal Tax Credit Could Supercharge School Choice in Tennessee
By offering a 100 percent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to private school scholarship organizations, the bill would allow individuals to re...
National Education
Trump Administration’s Stance in Support of Testing may be in Direct Conflict with Recent Proposals from Tennessee Lawmakers
The president’s request to Congress includes specific support for states to continue administering testing as part of their ongoing implementation of the Every ...
National Education
CMA Foundation showcases music education equity through student performances at CMA Fest
For a group of students from the Roots of Music program in New Orleans, performing at CMA Fest in Nashville last weekend marked several firsts: first plane ride...
State Education
New report highlights Tennessee’s top 5 ranking in student recovery after COVID learning loss
A recent memo from Tennessee SCORE reports that Tennessee remains among the top five states in the nation for student learning recovery following the COVID-19 p...
National Education
Report finds Tennessee’s policies for math instruction are better than most states, but still in need of improvement
The report found Tennessee has strong math instruction policies in three key areas but weak in a fourth, and “unacceptable” in a fifth.
National Education
Four teachers named finalists for award recognizing excellence in math and science
The PAEMST award is considered the nation’s highest honor for U.S. K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers.
National Education
New Gallup survey underscores the importance of Tennessee’s improvements in math
That poll of 5,136 U.S. adults aged 18 and older last December found 95 percent of respondents believe math skills are important in their work life and 43 perce...
National Education
Nashville public charter school teacher receives national recognition for outstanding work in the classroom
Under her instruction, 74 percent of students were reading on grade level. By comparison, 2024 state testing data shows that 33 percent of elementary school stu...
National Education
Researchers tell congressional subcommittee that public charter schools are benefiting students and nearby traditional public schools
Thomas B. Fordham Institute Associate Director of Research David Griffith told members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Second...
Data and Polling
Two polls find Tennessee voters are less enthusiastic about high-profile public education changes than the lawmakers approving them
Both polls asked voters for their support of key education policies that have been backed this year by Republican leaders, including President Trump and Governo...
National Education
National Education Association report finds Tennessee has improved its ranking in K-12 spending but still lags most states
A new report from the National Education Association finds Tennessee’s education investments appear to be making an impact, but not one that’s large enough to v...
State Education
State representative pushes for task force to examine the impact of President Trump’s education cuts
The legislation would create what a federal education deregulation cooperation task force charged with investigating the Tennessee impact of recent presidential...
National Education
Prominent Tennessee Republicans support federal Department of Education dismantling, but local impacts remain unclear
The department’s workforce has already been slashed by nearly half, but President Trump says this move will return power over education decisions to the states.
National Education
East Tennessee third-grade teacher wins “Oscar of Teaching”
Stephanie Boshears received a welcome surprise during a school assembly when she was named a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award.
National Education
The U.S. Department of Education just cut nearly 50 percent of its employees. Secretary Linda McMahon says Tennessee will receive more money because of it.
Tuesday night, newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon went on the Fox News program the Ingraham Angle to reframe a major reduction in her departme...
National Education
From steel chairs to school chairs, why Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says Linda McMahon is ready for the Education Secretary title
Mayor Jacobs has known McMahon for decades through his hall of fame career as the wrestler Kane in the World Wrestling Federation. McMahon and her husband Vince...
State Education
Analysis: NAEP results prove Tennessee's strategic investments in literacy, funding, instruction, and standards made a real impact
State Education
Tennessee students still aren’t completely back to pre-pandemic levels on the Nation’s Report Card but they’re beating the national average
Tennessee students outperformed the NAEP national average for proficiency in both subjects for both grades. Tennessee students have largely been below the natio...
News
Research suggests gender stereotypes play a role in discouraging girls’ STEM interests
A new report from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) suggests that gender stereotypes remain a major barrier to increasing women’s participation in scie...
News
New report finds Tennessee is bucking the national trend for who’s going into teaching
New data from the National Council on Teacher Quality says there are nearly four percentage points fewer teachers from historically disadvantaged groups than ex...
News
Federal Trade Commission claims company that provided weapons detection technology to schools made false claims about its effectiveness
The Federal Trade Commission has charged a company that produces AI-based weapons detection systems used by schools and other businesses with making misleading ...
Elections
Governor Lee applauds Trump pick to lead Department of Education. Opponents criticize her experience and ties to a sex abuse lawsuit
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee wasted no time applauding President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of a former professional wrestling mogul to serve as the United States...
News
New report finds Tennessee is bucking the trend of declining high school graduation rates other states are seeing
A new report from the Grad Partnership notes that high school graduation rates in Tennessee have remained relatively stable in recent years, compared to 26 stat...
National Education
Governor Lee backs proposal to dump the Department of Education, despite questions what it might mean for students with special needs and rural Tennessee
You can add Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to the growing list of Tennessee lawmakers who support President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to eliminat...
News
Trump’s calls to eliminate U.S. Department of Education renews debate about the role of federal government in Tennessee schools
Despite the fact that the U.S. Department of Education funnels more than $800 million into Tennessee alone, some leading Republican legislators have signaled su...
News
Students report racist text messages following presidential election
Black students in schools and universities across Tennessee and the nation have reported a slew of racist text messages evoking slavery in the days following fo...
News
Voters reject voucher programs in Nebraska, Kentucky, and Colorado. Is that a bad omen for supporters in Tennessee?
Voters in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska have decisively rejected efforts to implement school voucher programs that would allow families to use tax dollars fo...
News
Students for Education expands national footprint to encourage youth civic engagement
Students for Education (SFE), a Tennessee-based nonprofit dedicated to encouraging youth civic engagement, is expanding its national footprint as part of a broa...
News
New study finds low-income students in 10 major cities with charter schools are catching up
A new study from the Progressive Policy Institute indicates that low-income students in both public charter schools and traditional public schools in 10 major c...
Local Education
Six Tennessee schools recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has named six Tennessee schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools this year including Miller Perry Elementary School in Kingsport...
National Education
New report awards Tennessee an A for keeping parents informed about COVID learning loss
Tennessee earned an A for transparency in reporting COVID-19 learning loss data, according to a new CRPE report. The report highlighted Tennessee's commitment t...
Elections
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Congressional Democrats are at risk of shedding a critical voting bloc in swing states: Black and Hispanic voters who say their concerns about improving public ...
Elections
Harris Could Set Democrats’ K–12 Agenda By Reviving Ideas from 2020
Fortified by a stream of Democratic endorsements and high-dollar donations, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared every bit the presidential contender when she ...
Elections
Tennessee Democrats quick to support Kamala Harris' presidential bid. A popular VP pick has history with school vouchers.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has a history with an issue Tennessee Democrats have spent the last year opposing.
Data and Polling
Beacon Poll notes voters' concerns about public education along with support for former President Trump and Sen. Blackburn
A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found 50 percent of registered voters in Tennessee are dissatisfied with the way things are going in ...
Elections
Representative Scott Cepicky misleads the public in radio interview on his school vouchers plan
Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, went on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show recently to discuss the failed effort he led last session to reduce the amount ...
Data and Polling
Survey: parents 'in the dark' about how K-12 testing data is used for academic support
While parents strongly support the use of statewide summative assessments to measure student progress, many believe that few K-12 leaders are clearly sharing ho...
Data and Polling
Walton-Gallup student success survey study suggests room for improvement
A new survey study from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup suggests that students are still in need of additional academic support to improve performance a...
College and Higher Edu...
AI policies are still a work in progress for several Tennessee school districts ahead of 2024-25 school year
Tennessee school districts are finalizing their AI policies ahead of the 2024-25 school year as they navigate new legislation requiring guidelines on AI use in ...
Data and Polling
EFI Charter School Report: Tennessee charter school sector ranked in middle of the pack
Tennessee ranks 14th out of 30 states included in a recent report from the Education Freedom Institute that measures the quality and accessibility of states’ pu...
National Education
Report: Higher Rates of Depression, Anxiety for LGBTQ Teens Forcibly Outed
As more states require schools to out transgender students to their families, a new study links involuntary disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity ...
College and Higher Edu...
Vanderbilt and Oak Ridge partner on AI research and development for national security
Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have announced a new partnership focusing on artificial intelligence research to develop technologies fo...
Local Education
Knox County school board discusses banning books with sexual content
Knox County Board of Education officials discussed banning books that depict sex at Monday’s school board work session.
Local Education
Biden Administration announces $12 million in EPA rebates for clean school buses in Tennessee
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing funding to eight Tennessee school districts to purchase more than 40 clean school buses to reduce th...
Local Education
Parent poll reveals 'Nashville's hidden literacy crisis'
The education and parent advocacy organization Nashville PROPEL has released a white paper detailing what local parents think about “Nashville’s hidden literary...
National Education
Final Showdown Over ESAs in Texas as Abbott Looks to Oust Conservative Opponents
It’s not often that statehouse elections in rural Texas steer the national conversation about school choice. But things might change later this month.On May 28,...
Local Education
Williamson County school board discusses reading proficiency requirements, Title IX changes
Williamson County parents will soon learn whether their kids will have to attend summer school to advance under state reading proficiency requirements.
Data and Polling
New survey of teachers finds most are concerned their students are falling behind
According to the annual report, which surveyed 1,000 teachers across the country, 70 percent of teachers believe that their students are falling behind academic...
National Education
Tennessee districts are facing 1,000 teaching vacancies. A new report says strategic school staffing might help.
School districts across the state began the 2022/23 school year with one thousand teaching vacancies according to data from the Tennessee Department of Educatio...
College and Higher Edu...
Who You Know: Social Capital is Key for First-Gen Students’ Career Success
A growing New York nonprofit is using a newly released report to cement data around the axiom that social capital — or who you know — is key for first-generatio...
College and Higher Edu...
Financial Aid Reform Was His Legacy. Now, Lamar Alexander Calls it ‘a Big Mess’
The turbulent rollout of a new federal financial aid application could mean thousands of low-income students miss out on college this fall.But one person feels ...
National Education
Room Scans & Eye Detectors: Robocops are Watching Your Kids Take Online Exams
In the middle of night, students at Utah’s Kings Peak High School are wide awake — taking mandatory exams.At this online-only school, which opened during the pa...
National Education
Five Things to Know About Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year
Missy Testerman has enjoyed a teaching career that is decades longer than most, spending more than 30 years in first- and second-grade classrooms.But when she s...
National Education
Rogersville City teacher named 2024 National Teacher of the Year
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 Scho...
National Education
Church v. State: Oklahoma’s High Court to Hear Precedent-Setting Religious Charter School Case
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 atten...
National Education
‘Behind the 8 Ball:’ How Research is Trying to Catch Up on Cannabis and Kids
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, ...
National Education
Hamilton County School leaders join national lawsuit against social media companies
Hamilton County Schools became the latest in a growing number of Tennessee school districts that are joining a national lawsuit against social media companies f...
National Education
Why is a Grading System Touted as More Accurate, Equitable So Hard to Implement?
Before Thomas Guskey became a leading academic expert on grading and assessments, he was a middle school math teacher. One day he was chatting with an 8th-grade...
National Education
Over 80% of Women Leaders in Education Experience Bias, Survey Shows
At 5 feet tall, Uyen Tieu doesn’t tower over anyone, including many students. So when a superior said she was too petite to be anything but an elementary school...
Data and Polling
Poll finds 83 percent of parents support a minimum age limit for social media
A new poll from the National Parents Union (NPU) found a growing concern for the negative effects of social media consumption.That survey found 83 percent of pa...
National Education
Memphis parent advocate Sarah Carpenter calls President Biden’s proposed budget “an attack on black children”
Memphis parent advocate Sarah Carpenter is among those blasting President Biden’s proposed FY 2025 budget for potentially cutting valuable support for public ch...
National Education
Rutherford County School leaders join national lawsuit against social media companies
The Rutherford County Board of Education is joining a national lawsuit against social media companies for alleged damages to students.School board members unani...
College and Higher Edu...
‘Bungled’ Financial Aid Rollout Leaves Graduating Seniors in Limbo
Jose Martinez, a senior at Senn High School in Chicago, wants to teach someday — maybe English. He’s applied to several top colleges in Illinois, but for now, h...
National Education
Teachers’ Unions are Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza. What Does it Tell Us About November?
When the American Federation of Teachers, America’s second-largest teachers’ union, officially called for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza on January 30, its ...
Local Education
Vanderbilt researcher says thinking on two levels enabled Nashville’s lauded pandemic recovery
Vanderbilt professor and researcher Jason Grissom told members of the Metro Nashville Board of Education that the nationwide recognition the district is getting...
Local Education
New report finds Nashville among the nation's leaders in pandemic recovery
A new report produced by Harvard and Stanford Universities known as the Education Recovery Scorecard, credits MNPS for surpassing national trends for pandemic r...
National Education
As Relief Funds Expire, Harvard’s Kane Says ‘Whole Generation’ Still Needs Help
Harvard University researcher Tom Kane stood before a captive audience at Washington’s Omni Shoreham hotel last Wednesday, just hours after dropping the report ...
National Education
K-12 Enrollment Fails to Emerge from Pandemic, Federal Data Shows
Enrollment in U.S. schools was fairly steady between 2021 and 2022, but the number of K-12 students remained below pre-pandemic levels, according to new federal...
National Education
70 Years After Brown vs. Board of Education, Public Schools Still Segregated
National Education
Amid Literacy Push, Many States Still Don’t Prepare Teachers for Success, Report Finds
Most states have revised their strategies for teaching children to read over the last half-decade, a reflection of both long-held frustration with slow academic...
National Education
Thousands of Schools at Risk of Closing Due to Enrollment Loss
Days before Christmas, the school board in Jackson, Mississippi, voted to close 11 schools and merge two more — a drastic move that parents in the district had ...
National Education
40 Years After ‘A Nation at Risk,’ Assessing the Impact of Whole-Child Reforms on America’s Schools
Whole-child education models are those that expand the ambit of schools beyond a traditional academic focus. While a range of whole-child models have been explo...
National Education
New Analysis Finds Charter School Sector Still Has Plenty of Room to Grow
The conventional wisdom in some quarters is that the charter school movement has run its course. Abandoned by an increasingly progressive Democratic Party for b...
National Education
New Report Shows Millions of Rural Students Facing Multiple Crises after COVID
While the entire United States is still reeling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery process has not been even nationwide. Many rural students and...
National Education
Study Shows Benefits of Holding 3rd Graders Back, but Few Are Being Retained
Underperforming Indiana third graders who are held back show significant progress for the next five years, a research study has found.The study examined data fr...
National Education
Education choice analysis pegs Tennessee No. 6
Tennessee ranked No. 6 nationally with a grade of B in the ALEC Index of State Education Freedom.Grades were scored overall from tabulating funding and financin...
National Education
Stanford study finds Tennessee public charter school students outperforming traditional students more than any southern state
A new study by Stanford's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found public charter school students in Tennessee are not only making more average p...
Local Education
Tennessee school district sues social media companies over student mental health ‘crisis’
A Tennessee school district has joined a growing list of school systems across the nation that are suing major social media companies like TikTok and YouTube ov...
National Education
Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges says reading festivals can counteract book bans
National Education
Germantown teacher presented $25,000 cash prize for excellent work in education
More than four months ago Dogwood Elementary 5th grade teacher Alexa Guynes cried tears of joy when her school surprised her with the news she’d won the prestig...
National Education
‘Are We Really Going to Fail Those Students?’ With State Tests Next Month, Tennessee Reconsiders Holding Back Third Graders
In 2020, Faith Miles saw her kindergarten year broken up by the pandemic. Already slower to pick up language skills than her older siblings, Faith was further s...
National Education
All Teacher Shortages Are Local, New Research Finds
K-12 teacher shortages — one of the most disputed questions in education policy today — are an undeniable reality in some communities, a newly released study in...
National Education
ACT Scores Fall to Lowest Level In 30 Years
In yet another data point on missed learning during the pandemic, ACT scores from this year’s high school graduates dropped to their lowest level in three decad...
National Education
Nation’s Report Card Shows Largest Drops Ever Recorded in 4th and 8th Grade Math
National testing data released this morning reveals severe damage inflicted on student math and reading performance, reaffirming COVID-19’s ongoing educational ...
Local Education
Memphis district records its lowest NAEP scores, showing COVID’s devastating impact
Memphis-Shelby County Schools showed some of the country’s sharpest declines in math and reading scores on the test known as the “nation’s report card.”Results ...
National Education
Back to the future: GOP pledge to abolish Education Department returns
When former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in July that her former Cabinet department “should not exist,” it made some waves.The school choice advocate an...
Local Education
Actress Reese Witherspoon Helps Bring Mentorship Program to Nashville Schools
Step Up, a mentorship nonprofit founded in 1998, announced they are expanding their operations to Nashville after Music City native, Reese Witherspoon, made a m...