There are 76 article(s) tagged Tennessee Department of Education:

• August 2023

  • Statewide assessment of academic growth shows gains for MSCS

    Memphis-Shelby County Schools scored a Level 5 distinction on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System for the second consecutive year. 

    By Alicia Davidson August 24, 2023

• July 2023

  • Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds starts as Tennessee’s new education commissioner

    “Tennessee is one of those states that has always prioritized education as number one so that’s why I’m so excited to be here,” said new Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds.

    By Alicia Davidson July 06, 2023

  • Tennessee education commissioner leaving role

    Tennessee will be getting a new education commissioner this summer, the state Department of Education announced Monday morning.

    By Aarron Fleming July 06, 2023

• June 2023

  • State TCAP results released

    Scores in English language arts and social studies exceeded pre-pandemic levels, while student proficiency in math has not. 

    By Alicia Davidson June 30, 2023

• March 2023

  • Amendment to give third graders another route to fourth grade passes Senate committee

    A new state bill working its way through the state legislature would provide options for deciding when to implement the third-grade retention process.

    Related story:

    Amendment to controversial third grade law passes first legal hurdle

    By Aarron Fleming March 15, 2023

• November 2022

  • MSCS recommends revoking charters for seven district schools

    The seven charter schools have also all been deemed priority schools by the Tennessee Department of Education.

    By Aarron Fleming November 17, 2022

• September 2022

  • MSCS named advancing district, joins top 25% in state

    Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been named an advancing district under the Tennessee Department of Education’s district accountability rankings.

    By Aarron Fleming September 13, 2022

• August 2022

  • 16 local private schools — so far — approved to accept vouchers this academic year

    The Tennessee Department of Education said Thursday, Aug. 25, that it is still waiting to approve three schools but that they all have a “pathway to eligibility.”

    Related stories:

    Opinion: School vouchers undermine public education

    Opinion: Education Savings Accounts give important choices to families

    By Aarron Fleming August 29, 2022

  • Billionaire charter school advocates gave to at least 22 organizations that endorsed TISA

    Bill Gates and the Walton family funded a substantial portion of the advocacy for Gov. Bill Lee’s school funding overhaul. Skeptics fear this philanthropy is self-interested, advancing an agenda to dismantle public schools to benefit private interests.

    By Ian Round August 29, 2022

  • Tennessee Dept. of Education tied to Rhode Island FBI inquiry

    Rhode Island’s governor is being investigated for skirting the competitive bidding process and granting a seven-figure contract to a friend. One of the consultant’s partners is TN Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s former chief of staff.

    By Ian Round August 26, 2022

• July 2022

  • Lawmakers create process for complaints under K-12 ‘critical race theory’ law

    But they offered no more clarity on what exactly teachers can and can’t say about race and history.

    By Ian Round July 20, 2022

• June 2022

  • Literacy Mid-South gets $4.5 million grant to support local students

    Literacy Mid-South has been selected to receive a $4.5 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Education to support Memphis-Shelby County Schools students and students attending public area charter schools.

    By Aarron Fleming June 28, 2022

  • Latest state TCAP scores suggest students returning to pre-pandemic levels

    “I am cautiously optimistic about what we have seen so far,” said Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent Joris Ray. 

    By Aarron Fleming, Abigail Warren June 15, 2022

  • Accelerating TN Tour drops by local schools to gauge summer learning

    The state’s education commissioner and others were in Shelby County to see how well programs are helping students stem learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    By Alicia Davidson June 13, 2022

• February 2022

  • After decades, students ‘deserve a billion dollar increase,’ Gov. says

    The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement bill would increase funding for schools without raising taxes, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn says.

    By Daja E. Henry February 24, 2022

• January 2022

  • New education funding formula could head to legislature

    Gov. Bill Lee has announced the completion of his review of the Basic Education Program, the formula that decides how much money each school district gets from the state. 

    By Daja E. Henry January 28, 2022

  • State releases draft of education funding framework

    The Tennessee Department of Education released a draft of its new education funding framework Tuesday, Jan. 11, the same day lawmakers began this year’s regular legislative session.

    By Daja E. Henry, Ian Round January 11, 2022

• December 2021

  • Four Frayser schools return to SCS after 10-year takeover

    Frayser Achievement Elementary School, Corning Achievement Elementary School, Georgian Hills Achievement Elementary School and Whitney Achievement School will rejoin SCS for the 2022-2023 school year. 

    By Daja E. Henry December 13, 2021

  • GOP proposal would ban state funding for undocumented students

    The Tennessee Department of Education would be prohibited from providing funding for undocumented students under a new Republican proposal, the legality of which was immediately questioned by immigrant advocates.

    By Ian Round December 11, 2021

• November 2021

  • Harris adviser among finalists for TDOE turnaround superintendent

    Among three finalists for the Tennessee Department of Education position is Cedrick Gray, a longtime Memphis educator who currently serves as director of education for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ office. 

    By Daja E. Henry November 17, 2021

• October 2021

  • Parents, educators ask for equitable school funding

    As Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn made her latest stop at the National Civil Rights Museum Thursday night, she was met with a resounding message from local parents, advocates and educators. 

    By Daja E. Henry October 29, 2021

  • State Department of Education to host public town halls for funding review

    The Tennessee Department of Education is hosting a series of town halls, including one at the National Civil Rights Museum next week, to invite the public to give input for their review of the public education funding strategy. 

    By Daja E. Henry October 21, 2021

• September 2021

  • Teachers skeptical of summer learning camps’ ‘promising results’

    Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced good news last week — new summer literacy and math programs were a statewide success, with students seeing significant progress. But, some teachers and Democrats questioned the results, saying it’s too early to celebrate the data.

    By Ian Round September 27, 2021

• August 2021

  • State mulls how to enforce ‘critical race theory’ law

    The Tennessee Department of Education is considering its rules for enforcing the state’s new law regulating discussions of race in the classroom. 

    Related story: Critical race theory: An explainer

    By Daja E. Henry, Ian Round August 08, 2021

  • Latest TCAP results show significant learning loss

    The Tennessee Department of Education released statewide testing numbers Monday, the first batch of data since schools closed in the spring of 2020. 

    By Daja E. Henry August 03, 2021