There are 45 article(s) tagged Tennessee Department of Education:

• January 2021

  • Tennessee again delays hiring school turnaround superintendent

    Victoria Robinson, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Education, said the job won’t be filled “at this time due to budget and other uncertainties.”

    By Marta W. Aldrich January 11, 2021

• December 2020

  • Lakeland school district honors principal

    Joretha Lockhart is the West Tennessee Grand Division Principal of the Year.

    By Michael Waddell December 08, 2020

• November 2020

  • Tennessee is supposed to track COVID in schools, but privacy and reporting make it tough

    Tennessee’s online database to inform students and parents about the prevalence of COVID-19 cases on school campuses gives an incomplete picture because of privacy concerns and limited reporting by districts.

    By Jacinthia Jones, Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee November 27, 2020

• October 2020

  • Tennessee’s new schools report card omits more than it includes

    Most notably missing is student achievement and growth information, even from years when standardized testing occurred. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich October 28, 2020

• September 2020

  • Schwinn based Tennessee learning loss projections on pre-pandemic data

    Recent back-to-school test results from Tennessee students were not the basis for state projections that proficiency rates will drop by 50% or more for third-grade reading and math due to schooling disruptions during the pandemic.

    By Marta W. Aldrich September 28, 2020

  • Gov. Lee backs education commissioner Penny Schwinn: ‘I am pleased’ with her work

    Lee was twice asked to address the lack of confidence in Schwinn among some of his own party’s lawmakers. At least one Republican legislator has suggested holding a no-confidence vote on the education chief.

    By Jacinthia Jones September 11, 2020

  • State’s new COVID-19 reporting site shows 756 cases in K-12 schools

    The Tennessee Department of Education has launched an online dashboard with COVID-19 case information at school and district levels. It shows 514 student cases and 242 staff cases statewide.

    By Sam Stockard September 11, 2020

  • SCS history teacher is West Tennessee Teacher of the Year

    History teacher Daniel Warner has been recognized by the Tennessee Department of Education for his work at East High School.

    By Linda A. Moore September 10, 2020

  • Department of Education removed Common Core resources from virtual learning site

    The Tennessee Department of Education scrubbed its Best for All Central virtual teaching site of Common Core resources after questions were raised about the controversial curriculum, leaving no extra worksheets in its place on most of its teaching options for students learning remotely.

    By Sam Stockard September 10, 2020

  • Tennessee to publish school-related COVID data

    The information will be published and updated weekly by the state education department — not the health department — and will rely on reports from the state’s 147 school districts.

    By Marta W. Aldrich September 04, 2020

  • State Department of Education plans on sharing COVID-19 school data

    The state’s Department of Education is expected to announce details Thursday about a plan to share COVID-19 school data, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

    By Omer Yusuf September 01, 2020

• August 2020

  • A champion for students, former state education commissioner Jane Walters dies at 85

    Career in education spanned more than half a century in the classroom, school and nonprofit leadership and eventually reaching the highest level of state government.

    By Linda A. Moore August 21, 2020

  • No provisions in place to alert general public to COVID-19 cases in schools

    The Shelby County Health Department is not tracking the number of COVID-19 cases in the schools nor is it requiring schools to report cases. 

    Related: Like Shelby County, COVID-19 reporting among schools statewide is random

    By Jane Roberts, Bill Dries, Sam Stockard, Abigail Warren, Omer Yusuf August 19, 2020

• June 2020

  • COVID or not, Tennessee expects 180 days of ‘quality instruction’ for students next year

    The State Board of Education approved an emergency rule on Monday requiring districts and charter leaders to submit plans for how their school communities will teach students in 2020-21 while navigating the pandemic.

    By Marta W. Aldrich June 25, 2020

  • Arlington Schools board honors outgoing Mason, hears update on coming year

    Arlington Community Schools board members say farewell to retiring superintendent Tammy Mason, who wraps up her tenure at the end of this month.

    By Michael Waddell June 24, 2020

  • State urges districts to buckle up for school bus issues

    Tennessee Department of Education has also warned districts to plan for driver shortages. On social media, some drivers have suggested that returning to their bus jobs may not be worth the hassle.

    By Marta W. Aldrich June 16, 2020

  • State sets second PBS schedule for learning

    All six Tennessee PBS stations, including WKNO Memphis, will offer high-quality educational programming for grades K-3, weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon through June and July. 

    By Sam Stockard June 01, 2020

• May 2020

  • After canceling TNReady exams, state must pay millions for testing prep work

    Decisions about payment and future tests are among scores of questions and adjustments that all states are dealing with after the pandemic shuttered schools nationwide before testing season got underway.

    By Marta W. Aldrich May 18, 2020

  • Haslams want to hire 1,000 college students to tutor children

    At a price tag of about $1 million, the program marks the first major statewide investment in addressing learning loss due to the public health emergency.

    By Marta W. Aldrich May 13, 2020

  • Education stimulus funds should restore what children lost

    The Tennessee Department of Education and Gov. Bill Lee should use federal stimulus money to restore our children and their schools back to the position they were in prior to March 20, 2020.

    By Terri C. Harris May 05, 2020

• April 2020

  • SCS to get $49M in emergency funds

    The money will cover short-term needs as schools address students’ learning loss and anticipated trauma from this year’s shutdown, as well as uncertain future revenues due to a likely recession.

    By Marta W. Aldrich April 17, 2020

• March 2020

  • Tennessee begins taking school voucher applications

    Even as the new education voucher program is mired in a court battle and public schools may lose more funding if the coronavirus pandemic causes a recession, the state education department is accepting applications through April 29 via an online site. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 31, 2020

  • Sweeping Tennessee legislation filed to drop TNReady tests, allow fewer school days

    The proposal aims to lift the burden of testing and other state mandates from public schools disrupted by the ongoing spread of COVID-19, as well as deadly twisters that shredded parts of Middle Tennessee this month.

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 18, 2020

  • More Tennessee schools close due to coronavirus, but TNReady testing is on

    For now, TNReady testing is on for grades 3-11. It’s scheduled to start as soon as April 13, though school districts have some leeway to decide exactly when.

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 15, 2020

  • Schwinn on the hot seat over handling of textbooks and contracts

    Tennessee's Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn appeared before the Senate Education Committee for a second straight week, where she was grilled about decisions last year involving the state textbook commission. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 13, 2020