The schools that Tennessee took over in the last decade can begin to return to their local districts in Memphis and Nashville in 2024 instead of 2022 as proposed earlier this year. 

The state is expected to get 133,000 of the new COVID tests — which deliver results in minutes, not days — in early October, and 2 million by the end of the year.

Classes that were approved to start in mid-September among those being invited back.

Rhodes College President Marjorie Hass urges the college to rise to the “great challenges” of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, and others praise the the Notre Dame law professor’s commitment to equality and women’s rights.

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.

On Memphis campuses, dozens of international students have deferred their arrival because they could not get visas, a factor of the pandemic and immigration politics.

Republican lawmakers such as state Rep. Kevin Vaughan are irritated by a state report about “learning loss” among K-12 students statewide, with schools on inconsistent footing and different health department directives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amy Coney Barrett, considered the frontrunner, is currently a member of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, Barrett, 48, would become the Supreme Court’s youngest justice.

The potential appointment of Rhodes College graduate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court just before the Nov. 3 presidential election is creating division within the college community, according to a letter from the school’s president.

During an appearance on “Behind The Headlines,” Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray also pushed back against the narrative that no high school football games for the state’s largest school system could limit the path to higher education for student athletes.

Gov. Bill Lee sounded the alarm Wednesday, saying Tennessee is projecting a massive learning loss by students because of school closings during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for minority students and those with disabilities.

With less than two months left in his final term, the state representative raised concerns about the state’s method for evaluating teachers, urging the House Education Committee to find another way to measure their performance.

Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn avoided a no-confidence vote Tuesday, Sept. 21 but not verbal criticism from lawmakers during a House Education Committee hearing.

Tennessee superintendents described a litany of problems to legislators Tuesday, Sept. 22, with the worst of the problems being that low-performing students are falling further behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Story: Lawmakers grill education commissioner over ‘missteps’

Teachers voiced their frustration with the current back to school plan at Collierville School Board’s meeting Tuesday night.

Students at Harding Academy and Evangelical Christian School are attending classes in a pandemic-altered world. It’s not ideal, it’s not 100% safe from COVID-19, and it’s going to be. But for most, it’s the better alternative. Even if you can’t hug your best friend.

And, at local private schools, students give each other ‘air hugs’ and each lunch at their desks, as everyone tries to adjust. 

At the U of M, Townsend built a reputation for working with public-private partnerships that have brought high-tech firms to its UMRF Research Park.

Data released this week by the state education department showed about 89.6% of public high school seniors earned their diplomas within four years, down by just one-tenth of a percentage point. Still many observers were surprised by any decline.

Over time, Philip Blackett hopes expand the Dave Ramsey course he sponsors to other schools in Memphis and the Boston area.

Coronavirus data for public school systems is readily available, but that’s not the case with private schools.

Campus leaders had hoped it would be possible to have freshmen on campus during fall term, but a letter from the college president lays out hopes for the spring.

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.

The state requires 6.5 hours of daily instruction, which can be met through recorded lessons and students independently completing assignments, as well as teacher-led live lessons.

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