Southwest Tennessee Community College plans to convert the closed Office Depot building near Downtown for its performing arts programs, for an array of student services, for a bit of retail to serve students and for a more prominent presence along busy Union Avenue.

The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis is working to reduce poverty in the 38126 ZIP code, one of the poorest in the city. Booker T. Washington High School is at the center of the initiative.

Starting in August, Shelby County Schools plans to offer both online and in-person instruction for students — and parents can choose which option they want.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn announced the shutdown of the University of Memphis Confucius Institute, saying students of Chinese culture and language at U.S. colleges should be “alarmed that the Chinese government has infiltrated their institutions.”

Mayor Jim Strickland will consider the committee's recommendation that the Metal Museum be Rust Hall's future occupant. If he accepts it, the City Council would have final say.

For right now, U of M, Christian Brothers and Rhodes College all intend to have dorms open, classes in person and in some cases, online.

Tennessee’s charter schools sector has grown to 118 since a 2002 state law opened the door to the publicly funded, independently operated schools. Most are in Memphis. And its new overseeing body, the Tennessee Public Charter Schools Commission, is extending its search for an executive director.

Groups began lining up both for and against testing after Superintendent Joris Ray, who leads the state’s largest district in Memphis, said he would petition the education commissioner to drop the annual assessment known as TNReady in 2020-21.

As part of the package, Baptist will provide a virtual clinic to help people on campus who test positive know what care they need and when it is safe to return to the public sphere.

Shelby County Schools mostly relies on district-employed school resource officers as security staff. They do not carry guns but have pepper spray, the district said. 

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.

Superintendent Joris Ray’s lowest score was in his relationship with district staff, especially in implementing a “rigorous, accurate” employee evaluation system. 

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

Germantown's Board of Education is renewing a new four-year contract for Superintendent Jason Manuel. His current contract does not expire until June 2022.

Southern College of Optometry, Gestalt Community Schools and St. George's Independent School are among the institutions exploring new roads to learning.

East High's collaboration with local artists showed the academic, social and emotional potential of an interactive online class.

Dozens of colleges and universities joined together last week to announce a monthlong social media campaign called #ItsGoTimeTN.

Instead, Shelby County Schools’ leaders will consider ideas such as adding an extra hour to the school day, shortening holidays and extending the school year. 

Construction on Herff addition could begin in 18 months. The U of M wants to increase STEM major graduates as part of its push to be ranked a Carnegie-level R1 university.

For educators, the retreat marked a disappointing end to a budget process that was so promising in February when Gov. Bill Lee asked the legislature for nearly $650 million in new dollars for K-12 education.

Superintendent Gary Lilly was awarded a $15,000 performance bonus. The board examined his leadership with six metrics and gave him a 4.33 out of a possible 5.

As SCS considers plans to help students recoup academic losses because of the coronavirus, teachers will be surveyed before a decision is made by the school board.

Judges, law clerks and private firms across the city have retooled their externship programs for this virtual age.

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.

The school board voted 8-1 at a special meeting Monday to approve $11 million toward a four-year lease for laptops and tablets from Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.