Collierville goes to the other side of the state for the suburb's new school superintendent and selects Gary Lilly, the director of Bristol Tennessee City Schools, to replace John Aitken.

Collierville Schools has interviewed five finalists for the district's next superintendent. The candidates are a mix of educators with experience in Collierville as well as ones who would be new to the system.

Collierville's superintendent search is narrowed to four after Russell Dyer said he is no longer pursuing the job.

The Shelby County Schools budget includes two major parts: the general operating fund that pays for day-to-day expenses, including teacher salaries and classroom initiatives, totaling $1.04 billion; and the remaining $360 million capital budget for new schools and building maintenance.

Asked on Tuesday if the House would have passed the voucher bill had Casada already been under the cloud of a scandal, Rep. Mark White of Memphis said “probably not.” White voted for the bill.

Teach for America has welcomed more than 1,200 teachers over the past 13 years in Memphis, who have a commitment to stay in the classroom for two years. About 500 alumni of the program are still in Memphis, according to recent numbers from the organization. Nafeesha Mitchell will take over in June.

The district’s proposed budget for day-to-day expenses would be $1.05 billion, which is about 3% less than the current spending plan. The district budget is determined by student enrollment, and the county is required to pay the district at least as much as it did last year. Shelby County Schools wants $10 million more than what would be allocated for next year.

The Achievement School District has dealt with a spin-off like this before with Memphis Scholars, which runs three schools in the state district. But this is the first time Shelby County Schools has dealt with a question like this.

The "SCS is 901" campaign marks 150 years of organized public education as the city celebrates the 200th anniversary of the founding of Memphis.

Efforts to secure resources for Shelby County Schools come in advance of an expected school board vote on a spending plan, which could occur as soon as next week. The budget is the first under the district’s new superintendent, Joris Ray. 

As school shootings continue to occur in America, local colleges and universities are investing in equipment, training and counseling services to take every measure against a shooting on their campuses. 

Small, private school for students with certain learning disabilities is proving to be the perfect fit for some Memphis families.

The state education department must administer the education savings accounts, establish a fraud-reporting system, and suspend or terminate schools that don’t comply with rules. It must produce an annual report on the number of students participating, the results of a parent survey, overall student performance and “graduation outcomes.”

With the retirement of two longtime elementary school principals, Bartlett City Schools selects their replacements from two other suburban districts.

PART 2: High-stakes testing has shifted the focus of kindergarten from what's developmentally appropriate to get kids ready for school, to what's academically required to prepare students for their first standardized achievement tests in third grade.

PART 3: Billions of government and philanthropic dollars have funded new curricula and standardized tests, teacher evaluation systems, charter schools and takeover schools. But it hasn't made much of a dent in the third-grade reading gap or any other measures of student performance.

Next school year, all of TNReady will be completed on paper to give the state’s next testing company time to ramp up for an online assessment for older students beginning in 2021. That change was ordered by the legislature this spring at the urging of Gov. Bill Lee.

University of Memphis President M. David Rudd is testifying before a U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor subcommittee about initiatives that have improved the university's graduation rates. 

When asked for her opinion on the provision that could affect immigrant or undocumented students, DeVos said: “I think that’s been a matter for Tennessee to debate. I can’t comment on a hypothetical."

The board voted to keep open three out of six Memphis charter schools that appeared on the state’s list of lowest-performing schools, and voted to close the three other charter schools on the list, all run by former superintendent and current Memphis mayoral candidate Willie Herenton.

The grant funding is crucial, the charter leaders say, because hiring additional counselors or creating smaller classrooms for students with disabilities can cost schools more.

School board members cited Ray’s firm hand while serving as interim — effectively a tryout — in their unanimous selection of the 22-year Memphis educator.

A resolution approved by the nine-member school board said a national search for a superintendent was unnecessary and would cost the district time and resources. Ray’s selection marks a reversal for board members, who signaled early on they planned to conduct a national search.

Joris Ray's public campaign to go from interim to permanent superintendent was different, but the push to keep the school system's leadership local and from within the system has been a constant feature of choosing a superintendent.

Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools – targeted by Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings accounts bill – are threatening a lawsuit against the state, contending the legislation is unconstitutional.