The Tennessee Firefly

08/30/2024

South Nashville Metro Nashville Public Schools students will soon take a Storybook Trail to reading. https://tnfirefly.com/20240830/south-nashville-students-will-soon-take-a-storybook-trail-to-reading/

08/30/2024

University of Tennessee, Knoxville Haslam College breaks ground on new building to accommodate growing enrollment. https://tnfirefly.com/20240830/ut-haslam-college-breaks-ground-on-new-building-to-accommodate-growing-enrollment/

08/29/2024

Enrollment in Memphis-Shelby County Schools - MSCS has continued to grow year over year despite remaining behind original projections for this school year, according to a Tuesday update from Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins.

Enrollment in Memphis-Shelby County Schools has continued to grow year over year despite remaining behind original projections for this school year, according to an update from Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins.

08/29/2024

Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education lauds progress under Director Battle’s leadership. Members cite improved student performance and national recognition for the district's literacy programming.

Members of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education discussed the district’s progress improving student performance under Director Dr. Adrienne Battle’s leadership at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

08/29/2024

Belmont University and University of Washington researchers team up to study religion’s role in reducing polarization.

Belmont University announced a $575,655 grant award from the John Templeton Foundation to research how religious engagement could help to reduce political polarization in the U.S.

08/28/2024

Knox County Schools says “cultural shift” in hiring reduced teacher vacancies to near-zero. That shift simplified the process for potential candidates and the district says only a handful of full-time teaching positions were open at the start of the school year.

Knox County Schools says the district has reduced teacher vacancies to near-zero levels through a “cultural shift” in the hiring process that simplifies the process for potential candidates.

08/28/2024

Memphis-Shelby County Schools - MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins said during a Tuesday press conference that the district is currently working with school resource officers (SROs) and other security personnel to improve their job conditions moving forward.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins said during a Tuesday press conference that the district is currently working with school resource officers (SROs) and other security personnel to improve their job conditions moving forward.

08/27/2024

Noting the need for more firefighters across the country to combat wildfires, longtime Kingsport City Schools educator Bryan Kerns established a unique career and technical education (CTE) program at Dobyns-Bennett High School, geared toward preparing students for future careers in fire management.

Noting the need for more firefighters across the country to combat wildfires, longtime Kingsport City Schools educator Bryan Kerns established unique career and technical education (CTE) program at Dobyns-Bennett High School, geared toward preparing students for future careers in fire management.

08/26/2024

The Rutherford County Schools Board of Education is expected to decide if it will ban seven books next month to comply with a new state law instructing school libraries to remove books with sexual or otherwise inappropriate content.

08/26/2024

Kingsport City Schools teacher Bryan Kerns is this year’s Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Kerns is a fire management and math instructor at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport where he helped develop the Dobyns-Bennett Fire Program. The program has guided more than 30 students into careers in the fire and emergency services industry.

The Tennessee Department of Education announced Kingsport City Schools’ teacher Bryan Kerns as the 2024-25 Tennessee Teacher of the Year Friday night at the 2024 Excellence in Education 65th Sapphire Anniversary Celebration.

08/23/2024

The Vanderbilt University Peabody College of education and human development is planning to expand its global research efforts this fall, a recent university announcement said.

08/23/2024

Sumner County Schools Director Scott Langford told board officials and community members that the district has made significant strides in expanding advanced placement (AP) programming.

Sumner County Schools Director Scott Langford told board officials and community members that the district has made significant strides in expanding of advanced placement (AP) programming.

08/23/2024

UT President Randy Boyd says five myths are threatening the future of higher education.

University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd told business and community leaders in Nashville that five myths are hindering the ability for institutions of higher learning to produce the workforce Tennessee needs.

08/22/2024

Multiple Williamson County Schools students and community members continued to urge the Williamson County Board of Education to support raises for arts teachers at Monday’s meeting.

08/21/2024

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools - MSCS Board of Education approved budget amendments to fund pay raises for school resource officers (SROs) at Tuesday’s special call meeting and work session.

The Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education approved budget amendments to fund pay raises for school resource officers (SROs) at Tuesday’s special call meeting and work session. The funding for SRO raises comes after SROs issued a letter to the board last week demanding that the district offer hi...

08/21/2024

Only a handful of textbooks are meeting Tennessee’s new K-12 science standards, state education officials said at Friday’s Tennessee State Board of Education meeting.

Only a handful of textbooks are meeting Tennessee’s new K-12 science standards, state education officials said at Friday’s Tennessee State Board of Education meeting. According to Textbook Commission Executive Director Lee Houston, the commission recently prepared a preliminary list of textbooks...

08/20/2024

The charter operator IOTA Community Schools, formerly Green Dot Public Schools, has teamed up with the literacy program provider Reading Horizons to enhance reading instruction across four middle and high schools in the Memphis Metro area.

The charter operator IOTA Community Schools, formerly Green Dot Public Schools, has teamed up with the literacy program provider Reading Horizons to enhance reading instruction across four middle and high schools in the Memphis Metro Area, a recent announcement said. The announcement comes shortly a...

08/19/2024

The Hamilton County school board updated district policy to allow nurses to help students in emergencies, in response to a new Tennessee law mandating parental consent for medical treatment of students.

The Hamilton County school board updated district policy to allow nurses to help students in emergencies, in response to a new Tennessee law mandating parental consent for medical treatment of students. The state law, which was passed earlier this year, requires schools to get consent from parents f...

08/16/2024

Williamson County Schools officials discussed new district guidelines governing the use of artificial intelligence programs at Thursday’s Board of Education work session.

According to current guidelines available on the board’s website, students and staff should only use AI programs that are approved by district leadership for instruction or completing student work approved AI programs may be utilized in student instruction or in completing student work.

08/16/2024

“We cannot become that which we strive to defeat.” Rick Scarbrough for State Representative responds to an expected primary result challenge from Representative John Ragan. Scarbrough won the race earlier this month by 258 votes.

Scarbrough beat seven term Representative John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, by 258 votes in the House District 33 GOP primary. At the time there were no complaints of voter irregularities, but Scarbrough says he expects his former opponent to contest the win anyway.

08/15/2024

While recent state assessment data trends show that students throughout the state are making gains in literacy, officials from the Tennessee Department of Education say more work is needed to maintain that progress moving forward.

08/14/2024

Metro Nashville Public Schools has made significant progress in recent efforts to address teacher vacancies in the district, according to a back-to-school update given by Director Adrienne Battle at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has made significant progress in recent efforts to address teacher vacancies in the district, according to a back-to-school update given by Director Adrienne Battle at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

08/14/2024

The State Textbook Commission rejected every proposed textbook for two high school science courses. Publishers will have the option of submitting changes before the state's new science standards go into effect next year.

Publishers that produce science textbooks appear to be having trouble meeting Tennessee’s new K-12 science standards.

08/13/2024

Tennessee Connections Academy, a fully accredited online public school launched in 2019, has experienced significant growth since COVID-19 first necessitated the need for more remote learning options.

A recent report from Market Data Forecast found the global K-12 online education market is expected to grow more than $500 billion to reach about $716 billion in 2029, amid the growing popularity of online learning options. Among the schools in Tennessee helping to meet that growing demand is Tennes...

08/13/2024

All six proposed public charter schools that were denied last month in Nashville and Rutherford County are appealing the decision to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

Last month school board members in Nashville and Rutherford County voted down six proposed new public charter schools. Next month supporters from all of them will make their case to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for why the decision was the wrong one.

08/12/2024

The Tennessee State Board of Education has launched a new survey to gather public comments and feedback about Tennessee’s K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards.

The Tennessee State Board of Education has launched a new survey to gather public comments and feedback about Tennessee’s K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards, a Monday announcement said.

08/12/2024

Knox County School Board officials voted unanimously to make changes to the district’s school year calendar at Thursday’s regular board meeting.

Following recent discussions between board members and with parents in the community about their preferences, the board decided to do away with two “early release days” and turn the remaining four into “half days,” which officials say have less instruction time than early release days

08/12/2024

Three new public charter schools took different paths to serve families in Rutherford County, including one with a model that's outperforming traditional public schools in Nashville.

Rutherford Collegiate Prep opened its doors for the first time to students last Wednesday while American Classical Academy Rutherford and Springs Empower Academy are both opening today.

08/09/2024

The Rutherford County school board unanimously voted to approve revisions to district policy regarding the removal of books with sexual or inappropriate themes.

The Rutherford County school board unanimously voted to approve revisions to district policy regarding the removal of books with sexual or inappropriate themes from school libraries to align with a new state law that went into effect this year.

08/09/2024

A recent statewide survey from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Institute of American Civics suggests there’s a critical need to improve civics education in Tennessee.

A recent statewide survey from the University of Tennessee’s Institute of American Civics suggests there's a critical need to improve civics education in Tennessee.