A new state legislative advisory committee met Thursday in Nashville to explore whether the state’s current 180-day school calendar should be replaced by a more flexible instructional time model, measured in hours or minutes.

The Hamilton County School Board voted unanimously to reject the amended application for the proposed Tennessee Wildflower Public School, citing unresolved deficiencies despite revisions.

A national study finds just 12% of certificates and industry credentials significantly raise wages—leaving many Tennessee workers struggling as rent and home prices outpace income.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released the 2024–25 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results Tuesday afternoon, revealing year-over-year improvements in student proficiency across every tested subject and grade level.

Hamilton County Schools (HCS) appointed new leaders Monday to positions the district considers key to supporting students, teachers and school principals.

Seven years ago, a group of sixth-grade boys walked through the doors of Chattanooga Preparatory School for the very first time. Last month, they returned as the school’s first-ever graduating class.

In a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly, the district said each leader represents its ongoing commitment to student success, strong instructional leadership, and inclusive school environments that support student growth.

District leaders say the program has been such a success they’re now eyeing two expansions, beginning with the new North River Future Ready Center set to open at the current location of Sequoyah High School in the 2025-26 school year.

Members of the Hamilton County School Board unanimously voted the Tennessee Wildflower’s application down on Thursday, along with a proposal for the Little Kings and Queens Charter Academy.

The TCAP is a statewide standardized testing program that includes assessments in English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies.

On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Principals Association issued a statement opposing the bill, calling it a threat and a contradiction to professional ethics and moral responsibilities.

During Thursday’s meeting, Board Chair Joe Smith asked Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson what the impact would be if the district reduced the number of benchmark tests given from three per year, to two or even one per year.

A welder, a sixth-grade teacher who’s been on the job 14-years, and a first-grade teacher who expanded a forest learning program are the Tennessee school district’s three 2025 Teachers of the Year.

Novus SMART Academy is among the 11 new start charter applications that met this month’s filing deadline in five school districts across the state.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Kirk Haston, R-Lobelville, establishes a community schools grant program to benefit public schools, administered by the University of Tennessee. Local districts would be able to opt in and apply for grants to create so-called full-service community schools within existing public schools.

On Thursday, school board members took up a proposed change to the policy, which would prohibit students from possessing a wireless device on campus during the regular school day. 

A new Comptroller Report released this week found all of Tennessee’s locally administered school districts received more money during fiscal year 2023/2024 when the state’s new TISA school funding formula went into effect than the prior year.

Joshua Tyler, a computational engineering doctoral candidate and electrical engineering research associate at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), has developed the world’s first usable artificial intelligence network that can learn how to encrypt itself.

Hamilton County Schools leaders floated the idea of changing its exceptional education staffing model for some students with disabilities and behavioral problems at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Mathematics Assistant Professor Dr. Xiunan Wang has gained international recognition for her work in mathematical modeling to forecast the spread of infectious diseases.