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.

TSS’ poll of 1,000 Republican voters found 86 percent consider it important for public school students to receive annual statewide assessments and 91 percent support holding teachers accountable for the success of their students.

The Advisory Committee on Innovations in K-12 Education will additionally discuss potential changes to the academic requirements for career and technical education (CTE) students, whether schools should have a minimum number of required instructional hours, and the licensure requirements for teachers.

A new poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee reveals overwhelming support for school choice, parental control, and academically based reforms, highlighting a growing emphasis on measurable outcomes and accountability in public education.

Grundy County teachers may get their $2,300 bonus after all, but it will come a year late following Tuesday night’s vote.

The president’s request to Congress includes specific support for states to continue administering testing as part of their ongoing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The audit was among multiple options lawmakers considered for the district, following the controversial firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins after less than a year on the job.

A total of 94 legislators received an "A" score of 90 to 100 and 27 lawmakers received a failing score of a "D" (60 - 69) or "F" (below 60). 

The board unexpectedly decided late last week to hold votes on amended applications from the Rock Academy, the Forge School, and Rocketship Public Schools at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Speaking before at the Rotary Club of Nashville Monday, O’Connell reaffirmed that his office has done nothing to warrant the investigations now underway in the U.S. House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, though the mayor said both are taxing vital Metro resources.

Lawmakers passed the legislation last month that requires each school district in the state to create a policy for a student to serve as a nonvoting school board member.

The resolution states that the district’s legal department has provided guidance to principals about how to respond to requests or visits from ICE so that “no immigration enforcement agency is permitted access” to students or confidential student records without a legal right to do so.

Under the new law, charter operators that want to replicate an existing academic model, or public colleges and universities that want to establish charters, now have the option of applying directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for approval.

Lawmakers on the Joint Government Operations Committee met Monday to review administration rules for the newly launched Education Freedom Scholarship program and to ask questions about some of the challenges that appeared during its launch.

Governor Bill Lee signed the legislation creating the program in February, allowing up to 20 thousand families to use $7,295 in taxpayer dollars to pay for private school expenses.

According to the Comptroller’s audit, Tucker is inheriting a university that ended the 2022/23 fiscal year in June 2023 with an operating revenue loss of more than $128 million.

County commissioners could use new legislation to align school board races with other county elections, even if that meant shortening some board members’ terms.

The Tennessee Department of Education plans to launch the application portal at 10 P.M. CT according to a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly.

This week, State Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, and State Senator Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, said they plan to explore whether the TSSAA should continue to exist in its current form.

Among the bills that did pass were multiple changes to help Tennessee’s public charter schools.