Tennessee is celebrating six school districts for their work to accelerate student learning following the pandemic.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) is recognizing Elizabethton City Schools, Cocke County Schools, Union County Schools, Germantown Municipal Schools, Lenoir City Schools, and Cheatham County Schools for their use of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding and their efforts towards student achievement with the TN ALL Corps program.

Supporters of the Tennessee Volunteer Military Academy believe their public charter school model is the solution to the school to jail pipeline too many students are following.The proposed school would offer more than 400 hundred 6th through 12th graders in Shelby County the opportunity to attend a free full-time military academy beginning next year and additionally gain experience with leadership and enhanced career technical education with a first responder focus.

The Binghampton neighborhood in Memphis is a community with a diverse population that’s struggling with poverty.Nora Jendoubi says her organization Maslow Development Inc. had both in mind when designing their proposal to establish the Binghampton Community School.The proposed public charter school would offer an International Baccalaureate education that mirrors the diversity of the area’s immigrant community, and the school would anchor the organization’s Lighthouse Project to provide other family needs like affordable housing, healthcare, and workforce development opportunities.

A national student poll from the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), in collaboration with the Kentucky Student Voice Team (KSVT) found that high school students lack the relevant information to successfully navigate post-secondary education and career plans.

Williamson County Schools have the reputation of being among the best public schools in Tennessee but Wednesday morning a group of parents told the Tennessee State Public Charter School Commission that reputation isn’t warranted.Those parents say the district’s schools have become too political and, they have problems with its Wit and Wisdom English Language Arts curriculum.

Administrators of a proposed public charter school in Clarksville told the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission their concept to serve at risk students and recent dropouts has already attracted the interest of local businesses and institutions of higher learning.Oxton Academy director Marcel Monnar said his proposed school has had discussions about partnerships with LG Electronics and Hankook in Montgomery County along with Austin-Peay State University, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, and Bethel University.

For the third straight day, administrators with a proposed public charter school connected to Hillsdale College faced questions about their community support and the curriculum teachers would be using.Clarksville-Montgomery County School System District Director of Policy and Continuous Improvement Elizabeth Vincent told the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission that American Classical Education’s application to open American Classical Academy Montgomery left out important details about how its Hillsdale connected curriculum has performed in other states.

At a public hearing in Jackson Thursday morning, Administrators with the Jackson-Madison County School System told the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission that ACE’s application to establish the American Classical Academy Madison had no plan to support struggling students and those with disabilities.

Rutherford County Schools says it had reasons far beyond controversial statements about teachers to deny American Classical Education’s application to open a charter school.The district says the organization’s application not only failed to show a plan for students with disabilities and learning needs, but it also lacked evidence of true community support.

Rutherford County Schools says it had reasons far beyond controversial statements about teachers to deny American Classical Education’s application to open a charter school.The district says the organization’s application not only failed to show a plan for students with disabilities and learning needs, but it also lacked evidence of true community support.

American Classical Education (ACE) appealed all three denials to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission where the group now claims it has been wrongfully connected to Hillsdale. In two filings with the commission, American Classical Education is making a visible attempt to distance itself from the college.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools more than doubled its number of schools on Tennessee’s list of bottom-performing schools, while schools from several rural districts made the list for the first time.The state education department on Monday flagged 101 schools in 12 districts as so-called priority schools, meaning they were deemed academically in the bottom 5% in the 2021-22 school year.

Public charter schools are playing a prominent role in Nashville’s recognition for improved academic performance.The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced Monday that Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has increased the number of reward schools this year to 48 achieving the top accountability status during the 2021-2022 school yearNearly 30% of those 48 Reward Schools (14 total) are public charter schools.

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission heard from both parents and students Thursday morning who feel Southeast Nashville has a real need for a different educational approach to serve children who are English learners and those from underserved communities.The comments came during a public hearing for proposed public charter school Saber STEM Academy.

More than twenty speakers addressed the commission in both hearings including parents with young children in tow pleading for an alternative to traditional classroom-bound learning. Multiple homeschool families explained their decision to leave MNPS schools and why they would prefer the option of enrolling their children at the Tennessee Nature Academy to better meet their development needs.

The chair of the Memphis Shelby County Schools board wants newly elected member Keith Williams to relinquish his post as head of the district’s biggest teacher’s union, warning that his roles on both bodies pose a potential conflict of interest.

An analysis of TNReady data by the Nashville Charter Collaborative found public charter schools are serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students and students of color in Nashville and those students are showing stronger gains in math and English-Language Arts (ELA) at public charter schools.

Step Up, a mentorship nonprofit founded in 1998, announced they are expanding their operations to Nashville after Music City native, Reese Witherspoon, made a multi-year investment.

This fall a little-known state board could play a huge role in expanding school choice options for parents across the state.The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission will decide the appeals of thirteen potential new public charter schools who all were previously denied by their local school boards.