Tennessee Firefly

1 week ago | tnfirefly.com | Sky Arnold

Trump’s support for assessments aligns with testimony earlier this month from the president’s pick for the number two position in the U.S. Department of Education. Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told senators in her confirmation hearing earlier this month that testing is a key part of improving reading and math proficiency. “If we want to change these numbers, we must be willing to measure them. That starts with strong assessments and honest accountability.

2 weeks ago | tnfirefly.com | Sky Arnold

A Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) selection committee chose rising Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School junior Ava Dakash to be the next student member of the district’s Board of Education. A district announcement said committee members appointed Dakash after reviewing more than 20 applications from across MNPS. She will join John Overton High School rising senior Hannah Nguyen as a non-voting members representing the district’s more than 81,000 students next school year.

2 weeks ago | tnfirefly.com | Sky Arnold

“Hearing Shelby County Schools is destroying documents ahead of the forensic audit – this is a crime! @TNCOT has been notified. Those tampering with or destroying public records will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” wrote Sexton in a joint statement with Lt. Governor Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, on X. Memphis-Shelby County Schools pushed back on Sexton’s allegations Thursday evening, saying staff have no evidence of staff tampering with or destroying documents.

2 weeks ago | tnfirefly.com | Sky Arnold

This year the members of the Tennessee General Assembly spent more than three months debating, voting, and passing legislation that will impact classrooms across the state. Keeping track of all those bills can be a challenge for busy families, but education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) is launching an online tool to provide some help.

2 weeks ago | tnfirefly.com | Sky Arnold

The Rock would serve up to 333 high school students, specifically targeting those from high schools with the highest percentage and/or total count of students with chronic absenteeism. “There is a critical gap for students who are often overlooked and overwhelmed. Desire for a school that sees them, hears them, and builds with them,” said White during Tuesday’s meeting.