Education News

College readiness: How Cheatham, Robertson and Sumner Schools stack up

Large numbers of students in Tennessee are not ready for college, according to newly released state data. The data shows how prepared public high school students are for college in math and reading and how many need remedial coursework once they enter a community college or public university in Tennessee. Overall, it paints a grim picture of the state’s continued challenges in improving...Read More

Report: Tennessee’s teacher prep programs are doing a better job, but graduating fewer educators

Tennessee’s teacher training programs improved or maintained their scores on a report card released Friday, even as the number of would-be educators they graduated dipped for a third straight year. Eight of the state’s 40 programs received the top overall score in 2018, while seven others moved up one notch to earn the second-highest scores. None of the programs saw their overall ratings...Read More

Large numbers of Tennessee students not ready for college, new state data show

Newly released data detailing how ready Tennessee students are for college paint a grim picture of the state’s continued challenges in improving K-12 education. The data, released to the state Senate Education Committee at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and obtained by the USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee, tally college readiness across the state in math and reading...Read More

Tennessee needs to reimagine how students can be ready for college and careers, nonprofit says

A report from one of Tennessee’s nonprofit voices on education says Tennessee needs to rethink what it means for students to be ready for college and careers. The priority from the State Collaborative on Reforming Education is one of four priorities for 2019 the group released during a Tuesday event. The priorities are released yearly by SCORE, an organization that seeks to increase...Read More

New Data: 60% of Students Graduate Within 8 Years

Among students who started at a community college or four-year institution in 2010, 60.4 percent graduated by 2018, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which tracks all but a small percentage of college students. That national eight-year completion rate is 5.6 percentage points higher than the six-year rate of 54.8 percent...Read More

What we heard from Tennessee’s education commissioner during her first week

From students in the classroom to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Penny Schwinn introduced herself as Tennessee’s education commissioner this week by praising the state’s academic gains over the last decade and promising to keep up that momentum by supporting school communities. Schwinn toured seven schools in Middle and East Tennessee during her first three days on the job to get a firsthand...Read More

Newly formed lawmaker group takes aim at improving Tennessee’s early education system

Tennessee lawmakers hope a newly formed Senate and House caucus can take a focused look on strategies that increase the state’s stubbornly low third-grade math and reading scores. The Tennessee Early Education Caucus, an informal assembly announced Wednesday, will focus on early education policy and strategies to increase the improvement of third-grade students.  The goal is...Read More

With 2 Years Left in Congress, Senator Lamar Alexander Lays Out His Road Map for Reauthorizing America’s Higher Education Act

Simplified applications for financial aid, fewer loan repayment options, and a new accountability system for colleges are Sen. Lamar Alexander’s top priorities for a pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, he said Monday. Alexander, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute, also said he is committed to working with Democrats to address hot-button issues surrounding...Read More

Why Private And Public School Teachers In Nashville See A Need To Join Forces

A growing group of Nashville educators has been quietly taking professional development into their own hands. Through regular meetings and summer workshops they’re helping one another improve at their jobs, and intentionally cutting across the private-public school divide. It all began when sixth-grade English teacher Greg O’Loughlin left Metro for a private school in Nashville. He says he...Read More

Study: Tennessee schools with the biggest needs tend to have lower-quality principals

Tennessee’s least effective principals are more likely to work in schools with students who are lower-achieving and live in poverty, according to new research. And the pattern exists in both urban and rural districts. The findings are outlined in a research brief released Thursday by the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, which is looking closely at school leadership through a...Read More