Tennessee graduation rate improves for third straight year
Tennessee graduation rates had steadily risen for about 10 years before the COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptions triggered a three-year slide in the state.
Topic: Education
RSSThere are 208 article(s) tagged Education:
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October 2025
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‘It’s a calling': Collierville educator is Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year
When Brandi De La Cruz was deciding what she wanted to do with her life, a career as a high school math teacher was not on her radar. She wanted to be the next Martha Stewart.
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Memphis lawmaker to lead national standardized test board
State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) will lead the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees “the nation’s report card.”
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September 2025
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Memphis teacher vacancies decline, but district still struggles to hire certified educators
Memphis-Shelby County Schools cut teacher vacancies by hundreds compared with this time last year, thanks to a bolstered HR team, an official said. More than 200 new hires hold conditional licenses, which expire in three years.
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August 2025
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Memphis students outpace state growth in reading and math, but lag in social studies
Memphis-Shelby County Schools earned the highest score in the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System for the fourth year in a row. But younger students lost progress in social studies, falling behind expected growth.
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State law, executive orders push U of M to dismantle DEI efforts
To comply with a new Tennessee law and federal efforts, the University of Memphis is eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the school, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
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High lead levels found in water sources at some Memphis school campuses
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also notified Tennessee regulators and provided bottled water to be used along with water-filtration systems and hand sanitizer.
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Is Tennessee about to remove its world language graduation requirement?
When Tennessee State Board of Education Chairman Bob Eby mentioned at a May board meeting that he wanted to launch a study of the state’s language graduation requirement, he kicked off a firestorm of public response.
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This Week in Memphis: School is in session, and FESJC golf tees off
Also happening this week: Neighborhood groups across the county host police meet-and-greets for National Night Out.
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Last year, MSCS started school missing 478 teachers. This year, it’s hoping to be down to 240 vacancies — or fewer
In Memphis, significant portions of the teacher population are either new to the profession or nearing retirement eligibility.
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July 2025
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Memphis school board gives green light to new cellphone ban days before classes start
Students will be required to keep personal devices, including smartwatches, turned off and put away during school hours. Violating that policy could come with consequences, up to suspension.
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‘Adventure’ begins as new Hernando High opens
The new $90 million Hernando High has more than 200,000 square feet and is situated on an expansive 94-acre lot.
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Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
The move is expected to restore $17 million in federal funds to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which pays for school-based translators and helps educators hone their teaching strategies.
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A Feagins return to MSCS leader would be ‘short-lived,’ attorneys argue
“It would be contrary to and would not serve the public’s interest, in anyway, to legally mandate” that Memphis-Shelby County Schools restore Marie Feagins as superintendent, the school board’s attorney argued in court documents.
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June 2025
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Here’s where Shelby County families can find free meals and snacks this summer
For the first time in five years, many Shelby County families are missing out on supplemental grocery cash this summer after Tennessee stopped participating in a federal program that served the entire state.
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U of M raises tuition
University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave would not speak to a reporter after the meeting when asked about the tuition increases.
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April 2025
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Boys & Girls Clubs to close nine Memphis high school sites
“Just because the club closed does not mean the need is gone,” Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis CEO Gwendolyn Woods said. “We absolutely need Boys and Girls Clubs after-school programs inside of the schools.”
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MSCS avoids state takeover this year
Disagreements about what kind of authority an appointed board should have over the Memphis school system stopped the bill from advancing before lawmakers adjourned for the year.
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Tennessee pauses bill targeting right to education despite immigration status
The move diminishes the chances for the bill to pass this year as lawmakers prepare for a likely adjournment this week.
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MSCS’ Richmond not bound by same ethics clause Feagins was
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members formalized a contract with Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond two months after appointing him to replace ousted Superintendent Marie Feagins.
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March 2025
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School districts could deny enrollment to immigrant children if bill passes
The bill passed narrowly in an 11-7 vote, with three Republicans, including Memphis Republican Mark White voting against it alongside all four of the committee’s Democrats.
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MSCS takeover bill would give power to Shelby County leaders
Eads Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor brought the proposal, which targets Memphis by taking aim at Tennessee school districts with high concentrations of poverty.
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February 2025
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Here are the charter operators applying to open or run schools in Tennessee in 2026-27
Two groups want to open the first charter schools for at-risk students under a new state law.
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Memphis-area schools close due to winter weather
Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County’s municipal school districts have canceled classes as some 1-3 inches of snow and sleet are forecasted for Memphis overnight.
Related content:
How the Memphis area is preparing for snow; what’s closed Wednesday
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U of M’s Carnegie R1 status renewed
“A lot of our junior faculty that we are hiring ... are well-trained in research and finding funding for their research,” the U of M’s Jasbir Dhaliwal said. “It has absolutely become part of our culture.”
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