Education
Confusion over new parental leave for teachers leads to wrongful denials
Six months after Tennessee lawmakers approved paid parental leave for public school teachers and staff, confusion and misinformation has led to some teachers being wrongly denied leave and others unaware they are entitled to it, educators and advocates say. The unanimous and bipartisan approval last May of six-week paid parental leave for educators caught even […]
TN Charter School board goes split decision on Hillsdale allowing school in Madison, not Maury
The Tennessee Charter Commission approved another American Classical Education charter school, reversing a denial by the Jackson-Madison County School Board. On Thursday the commission voted on charter school appeals in Madison and Maury counties made by American Classical — a charter school chain affiliated with Michigan-based Hillsdale College. Tess Stovall, the executive director of the […]
Lawmakers say stopping federal education funds favors private and charter schools over public
Critics of a plan to consider rejecting upwards of $1.9 billion in federal education funds say the idea would undermine public schools in favor of private and charter school operators. One lawmaker, Sen. Heidi Campbell, went as far as to call it “a grift.” “The controlling party has made it pretty damn clear that they’re […]
Top Tennessee lawmakers start push to reject billions of dollars in federal education funds
Tennessee could be on the verge of rejecting nearly $1.9 billion in federal education funding with House and Senate leaders creating a group to study the potential impact. The idea is drawing opposition already, though, from key Democrats, including Sen. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis, who said the money is “essential to ensure educational equity and […]
Tennessee State University’s Glover urges state to pony up $2.1 billion
Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover is urging the state to follow federal recommendations and boost funding by $2.1 billion at the historically Black college to make up for a three-decades-plus shortfall. A 2021 report found the state shorted TSU by $544 million in matching funds for land grant institutions. “That’s no small sum, but […]
States urged by Biden administration to rectify underfunding of land-grant HBCUs
States engaged in decades of underfunding of land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities […]
American Baptist College lands $3 million technology grant for minority communities
American Baptist College, the Nashville school responsible for educating a generation of civil rights leaders, has landed a grant of almost $3 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce through its Connecting Minority Communities pilot program. The funding, which comes from the department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is designed to eradicate digital deserts within […]
University of Tennessee students positive about campus free speech
A recent survey shows most University of Tennessee students are positive about their campus’s commitment to free expression, in contrast to conservative rhetoric. The 2023 Campus Climate Survey, published by UT before the fall semester, shows 92% of UT students said their campuses were committed to free expression, and 89% felt comfortable expressing themselves. Eight […]
Millions enrolled in new student loan repayment program
WASHINGTON — More than 4 million federal student loan borrowers are enrolled in the Biden administration’s new repayment program, according to figures released Tuesday by the Department of Education. With the pause of more than three years on federal student loan repayments coming to an end in October, and the Supreme Court’s summer decision to […]
Biden administration provides guidance on diversity in college admissions
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and Department of Education jointly released guidance on Monday to colleges and universities about how to consider race in admissions decisions, following the Supreme Court’s summer decision that struck down affirmative action in higher education. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, on a call with reporters, said higher education institutions can […]
Hillsdale’s American Classical Education officially appeals charter denials in Maury and Madison
American Classical Education, a Hillsdale-College-affiliated charter school chain, continued its blistering critique of Madison and Maury counties’ school systems in its appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, filed last week. In letters attached to the appeal applications, American Classical board member Dolores Gresham — a former state senator — called the Maury charter […]
Glover to retire from TSU presidency, hints at national role
(This article has been updated.) Nearly a year after Republican lawmakers threatened to fire her over a housing crunch, Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover announced Monday she will step down next year. During a Faculty Staff Institute meeting, Glover said she will end her tenure as TSU president June 30, 2024, making her decision […]