Education

Tipton County teacher Kathryn Vaughn, pictured with her husband and son, said she's received a new policy allows paid family leave after childbirth. (Photo: Submitted)

Confusion over new parental leave for teachers leads to wrongful denials

BY: - October 19, 2023

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 […]

Supporters of American Classical Education during a Tennessee Public Charter Schools Commission meeting held on Oct. 5, 2023 (Photo: John Partipilo)

TN Charter School board goes split decision on Hillsdale allowing school in Madison, not Maury

BY: - October 6, 2023

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 […]

Federal funds make up an average of 11% of school district funds. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Lawmakers say stopping federal education funds favors private and charter schools over public

BY: - September 27, 2023

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 […]

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton announced Monday the formation of a legislative committee to consider rejecting billions of dollars in federal funds for public schools. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Top Tennessee lawmakers start push to reject billions of dollars in federal education funds

BY: - September 25, 2023

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 […]

Main gates at Tennessee State University in Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tennessee State University’s Glover urges state to pony up $2.1 billion

BY: - September 20, 2023

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 […]

Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover and Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris smile at each other during TSU's commencement in May 2022. (Photo: John Partipilo)

States urged by Biden administration to rectify underfunding of land-grant HBCUs 

BY: - September 19, 2023

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 […]

Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette and his wife, Kate Bulls Lafayette, leave American Baptist College in Nashville on Nov. 18, 2022. (Photo: John Partipilo)

American Baptist College lands $3 million technology grant for minority communities

BY: - September 8, 2023

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 […]

Ayres Hall at the University of Tennessee. (Photo: Getty Images)

University of Tennessee students positive about campus free speech

BY: - September 8, 2023

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 […]

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Millions enrolled in new student loan repayment program

BY: - September 6, 2023

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 […]

An aerial shot of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Getty Images).

Biden administration provides guidance on diversity in college admissions

BY: - August 15, 2023

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 […]

A four-piece mailer sent to households across the state from Hillsdale College leads with accusations against Nashville media.

Hillsdale’s American Classical Education officially appeals charter denials in Maury and Madison

BY: - August 15, 2023

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 […]

Glenda Glover, Ph.D., announced her resignation as president of Tennessee State University effective Jan. 30. 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Glover to retire from TSU presidency, hints at national role

BY: - August 14, 2023

(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 […]