Events
September 8 New Memphis: Teachers’ Lounge
Using unscored test sections to trial run new assessment questions is not unusual, but there is concern about putting students through lengthier tests.
A virtual panel agreed that MSCS needs a public, sustainable plan to outlast superintendent and board turnover. They disagree on the details.
Tennessee released school-level 2026 TCAP results. See how your school performed.
State and federal grants aren’t keeping up with the costs of the special education pre-K classrooms Tennessee districts are required to fund.
18 schools will remain closed for a second day. The district canceled classes Monday after a Saturday storm caused widespread power outages, including at 40 schools.
Using unscored test sections to trial run new assessment questions is not unusual, but there is concern about putting students through lengthier tests.
A virtual panel agreed that MSCS needs a public, sustainable plan to outlast superintendent and board turnover. They disagree on the details.
Tennessee released school-level 2026 TCAP results. See how your school performed.
State and federal grants aren’t keeping up with the costs of the special education pre-K classrooms Tennessee districts are required to fund.
18 schools will remain closed for a second day. The district canceled classes Monday after a Saturday storm caused widespread power outages, including at 40 schools.
Blackburn and Green will face off in Tennessee’s governor race. Where do they stand on education policy?
Most Memphians agree that something needs to change in MSCS to help students succeed. RSVP to join Chalkbeat Tennessee’s Bri Hatch and local education experts Aug. 31 for a live virtual event on potential solutions.
In a divided vote Monday, Shelby County commissioners adopted the 2026-27 school year budget that includes teacher bonuses for high-need positions and $200 million for building repairs.
Four Democrats elected to Memphis-Shelby County school board in first partisan election
MSCS leaders toured schools rejoining the district and those absorbing students displaced by recent closures on the first day of classes. Here’s what they shared.
With district leadership still up in the air, MSCS is diving into chronic absenteeism solutions and math curriculum changes. And more school closures are likely this year.
The district is relaunching its summer door-knocking campaign and changing in-school strategies to boost attendance after high absenteeism became an impetus for the MSCS state takeover.
Together4Students wants MSCS to drop its lawsuit over the state takeover. It’s training young fellows to rally support.
Early voters begin casting their ballots Friday to elect two new members to MSCS board seats. But it’s unclear how much power those elected candidates will have.
After the pandemic, more than half of the students at Compass Berclair were missing at least 10% of school days. A new attendance team helped get them back on track.
Most of the $53 million identified as potential abuse spending comes from a 2022 custodial contract that district leaders referred to the FBI for investigation.
Nashville Republicans used early audit findings to fast-track the state takeover of MSCS this spring. Final results come as the takeover is in limbo.
A new teacher licensure policy change already exempts some student teachers from a previous edTPA test requirement.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Memphis schools takeover after officials argued it could delay important decisions on purchases like HVAC repairs.
Tennessee students showed progress in statewide testing this year, but is the progress sustainable?
The state takeover board can pull from two pots of money to reform Memphis schools. It's unclear how and for what those funds can be used.
After seeing steady gains in reading scores, Memphis leaders say they’re turning attention more to middle school math.
At a community advocacy event Saturday, dozens of Memphis parents told Chalkbeat they want new district leadership to better address reading gaps and district distrust.
The lawsuit challenges a new Tennessee law that establishes an oversight board to take control away from the locally elected school board.
The Memphis oversight board will take over district controls from the elected school board beginning July 1.
The nine-person board will now seize significant authority from the locally elected school board.
Tennessee Republicans want to use Houston’s 2023 takeover as a model for Memphis. Here are the early changes Texas officials made to class curriculum and staffing.
Though Tennessee law bans religious charter schools, state officials have left the Knox County Board of Education on its own to defend the policy. The legal battle signals major changes may be on the horizon for Tennessee’s charter landscape.
Recent school takeovers in Texas, often heralded by Tennessee Republicans, resulted in multiple school shutdowns. And a former MSCS superintendent appointed to MSCS’ oversight board made closures a lynchpin of his tenure.
In the past four years, MSCS charter students increased math proficiency rates by 22 percentage points. That far outpaces the gains from traditional school students.
The $1.7 billion proposal now goes to the Shelby County Commission for approval. It’s unclear whether a state-appointed oversight board will have a role in the process.
SCORE CEO David Mansouri will be the only takeover board member who isn’t a Shelby County resident.
The nine appointees will have control over key MSCS decisions, including the budget and school leadership, for four years.
The governor announced his five appointees for the Memphis schools oversight board hours after signing the measure into law.
Tennessee’s top three Republican leaders can now appoint a new oversight board with sweeping authority over the state’s largest school district.
The South Memphis alternative school will relocate to Norris Achievement Academy for at least one year. District leaders faced community backlash over the school’s impending closure.