Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced the free At-Home Decodable Book Series are now available to Tennessee families of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade children to help our youngest learners become stronger readers. This launch is part of the family component of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students.

Nashville, TN— In celebration of National School Nurse Day on Wednesday, May 12, the Tennessee Department of Education is recognizing Tennessee’s over 1,600 school nurses, who support the health and wellness of Tennessee schools and students every day and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced that 15 applicants have been awarded subgrants under the Charter School Expansion Grant. These funds are intended to support sponsors throughout the planning, design, application, and potential launch of new charter schools in the state.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released the Educator Emotional Support Video Series to provide free, optional resources to support the mental health of Tennessee educators, created in partnership with statewide partners.

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education is pleased to announce 176 schools were selected for the second cohort of trauma-informed schools in Tennessee. This new cohort more than doubles the original 73 schools from the first trauma-informed schools cohort which launched in 2018-19.

Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced Tennessee-based Niswonger Foundation has been selected to develop and support the new Advanced Placement (AP) Access for All program designed to help more students earn college credit while in high school.

Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced that since June 2020, Tennessee has administered more than 178,000 ACT tests statewide, which is more than any other state in the country.

Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced that $1,000 stipends for completion of the two-week Early Reading Training will now be available to fifth grade classroom teachers, special education teachers and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers—in addition to kindergarten through 4th grade classroom, special education, and ESL teachers— expanding the number of teachers who are eligible to receive stipends for completing this critical reading training this summer.

Nashville, TN—Tennessee now meets nine of 10 standards for high-quality pre-K programs, which demonstrates progress over the last several years, according to the 2020 edition of The State of Preschool Yearbook by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn and members of the General Assembly urged school districts to ensure federal education funding goes directly toward student achievement. Tennessee has received nearly $4.5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief stimulus funding allocated specifically for K-12 education.

Knoxville, TN— In response to the shooting at Austin East Magnet High School in Knoxville earlier this afternoon, Commissioner Penny Schwinn released the following statement

Nashville, TN — Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced $2 million for round two of competitive Grow Your Own grants to help remove barriers and increase access to the education field for prospective teachers in Tennessee.

Nashville, TN—This week, the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN) announced the launch of the Spring STE(A)M Resource Hub, which provides weekly challenges and activities for families and students to explore sustainability efforts around a healthy and safe world, food, a clean earth, and industry innovation. Additionally, each week highlights a different national holiday connected to the week’s challenges and activities.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Tennessee’s Emotional Support Line for Pandemic Stress is adding a new method for people to reach out for help. The free and confidential line now has the capability to offer assistance via text message.

Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced a $14 million grant opportunity to establish the new Innovative High School Models program, intended to empower local communities and collaborate to boost student readiness and prepare students for a bright future in high-demand jobs in their region.