On the Fly presented by The TN Firefly

This week's Friday Flicker recaps an important update this week on the new Education Freedom Tax Credit. New research found it could raise more money for students than initially projected. We are also taking a look at an innovative East Tennessee program to help bridge the gap between students facing economic disadvantages and the information they need to succeed after high school.

This week's edition of the Friday Flicker recaps a new concern for virtual schools, an important update on the appeal for what could be Dyer County's first public charter school, and the latest poll in the governor's race.

This week's Friday Flicker recaps our coverage of a possible disconnect between how schools value AI and how businesses value the technology. We also look at a new study that found charter school students are outperforming their peers and why a proposed charter school is getting a big boost from community leaders.

Next month, the federal government is expected to unveil guidelines for a new program approved as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill that families can use to help with education expenses, including private school tuition. It’s called the Education Freedom Tax Credit, and more than a million students in Tennessee could qualify for assistance through it.  Shaka Mitchell with the American Federation...

This week's Friday Flicker looks at a key difference between gubernatorial candidates Jerri Green and Sen. Marsha Blackburn regarding AI in the classroom. We also had positive news for choice schools in Tennessee. U.S. News & World Report named Rutherford County’s Central Magnet School the best high school in the country.  We're also profiling a unique daycare center in Nashville tha...

AI is becoming a more common tool in K-12 classrooms, and some universities are providing future educators with AI literacy. On this episode of On the Fly, gubernatorial candidate Sen. Marsha Blackburn discusses how she'd approach the technology if elected and what guardrails she'd like to see schools place on it.

This week we profiled the new Jackson Museum School.  It became the first public charter school to open in Madison County when students walked through its doors earlier this month. Founder Dr. Jean Little tells us the first day was exciting and a little emotional.  The Museum School will serve students in grades K-6 under a museum model that includes weekly expeditions to cultural learning centers...

On this week's episode, we recap Thursday's Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries and take a look at a key issue that decided multiple House primaries and incumbents who lost.

Today, Tennessee voters will decide the primaries for every State House seat and odd-numbered Senate seats, along with the governor’s office.   Obviously, the governor’s race is attracting the most attention, especially on the GOP side, where cash and polling have dominated headlines lately. U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has outraised the field in the last four campaign filings, while her best-fun...

This week, we began a weekly series of stories on AI in the classroom by focusing on how some Tennessee schools are using the technology.  In Nashville this summer, LEAD Public Schools held a three-week summer AI program for middle school students. They learned how to use AI as a useful thought partner on projects, and one student we talked to created an app for parking. Also this week, the state’...

On Tuesday, the Memphis-Shelby County School Board will be voting on four proposed new public charter schools. That includes two Urban Dove opportunity charter schools specifically designed for at-risk students who are over-aged and under-credited.  These students will be placed in one of three leagues instead of by grade level. Urban Dove School Leader Terri Gaston joins this week's On The F...

Next week, the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education will be voting on four proposed new public charter schools. That includes The Gate School, a proposed charter middle school for Nashville that would utilize an education model more commonly found in elite private schools known as the Harkness Method. School founder Burrus Cox joins this week's On the Fly to talk about the Harkne...

Next week, the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education will be voting on four proposed new public charter schools.  The Music City Academy is among them. The proposed charter high school, named after the famed Music City Miracle, would be founded by the man at the center of the historic play, former Tennessee Titan Kevin Dyson. He joined this week's On the Fly to explain his educati...

This week, we began a series of election profiles in advance of next month’s primary and general election. Every State House seat is up for a vote this year, along with odd-numbered Senate seats, and early voting on all of them began today. One common theme we saw in two GOP primaries is a divide over programs like the Education Freedom Scholarship that allow families to use taxpayer dollars for p...

This week, we had news of the positive impact of the Literacy Success Act. The legislation was passed in 2021, and a new report by Tennessee SCORE found that English language arts proficiency rates have risen by nearly 13 percent for third-graders and 14 percent for fourth-graders since then. We also covered a decision in Dyer County to reject what would have been the county's first public ch...

The summer school break is, for many students, a time for vacations or summer camps, but it’s also a time when some students have less access to the food and support programs they depend on during the school year. Knoxville Republican State Representative Elaine Davis has championed efforts to improve access to and investment in these programs and to enact tax cuts that support students’ well-bein...

We are recapping this week's education stories, including a recommendation in Hamilton County to reduce the number of local benchmarks students take from three to two.  Speaking of testing, we also received good news this week about the state-required TCAP assessments. This year’s results included key improvements in English language arts, math, and social studies.   Finally, this week saw en...

We are recapping this week's education stories, including a closer look at an issue dividing Senate District 1 GOP primary candidates, an update on the oversight board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and new recommendations for higher education funding. Also, this week, the results of our poll on using tax dollars for private school expenses.

Next month, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission is expected to approve changes to a funding policy for institutions of higher learning called the Outcomes-Based Funding (OBF) formula. The OBF provides financial incentives to institutions based on how well they help students succeed. For example, a college that graduates a higher percentage of students might receive more OBF funding than its...

This summer, the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education will vote on as many as four proposals for new public charter schools, including the Nashville School of Excellence. The proposed 6-12 grade school would be an expansion of existing Memphis School of Excellence locations. Firefly reporter Jacob Holley joined the proposed school’s principal, Kazim Kizilkaya, to discuss how the schoo...

House Education Administration Chair Representative William Slater joins this week's On the Fly to discuss the recent legislative session and his work on the Advisory Committee on Innovations in K-12 Education. 

Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green is the only contender in next August's Democratic gubernatorial primary who has held elected office. She joins this week's On the Fly to discuss how she'd work with the Republican supermajority if elected, what she'd do with the Education Freedom Scholarship program, and her vision for the future of education in Tennessee.

Early voting is underway for next month's four school board primaries in Davidson County, including District 4, where longtime Metro Schools teacher, principal, and program director, Jenny Bell, is challenging incumbent Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney to represent families in the Donelson, Old Hickory, and Hermitage communities of Davidson County. Bell joins this week's On the Fly to discuss...

This week, lawmakers will vote on legislation that’s designed to hold underperforming virtual schools accountable by requiring their closure. The Senate passed its version of the bill last month, and the House will take it up this week.  Education Instruction Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, joins this week's On the Fly to discuss the legislation.

This Tuesday, the Dyer County School Board will decide whether to approve the first truly rural public charter school in Tennessee.  The proposed Trimble Academy would combine classical education and outdoor learning for elementary and middle school students in Trimble. Trimble Forward Alliance President Margaret Prater joins this week's On the Fly to talk about her organization’s proposed ch...