Tennessee Firefly

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Named after Tennessee's official state insect, the Tennessee Firefly shines a light on the untold and under-told stories about education and government in the Volunteer State. Since 2004, more than 2,500 newspapers have closed – and remaining media has altered its focus and coverage to survive. Decisions and policies at the state and local level have a direct impact on the lives of every Tennessean. The Tennessee Firefly seeks to strengthen our communities through factual journalism with a local focus to increase civic engagement and awareness. Our reporters and contributors will keep you in the know with stories and commentary centered around the leaders and policies that impact Tennessee. The Tennessee Firefly launched in 2022. Its operations are funded in part by Tennesseans for Student Success, a statewide network of teachers, parents, community leaders, and volunteers who are dedicated to supporting, championing, and fighting for Tennessee’s public school students and their futures. Source

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Scope Local
Language English
Country United States of America
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Research Finds Economically Disadvantaged Student Proficiency Gap Not Closing

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By Jacob Holley
| Tennessee Firefly
New research on the 2026 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) found that troubling gaps remain for students from lower-income backgrounds.¶ Education organization Tennessee SCORE found that the gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) students and non-ED students has not closed over the past five years.
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Commentary: Polling Data Released by TSS Action Calls into Question Claims Made by Rose Campaign’s Internal Polling

| Tennessee Firefly
On Tuesday morning, the Tennessee Journal reported that internal polling from the John Rose campaign for governor showed that Congressman Rose had “closed ground on longtime frontrunner Marsha Blackburn.”¶ Specifically, the article reported that 600 likely Republican voters were polled by McLaughlin & Associates for the Rose campaign from June 28 to June 30, and that just 35 percent of likely Republican voters indicated they held a positive favorable opinion about Blackburn.¶ That number was...
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State Intervention in Memphis-Shelby County Remains in Limbo

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By Jacob Holley
| Tennessee Firefly
Nearly a week into a court order temporarily halting state intervention in Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS), both sides are still working out the details to schedule a hearing in the case.¶ U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw finalized a court order halting the takeover on July 1, the day the state oversight board was set to assume control.
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Report Finds the Literacy Success Act Is Delivering Results

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By Jacob Holley
| Tennessee Firefly
A new report on last month’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results shows the positive impact of legislation passed during 2021’s special legislative session on education.¶ According to the report produced by Tennessee SCORE, Tennessee students are continuing a trend of increased English-Language Arts (ELA) proficiency in grades three through five on the TCAP that began the year after the Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) was passed.¶ The TLSA required school districts...
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Chattanooga Grad Starts Program to Help Students Think 'Big Picture'

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By Zoe Kuhn
| Tennessee Firefly
Maurquez Thompson, an incoming senior at Stanford University, is assembling a college access initiative to assist students from Brainerd High School and The Howard School in Chattanooga.¶ The 21-year-old Chattanooga native is a 2023 graduate and co-valedictorian of Hamilton Brainerd High School and has roots in the Howard school, where his father attended.¶ As the youngest of 10 children, Thompson said his parents taught him the importance of education and the importance of being “relentless...
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Tennessee Schools Rank Highest in the South for Racial and Economic Segregation

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By Jacob Holley
| Tennessee Firefly
A new report has delivered some uncomfortable news about the makeup of Tennessee schools.¶ Brown’s Promise released a report in conjunction with the Segregation Tracking Project that revealed that United States schools are still racially and economically segregated in many areas, and the report cited Tennessee as one of the worst offenders.
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World Cup Providing a ‘Global Platform’ for UT

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By Zoe Kuhn
| Tennessee Firefly
University of Tennessee Professor John Sorochan has spent the last five years preparing for this summer’s World Cup.¶ Sorochan isn’t an athlete, but he leads UT’s acclaimed turfgrass program, which has collaborated with the University of Michigan to develop high-quality, high-performance playing surfaces for the soccer tournament that began earlier this month.¶ A total of 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including Atlanta, Boston, and Kansas City, are now utilizing...
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Board Names Leigh Webb Interim Superintendent of Williamson County Schools

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By Zoe Kuhn
| Tennessee Firefly
Members of the Williamson County School Board unanimously voted to name longtime district leader and teacher Dr. Leigh Webb as interim superintendent at a special called meeting Monday night.¶ Webb will replace Superintendent Jason Golden, who announced last week that he would be joining Franklin Special District as its Associate Director of Finance, Administration, and Legal Services.
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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Poised to Renew Tech Contract Despite Lawsuit

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By Jacob Holley
| Tennessee Firefly
Memphis-Shelby County Schools is poised to renew contracts tonight with two of its education service providers, including one that the district is battling in court.¶ The district is recommending that board members renew contracts with PowerSchool and i-Ready, two education technology companies, for the foreseeable future.¶ This would be the second consecutive year the district has renewed its contract with PowerSchool since it suffered a widespread data breach in 2024, in which hackers...
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Former Senator Lamar Alexander Says Tennessee Needs More Political Competition

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By Sky Arnold
| Tennessee Firefly
Former U.S. Senator and Governor Lamar Alexander lamented the decline of political competition in Tennessee during a conversation at last week’s Rotary Club of Nashville meeting.¶ Alexander told the group of business and community leaders that Tennessee was the third poorest state in the country when he became governor in 1978.
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