How independent should a university be? Plus, the local news for August 19, 2025.
Survey shows Tennessee teachers’ feelings about cell phones, disciplinary measures and school culture
Most Tennessee teachers find cellphone use in class disruptive and want their use restricted, according to an annual survey released this summer.
Students have been called to the office — and even arrested — for AI surveillance false alarms
Lesley Mathis knows what her daughter said was wrong. But she never expected the 13-year-old girl would get arrested for it.
Tennessee schools are updating classroom cellphone policies as required by new law
While the law gives latitude to local school boards, educators and policy experts insist that restricting cellphone use in schools improves social skills and keeps students safer in the event of an emergency.
East Tennessee students defend high school foreign language requirement
High school students in Tennessee may eventually no longer need to take a foreign language class to graduate. But some insist that these lessons go beyond the classroom.
How one Tennessee nonprofit will use a federal grant to help families with disabilities
Parents of students with disabilities are wondering how the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education will impact their children.
Middle School Cheerleaders Made a TikTok Video Portraying a School Shooting. They Were Charged With a Crime.
Social videos, memes and retweets are becoming fodder for criminal charges in an era of heightened responses to student threats.
A century later, Scopes trial still resonates amid classroom culture clashes in Tennessee
As the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial is commemorated, battles over public education continue in Tennessee and surrounding states amid a new wave of government scrutiny.
University of Tennessee among universities urged to cut ties with Chinese-backed scholarship program
Leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said Wednesday they’d sent letters to Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Temple University, the University of Tennessee and three University of California locations raising concerns about the schools’ partnerships with the China Scholarship Council.
Rural students have limited resources and higher poverty. This group is working to even the playing field
One of five children in Tennessee live in poverty. The Rural Early Learning Impact Network supports students with resources that go a long way toward addressing systemic issues.
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