Principal Rachael Bradley of Thales Academy-Franklin Talks Enrollment Growth, Student Engagement, and Optimal Learning Environment

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin’s Principal, Rachael Bradley to the newsmaker line to talk about the school’s growth, teaching methodology, and high-quality air circulation for an optimal learning environment.

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Thales Academy Head Administrator Rachael Bradley: Enrollment Doubles After Two Years, Upcoming Campus Expansion to Provide K-12 Experience

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy Franklin’s Principal, Rachael Bradley to discuss the rapid growth and success of the school and plans for campus expansion.

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Thales Academy Opens First Rural County School in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Thales Academy opened the doors of its brand new building in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Monday, as about 100 students from the academy’s Cary campus moved to the new facility in rural Chatham County.

“Chatham is the first time that Thales has been in a rural county,” Bob Luddy, the founder and chairman of Thales Academy, told The Star News Network. “So, my thought was having a facility of that quality in a rural county that’s a private initiative is going to change the way people think about K-12 education.”

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Thales Academy Franklin to Expand Campus, Offering Tour Today

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy’s Principal, Rachael Bradley in studio to talk about the school’s mission, expansion, and upcoming tour.

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Thales Academy Moves to Expand to Middle and High School Levels in Franklin, Tennessee

aerial view of Thales Academy

Thales Academy, offering schools with a high quality private education at affordable rates, is planning to expand from its elementary school in Franklin, Tennessee, to two new buildings for the middle and high school levels.

Robert Luddy, the founder and chairman of Thales Academy, told The Star News Network the expansion in Franklin is “off to a really good start because we have one campus open.”

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Thales Academy to Host Open House in Franklin Next Week

Officials at the Thales Academy in Franklin have scheduled an open house next week to allow prospective parents to tour the campus, visit classrooms, meet teachers, acquaint themselves with the school’s curriculum, or to ask questions. Franklin Academy officials have scheduled the open house for 6 p.m. Thursday, August 5 at their campus, located at 3835 Carothers Parkway in Franklin. Franklin Academy is an independent and private school.

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Thales Academy Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley Talks the School’s Successes and the Next Open House August 5

Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley to the newsmakers line to discuss their continued success and upcoming open house Thursday, August fifth at 6 pm.

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Thales Academy Franklin Adds Fourth and Fifth Grade After Huge Success of K-3 Programs That Opened in August

Thales Academy Franklin will add grades fourth and fifth to their programs for the 2021-2022 school year, due to a successful first quarter. Applications are now open and will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Thales Academy Franklin is one in a college preparatory network of Pre-K-12 independent schools founded in North Carolina. The Pre-K-5 programs use a Direct Instruction (DI) educational model. DI groups and paces children based on their skill levels rather than age.

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Thales Academy Glen Allen Adds Third Grade After Huge Success of K-2 Programs That Opened in July

Thales Academy Glen Allen will add the third grade to their K-2 programs in the 2021-2022 school year, after a successful first quarter. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Glen Allen location first opened on July 20 of this year – it is the first Thales Academy in Virginia.

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As Virginia Public Schools Struggle to Reopen, Thales Academy Sees Strong Start to School Year

Many public schools in Virginia won’t start until the end of August, but Thales Academy in Glen Allen is already off to a strong start for the 2020-2021 school year.

Thales, which is a private school with campuses in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, started their school year on July 20.

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VP Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Visit Thales Academy to Highlight an Example of How Schools Can Open During COVID Times

  Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Thales Academy on Wednesday in Apex, North Carolina. This visit by the members of the Trump administration comes as most school districts across the country are announcing schools with limit attendance to virtual and online classes to start the upcoming school year. Thales Academy, as a school, has bucked the virtual class trend and decided that its students will be attending in-person classes this upcoming school year. “We’ve got to get our kids back to school. We’ve got to get them back this fall,” Pence said at Thales Academy, according to WRAL. “It’s best for our kids. It’s best for working families. It’s best for North Carolina and best for all of America.” While Pence was at the Thales Academy, he chatted with fourth-grade students. Fourth-grade teacher Allison Combs, the teacher of the class Pence visited, said that she is happy to be in class teaching again even with additional health measurements, according to WRAL. “Virtual learning was challenging. We made it work because that’s what we had to do,” Combs said. “But losing that interaction with students made the work even harder. … Just having those interactions…

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Thales Academy-Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley Discusses How They Will Be Teaching Kids to Think Upon Opening August 3

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin’s principal Rachael Bradley to the newsmakers line to discuss the August 3 opening of Thales Academy-Franklin.

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Thales Academy Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley to Hold Parent Informational Meeting Today at the Franklin Mercantile Deli

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley to the newsmakers line.

During the second hour, Bradley confirmed that Thales Academy of Franklin will be open for school on July 20 and advised that there will be a parent informational meeting at the Franklin Mercantile Deli today from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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Thales Academy Announces July 20 Grand Opening of Franklin Campus

Thales Academy, a college preparatory network of Pre-K-12 independent schools, announced that it will hold a grand opening for its new Franklin campus on July 20.

The grand opening will mark the first day of the school’s year-round calendar for the 2020-2021 academic year, Thales Academy said in a press release.

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Thales Academy-Franklin’s Parent Information Meeting to be Held June 30 at Franklin Mercantile Deli

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley to the newsmakers line.

During their conversation, Leahy and Bradley discussed the upcoming school year and Thales Academy-Franklin’s parent information meeting next week.  

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Thales Academy-Franklin to Host Parent Informational Meeting June 30

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed the Principal of Thales Academy-Franklin Rachael Bradley to the newsmakers line.

During the second hour, Bradley described direct instruction methodology and urged parents to fill out an application online as slots are filling up quickly at the new school. She also said there is an upcoming parental informational meeting on June 30.

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Thales Academy to Host Parent Interest Meeting Tuesday Night

Thales Academy, a college preparatory network of independent Pre-K-12 schools, will be hosting a parent interest meeting Tuesday night regarding its new campus in Franklin, Tennessee.

The informational meeting is scheduled for June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at The Gate Community Church, the address of which is: 3835 Carothers Parkway, Franklin, TN 37067. Thales Academy is a secular school and is not affiliated with The Gate Church.

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Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley Discusses the June 9 Parent Meeting and How the School Teaches Reading Instruction

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Principal Rachael Bradley of Thales Academy of Franklin to the newsmakers line.

During the second hour, Leahy and Bradley discussed the upcoming Thales Academy-Franklin event on June ninth at 6:30 p.m. and how Thales will teach reading to their students.

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Principal Rachael Bradley Explains Saxon Math and How it is Used at Thales Academy-Franklin

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy of Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley.

Leahy and Bradley discuss upcoming Thales Academy-Franklin events and the concept of Saxon math. 

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Thales Academy-Franklin’s High Quality Education Using Direct Instruction Methodology Will Hold an Open House on May 12

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy in Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy-Franklin Hosting Food Truck and Parent Informational Meeting on May 12

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy-Franklin to Hold Parent Informational Meeting Tuesday May 12 at 6:30 p.m. Per Social Distancing Guidelines

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy-Franklin to Hold Tentative Parent Informational Meeting May 12 at The Gate Community Church per Social Distancing Guidelines

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy in Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Principal Rachael Bradley: Thales Academy of Franklin Is Now Offering FREE Online Learning Courses for Local K-5 Kids

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by Thales Academy-Franklin’s principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy Offers Free Online Coursework for K-5 Students

Thales Academy in Tennessee is offering free online learning coursework to families in the Franklin area to help offset the government-mandated shutdown of schools considering the coronavirus, the academy announced on Wednesday.

“Our mission at Thales Academy has always been to provide the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost for as many children as possible,” said Bob Luddy, founder of Thales Academy, in a statement. “We hope by offering remote learning free of charge that Franklin area families can help their children continue to grow academically during this time and experience our strong Thales Academy curriculum firsthand.”

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Thales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley Talks About Discount Tuition and High Quality Education

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy in Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy of Franklin Now Offering Substantial Tuition Discounts to Help Families Get Through the Coronavirus Shutdown

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– host Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by new all-star panelist and Thales Academy of Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy-Franklin: Principal Rachael Bradley Joins Leahy to Talk About Affordable Private Education Coming to Tennessee in July 2020

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– host Leahy was joined by new all-star panelist and Thales Academy of Franklin’s principal Rachael Bradley.

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Thales Academy-Franklin: Principal Rachael Bradley Talks About Direct Instruction and the Next Parent Informational Meeting March 10th

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and the new Thales Academy in Franklin Principal, Rachel Bradley.

During the second hour, Bradley described the methodology of direct instruction which will be used at the new Thales Academy in Franklin as a teacher-led and carefully scripted environment that prevents misinformation from floating around the classroom. She described the flow of teaching as quick-moving where every minute of the school day is learning.

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Thales Academy’s Rachael Bradley Outlines Thales Academy’s ’15 Outcomes’

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by State Senator Kerry Roberts and Thales Academy-Franklin Administrator Rachel Bradley.

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Parents Attend Thales Academy-Franklin Informational Meeting, Learn About the School’s High Quality, Affordable Education Option

  FRANKLIN, Tennessee – A crowd of about 50 parents,  grandparents, and Tennessee Star Report All-Star panelists came out to hear first hand the announcement from Thales Academy founder Bob Luddy on Tuesday night that Thales Academy-Franklin will open its doors beginning in July of 2020, and will offer Middle Tennessee parents an affordable and high-quality education option for their children. Luddy broke the news that the campus will be located at the Gate Church on Carothers Parkway, the location of the evening’s meeting. Thales Academy has purchased the building and is beginning renovations to convert the church building to an effective home for its K-3 campus. Thales Academy-Franklin will be the first school in Tennessee added to Thales Academy’s successful roster of eight current campuses in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Founder Bob Luddy emphasized their methodology of direct instruction (DI) Tuesday night and expressed the passion in their mission of teaching to master and creating connections for their students. When discussing what separates Thales from traditional models of schooling and how parents should see their children’s progress he stated, “You really don’t have to have any test scores or grades. If you can’t tell the difference than we’re…

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Thales Academy’s Rachael Bradley: Direct Instruction Is the Best Way to Teach Kids Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy and in-studio guest State Senator Kerry Roberts were joined by new all-star panelist and Thales Academy administrator Rachael Bradley who is in town to speak to parents tonight at 6:30 p.m. about Thales Academy K-3 coming to Franklin, Tennessee in July.

If you have not signed up yet, you can do so now at www.thalesacademy.org/franklin.

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Star News Education Foundation Executive Director Kent Misegades Explains Thales Academy’s ‘Direct Instruction’ Methodology

Misegades discussed the methodology of direct instruction, what it offered children, and how it motivated him to become part of the Thales Academy mission. At the top of the second segment, he described the history and the growth of Thales Academy from 2007 and why parents should consider enrolling their children.

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Thales Academy-Franklin Administrator Rachael Bradley to Speak on Direct Instruction with Parents Tuesday Night at Gate Community Church

Live from Nashville, Tennessee Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined on the line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy administrator Rachel Bradley.

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The Tennessee Star Report Speaks to Dr. Tim Hall of Thales Academy and Their Approach to an Affordable Classical Education Coming to Nashville in 2020

  On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the Report welcomed Thales Academy’s Dr. Tim Hall to the show to talk about the type of education they offer and how they are bringing it to the Nashville, Tennessee area in 2020. As the segment came to a close, Dr. Hall described the curriculum offered at Thales Academy in more detail, noting that it’s a direct instruction and classical education that has proven to show it’s students testing higher than other students from both the private and public sectors. Leahy: We are joined now by Dr. Tim Hall, the Chief Academic Officer of Thales Academy, a high quality affordable private school. Has eight schools and three thousand students. Been in business in North Carolina for eleven years. And they’re coming to Nashville. Dr. Hall, welcome to the Tennessee Star Report. Hall: Well thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. Leahy: So you’re coming to Nashville and you will be here in Nashville a week from today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an informational meeting at the West…

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Thales Academy, High Quality and Affordable Private School, Is Coming to Nashville

  Thales Academy, a non-profit company that owns and operates eight private schools in North Carolina, is coming to Nashville. Founder and CEO Bob Luddy, the entrepreneur who also owns CaptiveAire, the nation’s leading provider of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment, and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Tim Hall will be among the Thales Academy team members who will be addressing the public at an informational meeting that will be held in Nashville on Friday, July 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at West End Community Church, located at 235 White Bridge Pike in Nashville. The event is free and open to the public. You can confirm your attendance here. Nashville joins Richmond, Virginia as locations Thales Academy has identified for expansion in the 2020-2021 academic year. In each community, Thales Academy is working with local groups who want to give students and parents in their area the opportunity to be part of a high quality, low cost private education based on traditional Judeo-Christian values. The Thales model emphasizes Direct Instruction rather than Common Core to learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic for K-5 students, and a classical curriculum for 6-12 students. Direct Instruction is a teaching method that…

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Commentary: ‘The Thales Way’ Is the Book That Can Save American Education

Would you be interested in a book on reforming education by a man who created flourishing grade, middle, and high school charter schools, all with waiting lists today, found them too mired in government bureaucracy and so started 13 even more successful purely private campuses in 2007 — and who is willing to share his secrets of success with you?

In hiring young people for his large private business, Bob Luddy of Raleigh, North Carolina, ran head-long into the problem shared by other employers — namely, that many potential employees with a public-school education did not have the elemental skills required to hold jobs, some unable to understand basic logic or even to read.

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Thales College to Welcome Inaugural Class of Undergraduates This Fall at North Carolina Campus

There’s a new private college in town – one with affordable tuition, accelerated degrees, and classical liberal arts and career-ready majors – and it will be welcoming its inaugural undergraduate students this fall at its new Wake Forest, North Carolina campus.

Thales College, founded by Bob Luddy, who also created the network of affordable private K-12 schools known as Thales Academy, said in an announcement the college’s students “will enjoy personalized mentorship and teaching from top-notch faculty, and they will benefit from our new campus home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with Raleigh’s vast opportunities and amenities at their fingertips.”

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Commentary: The Real Cost of the Debt-Ceiling Deal

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spent weeks of negotiating to authorize $4 trillion in new deficit spending over the next two years. This means that our national debt will be $35 trillion in 2025. The interest cost will be up to $1.4 trillion annually, only a small amount less than the current cost of national defense and Social Security combined. This staggering debt undermines the future prosperity of every American.

Federal spending contributes to a sense of entitlement, including for every person receiving federal largesse. Think of the adverse impact of federal student loans. President Barack Obama promised that government-granted student college loans would be more efficient, but these loans have, in fact, ballooned the cost of college. Concurrently, colleges have reduced quality outcomes and propagandized students, undermining our society because many students are hopelessly in debt. Now, progressives in Congress want to terminate the provision requiring repayment of student loans. For many of our young workforce, the burden of high student loans precludes marriage and buying a house.

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Tennessee Star Education Reporter T.C. Weber Provides the Inside Scoop on the Third Grade Retention Bill

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed education reporter TC Weber in studio to discuss problems with TCAP testing and gauging the academic proficiency of students.

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State Senator Jack Johnson Clarifies Terms of State Abortion Trigger Law, Action on Third Grade Retention

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson to the newsmaker line to clarify the abortion trigger law, third-grade retention bill, and the possibility of direct instruction in K-12 public schools.

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Tennessee House Education Administration Committee Chairman Mark White on Third Grade Retention Bill, Early Literacy

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Chairman of the Education Administration Committee in the Tennessee House of Representatives (R-TN-83) Mark White to the newsmaker line to address the core of the third-grade retention bill and confronting issues in earlier education.

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Commentary: Accreditation Is a Means of Government Control in Education

Accreditation pervades American education from kindergarten through graduate school. It has become a means through which the government enforces subpar educational outcomes and increases its power.

Of course, it didn’t start out that way.

Primary and secondary accreditation began in the 1880s as a voluntary method to improve quality among schools and establish standards for students preparing for college.

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