Marta W. Aldrich
Chalkbeat Tennessee
Franklin, TN, United States
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Past articles by Marta:
Tennessee House speaker proposes task force to look into rejecting federal education funds
House Speaker Cameron Sexton wants to create a task force to study the feasibility of Tennessee rejecting U.S. education dollars to free up its schools from federal rules and regulations. → Read More
Tennessee governor’s safety bill threatens schools with funding cuts if they don’t lock entrances
Gov. Bill Lee is proposing sweeping changes to enhance school safety across Tennessee, requiring all K-12 public schools to keep their exterior doors locked, or risk losing escalating amounts of state funding with each violation. → Read More
Tenn. legislative leader wants to widen reading test criteria for determining third-grade retention
A leading House Republican has filed legislation to expand test results that determine which third graders are at risk of being held back if they aren’t deemed proficient readers. → Read More
Bill to clarify Tennessee school library law would exempt classroom book collections from scrutiny
A bill from Democrats would clarify that Gov. Bill Lee’s school library law was intended to scrutinize books in traditional libraries, not teachers’ personal classroom collections. → Read More
Private school voucher and charter-friendly bills sail through Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate has approved two Republican-sponsored bills that would expand or clarify eligibility for students to receive private school vouchers or enroll in charter schools. → Read More
Tennessee looks to ‘Mississippi miracle’ as it grapples with stagnant reading scores
Tennessee once counted on Mississippi’s worst-in-the-nation reading scores to elevate its own national ranking for literacy. Now it’s looking to its neighbor to the south as a role model for how to improve. → Read More
Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. What would that mean for kids?
When House Speaker Cameron Sexton recently floated the idea of Tennessee rejecting U.S. education dollars to free its schools from federal restrictions, he made the pivot sound as simple as making up the difference with $1.8 billion in state funds. It’s not. → Read More
Tennessee private school voucher expansion bill clears first legislative hurdle
A proposal that would expand eligibility for private school vouchers to students in Hamilton County Schools passed easily out of its first legislative committee Wednesday. → Read More
Gov. Lee aims to raise minimum salary for Tennessee teachers to $50,000 by 2027
Gov. Bill Lee says he’ll propose legislation to increase Tennessee teachers’ minimum salary from $41,000 to $50,000 over the next four years, up from $35,000 when he took office. → Read More
Concern over Tennessee’s third grade reading and retention law prompts flurry of bills
Lawmakers have filed at least 18 proposals over concerns about a new Tennessee reading law that could send tens of thousands of third-graders to summer school this year to avoid being held back. → Read More
Tennessee lawmakers propose scholarship program to address child care ‘crisis’
With the cost of quality child care often exceeding in-state tuition bills at Tennessee colleges, two lawmakers have filed legislation to create a state government program offering child care scholarships to low- and middle-income families. → Read More
Two charter schools in Memphis and Nashville to move from one state-run district to another
The district run by Tennessee’s Charter School Commission will grow to 16 schools with the addition of Promise Academy Spring HIll in Memphis and LEAD Neely’s Bend in Nashville. → Read More
Tennessee schools need $9 billion of infrastructure investment, report says
Tennessee’s latest inventory of school construction and repair needs comes as local and state officials grapple with how to cover the rising cost of materials and labor, which has doubled in 10 years. → Read More
Bill would curb ‘implicit bias’ training in Tennessee schools, universities
Two years after limiting conversations on race and gender in the classroom, and one year after clamping down on school library books, state lawmakers are now looking at curbing how school employees are trained about race and bias. → Read More
Tennessee legislative preview: Key education issues to watch as lawmakers return
Legislative leaders working closely with Gov. Bill Lee say the administration’s focus will be on executing what’s already passed — not introducing major new initiatives. → Read More
Nashville, Shelby County to appeal court’s dismissal of Tennessee school voucher case
Shelby County and Nashville plan to appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's private school voucher law → Read More
Nashville, Shelby County to appeal court’s dismissal of Tennessee school voucher case
Plaintiffs behind two lawsuits challenging the private school voucher law say they’ll appeal a court’s dismissal of their remaining claims. → Read More
Tennessee textbook panel says it’s ill-equipped to manage library book appeals
With new veto power over which books can be in school libraries, Tennessee’s all-volunteer textbook commission missed its first big deadline. Here’s why. → Read More
Tennessee private school voucher law would expand to Hamilton County under bill
Tennessee’s education savings account law currently affects districts and some students in Memphis and Nashville. But a new legislative proposal would add Hamilton County Schools to that list. → Read More
Hillsdale-linked charter school group will try again in Tennessee
American Classical Education is formally exploring opening charter schools in five counties, just months after a controversial failed attempt to come to Tennessee. → Read More