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Marta W. Aldrich

Senior Statehouse Correspondent, Tennessee

Marta W. Aldrich is Chalkbeat Tennessee’s Senior Statehouse Correspondent. A newswoman for The Associated Press for most of her career, Marta has covered state government, politics, business, education and other Tennessee news. She has served as news editor of United Methodist News Service and features editor of American Profile magazine. Her freelance work has been published by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor and Dow Jones News Service, among others. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

a woman in a blue top and glasses works with three young female students.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
Over 25,000 Tennessee 3rd graders retook reading test this week to try to meet new promotion policy
Families will get new scores within 48 hours, say state officials
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Hands with red-painted fingernails hold a cell phone.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Mental Health in Schools
Tennessee school district sues social media companies over student mental health ‘crisis’
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools is the state’s first to take Facebook, TikTok, and others to court.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A student fills out her reading log.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
More Tennessee 3rd graders tested proficient in reading this year
But up to 60% of third graders could be at risk of being held back as a stricter reading law kicks in.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
young girl using a digital tablet at her desk in a classroom
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Student & School Performance
Tennessee’s 3rd-grade retention law requires ‘adequate growth’ to advance. Here’s what that means.
The definition was the most pressing question lingering as thousands of students head to summer school
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A teacher leads young students in a reading exercise.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
Reading test scores go out today in Tennessee. The stakes are higher than ever for third graders.
Testing do-overs, appeals, summer learning camps come next for struggling readers who want to avoid retention
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man greets children outside of their school
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee governor sets special legislative session for Aug. 21 after Nashville school shooting
“There is broad agreement that action is needed,” Lee said.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A woman stands in a school library and gestures with her hands.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Texan Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds to lead Tenn. education department as Penny Schwinn exits
Former Bush administration official will become the first Hispanic American to hold the post.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
An elementary teacher walks with a student to another classroom outside.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teacher training
Tennessee school employees could skip implicit-bias training under bill headed to governor’s desk
Research suggests that implicit biases may contribute to racial disparities in education, but it’s less clear whether training employees makes a difference.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man in a white suit speaks into a microphone in a legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee legislature sends governor pared-down school voucher expansion bill, omitting Knox County
After Senate balks, House agrees to limit expansion to Chattanooga-based Hamilton County Schools.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man wearing a suit and standing in front of a desk speaks into a microphone in a legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee legislature dismisses gun bills in rush to adjourn, defying protests after school shooting
“They are shrugging their shoulders at us,” said one Nashville mom, “but we are not going to stop.”
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Several men wearing business suits talk around a desk.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Bill to extend private school vouchers to Hamilton and Knox counties clears Tennessee House
GOP lawmakers move quickly to expand Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account program.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A girl in a white and blue shirt with black shirt sits at a tan desk.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
Changes in Tennessee retention law will come too late for third graders this year
5 questions with an education leader about the law’s rollout as high-stakes testing is set to begin
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man in a business suit speaks at a podium with the U.S. flag in the background.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Governor calls for Tennessee law to keep guns from ‘dangerous people’ after Nashville school shooting
Lee: ‘Really difficult circumstances can bring about really positive outcomes.’
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
From left to right, a man, a woman and another man standing at a podium in front of U.S. and Tennessee flags.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee
Judgment day: Two Tennessee Democrats voted out of GOP-controlled legislature over gun protest
The ousted lawmakers said their goal was to advocate for thousands of demonstrators demanding stricter gun laws.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Closeup of man aiming a gun at a target
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Should teachers carry guns? Here’s what Tennesseans say as bill advances
“If more guns in more places made us safer, we’d be the safest state on the planet, and we’re not,” a Nashville dad and gun-control advocate said.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A group of men in business suits
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
With Nashville school shooting fresh, Tennessee Senate panel defers gun bills until 2024
Proposal to arm teachers is among delayed measures.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A girl yells into a megaphone surrounded by students holding signs on the steps of a large building.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Nashville students rally at Capitol for tougher gun laws
‘We can do something,’ Gov. Lee says: Put armed guards in every public school.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A law enforcement officer stands in front of a crowd of protesters.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
After Nashville school shooting, pressure builds on Tennessee leaders to rethink gun policies
So-called red flag law is on the table.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A woman bends down in front of a row of flower bouquets against a stone wall.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
As Nashville reels from school shooting, Tennessee lawmakers consider loosening gun restrictions
A rally at the Capitol: ‘We don’t need a day to mourn. We need a day of action,’ protester says.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Police officers in uniform outside a school building, next to a tree.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Search for answers continues after shooter kills three children at Nashville private church school
The 28-year-old attacker was a former student and came to the school armed with rifles and a handgun.
By Marta W. Aldrich, Laura Testino, and 1 more
 
A woman in a white business suit gestures as she speaks into a microphone in a legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Knox County would join Hamilton in latest Tennessee school voucher expansion proposal
A proposal to take vouchers statewide is also on the table, but unlikely to get a vote this year.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A classroom with green walls and empty desks.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Tennessee bill to loosen class size limits dies in House committee
Critics predicted class sizes would grow under the legislation
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Two men wearing business suits in a legislative chamber
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Tennessee bill would widen who can complain about teaching of banned concepts
Critics worry the change could flood districts with unfounded complaints
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A preschool teacher at a table surrounded by children uses Play-Doh to shape letters of the alphabet.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Early Childhood Education
Despite a few bumps, Promising Futures child care scholarship bill advances in Tennessee Senate
Critics say it’s not the state’s role to pay for child care
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man wearing a suit and blue necktie speaks into a microphone in a legislative chamber with the Tennessee state flag in the background.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Bill to ease Tennessee’s third-grade reading and retention law clears first legislative hurdle
The measure would widen reading test criteria for retention but keep the state in control of those decisions.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Two men wearing suits walk in a crowded hallway with a chandalier in the backdrop.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee House speaker proposes task force to look into rejecting federal education funds
Schwinn would chair panel and report back by Dec. 1
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man wearing a suit stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee School safety
Tennessee governor’s safety bill threatens penalties for schools if they don’t lock entrances
State inspections found 527 unlocked doors so far this school year.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Man in a suit and tie gestures while speaking into a mic.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Early Childhood Education
Tennessee legislative leader wants to widen reading test criteria for determining third-grade retention
House Education Committee Chairman Mark White wants the state to consider more than TCAP test results
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A boy and a girl share a picture book while sitting on a concrete bench in front of a concrete wall and a sculpture of a large yellow fish with a tangle of dark seaweed growing up from its back with blue, magenta and white flowers interspersed.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
Tennessee looks to ‘Mississippi miracle’ as it grapples with stagnant reading scores
Holding back third graders who aren’t deemed proficient remains a sticking point
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Children’s books fill clear plastic reading bins in an elementary school classroom.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Bill to clarify Tennessee school library law would exempt classroom book collections from scrutiny
Teachers’ personal libraries were not the law’s intent, says lawmaker
By Marta W. Aldrich