
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.
Families will get new scores within 48 hours, say state officials
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools is the state’s first to take Facebook, TikTok, and others to court.
But up to 60% of third graders could be at risk of being held back as a stricter reading law kicks in.
The definition was the most pressing question lingering as thousands of students head to summer school
Testing do-overs, appeals, summer learning camps come next for struggling readers who want to avoid retention
“There is broad agreement that action is needed,” Lee said.
Former Bush administration official will become the first Hispanic American to hold the post.
Research suggests that implicit biases may contribute to racial disparities in education, but it’s less clear whether training employees makes a difference.
After Senate balks, House agrees to limit expansion to Chattanooga-based Hamilton County 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.”
GOP lawmakers move quickly to expand Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account program.
5 questions with an education leader about the law’s rollout as high-stakes testing is set to begin
Lee: ‘Really difficult circumstances can bring about really positive outcomes.’
The ousted lawmakers said their goal was to advocate for thousands of demonstrators demanding stricter gun laws.
“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.
Proposal to arm teachers is among delayed measures.
‘We can do something,’ Gov. Lee says: Put armed guards in every public school.
So-called red flag law is on the table.
A rally at the Capitol: ‘We don’t need a day to mourn. We need a day of action,’ protester says.
The 28-year-old attacker was a former student and came to the school armed with rifles and a handgun.
A proposal to take vouchers statewide is also on the table, but unlikely to get a vote this year.
Critics predicted class sizes would grow under the legislation
Critics worry the change could flood districts with unfounded complaints
Critics say it’s not the state’s role to pay for child care
The measure would widen reading test criteria for retention but keep the state in control of those decisions.
Schwinn would chair panel and report back by Dec. 1
State inspections found 527 unlocked doors so far this school year.
House Education Committee Chairman Mark White wants the state to consider more than TCAP test results
Holding back third graders who aren’t deemed proficient remains a sticking point
Teachers’ personal libraries were not the law’s intent, says lawmaker