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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 group of men wearing business suits stand in front of a podium.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee legislative panel will look into rejecting federal education funds
Most federal money supports low-income students, English language learners, students with disabilities.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A group of students sit at desks in a classroom.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Student & School Performance
Tennessee hires D.C. district leader as first statewide school turnaround chief
Bren Elliott, a former Nashville school administrator, will oversee improvement efforts that encompass nearly 300 schools
By Laura Testino and Marta W. Aldrich
 
Women hold up signs of protest in a legislative chamber filled with people.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee’s special session on public safety ends with little action on guns
Gov. Bill Lee lauds extra $100 million for school safety, mental health, and more.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Three men wearing uniforms escort a woman from a crowded room.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Bills to let Tennessee teachers and citizens carry guns in schools advance in legislature
Senate leaders signal they may block both proposals.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A line of people hold hands and bow their heads around a stone building.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee legislature will avoid gun control in special session prompted by mass school shooting
Governor’s proclamation and new House rules limit subjects and debate.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A stone building bearing the etched words “COURT HOUSE” beside a lamppost
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Tennessee teachers group drops one of two lawsuits challenging new state laws
Challenge to classroom censorship will continue, while fight against the state’s ban on payroll dues collection ends.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
students in uniforms going up steps
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee picks a voucher novice to manage its education savings accounts
The state’s first choice dropped out after contract negotiations broke down.
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 School safety
It’s official: Tennessee governor calls lawmakers back to address guns, mental health after Nashville school shooting
Safe firearm storage, school safety policies, and stalking offenses are also on the table
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Students raise their hands in a classroom with a bulletin board that says “American History.”
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Teachers sue over Tennessee law restricting what they can teach about race, gender, and bias
The lawsuit is the first legal challenge to the controversial 2021 law
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A woman, surrounded by three men, raises one hand, and places her other hand on a Bible.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee’s new education chief: Implementing policy is her strength, governor’s priority
‘Tennessee has always been a bellwether state’ for education reform, says Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
hands on computer keyboards
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Student & School Performance
TCAP scores are in for Tennessee school districts. See how your district did.
Results offer localized snapshot of how school systems are doing with pandemic recovery.
By Marta W. Aldrich and Thomas Wilburn
 
Students write with pencils.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Assessment and testing
Tennessee’s TCAP test scores climb for second straight year after pandemic
The results suggest that Tennessee’s early investments in summer learning camps and intensive tutoring are paying off.
By Marta W. Aldrich and Kae Petrin
 
A man with glasses and an Afro style haircut stands with his hand in the air holding a piece of paper.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
The ‘Tennessee 3’ created a historic teachable moment. Will schools be allowed to teach it?
‘We definitely have noticed that a silencing is happening in our schools,’ said one student.
By Marta W. Aldrich and Laura Testino
 
A stone building bearing the etched words “COURT HOUSE” beside a lamppost
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee teachers group sues over new law banning local payroll deductions for dues
The ban was inserted by Gov. Lee into his popular plan to gradually increase teacher pay.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
woman in gray suit and white shirt sits in tan chair
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Key Tennessee education official Eve Carney resigns amid leadership transition
Carney was Penny Schwinn’s go-to manager for major programs.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
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