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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 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
 
People work in an ornate legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Voucher and charter-friendly bills pass Tennessee Senate, as House speaker proposes home school charters
The bills would advance Gov. Bill Lee’s school choice agenda
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
man wearing a business suit stands at a podium
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Special education
Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. What would that mean for kids?
From students with disabilities to schools serving disadvantaged students, ‘there’s just a lot of uncertainty’
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Ornate public building
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee private school voucher expansion bill clears first legislative hurdle
Sponsors want recently launched pilot program to add Hamilton County Schools
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man in a business suit stands at a podium surrounded by other men who are clapping.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Gov. Lee wants to raise base pay for Tennessee teachers to $50,000 by 2027
Schwinn says salary leap would be ‘game changer’ to recruit and retain educators
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Two men wearing business suits speak with each other in a committee room.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Concern over Tennessee’s third grade reading and retention law prompts flurry of bills
Summer camps and tutoring are popular, but holding students back because of a test score is not
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A little boy jumps off of a plush set of steps. A little girl walks with a doll and a bucket of toys in the foreground as another boy stands near a window in the back of the classroom.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Early Childhood Education
Taking a cue from Tennessee Promise, lawmakers propose scholarships to address child care ‘crisis’
Promising Futures would tap sports betting tax revenues
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Woman speaks into table microphone
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Charter schools
Two charter schools in Memphis and Nashville to move to new state-run district
Charter commission district grows with more ASD schools
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A bulldozer moves dirt at a school construction site.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Healthy schools
Tennessee’s K-12 schools need $9 billion in infrastructure investment
Local governments struggle to keep pace with construction costs
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Two Black elementary students sit in a classroom with a white teacher.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Diversity & Equity
Bill would curb ‘implicit bias’ training in Tennessee schools, universities
Democrats call the proposal ‘a step in the wrong direction’
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Men wearing business suits sit at desks in a large assembly hall.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee legislative preview: Key education issues to watch as lawmakers return
Third grade retention policy, private school vouchers, and a teacher shortage are among the priorities
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man wearing a suit speaks at a podium in front of a school and surrounded by several other people wearing suits and dresses.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Nashville, Shelby County to appeal court’s dismissal of Tennessee school voucher case
Three-year-old legal battle continues, even as applications are approved
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A display of colorful picture books, including some about Black history.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee textbook panel says it’s ill-equipped for possible onslaught of appeals over library materials
New censorship law was essentially an unfunded mandate
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
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From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee private school voucher law would expand to Hamilton County under bill
Democrats say it’s bad policy to expand a ‘pilot’ program that just launched
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Woman speaks at a podium in large meeting filled with desks and people.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Charter schools
Hillsdale-linked charter school group will try again in Tennessee
American Classical files letters of intent in five counties
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man stands at a wooden podium, where a cross hangs above him, as he listens to another man ask a question, gesturing with his right arm.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee COVID Stimulus
Tennessee private schools could get $60 million in leftover pandemic relief funds
State considers eligibility criteria that could exclude student poverty levels
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A gavel sits on a white table as shadows loom underneath.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Vouchers
Tennessee’s private school voucher program wins again in court
Opposing attorneys say they may appeal to a higher court
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Close-up of books on shelves in a library.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee textbook panel hones school library guidelines for ‘age appropriate’ materials
Commissioner Laurie Cardoza-Moore says some books should be pulled from shelves statewide
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
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From Chalkbeat Tennessee
Gov. Bill Lee wants to ‘make the most of the next four years’ on education. Here are ideas from Tennesseans.
Treating and paying teachers better, supporting student mental health, reinforcing reading would help
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A man at a podium holding a microphone
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Campaigns and elections
Tennessee election results: Gov. Bill Lee wins second term, will prioritize education again
Though he offered few specifics, Lee said he plans to build on his education agenda of the last four years
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A teacher with young students in the classroom.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Tennessee Department of Education
To address teacher shortages, Tennessee may drop major test for many teacher candidates
By Marta W. Aldrich