Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown

Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Tennessee

Melissa Brown is the Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. She joined Chalkbeat from The Tennessean, where she covered state politics and government policy. Before moving to Tennessee, she reported on a number of issues around Alabama, including award-winning criminal justice work at The Montgomery Advertiser and higher education at al.com. Melissa is an Alabama native who grew up on military bases in Japan and England before graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in journalism.

Tennessee is receiving a landmark legal settlement over alleged social media addiction harming kids. Who gets to decide where the money goes, and how quickly will it get to Tennessee kids?

Using unscored test sections to trial run new assessment questions is not unusual, but there is concern about putting students through lengthier tests.

Tennessee released school-level 2026 TCAP results. See how your school performed.

State and federal grants aren’t keeping up with the costs of the special education pre-K classrooms Tennessee districts are required to fund.

Blackburn and Green will face off in Tennessee’s governor race. Where do they stand on education policy?

A new teacher licensure policy change already exempts some student teachers from a previous edTPA test requirement.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Memphis schools takeover after officials argued it could delay important decisions on purchases like HVAC repairs.

Tennessee students showed progress in statewide testing this year, but is the progress sustainable?

The Memphis oversight board will take over district controls from the elected school board beginning July 1.

The nine-person board will now seize significant authority from the locally elected school board.