Samantha West
Reporter, Chalkbeat Tennessee
Samantha West is a reporter for Chalkbeat Tennessee, where she covers K-12 education in Memphis. She’s a 2021 Education Writers Association Reporting Fellow and New to the Beat rookie. Before joining Chalkbeat, she was a K-12 education reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. While studying journalism and English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, she interned at The Washington Post and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as the Ann Devroy Fellow. A native Minnesotan and a seven-year Wisconsinite, she’s passionate about hotdish (not casserole) and the Green Bay Packers.
The $20 million center will centralize and strengthen the state’s 65 existing “grow your own” teacher preparation programs.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants a “fresh start” at Kingsbury High School. The community says it wants to be heard.
Jerica Phillips has served as the district’s top communications chief since 2020.
School districts across the nation have reported rising chronic absenteeism this school year, as in-person schooling resumed for the first time in over a year during the pandemic.