Third-grade reading scores in Memphis dip as district builds case for retaining students
Shelby County Schools students have a small-group instruction time each day. Near the end of last school year, students at Gardenview Elementary School examined a book during reading circle. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Chalkbeat file)
Laura Faith Kebede
Laura Faith Kebede is a distinguished journalist in residence at the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis. She leads the Institute’s Civil Wrongs project to write about historical cases of racial terror as a corps member for Report for America. You can follow her on Twitter @kebedefaith.
About 24% of third-graders in Shelby County Schools scored proficient in reading on the state’s standardized assessment TNReady, down from about 27% last year. Statewide, 36% of elementary students tested proficient.
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