Here are the charter operators applying to open or run schools in Tennessee in 2026-27
Two groups want to open the first charter schools for at-risk students under a new state law.
Marta W. Aldrich
Chalkbeat Tennessee
Marta W. Aldrich is the senior statehouse correspondent at Chalkbeat Tennessee. 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. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
There are 186 articles by Marta W. Aldrich :
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February 2025
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Education Tennessee’s shrinking Achievement School District set to make its move
The operator of the last charter schools in the Tennessee’s turnaround district asks to continue managing them under Memphis-Shelby County Schools before state takeover.
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Education Some Tennessee charter school applicants may bypass local districts
Gov. Bill Lee is pushing for a major revision to Tennessee charter school law to create ways for operators to bypass their local elected school boards.
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January 2025
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Education NAEP results: Tennessee students buck grim national trends on nation’s report card
“Tennessee students did well relative to other states, and we did better than some of our neighbors,” Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said.
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Education TN universal school vouchers would cost at least $1.1B in first 5 years, state projects
The governor and the legislature’s GOP leaders are seeking even more funding for the program’s first year than the legislative analysis identifies.
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Education Trump names former Tennessee schools chief Penny Schwinn to serve as deputy education secretary
Penny Schwinn would bring the perspective of a state schools chief to her job.
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December 2024
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Education New Tennessee charter school law for at-risk students draws interest in Memphis and Nashville
Three aspiring charter groups are interested in opening schools in Memphis and Nashville in 2026 under a new state law aimed at creating options for at-risk youth.
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November 2024
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Education Few third- and fourth-graders are being retained under Tennessee reading law, data shows
Some 60% of Tennessee third-grade students scored below proficiency in English language arts on 2024 state tests. Fewer than 1% of them were retained under the state’s reading and retention law.
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Education Tennessee K-12 school building costs escalate amid competing political priorities for education
Tennessee needs to spend about $9.8 billion on repairs, upgrades, or construction to keep its K-12 public school buildings safe and conducive to learning, according to a new state report.
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Education Gov. Bill Lee backs Trump plan to abolish U.S. Department of Education
Lee called it “a great idea” to dismantle the agency, which was created under a 1979 federal law during President Jimmy Carter’s administration.
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Education Tennessee teachers scoff at proposed bonuses linked to Gov. Lee’s school voucher plan
“It’s a one-time bonus that’s basically asking us to sell out our public schools,” said Liz Marable, a longtime Memphis educator who is currently president of the United Education Association of Shelby County. “But we are not for sale.”
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Education Tennessee’s new universal school voucher bill has GOP leaders on the same page
The governor said he looks forward to delivering on his promise for more education choices for parents.
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Education Tennessee’s costly, disruptive school-turnaround work didn’t help students long term, says research
The analysis has national implications for ongoing reforms aimed at making swift and dramatic improvement to persistently low-performing schools.
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October 2024
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Education Tennessee is gearing up for another private school voucher debate. Here’s what we know.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson told school board members the governor is planning a “substantial” increase for public education funding in 2025 but didn’t specify how much or for what.
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Education State renews charter for Wooddale Middle School, overturning Memphis board decision
The executive director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission said the school has shown improvement in the past two years and generally outperforms nearby middle schools operated by the local district.
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Education How Tennessee’s largest school system is stepping up its literacy work
Superintendent Marie Feagins is embracing a “back to basics” approach to reading instruction as Memphis-Shelby County Schools seeks to improve student test results.
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Education With all of Tennessee’s hurricane damage, will funding priorities change for schools, vouchers?
“Our first priority now has got to be taking care of our neighbors in East Tennessee and helping them recover from this storm damage,” Rep. Mark White said.
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August 2024
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Education Federal review of Memphis school district cites dozens of cases of sexual harassment and assault
Memphis-Shelby County Schools violated federal civil rights law by not adequately responding to complaints of sexual harassment and assault of students in a three-year period, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced Friday.
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Education Amid big shifts, Memphis school district’s enrollment is up but still short of projections
More than 2,300 students who were expected to attend district schools haven’t shown up.
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State Government Tennessee law to let teachers carry guns in schools caused a ruckus, but has drawn little interest
No Tennessee school system has indicated it’s working to train teachers or staff to be armed under the new law, according to dozens of school and law enforcement officials contacted by Chalkbeat.
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April 2024
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Education Tennessee 4th graders await test scores — and outcome of debate on policies that could hold back thousands
Carly Fair, who has children in Tennessee public schools, was a lobbyist at the state Capitol for families like hers who have a fourth-grade child at risk of being held back under a 2021 reading law.
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State Government Tennessee’s at-risk youth could see a new education option under charter school bill
At least 75% of an opportunity charter school’s students would have to be classified as at risk, and the school also could include a residential setting.
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Education Bill to let some teachers carry guns advances in Tennessee. Parents wouldn’t be notified.
Legislation to let some public school teachers carry handguns gained momentum as the GOP-controlled legislature quashed new attempts to tighten the state’s lax firearm laws following last year’s mass school shooting in Nashville.
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March 2024
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Education Tennessee bill to ease reading law’s retention policy for 4th graders clears first hurdle
State lawmakers advanced legislation Tuesday that would put fewer fourth graders at risk of being held back this year under Tennessee’s 2021 reading law.
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Education University of Memphis could become its own K-12 school district under new legislation
The University of Memphis, which operates three high-performing schools for K-12 students on its campus, could become its own school district under new legislation from two Republican lawmakers from Memphis.
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