SCS to get $49M in emergency funds
The money will cover short-term needs as schools address students’ learning loss and anticipated trauma from this year’s shutdown, as well as uncertain future revenues due to a likely recession.
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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April 2020
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Education Some seniors could miss out on HOPE Scholarships under emergency grading plan
For some students just short of a 3.0 grade point average, two extra months of grading could mean the difference between obtaining the state’s HOPE scholarship to attend college – or not.
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Education New emergency rules address likelihood schools won’t reopen this spring
The rules – which also direct the state to drop overall effectiveness scores in this year’s teacher evaluations — position Tennessee to weather the rest of the school year in remote learning mode.
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Education Tennessee expects $260M in federal stimulus funds for schools
The money will go toward critical expenses, including technology to support remote learning, summer and after-school programs, mental health services, support for students with special needs, sanitizing buildings and planning for long-term closures.
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Education What to do about the Class of 2020 and other decisions await Board of Education
Lawmakers directed the policy board to revise graduation rules after the coronavirus shuttered schools. The decision will affect an estimated 71,433 students in the Class of 2020 as Tennessee works to blunt the fallout of COVID-19 on school communities.
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March 2020
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Education Tennessee begins taking school voucher applications
Even as the new education voucher program is mired in a court battle and public schools may lose more funding if the coronavirus pandemic causes a recession, the state education department is accepting applications through April 29 via an online site.
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Education Sweeping Tennessee legislation filed to drop TNReady tests, allow fewer school days
The proposal aims to lift the burden of testing and other state mandates from public schools disrupted by the ongoing spread of COVID-19, as well as deadly twisters that shredded parts of Middle Tennessee this month.
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Education More Tennessee schools close due to coronavirus, but TNReady testing is on
For now, TNReady testing is on for grades 3-11. It’s scheduled to start as soon as April 13, though school districts have some leeway to decide exactly when.
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Education Schwinn on the hot seat over handling of textbooks and contracts
Tennessee's Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn appeared before the Senate Education Committee for a second straight week, where she was grilled about decisions last year involving the state textbook commission.
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Education Literacy bill advances in Legislature, minus ‘science of reading’ phrase
The governor set aside $68 million in next year’s proposed budget to overhaul reading instruction.
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Education Judge pledges to move swiftly on education voucher lawsuit
Chancellor Anne C. Martin indicated that she likely will allow three pro-voucher groups representing parents from Memphis and Nashville to become part of the case.
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Education Pro-voucher group launches online school search for Memphis, Nashville
Billed as a “one-stop shop” for parents, Tennessee School Finder focuses on school choices for families zoned to Shelby County Schools, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and the state-run Achievement School District.
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Education Proposed grading scale would give more students access to scholarships
The state’s grading policy for high school — which now awards A’s for point percentages between 93 and 100 and B’s for 85 to 92 — would return to a 10-point scale under the bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Hodges.
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February 2020
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Education Parents blame Tennessee education department upheaval for voucher problems
The Individualized Education Account program is under scrutiny, and voucher opponents say the problems bolster their case that Tennessee can't be trusted to launch the larger school voucher program this summer.
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Education Tennessee hires Nevada’s former education chief
Steve Canavero is working with the newly created Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. He led a similar charter initiative in Nevada. Tennessee's 118 charter schools are mostly in Shelby County.
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January 2020
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Education 30 Memphis-area private schools want in on the new voucher program
Getting high-quality private schools to sign on is viewed as crucial to the success of the education savings account program, which will launch with up to 5,000 students zoned for Shelby County Schools, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, and the state-run Achievement School District.
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Education More voucher advocates join Gov. Bill Lee’s administration
The new hires are expected to further expand the influence of organizations advocating for education policies such as vouchers and charter schools.
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Education Five education issues to watch as state legislators convene this week
Likely to lead the 2020 agenda will be proposals to improve students’ reading skills and increase teacher compensation, two needs that most every lawmaker can agree on.
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Education Turnaround schools should move to new charter commission, lawmaker says
State Rep. Mark White says charter schools in the Achievement School District should be under the charter commission, but state Rep. Antonio Parkinson says all 30 schools should return to local districts in Memphis and Nashville.
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Education Memphis and Nashville left to pursue suit against state
A legal challenge by Shelby County Schools and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools pits Tennessee’s two largest districts against the state over whether it allocates enough money to provide an adequate education to urban students who live in poverty, have special needs, or come from non-English-speaking homes.
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Education All 30 schools in Tennessee turnaround district would exit by 2022 under plan
According to a copy of the proposal obtained by Chalkbeat, the transition is part of a massive reset for the embattled turnaround model known as the Achievement School District, which has fallen woefully short of its goal to improve student performance since launching in 2012.
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December 2019
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Education Opponents seek to erase education voucher law
Reps. Bo Mitchell of Nashville and Joe Towns of Memphis have drafted separate proposals that would rescind Tennessee’s education savings account law.
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November 2019
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Education Abrupt reversal: Tennessee families won’t be taxed for using voucher money
The Department of Education released a statement Wednesday aimed at settling questions about the tax implications of receiving an education savings account under a new law championed by Gov. Bill Lee.
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Education Education voucher rules cruise through Tennessee board
The program is on track to launch in the fall of 2020, a year earlier than required under a new state law. Lee ordered the accelerated timeline this summer.
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Education Employee turnover high in Tennessee’s education department
The majority of the approximate 250 departures have been resignations rather than retirements or firings. The departure rate of just over 19% exceeds those of Schwinn’s two predecessors over comparable periods, according to state records.
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