Investigative reporter
David Waters is Distinguished Journalist in Residence and assistant director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
There are 110 articles by David Waters :
Many third-grade students who fail their reading tests have learning disabilities, but Tennessee’s new retention law fails to address that reality, putting thousands of kids at risk of being held back.
Critics worry Tennessee’s new retention policy fails to address most of the reasons children struggle to read, leaving tens of thousands of third graders at risk of being held back this year.
Tennessee joins 36 states with laws that can result in underperforming elementary students being held back, but the results in other states have been mixed.
A new state law is raising the pressure on local public and charter schools. Third graders who “flunk” next spring’s TNReady reading test — and generally two-thirds of them in Tennessee do — are eligible to be retained in third grade next year.
Even as Tennessee moves forward with a law that could hold back tens of thousands of third graders, there is widespread misunderstanding about what it even means to read at “grade level.”
Slain Methodist minister’s faith and fear compelled her to build “community of shalom” amid culture of violence.
“She loved her family, her friends, her church and her community fiercely,” said Rev. Birgitte French, senior pastor of Colonial Park United Methodist Church. “She told the truth, but always in love. This is a devastating loss for all of us.”
In trying to quickly spend $172 million, the school district made decisions that limited competition for contracts, favored certain vendors and helped push overall costs up as much as 40%. Related story:
Changes in specs excluded key HVAC vendors from MSCS contracts
The district revised HVAC guidelines and its list of preferred vendors before bidding federally funded jobs.
Holocaust commemoration stirs memories of survivor Elie Wiesel and “Rabbi of Buchenwald.”
Senate and House finance committees are expected to take up the proposed Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) funding formula this week. A final vote in both legislative bodies could come soon.
Sectarian prayers at a government meeting notwithstanding, the General Assembly’s daunting task this session to allocate an additional $1 billion to education is more than a math problem.
“I know it’s crazy. I understand that. But these kids can’t wait for the war to end,” said Dr. William Novick.
Wanda and Chip Washington are back at work four months after their paired kidney exchange.
The BRAIN Center’s program at Le Bonheur now provides free mental health services to children treated for gunshot wounds, burns, car accidents and other traumatic injuries — and it could create a new standard of care for hospitals around the country.
The former development director for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Sanford served as president and CEO of the Mid-South Food Bank for nearly two decades.
Bipolar ionization devices, manufacturers say, attack and deactivate certain bacteria, pathogens, airborne particles, and volatile organic compounds. But the CDC, EPA, an industry standards association, and even a medical journal beg to differ.
Studies show that poor indoor air quality hurts the health, academic performance, behavior and morale of students and teachers. And yet, there are no federal laws or regulations that govern indoor air quality in schools, not even in a pandemic.
“I built those houses,” said Henry Turley. “There’s nothing wrong with those houses that should cause the residents to have to move out.”
For the second time in a generation, residents are on the move as MHA “converts” public housing to privately managed properties.
Minda Cox was born in a village in India 33 years ago and adopted 22 months later by a nurse from America. She was born without legs and arms, an extremely rare birth defect known as congenital amputation.
Team of teens from Memphis neighborhoods counter “pay-to-play” youth sports machine with Play Where You Stay.
Chip Washington wanted to give his kidney to his ailing wife, but he wasn’t a match. “What else can I do?” he asked doctors.
On March 26, 2020, 20 days after his retirement party, Kenneth Bradshaw died. He was 64. Now a summer camp scholarship will honor his memory.
Rev. Kathryn Kimmel will lead the Midtown Memphis congregation, which first met in 1839 in a log cabin near the Mississippi River.