Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter who writes about how public policy shapes Memphis. She is currently reporting from Frayser about education and housing. Please write her with your suggestions and story tips.
There are 80 articles by Laura Testino :
Two Frayser high schools increased financial-aid application completion rates this year, bucking state and district trends. But more students still need to fill out the form for college.
The historic alleyway runs east from Second Street now to Fourth Street between Court and Madison avenues. Stuart Harris, a developer who spearheaded a renaming effort, said the “in-between” place holds “a lot of possibility and magic.”
The college is considering a future location in Frayser or Raleigh with programming tailored to the neighborhoods’ needs and interests.
Southwest sold its Gill Center to education neighbors Libertas, who plan to renovate the building for a middle school expansion, the organizations announced Wednesday.
A Memphis demolition company has renewed plans to double the size of its construction debris landfill, but is again facing opposition from Frayser residents who are critical of the existing site.
MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins says Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary School, shuttered last week by its state-takeover operators, will stay open this fall and expand to take on students from Humes Middle School. MSCS closed Humes earlier this spring.
During a recent hiring fair, MSCS offered jobs to about 100 people, but only 15 candidates were given teaching positions.
Findings from the state-run Achievement School District showed “serious noncompliance and material violations of the charter agreement” by Memphis Scholars, revealing additional information about the abrupt closure of the operators three charter schools.
Charter operator Memphis Scholars received a violation from Tennessee’s Achievement School District, prompting a board vote to close three schools that serve more than 400 students in North and South Memphis.
Using Tennessee Department of Education data, The Daily Memphian created a searchable table of Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) exam scores.
Math and English language arts proficiency varies by race, and MSCS’ scores continue to fall below statewide data.
Feagins has officially been superintendent for only about two months, but has been gearing up for this role for a long time.
MSCS is asking the county for more than $200 million in funding for school buildings, both to address maintenance needs at existing schools and to support construction of two new high schools.
Humes, now a middle school, is exiting a state-run turnaround district after 10 years. Its students will be reassigned to a school in a different part of the city.
The Craigmont planetarium is a one-of-a-kind offering in Memphis’ public school system. And it’s an example of how school building improvements can enrich student learning.
But there are still some lingering concerns about the proposal, which would make the proposed University Schools district the 10th public school operator in Shelby County.
The former superintendent departed under an investigation into allegations that he abused power and violated district policies.
Maire Feagins’ temporary employment with the Memphis-Shelby County Schools took effect March 1 on a per diem basis. She’s likely to become MSCS superintendent on April 1, months ahead of the July 1 start that board members had planned.
“Our city is begging for change when it comes to education, and I want to know that this school board has a plan,” said Rep. Mark White, who chairs a House education committee.
Tennessee fourth graders will have to show during state testing this spring that they’ve made progress toward becoming better readers in order to move to the fifth grade.
“I am committed to doing whatever it takes,” said Marie Feagins, currently chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District. Board names new Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendentRelated story:
Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) cited prolonged frustration with the board’s locally elected leadership when explaining his plans to Chalkbeat on Tuesday.
Six months after Tennessee hired its first leader to manage school improvement work statewide, the position is now vacant.
In all, nearly half of the district’s buildings, and their communities, could be affected if the district follows through on the plan.
Yolonda Brown, Marie Feagins and Cheryl Proctor will face a round of in-depth interviews in January.