Marta W. Aldrich

Marta W. Aldrich

Senior Statehouse Correspondent, Tennessee

Marta W. Aldrich is Chalkbeat Tennessee’s Senior Statehouse Correspondent. 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. Her freelance work has been published by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor and Dow Jones News Service, among others. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Student testing is a sticking point as legislative leaders seek a compromise.

Charter networks, both inside and outside the state, are tracking the legislation.

‘People were damn mad,’ said one spectator who was asked to leave the chamber.

GOP leaders acknowledge that the Achievement School District district had failed in its turnaround mission.

The proposal would widen criteria for determining which students could be held back — and give parents a say.

University could use charter groups to expand its reach and replicate teaching and learning models.

Vouchers are a “bitter pill” that will destabilize K-12 education, a former Superintendent of the Year testified.

In a rare action, the state Board of Education passed a resolution questioning whether the 2021 law targets the right age group.