Laura Faith Kebede
Commercial Appeal
Memphis, TN, United States
Contact Laura
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Laura:
How Tennessee schools are helping aspiring barbers with high debt kickstart their careers
Coupled with long training hours and lower wages starting out in their career, many aspiring barbers struggle to pay back their loans. → Read More
Memphis Summer Academy makes changes after previous summer programs failed to raise student test scores
When Shelby County Schools leaders launched the Summer Learning Academy program in 2017, they wanted to boost student test scores as well as offer fun summer activities. So far, the district has... → Read More
Raising money for extra staff at Believe Memphis Academy helped increase math scores during the pandemic
Believe Memphis Academy leaders attribute the improvement to having more staff to support students and teachers in virtual learning, including six people dedicated to resolving technology issues and connecting families to resources. That way, teachers can solely focus on instruction. → Read More
‘There are better days ahead’: Superintendent wants ‘Memphis’ back in district name and to add dual language programs, fine arts to all schools
The proposed initiatives would mostly be paid for by the $500 million from the district’s third round of federal coronavirus relief money. But in order to sustain the changes and help students "climb their way out of generational poverty," Ray, who’s approaching his second year as head of schools, said the district would need more money from city, county, and state governments. → Read More
‘It’s like we’re not even there’: A Memphis student longs for a fresh start
Seven months into remote learning, Jalan Clemmons feels like most of his recent education has come from Google searches. When classrooms in Memphis reopened last month, it worsened... → Read More
‘Where is that money coming from?’ Memphis leaders say bill to force sale of Germantown schools would require new construction
Miska Clay Bibbs said Thursday that she doubts that the neighboring suburban system, Germantown Municipal School District, would continue to educate non-Germantown residents who live near Germantown Elementary, Germantown Middle, and Germantown High schools, known as the "three Gs." → Read More
Memphis summer break shortened so students can return to getting out of school in May
The Shelby County Schools 2021-22 school year will begin Aug. 9 and end before Memorial Day. → Read More
‘It was quite overwhelming’: Tennessee bill would spare recent out-of-state teachers from taking costly license exams
Obstacles for recently out-of-state teachers will have more dire consequences in coming years, as the number of teacher vacancies grow. → Read More
SCS works to bring back a normal school calendar for 2021-22 after COVID summer ‘crunch’
Discussions about the school calendar are an early sign of a desire by teachers, students, families, and district officials to return to normalcy even as effects of the pandemic linger. → Read More
More than grades: Memphis Lift creates new guide to help parents understand how children are doing in school
Not understanding what grades and test results mean was always an issue but became more urgent during the pandemic, said Sarah Carpenter, Memphis Lift’s executive director. → Read More
These Memphis schools were the first to get a COVID scare last year. Their experiences warned of the challenges to come.
From spotty communication and shaken trust in school leaders’ ability to keep communities safe to moments of joy and connection, what happened at Treadwell was a preview of the challenges and successes to come in pandemic education. → Read More
‘Third grade is too late’: SCS to forge ahead with second grade reading retention policy
The district is moving forward with a plan to hold back second graders who are behind in reading as state implements similar policy for third graders. → Read More
Holdout no longer: All Memphis students have access to classrooms as older students return
About a fourth of Memphis middle and high school students were expected to return to campuses Monday, after Tennessee pressured district to reopen → Read More
‘Happy reunion’: Memphis elementary classrooms open for first time in nearly a year
More than 17,000 elementary students, about a third, were expected to return to Shelby County Schools classrooms Monday. → Read More
9 things you should know before Memphis classrooms start reopening Monday
Here’s what we know. → Read More
Teacher feedback pushes SCS superintendent to delay vote on $5.6 million Educational Epiphany contract
Superintendent Joris Ray said he still stands behind the proposal, but wants to gather more feedback before deciding whether to bring the contract back for a vote. → Read More
‘The trust has been broken’: As some Memphis teachers prepare to return to classrooms, others are calling it quits
Shelby County Schools has avoided most of the tension with unions, compared with other districts nationwide, but teacher buy-in is still crucial to school reopening plans. → Read More
Memphis school leaders are betting big on one consultant to change how students learn to read. Will it work?
Shelby County Schools members will vote Tuesday in a $14.5 million contract over five years with Donyall Dickey's company Educational Epiphany. → Read More
Memphis school leaders are betting big on one consultant to change how students learn to read. Will it work?
The district is depending on Educational Epiphany to be a key driver in Memphis schools to meet state requirements for student reading levels. → Read More
SCS considers joining area school boards asking state to ease TNReady requirements
The statement concerns two laws passed during a recent special session on education. → Read More