Education News in Alabama

March 17, 2006 (archive)

FY07 Education Budget Sent To Governor Riley

Last week, state lawmakers approved the Education Budget for fiscal year 2006-07. The record setting $6 billion budget includes a 5 percent pay raise for education employees and 7 percent for retirees. The budget also provides funding to expand the school year from 175 days to 180 days bringing Alabama in line with the rest of the country with respect to time for teaching and learning and provides educators with an additional 2.75% salary increase. The final version of the budget includes partial funding for the reward component of the State Board of Education's accountability system for schools. The SBOE will award cash bonuses to high-poverty schools that show significant gains in achievement. Other efforts aimed at improving school performance include an increase of $16 million to complete expansion of the Alabama Reading Initiative into all K-3 classrooms and $17 million to expand the Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative. The FY07 education budget passed by the House and Senate contains $337 million more in recurring expenses then the budget originally proposed by the Governor.

Governor's Summit on Math & Science Education

The Alabama Governor's Summit on Mathematics and Science Education was held in Birmingham on March 6-7, 2006. The Summit brought together interest groups across the state to focus on the urgent need to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Dr. Gail Cassell, Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Eli Lilly & Co., Alabama native and former chair of UAB's Department of Microbiology, presented the recently released report from the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering entitled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." Dr. Cassell and other speakers outlined key recommendations for maintaining America's competitive edge in innovation and the response to these recommendations at the national level. State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton and UAB President Dr. Carol Garrison addressed Alabama's efforts to date to improve STEM education. Dr. Michael Froning, Dean of UAB's School of Education (and A+ Board member) led participants in several rounds of planning for Alabama's next steps.

The Summit was organized by the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition (AMSTEC). AMSTEC is an advocacy coalition of representatives from PreK-12 education, higher education, and the business/industry sector, and it supports all formal and informal educational institutions working to promote student learning in mathematics, science, and technology. To read more about why we should all be concerned about STEM education, access information presented by speakers, and review recommendations to address the challenge in Alabama visit: http://www.amstec.org.

New State Courses Of Study

The State Board of Education adopted the Arts Education and Languages Other Than English-Foreign Languages State Courses of Study (COS). The Arts Education COS focuses on standards for incorporating visual arts, music, theatre, and dance into all K-12 classroom content and provides guidelines for proficient and advanced levels at the middle and high school level. The new COS for Languages Other Than English adds American Sign Language as a high school offering and outlines new standards and content for Levels III and IV coursework in modern languages and Latin. The Courses of Study can be found online at: www.alsde.edu.

Reports Highlight Importance Of Rigorous Curriculum And Student Support In High Schools

Rigorous High School Curriculum Leads to Success in College

A new study released by the U.S. Department of Education finds that the rigor of a high school's curriculum is the best indicator of whether or not a student will earn a post-secondary degree. The report, "The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College," is based on a longitudinal study of students who graduated from high school in 1992.

It finds that academically challenging coursework is a more important determinant in college success than either grades or standardized test scores. In the study, 66% of students had earned a bachelor's degree by December 2000. Among other findings, the report discusses the trend toward college transfers. A majority (58%) of students in the study attended more than one institution following graduation. The full report is available at the U.S. Department of Education's website at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/toolboxrevisit/index.html.

High School Dropouts - The Silent Epidemic

A new report entitled "The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts" sheds new light on the reality of high school dropouts. The study found that 66% of students reported that they would have worked harder if expectations were higher, and 70% believe that they would have graduated if they had persisted. While a majority of dropouts earned grades of C or better prior to leaving high school, the study found that circumstances in the students' lives and an inadequate response by the school environment to those circumstances led to dropping out. Among students who dropped out with failing grades, 45% reported that they had started high school unprepared and did not have the support to catch up.

The report is based on focus groups and interviews with diverse individuals between the ages of 16 and 25 who considered themselves high school dropouts. The report was issued by Civic Enterprises and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and can be found online at: http://www.civicenterprises.net/.

In Other News

Author Clifton Taulbert to Launch New Book: "Eight Habits of the Heart for Educators"

Author Clifton Taulbert, will be participating in various events in Montgomery to launch his new book, "Eight Habits of the Heart for Educators." Taulbert is acclaimed for his two previous books, "Eight Habits of the Heart" and "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored." His books draw on his childhood in rural Glen Allen, Mississippi. Several events will be taking place in Montgomery on March 27-28:

Monday March 27 - Taulbert will visit Brewbaker Elementary and speak with students. The event will be broadcast live and commercial free from 10-11 a.m. on WSFA.

Tuesday March 28 - Taulbert will be speaking at Auburn University Montgomery at 7:30 pm in the Taylor Center, Room 230. The event includes book sales and signing.

"The Harmonies of Liberty: A Symposium on the Role of Religion in Public Life"

The University of Alabama School of Law will be hosting "The Harmonies of Liberty: A Symposium on the Role of Religion in Public Life." A number of national- and state-level leaders from civic groups, churches, politics, and academic institutions will gather for a day of addresses and panel discussions and is open to the public. The Symposium will be held March 31, 2006 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. For more information and registration for the Symposium, visit: http://www.harmoniesofliberty.org/

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