Education News in Alabama

November 14, 2006 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

VOTERS BACK STABLE SCHOOL FUNDING

Alabamians approved a school funding proposal by a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent, according to unofficial results from the Nov. 7 general election.

The constitutional amendment won favor in 48 of Alabama’s 67 counties, including many areas – such as Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore counties – where property taxes will increase.

Many education groups worked together to build support for the amendment. The partnership included  the Alabama Education Association, Alabama Association of School Boards, Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools, School Superintendents of Alabama and State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph Morton.

The amendment changes the match that local school systems must raise locally to receive state funding. In Alabama, the vast majority of school dollars come from the state.

Systems must begin to meet the match requirement using property taxes alone, as most systems already do. Existing law has allowed systems to use a mixture of taxes, including sales tax.

State officials are working on implementing the amendment. Any changes will appear on tax bills mailed in October 2007.

For more background, please visit the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, http://parca.samford.edu/Summer2006.pdf.

DAVIS SPOTLIGHTS ALABAMA SCHOOLS MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

More than 90 people gathered at the McWane Center in Birmingham Nov. 1 to hear success stories from Alabama schools. U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, organized the event with the help of The Education Trust.

Davis moderated the panel discussion, which focused on how standards-based reform of No Child Left Behind has raised achievement for poor and minority students in Alabama.

“I do not accept the premise that there is any child we can’t educate,” said Davis, whose mother was a school teacher.

The panelists were Sherita Williams, principal of Kinterbish Junior High in rural Sumter County; Betsy Rogers, 2003 National Teacher of the Year, and Principal Margie Curry, both from Brighton Middle School in Jefferson County; Stephanie Robinson, principal partner at The Education Trust; and Martha Barber, a regional principal coach for the Alabama Reading Initiative and former principal of Birmingham’s Tuggle Elementary.

“If we care about the quality of every profession … we have to believe that public schools can be made to work,” Davis said. “Yes we can.”

To read The Education Trust’s report, “Yes We Can: Telling Truths and Dispelling Myths about Race and Education in America,” use this link http://snipurl.com/1262i.

State-specific data on student achievement and the achievement gap is available using Education Watch Online, an interactive data tool found at http://snipurl.com/1263m.

To learn how Kinterbish and two other Alabama schools are closing the achievement gap, take a look at the latest issue of Working Toward Excellence from the Alabama Best Practices Center http://snipurl.com/12678.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation caused a stir with its latest publication, “The Fordham Report 2006: How Well Are States Educating Our Neediest Children?” (http://snipurl.com/11cuo) The publication, styled as state-by-state report cards, was designed to create a national sense of urgency about improving schools.

Fordham researchers assessed efforts to close persistent learning gaps between children from middle-class homes and children who live in poverty as well as between white children and both African-American and Hispanic children.

The nation as a whole fared poorly, earning a D in student achievement. The highest state grade was a D+. Fordham analysts measured achievement using the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is far more rigorous than assessments used by states across the country. The authors noted that if they applied the same standards to white students, the national average would have been a B.

In student achievement, Alabama earned an F and tied for last place on measures of how well poor and minority children are learning. When researchers looked at achievement trends for these students, Alabama landed among 17 states that had made limited progress, putting it in the top half of states on this indicator.

EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE

• Alabama’s Advanced Placement State Scholars for 2006 represent one private school and one public school. The award is given to the male and female students from every state who have made high scores on the most AP exams during their high school years and have the highest average exam score. This year the honors went to Neal K. Ranganath, a graduate of Virgil I. Grissom High School in the Huntsville City system, and Verena C. Knodler, a graduate of Indian Springs School.
• Vincent High School biology teacher Debbie Barnes won the American Stars of Teaching Award from the U.S. Department of Education. The award honors one teacher from each state who uses innovative strategies to raise student achievement. Barnes, who also coaches a championship-winning track team, has taught at Vincent, part of the Shelby County system, for 30 years.
• Three Alabama students garnered Certificates for Superior Writing from The National Council of Teachers of English. This honor went to Jane Pryjmak of Virgil I. Grissom High School (Huntsville City schools) as well as Grace Hong and Morgan Rote of Vestavia Hills High School (Vestavia Hills City schools).

DEBUNKING THE RHETORIC

Jay Mathews, the Washington Post’s education columnist, observed election day by listing “Seven ways politicians are dumb about schools.” Mathews dissects some popular simple fixes (small classes, more money) for complex school problems. In case any Alabama politicians tried to use the same lazy logic, take a look here http://snipurl.com/125tu

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

The Alabama State Board of Education met Nov. 9. Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, board members conducted both a formal meeting and work session on the same day. All members were present.

During the work session, board members were briefed on the Engineering Academy Initiative. Officials with the State Department of Education are working with representatives from college engineering programs and high schools to develop a pilot program for high school students who are interested in engineering careers. The goals are to provide additional opportunities for high school students while giving these students a stronger foundation in math and science in preparation for college. Some Alabama high schools already have well-developed engineering programs.

Also during the work session, board members discussed the annual evaluation of State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph Morton. Their comments were positive, and they asked him to do a better job of communicating with them. Morton was named state superintendent in July 2004.

Work sessions are designed to prepare for upcoming meetings, and no votes are taken.

ALL RE-ELECTED TO STATE SCHOOL BOARD

Four members of the nine-member Alabama State Board of Education were re-elected Nov. 7. They are Betty Peters, R-Dothan; Vice President Emerita Dr. Ethel Hall, D-Fairfield; David F. Byers Jr., R-Birmingham; and Dr. Mary Jane Caylor, D-Huntsville. Board members serve staggered four-year terms. Republican Gov. Bob Riley, who serves as board president by virtue of his office, also won a second four-year term.

ROUNDTABLE RECOGNIZED

The Alabama State Department of Education’s Accountability Roundtable was profiled in a policy brief from the Consortium of School Improvement, and the report prompted Ohio officials to get a copy of Alabama’s School Improvement Resource Kit. The consortium’s 41-page policy brief (available at http://snipurl.com/122pw) examines how eight diverse states are meeting the school improvement requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law. NCLB’s mandates are not only reshaping schools but also forcing state education agencies to shift from their traditional oversight role to one of support and capacity building.

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The A+ Education Foundation, based in Montgomery, publishes Education News in Alabama twice a month. A+ is a nonprofit organization that advances policies, programs and initiatives in Alabama's K-12 education system that result in high achievement by every child.

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