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Education News in Alabama
By Sallie Owen
1. TORCHBEARER SCHOOLS LIGHT THE WAY The Department of Education bestowed its highest honor on nine Alabama schools through the 2007-2008 Torchbearer awards. Each of these nine high-achieving schools, where at least four out of five students qualify for free/reduced meals, received a $15,000 reward. *North Birmingham Elementary and Wilkerson Middle, Birmingham City Schools *Lincoln Elementary, Huntsville City Schools *Anna F. Booth, George Hall, Indian Springs and Mary W. Burroughs elementaries, Mobile County Schools *E.D. Nixon Elementary, Montgomery County Schools *Edgewood Elementary, Selma City Schools "Torchbearer schools have managed to take the children that many people think you can't be successful with and make them excellent learners," said project administrator Dr. Angela Mangum. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama sponsored an awards luncheon in Montgomery for principals of Torchbearer schools. 2. ALABAMA POWER, REGIONS INVEST IN A+ COLLEGE READY Stepping forward as lead donors at the state level, the Alabama Power Foundation and Regions Financial Corp. have joined A+ College Ready to help more Alabama students succeed in college-level courses. Both the Alabama Power Foundation and Regions pledged $400,000 over five years to A+ College Ready, a statewide initiative to strengthen Advanced Placement programs in Alabama. Together, the lead gifts total $800,000. In addition, Alabama Power has given office space for A+ College Ready. A+ College Ready was created with a $13.2 million, six-year grant from the National Math and Science Initiative. The ExxonMobil Foundation is NMSIs largest contributor, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation are also major donors. A+ COLLEGE READY ANNOUNCES BOARD LEADERSHIP A+ College Ready proudly announces the members of its managing board:
A+ COLLEGE READY'S KEY STAFF Mary D. Boehm is president of A+ College Ready. Boehm, who brings more than 15 years of experience in nonprofits and corporate philanthropy, previously served as president of the BellSouth Foundation, a $65 million foundation with an emphasis on education that made grants in nine states. Carol Crawford is program director. Crawford comes to A+ College Ready on loan from the Alabama State Department of Education, where she has worked for the last 18 years, most recently as coordinator for Middle School and High School Initiatives as well as for the state Advanced Placement Initiative. She has more than 30 years of experience in education. A+ College Ready is a division of the Montgomery-based A+ Education Foundation, which is partnering on this initiative with Gov. Bob Riley, the State Board of Education, State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton, the Alabama Power Foundation and the Alabama Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Coalition. 3. MOBILE'S COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SUCCESS Mobile County Schools are outperforming most other large school systems in the state, according to test-score analysis by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. That achievement is more noteworthy considering Mobile's large numbers of students from low-income homes. "Study: Mobile County leads state in standardized test scores," http://snipurl.com/mobileleads How do they do it? Strategic community partnerships with the school system are a huge part of Mobile's success. The Mobile Area Education Foundation coordinates many of these partnerships that help provide support and accountability from citizens and businesses. People continue to come to Mobile to learn about the Mobile Area Education Foundation's work. The latest contingent came from Columbia, S.C. "South Carolina officials learning from Mobile schools," http://snipurl.com/scofficials 4. LEADERS LISTEN TO TEACHERS THROUGH TAKE 20 Alabama is in the midst of a historic statewide survey of teachers and administrators called Take 20: Alabama Teaching and Learning Survey. ( www.take20alabama.org ) Every school-based educator has been asked to weigh in anonymously through an online survey, and the results will be used to guide decisions made by schools, school systems and state leaders. The survey is a project of the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching, and it is rooted in the belief that for Alabama's educational progress to continue, the state must recruit, retain and support highly effective educators. Take 20 is jointly sponsored by:
Find video clips about the survey at http://snipurl.com/take20video. 5. FIRST CLASS PRE-K COALITION GROWS Six organizations have endorsed First Class, Alabama's Voluntary Pre-K Initiative. Gov. Bob Riley's Council on Pre-K Policy developed the plan to expand Alabama's top-rated prekindergarten program.
More info at http://snipurl.com/alsra. ALABAMA PUBLIC TELEVISION TO FEATURE PRE-K Tune in to Alabama Public Television at 7 p.m. Thursday for a live, one-hour broadcast about prekindergarten in Alabama. The guests will be Dr. Marquita Davis, director of the Alabama Office of School Readiness, and Linda Tilly, executive director of Voices for Alabama's Children, an ASRA partner organization. 6. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE The Alabama State Board of Education met Jan. 24 for a work session. All members were present except Stephanie Bell, Mary Jane Caylor and the governor. State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ruth Ash briefed board members on Graduates of the Future, using data showing:
Ash showed this short, poignant video, http://snipurl.com/studentstoday, to highlight how today's students -- and the world they will live and work in -- differ from earlier generations. State education leaders are discussing how to strengthen the requirements for a high school diploma. (Read Morton's explanation, "Help more students graduate," at http://snipurl.com/moregrads ) Board members were also briefed on newly proposed guidelines for the Early College Enrollment Program. The program allows qualifying high school students to earn college credits toward a technical or health credential/certificate/degree in a field that is high-skill, high-wage and high-demand. 7. EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE
8. RECOMMENDED READING Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for low-income people, outlines key strategies to help more Alabamians take advantage of the high-wage, high-skill jobs available in the state's current economy. These investments are needed to ensure that Alabama businesses have a qualified workforce. "'Policy gap' damaging," http://snipurl.com/policygap 9. ATTN: EDUCATORS
10. WORTH REPEATING " Alabama made greater improvements in fourth grade reading than any other state in the nation, according to data from the 2007 NAEP report. This significant gain of eight points in fourth grade reading for Alabama students is attributed to the Alabama Reading Initiative, a statewide professional development program that invests state and federal funds to develop the knowledge and skills of every teacher in grades K-3 and support their on-going learning with reading coaches." -- National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, praising Alabama's investments in the teaching profession, as recognized in Education Week's "Quality Counts 2008." 11. WHAT'S UP @ A+ HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS to George Hall Elementary, Anna Booth Elementary and E.D. Nixon Elementary! All three were named Torchbearer Schools, and they're part of the Alabama Best Practices Center's Powerful Conversations Network. WE NEED YOU Spread the word Want to subscribe? 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. Past editions can be found at www.aplusala.org/ednews/index.asp Feedback is welcome. Send messages to comments@aplusala.org |
January 29 , 2008 (A+ Education Foundation
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