Education News in Alabama

January 29, 2010 (archive)

By Sallie Owen Gowan

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STATE SCHOOL BOARD HIGHLIGHTS:
New improvement grants for schools and benefits briefing
New funding opportunity could bring real change

Alabama is getting $83 million over two years from a new federal School Improvement Grant to reform 60-70 persistently low-achieving schools.

Grant money must be spent on 1 of 4 reform models:

• Turnaround – replace the principal and half the faculty
• Restart – convert to a public charter school
• Closure – Close school and send students to other schools
• Transformation – new principal and new instructional plan

School systems will apply to the state for funding. This is separate from the state's $180 million Race To The Top grant application.

In other business, Marc Reynolds from the Retirement Systems of Alabama briefed board members on the benefits funding crises. He said the board's survival plan contained good ideas for the short-term but that there are long-term challenges to consider for both the retirement and health insurance plans.

All members were present for the Jan. 28 work session except Ella Bell, David Byers, Mary Jane Caylor, Ethel Hall and the governor.
RSA's Marc Reynolds discusses future of health, retirement benefits
(Nov. 2009)

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State school board podcasts
Listen to meetings of the State Board of Education.

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Legislature still trying to undo teacher code of ethics
The Alabama Legislature is still trying to undo a strengthened teacher code of ethics approved by the Alabama Board of Education.

The board approved the ethics code in 2005 by resolution and in 2009 moved to give it teeth by placing it in the administrative code. Leaders in the Alabama Education Association objected, saying some standards are too vague.

The Legislature blocked the addition to the administrative code, which the governor then vetoed. The Alabama Senate overrode the veto Thursday. The House is expected to vote on the matter Tuesday. It will require 53 votes in the 104-member House to override the governor's veto.

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Collaboration yields big pre-k gains in Montgomery A unique partnership has formed in Montgomery to expand high-quality, First Class pre-k in the city. The partnership includes Montgomery Public Schools, Alabama Office of School Readiness, Success by Six, Head Start, YMCA and Montgomery Education Foundation. It has achieved these results: 16 new school-based pre-k classrooms, for a total of 22 8 additional pre-k classrooms in public and private settings Formation of a professional development network for pre-k teachers in these 30 classrooms 'Montgomery's pre-K expansion lauded' with VIDEO, Montgomery Advertiser

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Charter School Basics
From the A+ blog, get basic facts about Alabama's public charter school proposal. Info includes frequently asked questions (FAQ) and an executive summary of the legislation.

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RESEARCH FINDING:
Halving dropout rate would generate economic boom, Alliance says
If the dropout rate had been cut in half for the Class of 2008 in big U.S. cities, those new graduates, taken together, would likely have:

• Bought homes worth $10.5 billion more
• Earned $4.1 billion more in the average year
• Boosted tax revenues by $536 million a year

"The best economic stimulus package is a high school diploma," says Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia.
'The Economic Benefits from Halving the Dropout Rate:
A Boom to Businesses in the Nation's Largest Metropolitan Areas,'
Alliance for Excellent Education

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Top turnaround school in U.S.
The U.S. Dept. of Ed needed three good examples of turnaround schools – low-performing schools that become successful. They found what they were looking for at Mobile's George Hall Elementary.
'George Hall Elementary School's improvement highlighted by U.S. Department of Education,'
(Mobile) Press-Register

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Free Webinar:
America's Rural High Schools: Challenges & Opportunities for Success
Practitioners, education leaders, and policymakers need to understand the challenges facing rural high schools as well as the inherent assets that rural schools bring to the national education reform debate.

On February 5, the Alliance for Excellent Education will release "Current Challenges and Opportunities in Preparing Rural High School Students for Success in College and Careers: What Federal Policymakers Need to Know."

During the webinar, a brief presentation on the report will be followed by an interactive conversation with panelists using questions submitted by participants.

Friday, Feb. 5
1-2 p.m. CST
Webinar registration

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