Education News in Alabama

June 12, 2006 (archive)

NATIONAL REPORT PRAISES TEACHERS AND ALABAMA READING INITIATIVE

The Alabama Reading Initiative has successfully improved the teaching and learning of reading in the state, and a new report documents this success as a model for other states to follow. "Lessons and Recommendations from the Alabama Reading Initiative: Sustaining Focus on Secondary Reading" was produced by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The report praised the efforts of middle and high school teachers for their steady commitment to student achievement. It pointed to teachers' creativity and resourcefulness in looking for strategies to improve reading levels for all students. This commitment is seen not only in English instructors; faculty members in all subjects are required to participate in ARI and expand their lessons to include ARI instructional practices.

The report found that ARI has positively impacted the achievement levels of secondary school students and made several recommendations based on its study of the ARI model. AIR found that the ARI's flexible approach towards professional development for secondary school teachers and its K-12 continuum of literacy development resource material are key elements for successful reading programs. State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton commented that the report "validates Alabama as a national leader, if not the leader, of reading in the nation."

The Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) is a research-based program that focuses on professional development and instructional methods. The program has proven to raise student test scores and will be fully funded for every K-3 Alabama school for the next academic year.

ALABAMA SCHOOLS AWARDED $3 MILLION

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded nearly $3 million to three Alabama school districts: Jefferson County, Montgomery County, and Tuscaloosa City. Under the Teaching American History Grant Program, 124 grants were awarded to school systems in 38 states. The grants support three-year projects that improve teachers' knowledge and understanding of American history to improve student achievement. Each school system will partner with local organizations for the grant project. Partners include the Universities of Montevallo, Alabama at Birmingham, Southern Mississippi, and Alabama.

NATIONAL REPORT: STATE STANDARDS FOR WORLD HISTORY

The Fordham Foundation released a new report on June 6th: "The State of State World History Standards 2006." Authored by Walter Russell Mead, renowned historian and senior fellow on the U.S. Council for Foreign Relations, the report reviews each state's academic standards in the subject of world history. Mead found that most state courses of study contained either too little or too much historical content, offering little guidance to educators. He also criticized states for measures such as excessively focusing on modern European history, inaccurately attempting to include every nation and culture as equally important in world history , and focusing on "themes" in history as opposed to a logical historical timeline.

Two-thirds of states received a "D" or an "F." Alabama received a "C," and, as superintendent Dr. Joe Morton noted, it was "the highest 'C' in the nation." Mead notes that it is crucial for today's students to have a social, political, economical, and cultural knowledge base in world history. Particularly, he emphasizes the inattention given to Latin American history given the influx of Latin American immigrants.

ALABAMA TEACHER WINS NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

Kasey J. Vardaman has been awarded a James Madison Fellowship by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Washington D.C. Vardaman is a tenth grade and Advanced Placement U.S. History Teacher at Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School in Montgomery County. The Foundation awarded fifty fellowships for 2006, the fifteenth annual competition. The fellowship will fund up to $24,000 towards a master's degree that concentrates on courses in the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution. Madison Fellows will attend a four-week Summer Institute on the U.S. Constitution at Georgetown University in July 2007. Congress established the fellowship in 1986 to support promising and distinguished teachers as they strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government.

IN OTHER NEWS

Jordan Fundamentals Public School Grant

Grants of $2,500 will be awarded to applicants who develop an original lesson plan or thematic unit (a series of lessons with related learning objectives united by a common theme) that demonstrates high expectations for students. Applicants are encouraged to involve students in the development of this plan or unit. Applicants to the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program must be public school teachers or paraprofessionals working with students in grades one through twelve and be employed by an accredited public school where at least 50 percent of the school¹s student population is eligible for the free or reduced school lunch program. Grant funds must be used for resource materials, supplies, equipment, transportation, or other costs related to field trips, software, and other items required to implement and assess the proposed lesson or thematic unit.

In 2006, the program has earmarked two hundred grants for teachers impacted directly by hurricanes Rita and Katrina, regardless of free/reduced lunch program eligibility. Founded by Michael Jordan, the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program recognizes outstanding teaching and instructional creativity in public schools that serve economically disadvantaged students. Program guidelines and application materials are available through the Nike Web site. Contact:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=145200054
Deadline: June 30, 2006.

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Education News in Alabama is published bi-weekly by the A+ Education Partnership and is distributed to A+ board members, the media, and list serve subscribers. View archived newsletters.

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