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Education News in Alabama
By Sallie Owen Gowan
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS! We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to A+ in 2008! You are helping improve the lives and futures of Alabama's children. If you want great schools for every child and a bright future for Alabama, please consider supporting A+. You can donate through www.aplusala.org or send a check made out to A+ to P.O. Box 4433, Montgomery, AL 36103. 1. THOUGHTS ON PRORATION The cuts to Alabama's budget announced Monday were deeper than many educators expected. Gov. Bob Riley announced Monday that the state education budget would be prorated (across-the-board, midyear budget cut) by 12.5 percent because of slumping tax receipts. He is tapping half of the Rainy Day Fund that voters approved last month, which makes for an effective cut of 9 percent. This obviously will be a challenging time for schools across the state. We pledge to work with the Alabama Department of Education and local school leaders to help them find ways to continue the progress made through such effective initiatives as the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) and Alabama's distance learning program, (ACCESS). 2. OBAMA TAPS DUNCAN FOR EDUCATION POST President-elect Barack Obama nominated Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago public schools, to serve as his administration's secretary of education. "For Arne, school reform isn't just a theory in a book -- it's the cause of his life," Obama said. "When faced with tough decisions, Arne doesn't blink. He's not beholden to any one ideology -- and he doesn't hesitate for one minute to do what needs to be done." Caroline Novak, president of A+, said all reports indicate Duncan has invaluable experience from his years in Chicago, working to convert a struggling system into one that works for children. This "boots-on-the-ground" reality is combined with a track record of bridging differences among the various factions in education. 3. ALABAMIAN AMONG U.S.'S TOP 10 LIBRARIANS Jennifer Dempsey, library media specialist and technology coordinator at Wrights Mill Road Elementary in Auburn, won one of 10 I Love My Librarian awards. When students were asked why Mrs. Dempsey is a great librarian they said things like, "I didn't read in 2nd grade, but now I read 3 books a day. I love to read." The school's principal says that Dempsey "has truly been the driving force behind our school's transformation into a 21st Century learning community." Principal Lynda Tremaine says the library is the heart of the school, and highlight Dempsey's accomplishments including voluntary "Tech Tuesdays," where teachers come to learn how to effectively blend technology into instruction, and the Tech-Know Expo, where 5th-grade students presented areas of technology that they felt they were "expert"in. Dempsey is also Wrights Mill Road's team leader for the 21st Century Learners Project, an initiative of the Alabama Best Practices Center. Read more from the School Library Journal: 4. RESEARCH FINDING: School finance systems are so burdened by rules and narrow policies that they commit dollars -- with little regard for results, holding adults accountable for compliance but not results, -- concludes an extensive six-year national study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. " We need a new system that is optimized to do one thing, ensure that every child learns what she needs to become an involved citizen and full participant in a modern economy", says Paul Hill, an author of the study's final report. The report also recommends a four-part plan for overhauling school finance systems. Get the report: 5. BETSY ROGERS: 5 YEARS IS NOT ENOUGH Betsy Rogers, Alabama's 2003 National Teacher of the Year, says five years is not enough to make the lasting changes needed at Brighton, a K-8 elementary outside Birmingham. The good news? Brighton is in a new partnership with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards that promises to strengthen learning for children and adults. http://tln.typepad.com/tln_betsyrogers/ 6. HOW IS HIRING NEW TEACHERS LIKE THE NFL DRAFT? "There are certain jobs where almost nothing you can learn about candidates before they start predicts how they'll do once they're hired," writes Malcolm Gladwell in the Dec. 15 New Yorker. He details terrific college quarterbacks that didn't amount to much in the NFL (where nobody runs the spread offense) and connects that to hiring new teachers, showing how certain credentials (advanced degrees, etc.) don't mean a teacher will have the essential characteristics to succeed in the classroom. Includes material from an interview with Bob Pianta from the University of Virginia. http://snipurl.com/nflteachers 7. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE The Alabama State Board of Education met Dec. 11. The superintendent and board discussed the budget situation and impending proration (see above). The board adopted the First Choice implementation plan, which details the transition to the diploma changes made last spring. The centerpiece of the First Choice initiative is a provision that makes the "college prep" curriculum the default for all high school freshmen starting in fall 2009. In other significant business, the board adopted a resolution honoring board member Sandra Ray, who did not seek re-election. The state superintendent announced that rewards for top-performing schools would be announced after the new year. 8. 214 MORE NATIONAL BOARD TEACHERS IN ALABAMA A total of 214 Alabama teachers have earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards this year. Alabama ranks 13th nationwide in the number of newly board certified teachers and total number of board certified teachers. Research shows that the rigorous certification process improves student learning and teacher retention. 9. WHAT'S UP @ A+ * MINORITY ENROLLMENT UP 212 PERCENT -- A+ College Ready's program schools report that minority enrollment in math, science and English Advanced Placement** courses is up a combined 212 percent compared to a last year. Twelve high schools are pioneering this initiative in Alabama, which posted the biggest gain in minority enrollment of the six schools getting AP training and incentive grants from the National Math and Science Initiative. *CONGRATS TO JENNIFER DEMPSEY -- Everyone at A+ and the Alabama Best Practices Center (a division of A+) says "Congratulations!" to Jennifer Dempsey for winning a national I Love My Librarian award. Wrights Mill Road Elementary is active in the ABPC's 21st Century Learners Project, and if you want to learn more about this school and how educators have incorporated internet safety into the curriculum, check out http://www.abpc21.org/spooky.html. *YES WE CAN! ALABAMA UPDATE -- Building on a foundation created by Yes We Can! Dothan, Dothan City Schools are getting help understanding how effective their schools are, with the goal of taking the school system to the next level. Jim Williams of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama did custom data analysis for Dothan. A+, Leadership Alabama, the Mobile Area Education Foundation and PARCA are partners in Yes We Can! Alabama. Read "New report aims to raise bar for city schools" at http://snipurl.com/dothan1211 * A+ QUOTED IN MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER -- Last week Alabama's Capital City newspaper quoted A+ in an article about the state's new graduation standards. See "State opts to implement First Choice education plan" at http://snipurl.com/madv1212. P.S. Happy Holidays! A+ will publish only one issue of Education News in Alabama this month. Happy Holidays! **Advanced Placement Programs is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product. What is SNIPURL? We Need You Spread the word Want to subscribe? The A+ Education Partnership, 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 |
December 16, 2008 (A+ Education Partnership
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Montgomery, AL 36103
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