Education News in Alabama

November 18 , 2008 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

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Our New Name – A+ Education Partnership

We've added "Partnership" to our name, because it best conveys how we work.

A+ Education Partnership: Great schools for every child – and a bright future for Alabama

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1. Huntsville businesses pledge $800K to land A+ College Ready
2. AP enrollment jumps from 33 to 325 at one Jefferson Co. school
3. Trussville's Freeman named Superintendent of the Year
4. Research Finding: Increasing educational attainment among African-Americans stalls
5. School Readiness Alliance welcomes Hume
6. Morton wins national tech award
7. Yes We Can! makes quick impact in Dothan
8. JAG boasts 95 percent graduation rate
9. State Board of Education Update
10. Election results
11. What's up @ A+
    • Congrats to Gassenheimer
    • Microsoft praises Alabama schools
    • Kudos to Freeman

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1. HUNTSVILLE BUSINESSES PLEDGE $800K TO LAND A+ COLLEGE READY
Boeing, SAIC, RBC Bank and other businesses have committed $800,000 to bring A+ College Ready, an Advanced Placement** training and incentive program, to the area.

Fundraising will continue in preparation for the 2009-10 school year, when selected high schools in three area systems will boast expanded course offerings in AP math, science and English. Schools from these systems have applied: Huntsville City, Madison County, and Madison City.

"It says to the students, 'If you're willing to work hard, then we're willing to help you,' " said Debbie Beaupre, executive director of The Schools Foundation.

A+ College Ready, a division of the A+ Education Partnership, fosters Alabama's next generation of scientists and engineers.

To read more, http://snipurl.com/apluscrhvl01

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2. AP ENROLLMENT JUMPS FROM 33 TO 325 AT ONE JEFFERSON CO. SCHOOL
Pinson Valley High posted perhaps the most dramatic increase in Advanced Placement enrollment through A+ College Ready. Find video of PVHS's Karen Mardis talking about the program's impact at http://snipurl.com/pvhs3340

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3. TRUSSVILLE'S FREEMAN NAMED SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR
The School Superintendents of Alabama and Classworks chose an innovative instructional leader as the state's new superintendent of the year. Dr. Suzanne Freeman went to Trussville City Schools as the system's first superintendent in 2004. She is noted for curriculum innovations (such as high school academies focusing on biomedical studies, engineering, finance, health and culinary arts), communicating with the community and building effective school faculties through collaboration and professional development.

"Educating Kids for the Flat World," an Alabama Best Practices Center interview with Suzanne Freeman http://abpc21.org/freeman.html

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4. RESEARCH FINDING:
INCREASING EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS STALLS
New data shows that the young African-American adults are no more likely than older African-American adults to hold some kind of college degree, despite soaring college enrollment.

“One of the core tenets of the American dream is the hope that younger generations, who’ve had greater opportunities for educational advancement than their parents and grandparents, will be better off than the generations before them," said Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education. "Yet this report shows that aspiration is at serious risk.”

Twenty-four percent of African-Americans hold at least an associate's degree, a share that does not vary between young adults (ages 25-29) and all older adults (ages 30 and up). At the same time, college enrollment among African-Americans rose 46 percent from 1995-2005.

Read more about the "Minorities in Higher Education 23rd Status Report" at http://snipurl.com/mihe2008.

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5. SCHOOL READINESS ALLIANCE WELCOMES HUME
The Alabama School Readiness Alliance, which works to expand high-quality pre-k in the state, has hired Jan Hume to be ASRA's first executive director.

Prior joining ASRA, Jan managed Leadership Alabama's core education program. She has worked with grassroots and non-profit organizations, local governments and state agencies in her work through Alabama Partnership for Progress and Auburn University’s Center for Governmental Services.

Jan earned both her bachelor’s in communications and master’s of public administration from Auburn University and is a 1997 graduate of Leadership Lee County.

Learn more about ASRA at http://www.schoolreadiness.org.

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6. MORTON WINS NATIONAL TECH AWARD
State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton is the recipient of the 2008 State Policy Maker's Award given by the State Educational Technology Directors Association. The association "has continued to see Alabama as a national leader in maximizing the potential of educational technology for improving teaching and learning,” said Executive Director Mary Ann Wolf.

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7. YES WE CAN! MAKES QUICK IMPACT IN DOTHAN
Dothan City School leaders are considering a school uniform policy because citizens throughout the community raised the issue during conversations organized by Yes We Can! Dothan.

http://snipurl.com/ywcdothan10

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8. JAG BOASTS 95% GRADUATION RATE
Jobs for Alabama's Graduates, a school-to-career program for at-risk high school students, has won the top national award for the third year in a row.  Alabama's program, which operates in 23 high schools, posted these results to win the 5-of-5 Award from Jobs for America's Graduates:

• 95 percent graduation rate, beating goal by 5 points.
• 78 percent job placement and/or military service, beating goal by 18 points.
• 95 percent total positive outcomes, beating goal by 15 points.
• 93 percent full-time placements, beating goal by 13 points.
• 60 percent full-time jobs, meeting goal.

"It's like another mom to us," said one JAG student from Southside High in Selma. "She teaches you what you really need to know for the real world."

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9. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE
Schools need $363 million more next year, according to the budget request approved by the Board of Education at its Nov. 13 meeting. State Superintendent Joe Morton said that in tough times it is important to let people know what is needed to get the job done. "We have very valuable programs that are essential to this state and essential to the success of our students," Morton said.

The request does not call for creation of new programs, but would expand proven ones such as the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative; and ACCESS distance learning.

In other action, the board approved recommended textbooks, authorized review of teacher education programs at the University of Montevallo and approved teacher education programs at the universities of Alabama and North Alabama. Members also recognized several achievements:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture honored Phenix City Schools and Bluff Park Elementary in Hoover for promoting healthy school environments.
• Alabama's 2008 AP State Scholars are both from public schools – Sarah E. Styslinger of Spain Park High in Hoover and Peter Y. Cheng of Grissom High in Huntsville.
• Effective teaching – Cheryl Morrow of Spain Park HS won the John Morton Excellence in the Teaching of Economics Award from the Global Association of Teachers of Economics. Diane Blocker of Huntsville High is Alabama's Preserve America History Teacher of the Year.
• Alabama's web portal for teachers, Alabama Learning Exchange (http://www.alex.state.al.us) won a 2008 Best of the Web award from the Center for Digital Education.

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10. ELECTION RESULTS
Three incumbent members of the Alabama Board of Education were re-elected – Randy McKinney, Stephanie Bell and Ella Bell – and Gary Warren of Haleyville was elected to succeed Sandra Ray, who is retiring.

Voters also approved "Amendment One," a constitutional amendment designed to help offset the impact of budget cuts.

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11. WHAT'S UP @ A+

*CONGRATS TO GASSENHEIMER ­– Cathy Gassenheimer, A+'s Executive Vice President for the Alabama Best Practices Center, is the 2008 recipient of the Southeastern Elementary Principal's Award for outstanding contributions to education.

*MICROSOFT PRAISES ALABAMA SCHOOLS – Check out what Microsoft has to say about these Blue Ribbon schools from Alabama:
George Hall Elementary, Mobile – http://snipurl.com/ghletter
Spain Park High, Hoover – http://snipurl.com/spletter
Wrights Mill Road Elementary, Auburn – http://snipurl.com/wmrletter

*KUDOS TO FREEMAN – Everyone at A+ sends congratulations to Alabama's new Superintendent of the Year Suzanne Freeman of Trussville City Schools. She is an integral part of the work at the A+ Education Partnership and the Alabama Best Practices Center, and it is a delight to see her recognized.

P.S. A+ will publish only one issue of Education News in Alabama this month. Happy Thanksgiving!

**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.

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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.

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