Education News in Alabama

September 17, 2008 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

---

1. Closing the Gap by Making Sure All Students Learn at High Levels - George Hall Elementary (Mobile) by the numbers
   • Demopolis High by the numbers
   • More Blue Ribbon Schools
2. Research Finding: $2 Billion Problem — Third of U.S. College Students Need Remediation
   • Get the Report
   • What Alabama is Doing
3. Is It Right for the Kid in the Chair?
4. Alabama Communities are Working for Better Schools

5. Recommended Reading
6. Alabama Teachers Say Mentoring Works for New Teachers
7. State Board of Education Update
8. What's Up @ A+
   • A Big Thank You to The Malone Family Foundation
   • Three Blue Ribbon Schools Cite Alabama Best Practices Center
   • A+ Welcomes Two New Faces
9. Alliance Seeks Executive Director

---

1. CLOSING THE GAP BY MAKING SURE ALL STUDENTS LEARN AT HIGH LEVELS

Two Alabama schools won blue ribbons from the U.S. Department of Education for dramatic improvements in student achievement among schools with large numbers of low-income or minority children.

George Hall Elementary School (Mobile) by the numbers:

• 99 percent of students are African-American
• 98 percent of students qualify for free/reduced-price meals *47-point gain (from 47 percent to 94 percent over a three-year period) in fourth-graders who meet or exceed state standards in reading.
• 51-point gain (from 46 percent to 97 percent over a three-year period) in fourth-graders who meet or exceed state standards in math.

Demopolis High School by the numbers:

• 51 percent of students are African-American
• 45 percent of students qualify for free/reduced-price meals
• 31 point increase (from 63 percent to 94 percent over a two-year period) in percentage of African-American students passing math portion of graduation exam

MORE BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

Three other Alabama schools won blue ribbons for being academically superior. They are:

• Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary (Decatur)
• Spain Park High (Hoover)
• Wrights Mill Road Elementary (Auburn)

---

2. RESEARCH FINDING:
$2 BILLION PROBLEM — THIRD OF U.S. COLLEGE STUDENTS NEED REMEDIATION

A high school diploma does not mean a student is ready for college, reports Strong American Schools. More than a third of all U.S. college students need remediation, and the annual cost of this "hoax" runs to $2 billion.

Students who take remedial classes in college say they wish their high school courses had been more challenging. Nearly four out of five of them said they had a high school GPA of 3.0 or better.

GET THE REPORT:
"Diploma To Nowhere" from Strong American Schools http://www.edin08.com/diplomatonowhere.aspx

WHAT ALABAMA IS DOING

• The First Choice Diploma plan, which makes the "college prep" diploma the starting point for all high school freshmen, kicks in next year. The goal is more students taking a rigorous high school curriculum.
• Advanced Placement* expansion — More Alabama students are taking college-level courses in high school and building their academic muscles. Growth is due to a state initiative and A+ College Ready. ACCESS distance learning is opening up more opportunities for these courses, even in small schools.
• The Alabama Reading Initiative has a successful pilot for strengthening reading skills of older students, and ARI is developing plans for expansion.
• The Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) is strengthening instruction in these subject areas across all grades.

---

3. IS IT RIGHT FOR THE KID IN THE CHAIR?

That simple question explains the philosophy of Dr. Tommy Bice, Alabama's new deputy state superintendent of education.

"It's about the children sitting in those chairs and desks," explains Bice. "If we always remember what's best for the child in the chair, how can we make wrong decisions?

Read an interview with Bice on page 5 of the latest issue of "Alabama Education News."
www.alsde.edu/general/aen.pdf

---

4. ALABAMA COMMUNITIES ARE WORKING FOR BETTER SCHOOLS

Want to find out more about communities around the state where citizens are working together to strengthen their local schools? Check out these websites:

Yes We Can! Dothan
www.yeswecandothan.org

Yes We Can! Birmingham
www.yeswecanbirmingham.org

Yes We Can! Dothan is getting ready to share what it has learned with the Dothan school board. Read more from the Dothan Eagle at http://snipurl.com/ywcdothan02 [www_dothaneagle_com]

---

5. RECOMMENDED READING

"The Global Achievement Gap:
Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need — And What We Can Do About It"
By Tony Wagner

Excerpt:
"Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today's world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know."

---

6. ALABAMA TEACHERS SAY MENTORING WORKS FOR NEW TEACHERS

A recent survey of Alabama's first-year teachers from the 2007-08 school year found:

• 98 percent planned to keep teaching;
• Four out of five said their mentor was important to getting a good start in the profession, provided extensive insights and strategies for classroom organization, management, and closing achievement gaps;
• 88 percent said their mentor provided tremendous emotional support.

The state's mentoring program resulted from a recommendation from the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching.

Read more: "1st-year teacher, mentor program may be expanded"
http://snipurl.com/mentoringworks [www_montgomeryadvertiser_com]

---

7. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton updated board members about the state budget situation. The state's $6.4 billion education budget (which funds K-12 and higher education) was built on a $64 million carryover from the previous year, he said. But when the new budget year begins Oct. 1, there will be no carryover.

Some money remains in two reserve funds, but it will likely not be enough to make up the difference between projected and actual revenues. Morton also reminded board members about the constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.

That was the most significant item when the State Board of Education met Sept. 11. All members were present except the governor and David Byers.

In other business, the board: honored the family of George Hearn, a student at West Forest Intermediate in Opelika, for winning the 2008 Parent Involvement Poster Contest; adopted the School Library Media Plan for the 21st Century Learner; and approved teacher education programs at the University of Mobile and Huntingdon College.

---

8. WHAT'S UP @ A+

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE MALONE FAMILY FOUNDATION — A+ recently received a $250,000 grant from The Malone Family Foundation. These funds will support the Alabama Best Practices Center's Powerful Conversations Network for the 2008-09 school year and the ABPC's continued collaboration with the Alabama Reading Initiative.

THREE BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CITE ALABAMA BEST PRACTICES CENTER — George Hall Elementary in Mobile, Spain Park High in Hoover and Wrights Mill Road Elementary in Auburn all mention their work with the Alabama Best Practices Center in their winning applications for the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon. Congrats to everyone at these outstanding schools!

Applications from winning schools are available from http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2008/applications/index.html

A+ WELCOMES TWO NEW FACES — A+ is delighted to announce that Magan Merritt has joined our team as program coordinator for the Alabama Best Practices Center. Magan earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing from Auburn University Montgomery and a master's degree in human resource management from Troy University. A+ is also glad to welcome Rennie Crabb, who is filling in at executive assistant.

---

9. ALLIANCE SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Alabama School Readiness Alliance seeks an executive director. Duties will include building public awareness and demand for voluntary, high-quality, publicly funded pre-k programs through convening meetings, public speaking and building relationships with parents, community leaders, educators, legislators and media.

Find details and contact info at www.alabamaschoolreadiness.org.

*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?
http://www.snipurl.com  is a free, online service to convert long web addresses (many stretch nearly 100 characters long) into short web addresses.

We Need You
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. You can give online or mail your check to P.O. Box 4433, Montgomery, AL 36103.

Spread the word
Please forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues interested in public education.

Want to subscribe?
Sign up on the A+ home page, www.aplusala.org

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