Education News in Alabama

April 2, 2009 (archive)

By Sallie Owen Gowan

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STATE SCHOOL BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

Revised teacher evaluation will boost student learning

The proposed new tool for evaluating teacher performance is called EDUCATEAlabama, and it is scheduled to be up for a vote this month. It will be a more effective tool for guiding professional growth.

"We will be able to advance the profession, and that will then impact student learning at a faster pace," says Deputy State Superintendent Tommy Bice.

This is an outgrowth of the Alabama Quality Teaching Standards, which were developed by the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching and adopted by the state board of education.

The board also received a briefing on the federal stimulus package.

The board met March 26 in a work session. All members were present except David Byers, Betty Peters and the governor.

Stimulus info from the Alabama State Dept. of Education

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Register now
Yes We Can! Alabama Education Summit
Wednesday, April 22
Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham

Come learn more about Yes We Can! Alabama, a network of community-based organizations working for effective public schools.

Sessions will include:

• Keynote from one of America's top advocates – Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust
• Community and School District Partnerships to improve graduation rates
• Yes We Can! Communities at work around Alabama
• Community Engagement 101
• Learning more from Communities at Work

Register here

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RESEARCH FINDING

Alabama increased graduation rate, says Johns Hopkins

Alabama is among 12 states making substantial gains in graduation rates from 2002 to 2006, researchers say. The state:

• Made the 6th-highest gain (4.1 points)
• Notched a 66% graduation rate, up from 62%.

During the same period, the national rate held steady at 74%.

Alabama leaders attributed the progress to concerted effort on multiple fronts to strengthen schools (i.e. accountability system, initiatives to strengthen instruction, etc.)

"Progress Toward Increasing Graduation Rates"
Released by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University

Download the report (PDF, 176 KB)

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Communities are the key to raising graduation rates

Here's a great tool if you want to help your community improve graduation rates.

The Graduation Nation Guidebook is filled with tips and resources to make sure all students are prepared for college and careers.

It is steeped in the latest research and proven best practices.

Get the interactive Graduation Nation Guidebook

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National spotlight shines on Trussville's approach to professional development

Alabama's Trussville school district is held up as a model in the latest issue of the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook.

Instead of bringing in outside expert, Trussville downloaded free video presentations from top international experts on integrating technology in the classroom. Those videos became the heart of sessions led by in-house experts.

This approach was noteworthy because it:

• Focused on instructional priorities
• Relied on in-house leader
• Used technology resourcefully
• Was not bound by old models

'Reinventing Professional Development in Tough Times'

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Learn more about Trussville
Trussville schools are active in the Powerful Conversations Network, a program of the Alabama Best Practices Center (a division of A+).

The ABPC interviewed Trussville Superintendent Suzanne Freeman for the Working Toward Excellence journal.

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National tech tour features Madison City Schools
The National School Board Association brought 75 school leaders from around the U.S. to Alabama to see innovative use of technology.

The group spent two days last week touring schools in the Madison City system.

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