Education News in Alabama
March 23, 2009 (archive)
By Sallie Owen Gowan
A+ Works for Alabama!
Learn more about who we are and what we do in this new publication, A+ Works for Alabama.
A+ works for great schools for every child – and a bright future for Alabama.
We work in 3 ways:
- To shape policy
- To improve teaching and learning
- To engage communities
And you can learn more about these divisions:
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Yes We Can! Alabama Education Summit
Wednesday, April 22 in Birmingham
Learn more about Yes We Can! Alabama and what you can do – and are doing – to strengthen your local schools.
You'll also get to hear one of the nation's top advocates for public schools. Kati Haycock is president of the Education Trust, which works to close gaps in opportunities and achievement.
This is a joint project of A+, Leadership Alabama, the Mobile Area Education Foundation, and the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama.
Register here
Yes We Can! Dothan Presents Strategic Plan
Check out the latest news coverage of Yes We Can! Dothan, a group of residents from all walks of life working for "Better Schools. Better Dothan."
Research Finding
Better professional development could help U.S. teachers
Few U.S. educators get the best kind of professional development, according to an international analysis by U.S. researchers at Stanford University and the National Staff Development Council.
Highly effective professional development is:
- Sustained instead of episodic
- Focuses on important content
- Job-embedded in schools where teachers work together in teams
Alabama examples – We have some great professional development in Alabama, says Charles Mason, president of the National Staff Development Council and Mountain Brook Schools superintendent. He cites:
*Division of the A+ Education Partnership
Get the report
'Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad' from the National Staff Development Council
Harvard spotlights Alabama's Professional Pathways
The Government Innovators Network at Harvard featured the latest work of the Alabama Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching.
The commission recommended a redesign of the profession called Professional Pathways.
It creates new options for teachers who want to both:
- Take on more responsibility in their schools
- Keep teaching in their classrooms
State Board of Education highlights
Next steps for Professional Pathways
Alabama is seeking a grant to pilot the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching's Professional Pathways, a redesign of the teaching profession.
The plan calls for 9 pilot sites. Training would be jointly developed by the Alabama Best Practices Center, regional inservice centers and the state network of national board certified teachers.
In other business, the board is moving forward on a more robust data system that will provide more detailed dropout information.
The board met March 12 but failed to reach quorum. Present were Mary Jane Caylor, Randy McKinney, Betty Peters and Gary Warren. The board also met Feb. 26. All members were present except Ethel Hall and the governor.
Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching's
Professional Pathways
Suzanne Freeman podcasts about stimulus
Trussville's Suzanne Freeman is one of the nation's top 4 superintendents this year, and PBS has posted a podcast where she and 3 colleagues discuss the issue and national standards.
The Supers (6:16)
Pre-K Events in Alabama
1. First Class Friends for Alabama's Children
Luncheon
12:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8
Montgomery
Featuring Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a world-renowned authority of pediatrics, child development and parent-child relationships.
Pre-registration required
2. 4th Annual Alabama Pre-K Conference
April 7-9
Montgomery
Get details for both events
Alabama launches first-of-its-kind financial management program
To increase fiscal responsibility and accountability, four partners are collaborating on a new two-year course-of-study leading to a Certificate in Local School Financial Management.
This is the U.S.'s first in-depth training for local school financial personnel. It is a joint effort of the Alabama Dept. of Education, the Alabama Association of School Business Officials, the University of Alabama and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Obama calls for merit pay, high standards
Education reform is part of the long-term solution for the nation's economy, the president said in his first major speech devoted to education.
'Obama says public schools must improve,' Washington Post
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