Alabama Education Policy Primer
A Guide to Understanding K-12 Education
The A+ Education Partnership has partnered with the Peabody Center
for Education Policy at Vanderbilt University to produce the first-ever
Alabama Education Policy Primer: A Guide to Understanding K-12
Schools. This unique resource consists of 12 easy-to-use chapters
that provide research-based information on and analysis of the education
issues facing the state. This project was made possible by generous
contributions from State Farm Insurance and EBSCO Media.
Table of Contents – download
Table of Contents, Credits/Acknowledgements (PDF,
52K)
Introduction
by Kenneth K.Wong and James W. Guthrie
Chapter 1: Accountability, Assessments, and
Standards
The key to sparking and sustaining improvements in education
is alignment between rigorous standards that specify what students
should know and be able to do, assessments that accurately measure
student learning, and an accountability system that rewards progress
and establishes consequences for schools that persistently fail
to raise student achievement. This chapter explains the elements
of Alabama's courses of study, statewide assessment system, and
statewide accountability system and how the three work in tandem
to improve teaching and learning.
Chapter 2: Achievement
This chapter provides a quick reference for the assessments
given in Alabama to measure student achievement at the international,
national and state levels and where to find this data. The Appendix
to this chapter is a report entitled "Education Watch: Alabama"
written by The Education Trust, a Washington-D.C.-based advocacy
group for poor and minority students. This report provides trend
data for Alabama on several national assessments and performance
indicators.
Chapter 3: Closing the Achievement Gap
Alabama, like other states in America, has documented achievement
gaps between low-income and non-low-income students; African-American
and white students; Hispanic and white students; and special education
and general education students. However, research and practice show
that all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, can learn
at high levels when taught to high levels. This chapter provides
a snapshot of Alabama's achievement gaps and discusses in detail
initiatives and programs that are closing these gaps.
Chapter 4: Finance and Funding
Who pays for public education in Alabama? How is revenue utilized
in Alabama? How does Alabama education finance compare to the South
and Nation? What are some barriers to effective school financing
in Alabama? This chapter answers these questions and explores the
intricacies of financing and funding Alabama's schools. Included
are discussions of federal, state and local funding, as well as
a detailed description of Alabama's foundation program for funding
K-12 schools.
Chapter 5: Governance and Policymaking
Who runs Alabama's schools? This chapter analyzes Alabama's
education governance arrangements, from the role of the federal
government to responsibilities of state officials and local school
boards. Also discussed are trends in education governance, including
reconstitution, P-16 systems, and charter schools.
Chapter 6: Math, Science and Technology
Across the nation and in Alabama, students must be prepared
for the demands they will face in an increasingly complex world.
In today's global society, high school graduates need higher-level
skills and knowledge in order to compete and to succeed. This chapter
analyses Alabama student performance in math and science and discusses
statewide initiatives to improve student achievement in these areas.
It also looks at the use of technology in Alabama's classrooms and
provides information on the state's Career Technology Program.
Chapter 7: No Child Left Behind (Elementary
and Secondary Education Act)
This chapter explains the requirements of the federal No Child
Left Behind Act and provides details on Alabama's implementation.
Alabama has a unique timeline for implementation of NCLB to allow
the state to fulfill requirements of a Compliance Agreement under
the 1994 version of ESEA, more commonly known as Improving America's
Schools Act.
Chapter 8: Reading and Writing
Reading and Writing are critical skills for every student to
master. Alabama is making strides in improving student achievement
in both subjects, primarily because of the nationally recognized
Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI). This chapter provides details
on the ARI, the federally funded Alabama Reading First Initiative,
and the statewide measures in place to ensure that student writing
receives the attention it deserves.
Chapter 9: School Choice
This chapter delineates the varying types of school choice available
to students in the nation, the region, and the state. Unlike other
Southern states, Alabama has not passed charter or voucher legislation.
However, the state is confronting other school choice issues as
it meets new NCLB requirements for intra-district choice for those
students attending low-performing schools.
Chapter 10: School Leadership
Simply put, where you find a successful school you find a successful
principal. After a thorough analysis of the current standards for
principals and administrators, the chapter finds that the state
must improve and support its leadership development initiatives
to sustain high-performing schools. This chapter also details the
current initiatives underway to prepare and train school leaders.
Chapter 11: Teaching Quality
Providing a well-prepared, qualified and caring teacher in every
classroom in Alabama is critical if the state is to meet the goals
of No Child Left Behind and allow all children to graduate from
high school with a meaningful degree. This chapter examines the
teaching continuum in Alabama, including recruitment, preparation,
certification, retention, professional development and teacher leadership.
Education-ary (PDF,
155K)
This section provides definitions to the education-related terms
and acronyms used throughout the primer.
