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//Trisha Powell Crain
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Who’s in Charge of Alabama Education?

There is a battle going on in Montgomery over who controls the education of Alabama’s children. Fault lines are becoming increasingly evident. Tempers flared at last week’s State Board of Education meetings in a display of direct pushback by state education leaders against...
Posted On Apr 18 2016
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Quick Reads – April 14, 2016

These are going to be really quick reads. Alabama’s statehouse reporters are doing a remarkable job keeping up with what Alabama’s lawmakers are doing. And there’s some other stuff going on, too. The State Board of Education will name an interim...
Posted On Apr 13 2016
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Quick Reads – April 12, 2016

Things are moving quickly in the state legislature. With only 10 days left, here’s what’s on tap for this week. Most of the action appears to be in the Senate this week. There are 35 Senators to represent the 4.85 million people in Alabama. That’s a lot of power...
Posted On Apr 12 2016
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The PREP Act: April 7th Version

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  The PREP Act changed again last week. Having lost track of how many versions there are, one thing is clear: Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) is working hard to...
Posted On Apr 11 2016
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PREP Act Changes Gain Support of the Alabama Association of School Boards

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  Big news today, folks. Education groups fought hard against lawmakers’ use of a “growth model” in teacher evaluations and of the use of those evaluations in...
Posted On Apr 07 2016
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Standardized Test Accommodations Yanked after Mid-Year Change in Testing Policy

This year’s round of standardized testing poses a different kind of challenge for Grace*, a fifth-grade student in Hoover City schools. The main support that had been provided to help her take those tests has been yanked after the Alabama State Department of Education...
Posted On Apr 07 2016
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Quick Reads – April 5, 2016

Six Apply for Interim Superintendent Position The State Board of Education received six applications for interim superintendent. Board members made it clear that whoever is appointed interim will not be considered for a permanent position. They will appoint an interim...
Posted On Apr 05 2016
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Collaborative Effort Results in Agreement on Teacher Evaluation Bill

Yes, you read that right. That phrase “collaborative effort” coupled with “agreement” isn’t often heard where education legislation is concerned in Alabama. That’s what makes this outcome worth mentioning. Dr. Mark Kirkemier, the Alabama State...
Posted On Apr 04 2016
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Senator Marsh Talks About the PREP Act

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) recently spoke with Don Dailey on Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal’s Week in Review about the PREP Act, which...
Posted On Apr 04 2016
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Education Savings Accounts Bill Moving Forward

Education savings accounts (ESAs) bills are spreading like wildfire across the country, with ten states, including Alabama, currently considering adding ESAs to their school choice platter. ESAs allow parents to custom-design their child’s education, using state education...
Posted On Apr 03 2016
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Big Education Issues on the Table for Alabama’s Lawmakers

With 12 legislative days left in the 2016 Regular Session, Alabama’s lawmakers will find a table full of education issues when they return from spring break next week. There are education savings accounts (the bill has been changed to apply only to children with...
Posted On Mar 30 2016
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No Additional Districts Register to Become Charter School Authorizers

One year after state lawmakers passed a law allowing charter schools to operate in Alabama, only two of Alabama’s 137 school districts have registered to become charter school authorizers. No additional school districts registered to become public charter school authorizers...
Posted On Mar 30 2016
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Alabama Teachers Answer: What Do You Need?

Alabama’s teachers need a whole lot of different things to improve student learning in their classrooms, according to initial results of an unscientific web survey conducted by the Alabama School Connection. While the survey is open until March 31, we just couldn’t...
Posted On Mar 28 2016
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Solutions Journalism Network Awards Grant for Special Education Coverage

The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) has awarded the Alabama School Connection a grant to support a journalism project to examine schools that are showing measurable success educating students with disabilities through special education. The SJN grant will allow us the...
Posted On Mar 23 2016
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What Do Special Educators Need to Succeed?

The following article is republished from The Conversation, an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community. It was originally published on March 11, 2016. By Elizabeth Bettini, Boston University and Kristin Murphy, University of Massachusetts...
Posted On Mar 23 2016
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Measuring College Readiness: Remediation Rates

“Career- and college-readiness” is the education term du jour. It has become the mission of public schools, and measures of student readiness are used to judge whether schools are being successful in that mission. But what does “career- an...
Posted On Mar 22 2016
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Alabama’s Governor Takes the Lead to Implement ESSA

Gov. Robert Bentley issued an Executive Order on Thursday establishing a state-level committee to make recommendations to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) last December. Though regulations for implementing ESSA are not expected...
Posted On Mar 18 2016
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Interested in Arts and Foreign Language Courses of Study? Here’s Your Chance to Comment

If you have something to say about the Arts and Foreign Language courses of study, here’s your chance to step up and be heard. The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) sent a notice to all superintendents to let interested educators and members of the public know...
Posted On Mar 18 2016
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The PREP Act: What Opponents Are Saying

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  In the previous article, we published what supporters of the PREP Act, Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) all-things-teachers bill are saying. Now it’s time to hear from...
Posted On Mar 16 2016
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The PREP Act: What Supporters Are Saying

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  The PREP Act, Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) all-things-teacher reform bill, has certainly started a conversation about how teachers are evaluated and why that matters to...
Posted On Mar 15 2016
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What’s the Difference in the PREP Act & What Alabama Is Already Doing?

UPDATE: On the evening of April 12, Sen. Marsh said he is shelving the PREP Act for this session.  How are Alabama’s teachers being evaluated? Are those evaluations helping teachers get better at teaching? Are students learning more as a result of those evaluations? The...
Posted On Mar 13 2016
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Alabama Teachers! We Want to Hear from You!

Teachers are the most important factor in student learning in the classroom. Research has been clear. Research also shows that factors outside the classroom can impede and interfere with that learning. Those factors are typically outside of a teacher’s control. With Sen....
Posted On Mar 12 2016
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State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice on Capitol Journal’s Week in Review

State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice spoke with Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal host Don Dailey for last Friday’s Week in Review. Dailey spoke with Bice shortly after Bice announced he would retire effective March 31. As usual, Dailey leads an interesting...
Posted On Mar 07 2016
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Alabama’s PLAN 2020 – The Actual Document

We hear a lot about PLAN 2020, the Alabama State Board of Education’s strategic plan for education. Here’s a look at it. Measures were updated on January 26, 2016. Alabama PLAN 2020 – updated 1/26/2016
Posted On Mar 07 2016
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What’s Coming This Week in the Legislature

Busy week ahead, folks. Tuesday, the Senate Education Policy Committee meeting will hold a public hearing in Room 304 at 12:30 p.m. on the PREP Act, Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) teacher evaluation reform bill. Planning to Periscope the hearing if at all possible. Look for...
Posted On Mar 07 2016
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