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The Alabama School Connection Is Closing Down….

No easy way to say this, friends. The Alabama School Connection is closing down. We knew it was an ambitious undertaking when we formally incorporated in June 2014. Nonprofit news organizations are struggling to find a sustainable revenue model, and we certainly found that to be...
Posted On Jul 31 2016
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How Community Schools Can Beat Summer Learning Loss for Low-Income Students

Laura Bronstein, Binghamton University, State University of New York This article is a part of The Conversation’s series on summer learning loss. For other articles in this series, read here and here. My children spent summers reading Harry Potter, playing chess, swimming and...
Posted On Jul 04 2016
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From Tiger to Free-Range Parents – What Research Says about Pros and Cons of Popular Parenting Styles

Rebecca English, Queensland University of Technology Our politicians talk a lot about “families”, but what do they really mean when they use this term? What does a modern Australian family look like and how does it compare with ten, 20 or even 30 years ago? In this ten-part...
Posted On Jun 08 2016
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Court Documents Reveal Turmoil within Hoover’s Trace Crossings Elementary Is Nothing New

Court documents and testimony in a federal sexual discrimination lawsuit are now providing an inside, public look at the dysfunction inside Hoover’s Trace Crossings elementary school during the years parents were leaving in droves for private- and home-school opportunities. Those...
Posted On Jun 05 2016
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Special Education Conference for Families & Educators June 3

Three hot topics in special education will be discussed at the fifth annual Raising the Standards half-day conference, hosted by the Alabama Parent Training and Information (AL PTI) Center. The conference will be held in three locations simultaneously to allow for statewide...
Posted On May 17 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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Do Your Kids Need Cash for College?

Do your kids need cash for college? Are your kids completing the free application for federal student aid, a.k.a. the FAFSA? There are folks here in Alabama that can help. [Check out the link for the basics about federal student aid, including a glossary of terms.] Kristina...
Posted On Jan 31 2016
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Which Bold Goals Are Being Targeted in Education? Find Out Here.

The Bold Goals Coalition of Central Alabama is hard at work moving nonprofit organizations and government agencies toward common goals in an effort known as “collective impact”. Dan Stephens, Vice President of Community Impact for Education at United Way of Central...
Posted On Dec 24 2015
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6

This Is the 400th Post

This is the 400th post published on the Alabama School Connection web site. It seems a good point to stop and reflect on where we’ve been and where we hope to go. When we first started in 2009, we tracked bills of interest for those who cared about schools. Over the next...
Posted On Sep 02 2015
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GreatSchools Now Has Maps with School & District Ratings

GreatSchools now has maps of school districts, complete with locations of schools and the ratings for both. Type in your home address (or the address of where you’re planning to move) and voila. You can also type in a zip code, but it won’t be able to pinpoin...
Posted On Aug 17 2015
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Alabama Parent Education Center Wins Federal Grant to Continue Serving Families

The Alabama Parent Education Center (APEC) has won a five-year federal grant to continue operating as Alabama’s Parent Training and Information Center, or AL PTI as they are commonly known. PTI staff help families of children with special needs navigate their child’s...
Posted On Aug 10 2015
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How Do You Want Your Education News?

Everywhere I go, folks talk about how difficult it is to find information about what’s happening in their local school, their school district, and in the state at large. Of course, that’s my opportunity to pitch the Alabama School Connection, but I know that the news...
Posted On Jun 03 2015
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2

How Much for That Cap and Gown??

Graduation Day is nearly here. Parents and families across Alabama have dreamed of this day. Years and years and years of hard work and perseverance will be on display as your child walks across a stage to receive that high school diploma. Have you paid your fees yet? Because if...
Posted On Apr 15 2015
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5

The Good News About Alabama’s Public Schools: Look Over There —->

Last Friday, more than two dozen education reporters, school public information officers (PIOs), communications professionals, school administrators, and State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice spent the morning at the Hoover Public Library discussing how folks talk about education...
Posted On Feb 01 2015
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The Vital Role of PTAs

School-based Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) are a vital force in advocating for a local community’s wants and needs for its children…all of its children. Most folks don’t understand the underlying difference between PTAs and Parent-Teacher Organizations...
Posted On Nov 21 2014
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Get Connected – The Schedule

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how excited I am to have the opportunity to explore a new way to share information through a regular segment on The Alabama Way, called “Get Connected”, airing on Tuesday mornings (and repeating on Thursday mornings) from 5:00 to...
Posted On Nov 10 2014
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Are Board Meetings a Good Place to Seek Solutions?

In the past few weeks, we have heard many stories of the public’s frustration with their board of education erupting into tension-filled boardrooms. Typically that happens during the “public comments” or “public participation” section of the meeting....
Posted On Oct 05 2014
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The Role of Schools in Eliminating Bullying and Cyber-Bullying – Thursday, September 18 Forum

Here are all resources handed out and discussed at the Forum Would you like to know what your school officials are doing to positively impact bullying and harassment in our schools? Or what role school officials can play when students are cyber-bullied? Join me on Thursday,...
Posted On Sep 15 2014
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6

The Importance of School Communication for Non-Custodial Parents

Communicating with the folks at your child’s school can be challenging for any parent. But when you are a non-custodial parent, establishing a means of communication may be even more difficult if school officials don’t know and follow the law. We know that a...
Posted On Aug 06 2014
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Protecting Student Privacy: FERPA and PPRA Notification Requirements

Student privacy. Protecting educational records. Hot topic these days. There are only a couple of ways parents can impact who has access to their child’s educational records in a public school. One of those opportunities comes at the beginning of the school year when...
Posted On Jul 21 2014
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Residency Requirements – What’s the Fuss?

This is the time of year parents and families dig out the utility bills and ask for copies of leases and deeds to prove they live where they say they live in order to enroll their children in a school district. Typically, proof of residency is required in order to establish...
Posted On Jul 13 2014
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Enrollment Procedures: Which Documents Are Required?

It’s that time again. School registration time. As you begin to fill out forms and submit your proof of residency to school officials, you need to know which documents school officials can and cannot request during enrollment. In May 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center...
Posted On Jul 08 2014
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4

Tying Student Test Scores to Superintendent Evaluations

Everybody’s talking about tying teacher evaluations to student test scores. What if student growth, achievement, and/or test scores were tied to superintendent evaluations? What if, building upon the superintendent’s management skills, community-building skills,...
Posted On Jun 22 2014
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Staying Informed: Board of Education Notice and Agenda

A central tenet of engagement is being informed. How do you stay informed without knowing what your board of education is up to? And how do you know what your board is up to if you don’t receive the proper notification and an idea of what will be discussed in advance of...
Posted On Jun 15 2014
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Special Education in Alabama – The Numbers

  So. I’ve been wanting these numbers in this format for a long time now. And no one seemed interested in making it happen. So I decided to do so. Here’s what the numbers looked like before (one set of information for each school district): What follows are what...
Posted On Jun 08 2014
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Past Editions of K-12 Must-Read News

August 29 to September 25, 2016
July 25 to August 28, 2016
June 24 to July 24, 2016
May 23 to June 23, 2016
May 2 to May 22, 2016
April 18 to May 1, 2016
March 16 to April 17, 2016
February 23 to March 15, 2016
February 1 to February 22, 2016
January 11 to January 31, 2016
December 21, 2015, thru January 10, 2016
November 30 thru December 20
November 11 thru November 30
October 21 thru November 10
October 6 thru October 20
September 14 thru October 5
August 24 thru September 13
August 3 thru August 23
July 16 thru August 2
June 18 thru July 13
May 19 thru June 17, 2015
May 18, 2015
April 27, 2015
March 30, 2015
March 11, 2015
February 2, 2015
January 5, 2015
December 16, 2014

All past editions available on Storify at https://storify.com/ALSchoolConnect

This website is intended for informational purposes only. The ASC is a nonprofit news organization and exists only to keep the public informed of issues as they relate to the K-12 education system in Alabama. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately at the e-mail link below. The ASC does not maintain offices nor a working telephone number dedicated for the organization. Links are provided as a courtesy, not as an endorsement.