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Get Connected: Duncan Kirkwood Talks School Choice in Alabama

Duncan Elliott Kirkwood believes that all families should have the same types of choices for their child’s education, regardless of the family’s income or zip code. Kirkwood, Alabama Director for the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO),  joined me for a...
Posted On Jul 28 2015
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The Newest School Choice Has Arrived: Education Savings Accounts, HB694

A new school kind of school choice made its way into the Alabama legislature last Thursday: education savings accounts (ESAs). Whether there’s enough time in the session to make it happen is anyone’s guess, but it’s sure to be a conversation-starter. Rep. Ken...
Posted On May 24 2015
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What We Know About the AAA’s Nonpublic Participating Schools

Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. Here is a link to the update. Under the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA), scholarships paid for with state tax dollars that weren’t required to be collected are awarded to students to attend nonpublic participating schools....
Posted On Apr 27 2015
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What Kinds of School Choice Already Exist in Alabama?

There’s a lot of discussion these days about expanding school choice in Alabama. We’ve now added charter schools to the menu, and it looks like more scholarships will be on the way for children in families whose earnings are 185% or less of the federal poverty level....
Posted On Apr 01 2015
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School Choice Week: Alabama-Style

Y’all know I love Storify. It really catches the flavor of an event. And there was a big event in Montgomery today around School Choice Week, officially the week of January 26 through February 1, 2015. So here is the collection of tweets and articles leading up to and...
Posted On Jan 28 2015
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Timeline: The Alabama Accountability Act

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. This post has not been updated. The timeline below takes you through the birth of the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) in 2013 through January 5, 2015. Useful information as we await the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision...
Posted On Jan 08 2015
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About School Choice

The news is once again buzzing over school choice. But do you know about all of the different types of school choice? The Alabama Federation for Children recently released a study performed by McLaughlin and Associates claiming that 65% of Alabamians favor the concept of school...
Posted On Dec 29 2014
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The Alabama Accountability Act: The Basics

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. Here’s the link to the update. The Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) is nothing if not controversial. The Flexibility/Tax Credit/School Choice bill is used as a club by various political groups to beat up on their opponent,...
Posted On Dec 07 2014
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The Alabama Accountability Act: Who Is Eligible for Scholarships?

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. This post has not been updated. The Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) of 2013 provides eligible students needing money to change schools the opportunity to apply for and receive scholarship money through Scholarship Granting...
Posted On Nov 06 2014
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Scholarship Granting Organizations: What Do They Do?

With the Alabama Accountability Act’s provisions entering the second school year, here is a little better look at Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and what role they play in assisting students who choose to attend nonpublic participating schools (see this for more...
Posted On Jul 18 2014
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Number of Nonpublic Schools Participating in AAA Grows

The number of students using options provided through the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) aren’t yet publicly available, but with the 2014-2015 school year opening in the next few weeks, here’s an update on which nonpublic, a.k.a. private, schools have agreed to take...
Posted On Jul 16 2014
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What Are the Real Options for Alabama Students in “Failing” Schools?

During the 2013 legislative session, the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) became law, with the authors and proponents stating that the AAA would give children stuck in failing schools real options for transferring out of those public schools. Alabama now has a year under its belt...
Posted On Apr 07 2014
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So Who Is Sponsoring the Senate Takeover of K-12 Public Education?

Three bills have been introduced to usurp the power granted to the State Board of Education (SBOE) and State Superintendent: SB380 – Provides for termination of English Language Arts and Math courses of study and revert to prior courses of study. SB438 – Calls for...
Posted On Mar 09 2014
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Cyber and Virtual Schools Bills in the Pipeline

A trio of bills, HB456, HB479, and SB345 aim to create more choice for Alabama’s public school students. The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Information Technology – HB456 The first, HB456, creates the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Information...
Posted On Feb 18 2014
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Where to Get Daily News About K-12 Education in Alabama

Where do you get your daily news for K-12 public education in Alabama? Do you wait for it to come across your internet feed? Hunt for it on al.com or your local newspaper or digital news site? Check your Twitter feed? Coverage of K-12 education news is inconsistent in Alabama,...
Posted On Dec 22 2013
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Virtual Schools in Alabama? Yep.

What is a virtual school? Think of it like a virtual store. When you’re shopping for gifts on the Internet, you’re not actually IN a store, but the shopping experience equates that of shopping in a store. And when you complete the transaction, the resulting product...
Posted On Dec 02 2013
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School District Happenings: Learn What’s Going On

Change in public education continues to come at a fast and furious pace here in Alabama. From the new requirements for a high school diploma to Plan 2020 to the waiver from No Child Left Behind to the flexibility plans to the wave of technology many school districts are...
Posted On Sep 18 2013
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Pushing Back – It’s Who You Know

    So it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. The day after writing about how to push back when district school leaders make decisions that negatively impact parents and families, this press release from the Alabama State Department of Education dropped...
Posted On Aug 05 2013
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Proposed Rules to Implement the Alabama Accountability Act – Public Input Opportunity

UPDATED July 2: Revised deadlines for parental notification by the district with a school on The List (July 19) and for parents to notify districts of their intent to transfer (August 9). The sample parental notification letter is posted as well. The Alabama Department of Revenue...
Posted On Jul 01 2013
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The “Failing” Schools List – What Does It Really Show Us?

Now that we know which schools have met the definition of “failing” according to the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA), it’s time to examine it more closely: what is the test that is used, which schools ended up on The List and do they actually belong there?...
Posted On Jun 21 2013
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AAA Update – Author of Bill Says Families Currently in Private School Not Eligible for Tax Credits

This was one of those burning questions after the passage of the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA): are families of children who are assigned to “failing” schools and are already enrolled in private school eligible for the tax credits? The Senate Education Committee...
Posted On Jun 04 2013
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The State Board of Education Work Session: Tell Us How You Really Feel

C’mon, y’all. Tell us how you really feel. If you want to know how State Board of Education (SBOE) members really feel about the recently-concluded 2013 legislative session, look no further than the video of the May 23 Work Session. Here are my notes on the meeting,...
Posted On Jun 03 2013
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The Alabama Accountability Act – Part 4 – Staying and Improving Your “Failing” School – The Other Choice

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. Here is a link to the update. I didn’t originally intend to write Part 4 of this series. But as I wrote about the options for parents and families and children to leave their “failing” schools, I kept feeling I...
Posted On May 30 2013
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The Alabama Accountability Act – Part 3 – Scholarships and SGOs

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. Here is a link to the update. This is the third in a series on the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) and how the various parts impact parents and families. This post, Part 3, is written to inform parents and families (1) who have...
Posted On May 29 2013
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The Alabama Accountability Act – Part 2 – Tax Credits and Transfer Options

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015. Here is a link to the update. The Alabama Accountability Act (AAA) has three parts: the Flexibility portion, the Tax Credit/Transfer portion, and the Educational Scholarship Grant Organization/Scholarship portion. Please read...
Posted On May 28 2013
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