I spent 30 minutes in the reception area of a middle school somewhere in Alabama yesterday.  It was basically bedlam.  Pre-schoolers scooting to and fro, mamas frantically looking for info about which school their child is supposed to attend, the phone ringing off the...

Sudan McKim works for the state department of education in Montgomery.  And on the first day of school each year she volunteers to work at a school.  This year she went to Garrett Elementary. Here is her account of the day.  She does a great job of reminding us that...

A few days ago we mentioned that Tracey Meyer, longtime ALSDE employee who worked to keep up with legislative happenings, had begun a blog to highlight many of the positives about Alabama public schools. In order to keep up with what she has to say, you can go to this...

Earlier in July we celebrated the signing of the declaration of independence.  A document written by men worthy of being called “leaders” far more than those we now see every day on cable news.  Men who sought Divine Guidance instead of wondering how many follow them...

I suppose it is only natural that when you realize you have far more yesterdays than tomorrows, you spend a lot of time thinking about the paths you have traveled in life and the people who made an impact on you. I graduated from high school in 1961 and headed off to...

Ted Dintersmith made a LOT of money as a venture capitalist.  And because he has two children he became very interested in education in this country.  He has spent a lot of his time and money exploring what we are doing, both right and wrong.  He has looked at schools...

Tracey Meyer is a familiar name to many in Alabama education circles.  She worked at the state department of education for almost two decades and for years was the "go to" person in working with the legislature.  She did an excellent job of tracking legislation and...

School bells will soon ring across Alabama and teachers are working hard to get their classrooms ready for a new batch of smiling faces.  (And some who may not be smiling.) Seems that every few days I get an email from these folks encouraging me to help a teacher...

My involvement with public education began in 2008 when Owen Sweatt, Gerald Carter and I set out to study ten high-performing rural elementary schools around the state.  Since all were high-poverty, we wanted to find out why they were doing so well academically in the...

Ten years ago I plunged into the world of K-12 public education.  It's been a remarkable journey.  I've met amazing people who have become dear friends. None more so that Marha Peek, who retires the end of June as superintendent of the Mobile County school system, the...

The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation, a non-profit organization working to strengthen public education, is sending 109 educators from Texas to attend weeklong summer institutes at the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. With this new...

A few weeks ago I spoke to an elementary principal about the issues she faces.  She told me that one is teacher absenteeism.  When I asked her why,she quickly told me, "Stress."  At 4 p.m. today, (Friday May 25) I'm talking to the principal of one of the best...

As the Tombigbee river meanders through west Alabama it eventually becomes the eastern border of Washington County.  In fact, this is where its waters join those of the Alabama river before heading to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.  The county is both big and...

My friend Wendy Lang is a former educator, an advocate for public education and a single parent who understands the value of those who invest in the lives of children.   She is also a regular columnist for the Decatur Daily, her hometown newspaper. She just attended...

There are many wonderful educators in Alabama.  And in my book, Hope Zeanah, assistant superintendent of education in Baldwin County, is at the top of the list.  She was principal of Elberta elementary for 16 years.  Was Alabama Principal of the Year in 2013. And even...

As we hear more and more about teachers showing their dissatisfaction with wages and working conditions I came across an article that gives insight as to what is going on today in schools across the country. In a sobering article in Education Week Teacher with the...

OK.  OK.  For those of you who have only known me for a few years, you will likely be shocked to know that long ago (and many pounds) I was a distance runner and lettered on Auburn University's cross-country team.  Even got a navy blue sweater with a bright orange A...

One side of the cafeteria at Goodwyn middle school was packed with 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls.  Some all dressed up, some in their school clothes.  All were wiggling and jumping and doing the kind of things young ladies of that age are supposed to do. Across the...

As we continue to play the blame game about the Montgomery public school situation, it is interesting to see what has happened  in Inglewood, CA since the state took over its school system in 2012. As an article in the Los Angeles Times titled: "Six years after the...

Knowing there is always more than one way to skin a cat, some Alabama legislators are always looking for new ways to sneak more money away from public schools. This time it was by allowing taxpayers to use tuition to private schools as a tax break, thus taking more...

It's no secret that the last few years have been a challenge for Alabama public education.  Certainly we have had legislation passed that has not been helpful. The best such examples are a bill passed in 2012 requiring that all schools receive a letter grade of A-F...

The Rural Schools Collaborative, a national organization, has funded small grants for rural schools in Alabama for several years.  (I am pleased to serve on their board.)  Eight state projects were funded in the most recent grant cycle. Two of the efforts were a...

Polling data released by the Network for Public Education (NPE) shows that an overwhelming proportion of parents, teachers and students are opposed to teachers carrying guns in schools, and believe that gun control, including the banning of assault weapons, is the...