Reviewing The Charter Mess In Washington County
Editor's note: The proponents and opponents of Woodland Prep charter school in Washington County square off in circuit court in Chatom this Tuesday, Jan. 21. This is a date long anticipated by those who oppose the school and one the proponents have tried to postpone...
read moreWoodland Prep Playing Legal Games
Last August the Alabama Education Association filed suit in Washington County alleging that Sonar Tarim, the Texas education consultant working with Woodland Prep charter school falsified information submitted to the state charter school commission. The initial...
read moreNational Campaign Features West Alabama Teacher
In an effort to focus attention on the opportunities in rural schools across the country, the Rural Schools Collaborative has launched its "I Am a Rural Teacher" campaign. And the first teacher to be featured is Haley Richardson, a native of Pickens County, a...
read moreWe Once Had An Appointed State School Board. But It Did Not Work, So We Changed.
Editor's note: The following article was first posted last November. It is a look at why we went from an appointed state school board to an elected one. It is a history lesson that bears repeating. So the legislature wants us to vote on March 3 to switch from an...
read moreAn Open Letter To Senator Del Marsh
Senator: While you and I could not disagree much more on what we need to do to help Alabama schools and educators, I have never questioned that you are a successful politician and businessman. You could have tremendous impact on education in this state--if you would...
read moreSully Strikes Again
Once again we return to Baldwin County to check on our young friend, Sully, the fifth-grade grandson of assistant superintendent Hope Zenah. Sully has his eye set on a video game and has been diligently trying to find ways to earn money to buy the game. So...
read moreGovernor Fills Ella Bell’s School Board Seat
Governor Ivey has appointed retired Alabama State University dean Dr. Tonea Stewart to fill the remainder of the term of the late Ella Bell on the state board of education. The appointment is immediate and Stewart will attend her first SBOE meeting Jan. 9. Bell's...
read moreLook Who Wants To Get Their Hands On Accountability Act Scholarships
A few days ago a group calling themselves USA Academy plan to start a football program in Elmore County and attach a "school" to it. As one friend told me, "Normally we have schools looking for football teams, but this is a football team looking for a school." Even...
read moreThe Colossal Charter Mess In Montgomery
It is nigh impossible to figure out what is going on with charter schools in Montgomery. Whether it is by design, deception or a bushel of inaptitude, the situation is clearly defying sections of the charter law and thumbs its nose at what is legal and what is not....
read moreGovernor, You Need To Do Some More Homework
Overall, I think Governor Kay Ivey has done a good job regarding education. She has been a strong proponent of early childhood education, she shows up at state school board meetings to serve as chair (something few other governors have bothered to do), she hired a...
read moreNumbers Show That When It Comes To Helping Kids In Failing Schools, Accountability Act Is A Sham
As soon as the 2013 accountability act met the light of day (remember it was crafted behind closed doors with no input from educators), the public was told that its only purpose was to help students stuck in "failing schools". In fact, "failing schools" are mentioned...
read moreRecounting 2019. The Most Read Post Of The Past Year.
Editor's note: It comes as no surprise to me that a post about the Washington County charter school situation received the most views. Almost 5,200 to be exact. If there has even been a total bungling of how law should be interpreted and enforced and how...
read moreRecounting 2019. The Second Most Read Post.
Editor's note: More than 3,390 people read this post that detailed how some private schools are using scholarships from the Alabama Accountability Act to benefit their athletic teams. Accountability Act And High School Football Nov 13, 2019 There are presently seven...
read moreRecounting 2019. The Third Most Read Post Of The Year.
Editor's note: Courtney Welborn was principal of White Plains middle school in Calhoun County in the 2018-19 school year. (She has since moved to the central office.) Early in 2019 Senator Del Marsh mounted an effort to eliminate the Alabama College & Career Ready...
read moreRecounting 2019. The Fourth Most Read Post.
Editor's note: The following post got 2,956 views. The charter school fiasco in Washington County dominated our "most-read" list. This is another one of them. Washington County Charter School Fiasco Gets National And International Attention Apr 14, 2019 As we all...
read moreReviewing The Most Read Posts Of 2019
Editor's note: It's the season when the media is full of recounting the best football games of the year, the top political stories, the most expensive divorcees, which states had the most possums to cross the road, etc. So in the spirit of such, we will bring to you...
read moreThe Irony Of Amendment One
Alabama voters will go to the polls next March 3 to decide the fate of amendment one. At the heart of this amendment is an attempt to deny all citizens the right to vote to elect their state school board members. The irony of this vote is that 55 years and four days...
read moreAnother Gem From Our Friend, J. L. Strickland
Editor's note: There was so much reader response to our recent story from J. L. Strickland, we share another. It is especially appropriate at this season when joy and mirth should abound. If this doesn't bring a chuckle, check your pulse. "Back in the fifties, as I...
read moreA Christmas Story
Editor's note: J. L. Strickland is a retired textile worker from east Alabama who has spent his life in what the locals know as the "valley." It straddles the Alabama-Georgia line and for generations was home to numerous mills were cotton was turned into cloth. ...
read moreMy Choice For Top Education Story Of The Year
While it slipped by unnoticed by many and certainly out of sight of main stream media, to me the number one story impacting public education across Alabama in the past 12 months was replacing four incumbents on the charter school commission. And especially chairman...
read moreThe Hits Keep Coming For Montgomery’s LEAD Academy
Once again Josh Moon, investigative reporter for the Alabama Political Reporter, has pulled back the curtain on LEAD Academy, Montgomery's first charter school, and exposed what he calls a "first-rate mess." Go here to read his article of Dec. 17. Here are portions of...
read moreHoly Cow Batman, New Hampshire Turns Down $46 Million Grant For Charter Schools
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, without doubt the most unqualified person to ever hold this position, thinks charter schools are the solution to every ailment in education. So she is quick to hand out dollars to folks wanting to bring more charter schools on...
read moreAnd Now For Some Good News
While the elitist Bourbon Republicans who run the legislative supermajority work hard to discredit public education, truth is there is plenty of good news concerning the schools that educate 90 percent of all the students in Alabama. Rural Schools Collaborative is...
read moreThe Two Worlds Of Education
My choices were clear that Thursday morning. I could attend the state school board meeting at Montgomery's Gordon Persons building where the main topic of discussion would be whether or not to finally adopt a new math course of study after many months of study and...
read morePerry County Schools Threatened By Charter School
They stand as silent sentinels of a time gone by. Watch towers on the past. "They" are sturdy concrete silos, rising 40-50 feet above Perry County's black prairie land. Head south out of Marion on Highway 5 and you'll spy one every few miles. Each a reminder a...
read moreReport: Federal Government Wasted Millions Of Dollars On Charter Schools That Never Opened
The Network for Public Education has released a new report detailing how millions and millions of dollars have been wasted by the federal government on charter schools. Longtime Washington Post education reporter Val Strauss has written about the study. Here are...
read moreA Senator Speaks. And Shows How Clueless He is.
A few days ago I posted the names and email addresses of the 30 senators who voted last May for an amendment that will replace our elected state school board with an appointed one. A number of readers wrote senators and asked them why they voted as they did. Someone...
read moreSaving The World One Life At A Time
Officially it was called "Alabama Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities Awards Ceremony.". A very nice affair held at the Gordon Person Building auditorium Dec. 3. But unofficially, it was all about bringing recognition to people and...
read moreWhich Senators Voted To Take Away Your Right To Vote
As discussed here many times, on March 3 voters will vote YES or NO on going from an elected state school board to one appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. A YES vote will mean you lose your right to vote, a NO vote means you will keep it. ...
read moreSomething State Lawmakers Will Never Discuss
While it seems some Alabama legislative "leaders" are quick to blame everything from dead possums in the middle of the road to ingrown toenails as the fault of educators, when a site called WallteHub annually ranks states as to which ones are the worst in which to...
read moreThe Earth Can Spin Again. Another Iron Bowl Is In The Books.
It is the day after another football game between Auburn University and the University of Alabama, called the "Iron Bowl" in these parts. And orange and blue flags are fluttering atop cars in celebration of Auburn's 48-45 win. It was a wild one for certain. Alabama...
read moreAn Angel On My Shoulder
Long ago I realized that apparently the sound of tires on asphalt is my own special brand of therapy. How else can I explain all the miles I cover and time in my car? I graduated from Auburn 53 years ago. I doubt there have been many of those years when I didn't...
read moreNew Orleans Charters Not Measuring Up
After Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed New Orleans, charter schools were seen as the salvation for a school system plagued with poor performance for decades. Today all schools in the Crescent City are charters. However, as Times-Picayune reporter Della Hasselle...
read moreHere Comes Another Iron Bowl
Once a year, the rest of the world is oblivious to most folks in Alabama. The stock market can crash, a tsunami may wipe some country from the face of the earth, Old Faithful may forget to shoot water out of the ground and Niagara Falls may become a trickle--but none...
read moreDealing With Poverty
As those who want to "reform" education go in search of the next shiny object they are convinced will magically ignore the reality of the world we live in and instantly transport all schools and their students to a fantasy world of perfect families and white picket...
read moreLEAD Academy Loses First Court Skirmish With Fired Principal
LEAD Academy is Montgomery's first charter school. They opened this fall and shortly after fired their principal, Nichole Ivey-Price, who soon filed suit claiming fraud and beach of contract. A court hearing was held in Montgomery Nov. 21. Here is how WSFA TV in...
read moreGovernor Ivey Questions “Failing School” Language
Governor Ivey's comment at the state school board work session last week about "failing schools" opened the door for what should have long been done--a thorough look at the Alabama Accountability Act and it's shortcomings. FAILING SCHOOLS is largely a gimmick inserted...
read moreJackie Zeigler Pushes Back On Amendment Language
State school board member Jackie Zeigler of Mobile is an outspoken opponent of the effort to change from an elected to an appointed state school board. So much so that she is challenging the wording in the constitutional amendment that will be voted on March 3. Here...
read moreState School Board Candidates Set For March 3, 2020 Election
The state school board has elected members representing eight different districts. Members serve four-year terms. Since terms are staggered, four of these seats come up every two years. The 2020 election cycle will be for districts 1, 3, 5 and 7. The present...
read moreFinal Look At Most Recent Survey. 96 Percent Oppose Appointed State School Board
With 1,000 responses to our recent survey about an appointed vs. elected state school board, let's take a final look at the numbers. And the one that jumps off the page is that 96 percent will vote NO on amendment one to switch from an elected to an appointed state...
read moreGeorge Wallace Was Right
For some of us who are long in the tooth, we can recall that when George Wallace ran for president as a third party candidate, he often said "there was not a dime's worth of difference between Democrats and Republicans. And looking at Alabama today, it's hard to...
read moreWhere Are The Naysayers When It Is Good News?
When NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) scores recently were unkind to Alabama, the naysayers were quick to crawl out from under their rocks and scream about the sky falling. A perfect example is this rubbish from the Alabama Policy Institute that tried...
read moreAccountability Act And High School Football
There are presently seven scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) giving out scholarships to private schools through the Alabama Accountability Act. They make quarterly reports and the one that covers July, August, September of 2019 has just been released. Since...
read moreWhat Happens When We Put Too Much Emphasis On Test Scores
Editor's note: Paul Thomas is a professor of education at Furman University in Greenville, SC. He taught high school English in rural South Carolina before moving to higher education. A contributor to many education journals, his work is always grounded by his...
read moreNorth Carolina Mother Sheds Light On Alabama Charter School Mess
Editor's note: Alyson Ford is a mother in the Charlotte, NC area. It wasn't long after she enrolled one of her sons in a charter school that she began to feel something was amiss. Soon she was attending board meetings of the school and digging into financial...
read moreSurvey Respondents Strongly Reject Appointed School Board
With the first 700 responses to our latest survey now in, it's time to see what folks are saying about the March 3 vote to change from an elected state school board to an appointed one. Some 95 percent say they will vote NO on this amendment. (When we asked the same...
read moreOnce Again, Alabama Policy Institute Gets It Wrong
Former state senator Phil Williams of Gadsden is Director of Policy Strategy for the Alabama Policy Institute. He recently sent an article to state media pounding his chest about how Alabama has fallen behind Mississippi on National Assessment of Educational Progress...
read moreYour Opinion Counts. Don’t Forget To Take This Survey.
More than 600 people across Alabama have now responded to our survey about an elected vs. appointed state school board. But the more, the better. Go here to add your voice to those who have already taken the survey. And be sure and ask others to give us their opinion...
read moreFormer LEAD Academy Teacher Speaks Out
The voice on the other end of the phone line was polite, filled with the conviction of youth and disappointed that all people claiming to want the best for children are not sincere. I'd heard the same voice hundreds of times before. Young people who had planned all...
read moreA Close Look At The Lawsuit Filed Against LEAD Academy
Halloween was more trick than treat for LEAD Academy charter school in Montgomery as that was the day former principal, Nichole Ivey, filed a civil legal action against board chairperson Charlotte Meadows, the other three board members and the school's education...
read moreNeed Your Feedback. Take This Survey On Appointed vs. Elected State School Board
We're now just four months away from a CRITICAL vote regarding Alabama public education. On March 3 voters will be asked to vote FOR or AGAINST Amendment One. A YES vote will be to abolish our elected state school board and replace it with a board appointed by the...
read moreWhy Go Back To A Failed System?
So the legislature wants us to vote on March 3 to switch from an elected state school board to an appointed one. But you have to wonder how many supporters of this change know that we once had an appointed state board that was deemed to be failing us--so we changed...
read moreFixation On Test Scores Results In Confusion And Just Plain Nonsense
Within the last few weeks, Alabama educators have been bombarded by test score results that do precious little to advance progress in our schools and have given politicians and non-educators ample opportunity to wring their hands and declare the sky is falling. First...
read moreElla Bell, State School Board Member, Has Passed Away
After battling ill health for many months, we received word this morning, Nov. 3, that longtime state school board member Ella Bell , has died. Bell was elected to the state board in Nov. 2000 and served since taking office in Jan. 2001. She represented district 5,...
read moreMore Bad News For LEAD Academy
Here in Montgomery, rumors about LEAD Academy charter school, which opened this fall, have swirled for weeks. About discipline issues, lack of resources, class sizes, teachers quitting, students withdrawing, etc. And the rumor mill really cranked up when the school...
read moreOnce Again, Del Marsh Shows How Little He Knows About Education
Bless his heart, senate majority leader Del Marsh just can't stop talking to reporters and proving that he is clueless abut our public education system. You can read his latest examples of just plain dumb statements in this article. As expected, Marsh tries to...
read moreWhat Do You Think About Homework? Christy Hiett Wants To Know.
Christy Hiett is principal of tiny Fruithurst elementary in Cleburne County. I met her ten years ago when we did the study, Lessons Learned from Rural Schools. And though she has since become Dr. Christy Hiett, she is still principal of the school she attended as...
read moreJackie Zeigler Launches Campaign To Stop Amendment One
Jackie Zeigler serves on the state school board from District 1, which includes seven counties in southwest Alabama. She is adamantly opposed to Amendment One, that would replace the elected state board with one appointed by the governor and approved by the state...
read moreTeach For America Will Not Save Us
The "Alabama Teacher Shortage Task Force" recently reported to the state school board. No doubt the 18 members of this group spent a lot of time on this project. They presented a number of good ideas. Things such as providing incentives for certified teachers to...
read moreDemopolis Shows What Local Support Is Really All About
One of the truly fascinating examples of community support for a public school system can be found in the unlikely city of Demopolis. With only an estimated 6,724 residents according to the U.S. Census and 2,300 students in its four schools, Demopolis is squarely in...
read moreChatom Elementary Gets A Rating On State Report Card
There was a pep rally, complete with high school cheerleaders and a pep band, at Chatom Elementary on Friday morning, Oct. 18, even though the K-4 school has no football team. And there was good cause as this is when students at this Washington County school got the...
read moreWith Brelinda Sullen, It’s All About Love
At more than six feet tall, Brelinda Sullen is an imposing figure. But then she was an All-American basketball player at Tuskegee University. And no doubt her stature has helped her get the attention of students in her long career in education. But more than...
read moreWhat Charter Commission Is Yet To Understand
At its essence, the charter commission is actually a bank. And every taxpayer in Alabama has a stake in how they conduct business.. What the charter commission really does is decide how taxpayer money will be invested, to the tune of about $8,500 per student who...
read more1,300+ Posts And Counting
I waded off into the blogosphere in the spring of 2015. That was now more than 1,300 posts ago and at an average of about 500 words per post, more than 600,000 words. Or, since Google tells me that the average book is 100,000 words, six books ago. No wonder I feel...
read moreOnce Again, Woodland Prep Tips Its Hand
While the handful of supporters of Woodland Prep charter school in Washington County insist that all they want is better education opportunities for local students, their actions tell a far different story. For example, the Oct. 11 edition of The Washington County...
read moreChecking The Bucket List: Coalwood, WV
It's not hard to find Coalwood, WV. Go north on highway 19 out of Abingdon, VA, take a left on highway 16 in Tazewell, VA and don't get in a hurry because the road soon clings hard to what little space there is between a meandering creek bank and whatever mountains...
read moreSoner Tarim: Live And In Person.
It was Monday, September 30 and right there is front of me, only 25 feet away, stood Soner Tarim, the wizard of charter schools, all the way from Houston, TX (even thought he said in the meeting he lives in Montgomery). It was the most recent meeting of the state...
read moreAn Evening In Troy Is A Lesson For All
On a recent Monday night about 100 people gathered in Troy for a community discussion about their public school system. Billed as a discussion of "cradle to career," the meeting was coordinated by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life in Montevallo. The crowd was...
read moreThe Magic Of Childhood
Bombarded by a 24-7 barrage of bad news about self-centered politicians, mad men with assault weapons. the constant quest for riches by billionaires who already have more money than they can spend and overpaid and over indulged athletes, it is easy to forget what the...
read moreIf The Past Is Prologue, Appointed State School Board Will Cost Female Leadership
If the voters of Alabama decide we should have an appointed, rather than an elected, state school board, all signs indicate that the voices of women will be muted to a certain degree. There are eight elected members of the state school board. Six of them are female....
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A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words
The picture above comes from Northpontotoc Upper elementary school in Ecru, MS. Ecru has less than 1,000 people and is in Pontotoc County just west of Tupelo. Here is what accompanied the photo. “These trees were 17 years old when harvested. The smaller one...
read moreWhy Do Politicians Think I Am A Moron?
Montgomery will elect a new mayor on Oct. 8. The field has been narrowed to two candidates, Steven Reed and David Woods. I have seen TV ads for Reed saying he will give teachers a raise. Today I got a flyer from Woods that proclaims. "Education is the key to a...
read moreNews Flash: Too Much Rain Slowing Construction Of Woodland Prep School
We've all seen them. Folks who look down their nose at people from Alabama. Their disdain is evident. Like, "What the heck am I doing among all these rednecks? Why they wouldn't know a martini from a Martian." They feel superior. They can say anything and the...
read moreCharter Shenanigans In Birmingham
Terri Michael is a member of the Birmingham city school board. She works hard to keep a watchful eye on things involving that school system. She is very concerned about things she has learned about the push for charter schools there. In the article below, which was...
read moreLEAD Academy Principal Fighting Back
Is Nichole Ivey the principal at Montgomery's LEAD Academy charter school--or is she not? This subject was raised at the Sept. 30 meeting of the state charter school commission. LEAD board chair Charlotte Meadows told the commission that Ivey was no longer the...
read moreJosh Moon Blows The Whistle On LEAD Academy
Josh Moon has been an investigative reporter for years. First for The Montgomery Advertiser, today he writes for The Alabama Political Reporter. Never one to shy away from exposing the underbelly of political--and other-shenanigans--Moon lets the chips fall where...
read moreCharter Commission Grills Woodland Prep
The newly re-constituted state charter school commission met in Montgomery on Sept 30 and one thing is quite clear. There is a new sheriff in town. The state school board replaced four incumbent commission members on Aug. 8, one of whom was chairman Mac Buttram. ...
read moreMore Deception From Woodland Prep In Washington County
Deception and false info have been standard operating procedure for those promoting Woodland Prep charter in Washington County since the get go. They have used bogus letters of support, fake proficiency rates, unverifiable numbers and listed non-existent "team...
read moreNo Measurable Gap Between Charters, Traditional Public Schools On National Tests
"There are "no measurable differences" between the performance of charter schools and traditional public schools on national reading and math assessments from 2017, a finding that persists when parents' educational attainment were factored into the results." This is...
read moreThings Montgomery Schools Should Consider
After thousands of miles and visits with countless teachers. principals and superintendents. After sitting in school board meetings from one end of Alabama to the other (including some when I was a member of the Montgomery school board) and seeing it all from the...
read moreMontgomery School Board Approves Converting Schools To Charters–And Once Again Refuses To Accept Reality
It's damn hard to admit that your baby is ugly. If you don't think so, then you should have been at the Montgomery County school board meeting on Sept. 24 when this group voted to let the Montgomery Education Foundation turn two elementary schools and one junior high...
read moreAlabama Making Education Progress? Don’t Tell The Skeptics.
This will not be welcome news for all the naysayers who say Alabama educators can't walk and chew gum at the same time--but new info from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama says we are making great progress in graduation rates and preparing students for...
read moreAlabama Political Reporter Raises Questions About Who Pulls The Strings On Education
The Alabama Political Reporter is an on-line publication that does not shy away from asking tough questions about state powerbrokers--and those who wish to be. Within the last few days, they have questioned a contract for almost a million dollars doled out by the...
read moreOur Thoughts And Prayers Are With Governor Ivey
Alabamians were shocked to get the news that Governor Kay Ivey is undergoing treatment for a cancerous spot on her lung. I have said a prayer for her, as have people all across the state. Because we have all been touched by this disease in some form or fashion, while...
read moreDo You REALLY Want Del Marsh To Hand Pick State School Board?
Let's cut right to the chase. If the voters of Alabama approve a constitutional amendment next March that switches us from an elected to an appointed state school board, Senate majority leader Del Marsh will be in total control of the board. To date, most discussion...
read moreYes, There Really Is Goodness In This World
We can all be forgiven for thinking the world has truly gone to Hell since we are constantly bombarded by news of murders and mass shootings and politicians wasting our tax dollars, etc. The drumbeat is unending. But then we learn about a restaurant in Brewton, AL...
read moreA Very Wise Educator Speaks The Truth
Editor's note: Mike Rose is a professor of education at UCLA. The grandson of Italian immigrants, his path to college professor took many twists and turns. Along the way he taught in inner-city Los Angeles, taught everything from kindergarten to adult literacy...
read moreWhat If Education Reform Got It All Wrong In The First Place?
Editor's note: Every time you turn around, another "education reform" is being pushed on us. Here in Alabama they go by such names as A-F school report cards, the Alabama Accountability Act, charter schools and countless studies by high-priced consultants that will...
read moreBlack Belt Teacher Corps Making A Difference
One of the great joys of life is watching something go from only an idea to actuality. Which is the way I view the Black Belt Teacher Corps at the University of West Alabama. This seed was planted in either late 2015 or early in 2016. (Old minds have a habit of...
read moreDid Soner Tarim Really Help Grade Woodland Prep Charter Application?
We've all heard someone say something and immediately did a double take. And we say to ourselves, did I just hear what I think I heard? This was certainly my reaction the first time I heard what Soner Tarim, the Woodland Prep "education consultant," said when...
read moreCraig Pouncey Named as President of Coastal Alabama Community College
Here is the news release from the Alabama Community College system announcing Pouncey's appointment today: MONTGOMERY – At the Alabama Community College System board of trustees meeting on Wednesday, Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker announced the selection of Dr. Craig...
read moreWoodland Prep Charter. Doing Things the Wrong Way.
My last post was about University charter school on the campus of the University of West Alabama. As I wrote about the methodical approach they took to building public support, about the $350,000 they had pledged to the school before they applied to the state for...
read moreUniversity Charter School. Doing Things The Right Way.
The University of West Alabama in Livingston, the county seat of Sumter County, faced a dilemma. It was becoming increasingly difficult to recruit faculty to come to their school. The reason? The local school system.. College professors value education for their...
read moreA Technology Rant.
While I may be accused of many things, understanding--and using--technology is not one of them. Lord only knows how long I've had my old flip phone. I do not text. It does not take pictures. My GPS is made of paper, unfolds and has lot of lines on it. I use my...
read moreFruitdale Wins Third Straight Football Game
We recently wrote about tiny Fruitdale high school in Washington County and about how the school and the community are virtually one and the same--and is true in many rural locations. We talked about the challenge facing brand new head football coach Johnny Carpenter...
read moreOh My God, Another Legislatively-Mandated Study About Education
As soon as I read that we will soon hire a consultant, pay them $750,000, and study the state department of education, all because the legislature wants to do so, two thoughts came immediately to mind. One was a favorite saying of my late farmer friend, Rufus Coody of...
read moreTime To Apply For Rural Grants
One of the fun things I do is serve on the board of the national Rural Schools Collaborative. Our mission is to work with rural schools across the country on different programs. This group has been especially helpful in getting the Black Belt Teacher Corps at the...
read moreDiane Ravitch Keeps An Eye On Alabama
Editor's note: Diane Ravitch is probably the best known voice in the U.S. who is a constant critic of what is today loosely clustered into "education reform." A native of Houston, she is an education historian by training. She was an assistant U.S. Secretary of...
read moreAuburn Tigers Rise From The Dead To Beat Oregon
Editor's note: It was 54 years ago this summer that a fresh-faced kid from south Alabama was sports editor of The Auburn Plainsman. Those were far different times in college football. The game had not turned into the huge commercial ventures they are today. Coaches...
read moreA Voice From Finland
For the last two decades, the world has beaten a path to Finland's door to examine what many consider the world's best system of public education. William Doyle is a former Fulbright Scholar who was on the staff of the University of Eastern Finland a couple of years...
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