Go here to respond to our latest survey about public education in Alabama.
Our last survey was in December 2016. The chief takeaway from it was that there is a crisis of confidence among educators across the state. They have little faith in the governor, the legislature, the state school board or the new state school superintendent
Since then a law suit has been filed against four state department of education employees and one state board member for their role in an attempt to discredit an applicant for state school superintendent last summer. In addition, the state school board had a two and one-half hour special called work session to air a long list of grievances about how new superintendent Mike Sentance conducts business, including securing large contracts without board approval.
This survey looks at all of these issues, plus asks for feedback on questions on previous surveys in order to develop trend lines on certain issues.
So take a couple of minutes and give us your thoughts by going here. And pass this along to colleagues and friends for their input as well.
Alabama has tried it both ways in the 60 years I have lived here. I honestly don’t see much difference between an elected board and an appointed superintendent and the reverse, as far as Alabama’s experience indicates. My experience as a teacher at Auburn University who worked with the public schools and teachers on many occasions, I see our main problem as a failure of Alabamians in general to truly value a good education.
I certainly do not disagree with you. We created the state department of education in 1854 and it has been a struggle ever since. You read comments by long ago governors about education and would swear they were made last week. I have spent a lot of time trying to come up with an answer and I am convinced that our attitude about education is part of our Scots-Irish DNA. In fact, I well recall saying to Wayne Flynt one day, “We can’t help it. We were just bred this way.”
To which he replied, “You are a lot closer to the truth that you realize.”
For more on this topic, I recommend reading “American Nations” by Colin Woodard. It connects some of the dots.