Alabama

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748 articles

House passes bill to lower starting school age to six-years-old

4/6

Apr 20, 8:33 AM:

AL House passed bill to lower age for kindergarteners from 7 to 6 years old. Some concerned that parental choice taken away. Question remains whether getting kids in school earlier helps them throughout their education. >

Can small districts race to the top?

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Apr 19, 6:46 AM:

AL Super says next round of Race To The Top, if there's one at all, will be districts competing for federal funds. Thinks program favors more densely populated areas, so he's not worried about winning. Would like to know >

Hearings on charter schools set Wednesday

3/6

Apr 19, 5:43 AM:

AL legislature trying to introduce charter schools in state. Have tried previously but union rhetoric got to dems and bills failed. Now want to establish "pilot program" in hopes legislature will support. Past charter >

AEA backs push to close business tax loopholes

1/6

Apr 6, 12:42 PM:

AL union pushes for stricter corporate tax law to boost ed funding and prevent layoffs and cuts. Real issue here is allowing districts to deal with deficit in ways that best fit students' needs, but they currently can't >

Teachers scrape to fund field trips, class supplies

3/6

Mar 7, 12:57 PM:

AL teacher posts $5000 request on DonorsChoose.org for field-trip transportation after receiving smaller amounts for supplies. Budget cuts creating new normal, and bake sales aren't enough. How does laudable teacher >

Alabama extends use of graduation tests for a year

3/6

Feb 17, 11:13 AM:

AL Ed Dept. plans to phase out state graduation exams scuttled by budget cuts. Would benefit from deeper explanation not just of costs but of delay's negative effects, if any, on raising achievement bar.

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Larger class sizes may result from education budget shortfalls

5/6

Feb 11, 1:34 PM:

Thorough coverage points to holes in ed budget that may lead to larger classes after fed funds dry up. State supt. says 5.6% k-12 increase needed just to stay open while higher-ed community pleads for more support. 

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Secretary of Education challenges Alabama to improve

4/6

Jan 28, 11:57 AM:

Alabama's Secretary of Education talks about unreachable “Race To The Top” Guidelines. A good time for the interviewer to bring up alternatives to the status quo. Time for Alabama to consider charter schools?

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