Report Ranks Alabama 49th In Quality Education

Alabama lawmakers approved nearly $6 billion  to go to education this upcoming year. 

 

But with the state coming in almost dead last  in a study by the group Wallet Hub, there’s a lot of room for improvement. 

 

Elmore county superintendent Jeffrey Langham says he did not expect Alabama to rank so low.

 

“It surprises me a little bit because there’s no question that in the day to day activities as we see statewide, and also what we’re trying to do in a local school district, these are some of the brightest days ever for education in Alabama,” said Langham.

 

But it wasn’t a shock to some parents. Judy Rich has three kids in montgomery public schools, and she says large class sizes are not helping.

 

“Thirty students to one teacher, that’s a lot. That’s hard. I’m not trying to put down a teacher, but I feel like as far as the state, we need to help teachers so they can have all the academic papers and pencils and books that they need,” said Rich.

 

“Just get more kids interested in school. More after school projects,” said David Smith.

 

It might not be that simple of a solution. Langham says part of the problem comes from the state. 

 

“I definitely see this disconnect between the efforts of our lawmakers and our legislators meeting the needs of our schools.”

 

He says bridging that gap is one of the keys to improving the quality of education in Alabama. 

 

“We want to continue to bolster our movement forward and increase rigor with our standards. Making sure that we have everybody on the same page with that and we have acceptance of what we’re trying to do at the local school house.”

 

The report also took into account how much the state spends per student. New Jersey took the top spot. 

 

The District of Columbia and Mississippi came in last.