A divided Alabama Board of Education has approved a contract for the state’s new school superintendent, who has drawn both criticism and praise for his outsider status. The board on Thursday voted 7-2 to approve the contract for education consultant and former Massachusetts education secretary Michael Sentance. After the vote, Sentance told board members that his goal is to raise…
The U.S. Department of Education is out with a major report on Civil Rights in schools. It includes statistics on absenteeism, discipline and bullying, among other factors. The report finds children in Alabama are mostly targeted for bullying because of their race, gender or disability. It finds boys are much more likely to be bullied in Alabama than girls. An…
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are currently 544 cases of Zika in the continental United States. The growing threat has health experts in Alabama turning to an unconventional method to get the public aware, one that’s full of color. The Alabama Department of Public Health is distributing coloring books to educate children throughout the state about the…
Voters in several counties will head back to the polls Tuesday for runoff elections. Alabamians will decide primary election contests in which no candidate received more than half the vote. One race many people will be watching is the seat on the Montgomery County School Board. The candidates vying for the seat in the democratic primary runoff for District 7…
A state Senate committee has made a key change to the Common Core repeal bill that would ultimately leave it up to individual school systems whether to adopt the education standards or not. Multiple media outlets report that the Senate Education Policy Committee didn’t vote on the bill Wednesday, however. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh offered the amendment. The…
STORRS, Conn. (AP) – The University of Connecticut is creating a living and learning community for black men in response to low graduation and retention rates among the school’s male African-American students. The ScHOLAR2RS (Scholars) House will be located at a new dormitory set to open in the fall. Dorm residents will receive academic, career-development and social support. The voluntary…
The state’s graduation rates are on the uptick. In a news conference Thursday, Governor Robert Bentley and state education leaders announced the 2014-2015 graduation rate is at 89%. Increasing the high school graduation rate in Alabama is a primary objective of PLAN 2020, Alabama’s template for education reform. The state board of education set a goal of reaching a 90%…
