Phil Hammonds on Bold Goals for Alabama Education’s Future
Former Jefferson County School Superintendent Phil Hammonds knows a lot about public education. Before his retirement, he worked in Alabama schools and school systems for 40 years. Hammonds is now co-chair of the Bold Goals Coalition for education. It’s a group of more than 200 organizations in central Alabama collaborating to improve education and quality of life. In advance of WBHM’s and the Southern Education Desk’s “Issues and Ales” education forum this evening, Hammonds joined WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley to talk about his prescriptions for improving Alabama’s schools and what Bold Goals Education aims to do.
Dr. Phil Hammonds
Communication is Key
“Part of what Bold Goals is is bringing all these agencies, all these non-profits, all these school districts, together to say ‘Let’s begin. Let’s foster that conversation. What’s a best practice that worked within your school system, within your individual school, that we could emulate in our school system?’ Communication is at the very forefront of what we’re doing.”
Successes So Far
“School systems in Fairfield, Midfield and Bessemer recently came together and they have formed their own pre-K program. There was a school in Fairfield that was going to basically be abandoned…So rather than that building sitting there, those three communities, superintendents, and school boards came together to say ‘What is it that we could do in this building.’ Individually it might have been very difficult for any of those three systems to provide a quality, first-class pre-K program.”
Three Things Every School System Should Do
Number One: “Asking ‘What are we doing instructionally for your students?’ If a child has to work during the day, find a way where he or she can go to school at night. Should buildings be empty on Saturdays? How are we offering a sound instructional program? Solid instruction is the bedrock of what Bold Goals is about.”
Number Two: “Communicate with the community or the communities you serve. Be sure that parents, civic leaders, and government leaders know the status of where we are and where we want to be.”
Number Three: “Always be very cognizant of funding levels. Someone may say throwing money at something doesn’t solve it. Well, is the converse of that, taking money away, going to solve a challenge? How do we move forward that the resources that we had pre-2008 aren’t quite what they are now? We can’t use that as a reason we cannot, or should not, move forward. We have to find ways we can and be creative in that.”
Malinowski concedes to Mejia in Democratic House special primary in New Jersey
With the race still too close to call, former congressman Tom Malinowski conceded to challenger Analilia Mejia in a Democratic primary to replace the seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
FBI release photos and video of potential suspect in Guthrie disappearance
An armed, masked subject was caught on Nancy Guthrie's front doorbell camera one the morning she disappeared.
Reporter’s notebook: A Dutch speedskater and a U.S. influencer walk into a bar …
NPR's Rachel Treisman took a pause from watching figure skaters break records to see speed skaters break records. Plus, the surreal experience of watching backflip artist Ilia Malinin.
In Beirut, Lebanon’s cats of war find peace on university campus
The American University of Beirut has long been a haven for cats abandoned in times if war or crisis, but in recent years the feline population has grown dramatically.
Judge rules 7-foot center Charles Bediako is no longer eligible to play for Alabama
Bediako was playing under a temporary restraining order that allowed the former NBA G League player to join Alabama in the middle of the season despite questions regarding his collegiate eligibility.
American Ben Ogden wins silver, breaking 50 year medal drought for U.S. men’s cross-country skiing
Ben Ogden of Vermont skied powerfully, finishing just behind Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway. It was the first Olympic medal for a U.S. men's cross-country skier since 1976.
