Education
State Seeks Dismissal Of Suit Against Birmingham Takeover
BREAKING: Lawyers representing the Alabama State Department of Education late Wednesday filed a brief asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the state's 2012 intervention in Birmingham City Schools.
School Weather Closings
A handful of schools around north central Alabama are closed Wednesday due to the threat of icy weather. They include Hoover City Schools and Blount County Schools.
Carsen On Capitol Journal
Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently appeared as a guest journalist on Alabama Public Television's "Capitol Journal," a highly regarded program analyzing the week's significant stories. Dan, host Don Daily, and frequent WBHM commentator John Archibald discuss HeadStart, troubling economic trends in American public education, the controversy at Alabama State University, and more.
INTERVIEW: Terrorism Expert Randall Law
Birmingham– Recently our education reporter needed a terrorism expert for a story about a new type of bomb-sniffing dogs being developed at Auburn University, so he sat down with Birmingham-Southern College’s Randall Law, an author and a terrorism historian. Their rolling conversation covered profiling, politics, the psychology of terror and more. It was so interesting we thought […]
Auburn Developing New “VaporWake” Bomb Dogs
Three years ago, after spending almost nineteen billion dollars on hi-tech research, the Pentagon found the best bomb-detection devices in existence are actually dogs' noses. And researchers at Auburn University are trying to make them even better. They've developed a new type of bomb-sniffing K-9 called a "VaporWake" dog. WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has more on this new tool in the anti-terrorism arsenal.
Money Tight, Scientists Turn To Crowdfunding
In the past decade, it's gotten much harder for scientists to get the federal grants that fund most American research. This year's sequester has made it even more difficult, and the government shutdown is likely to slow things down even further. So scientists are looking for new ways to pay for their work, including "crowdfunding." But going online and asking the public for money has real drawbacks. Even so, as WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells us, some think it could "open up" science in a good way.
Commentary: Courage in Unlikely Places
With the new school year in full swing, students and families are back into their routines. But for some, accessing educational opportunities is anything but routine. Commentator Larry Lee tells the story of one mother and the effort she’s making to ensure her children make it in school.
State Schools Chief Of Staff On Decrease In Per-Pupil Spending
Since before the recession, the number of dollars Alabama spends per student has dropped more than it has in any other state. Percentage-wise, Alabama's decrease was second only to Oklahoma's. That’s all according to a recent report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. WBHM’s Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Alabama schools Chief of Staff Craig Pouncey to find out why, and what it all means.
INTERVIEW: Tanner Colby, Some of My Best Friends are Black
As Barack Obama campaigned his way to the presidency, self-described lily-white writer Tanner Colby began pondering exactly why he and so many other white people basically had no black friends. The reasons are complex, ranging from school policy to real estate practices to media image-making to church politics, but the former Vestavia Hills resident dives right in from the springboard of his own life, recognizing his ignorance the whole way. The result: 'Some of My Best Friends are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America.' Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Colby soon after the author appeared on MSNBC to discuss America's persistent racial separation.
John Archibald: Race and Greek Life at the University of Alabama
Students, faculty and administrators at the University of Alabama are trying to figure out what's next after a march Wednesday calling for an end to racial discrimination in campus Greek organizations. The march comes after the student newspaper published a story detailing allegations of racial bias in sorority recruitment. But the bias seems to be coming from alumna not currents students. We talk about the unfolding controversy with AL.com and Birmingham News columnist John Archibald.
Grooming The Next Cyber-Warriors
Eric Snowden. NSA code-cracking. Chinese government hackers. It’s hard to avoid cybersecurity issues in the news. And many experts think the United States is simply not up to the threats. That’s mainly because there aren't enough good guys with the skills to do battle in this expanding arena. But there’s a unique partnership in an Alabama school district that’s working to change the scenario. WBHM’s Southern Education desk reporter Dan Carsen has more, with previously unpublished photos.
Veterinarian Glut
In case you missed this recent national story: Lots of young people who love animals want to be veterinarians, but vet school is demanding and expensive. And the work is less “cute and cuddly” than many realize. Even so, there are more vets than there’s work for them to do. WBHM’s Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen starts this story from an Auburn University “vet camp” that may be part of the solution. *With previously unpublished photos. WARNING: Some viewers may find some of the photos disturbing.
A Turnaround at Birmingham-Southern College
Classes start at Birmingham-Southern College Wednesday and for students returning to the school there’s a very different atmosphere than just a few years ago. In 2010, the college faced a financial crisis, leading to deep budget cuts and layoffs. But now the campus is on the rebound. As WBHM intern Pooja Gajare reports much of the credit is being given to the school’s president.
Hoover Cuts Buses, Ignites Controversy
Hoover’s school board recently voted to end its bus service, effective a year from now. District leaders say they have to cut costs as enrollments rise and revenues fall. But as WBHM’s Dan Carsen points out in a recent national report, many in the hilly, sprawling Birmingham suburb don’t believe that’s the whole story. Click above for more.
Hoover Stakeholders React To School Bus Cut
Hoover school leaders recently made their case for last month's controversial decision to end the system's regular-ed busing program, effective next August. In light of the outcry, the school board set up a public forum, held Thursday night at Spain Park High School, where system leaders explained school finances and heard stakeholders' numerous concerns. WBHM has archived the entire meeting as a matter of public record and broken out 10 key exchanges for listeners. Click above to listen.
Kyle Whitmire: A Closer Look at Board of Education Meetings
Kyle Whitmire with AL.com and The Birmingham News attended this week's Board of Education meeting. Tensions at the meeting were high between state intervention team officials and elected board members. Kyle explains why the state intervention team is there in the first place as well as what needs to be accomplished before it can leave.
Joseph Walter: Doing Much More Than Surviving
Pompe disease is a rare and often fatal illness that attacks the heart and skeletal muscles. Many people with the early onset form don't survive past childhood. But just north of Birmingham there's an eighteen-year-old who's not only surviving, but thriving. He recently graduated high school, and as WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells us, that's just part of the story.
Kids Count: Improvement for Alabama’s Children
Alabama often does poorly when it comes to education or health outcomes for children. But a new survey out Monday offers some good news for Alabama's youth. In the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count report, Alabama rose to 44th in child well-being, putting it out of the bottom five among states for the first time. WBHM’s Sarah Delia speaks with Kids Count national coordinator Laura Speers about the survey.
New Map Shows Summer Feeding Sites
Alabama is a poor state, and many of its young people go hungry, especially when school is out. But an anti-poverty group has put out a digitized map and database meant to make it easier for hungry children to find free meals over the summer.
From Foster Care To College: A Little Help Bettering The Odds
Whether it's summer, spring, or fall term, some young people have trouble adjusting to campus life. College students coming from foster care face extra hurdles: 70 percent want to get a degree, but roughly three percent graduate by age 25. For the third and final part of the Southern Education Desk series "From Foster Care To College: Extra Help For Extra Hurdles," WBHM's Dan Carsen recently went to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to learn about a new program that's trying to better those odds.
From Foster Care to College: Part Two
Many high school graduates are enjoying their last summer before college. But new research shows most kids who grow up in foster care don't attend college and those who do are less likely to graduate. Yesterday, we met Briyana Dunn, who was attending college through a state program in Tennessee. Today, reporter Christine Jessel continues our Southern Education Desk series by catching up with Dunn to see how she's doing nearly a year after starting college.
From Foster Care to College: Part One
When foster care kids grow too old for the system, they're pretty much on their own. They're often unprepared for the basics of life such as finding a job, paying rent or buying insurance. Succeeding in college is a much higher bar. Many states have special programs to support foster care kids who want to go to college. Tuesday, we kick off a Southern Education Desk series "From Foster Care to College: Extra Help for Extra Hurdles."
INTERVIEW: Craig Witherspoon Reacts To Failing Schools List
Today the state education department released a list of 78 failing schools under the controversial Alabama Accountability Act. Of the 78, 11 were in Birmingham. WBHM's Dan Carsen caught up with Birmingham Superintendent Craig Witherspoon for his reaction.
Kyle Whitmire: Privacy Perceptions and Pondering Good News
Privacy concerns are news with the NSA and PRISM stories, Alabama makes news with roadblocks to gain samples from drivers. And good news about Birmingham? We talk with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Carsen Talks “AAA” And More On Capitol Journal
Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently appeared as a guest journalist on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” a highly regarded program analyzing the week's significant stories. Among other things, Dan discusses the controversial Alabama Accountability Act, which will be a subject of debate in the final session of the state legislature today as lawmakers address Governor Bentley's call to delay establishing tax credits for families sending students to private schools.
Black School, White School: Teaching The Civil Rights Movement
Most people know Birmingham was a Civil Rights Movement battleground. But how is that complicated history taught in schools today? And are there differences between white and black districts? As part of our special Civil Rights anniversary coverage, Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen went to class in urban Birmingham and suburban Mountain Brook to find out.
Common Core, Part 3: More Writing May Be A Challenge
New national Common Core education standards are designed to create better critical thinkers. To achieve this, students in 45 states can expect to be writing a lot more than they do now. Many educators say it's a good change, but one warns that the transition could be rough, especially for older students.
Common Core, Part 2: Implementation a Challenge
By 2016, students in 45 states and the District of Columbia will be learning the same things, at the same time, under the same set of standards. But it won't be easy to implement the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Common Core, Part 1: Is The Hype Really Just Hype?
There's been a revolution in American K-12 education: the 'Common Core State Standards.' Released in 2010, they're math and language arts standards meant to raise rigor and establish consistency across the nation. They've been adopted in 45 states. But in the first of a three-part series, the Southern Education Desk's Dan Carsen tells us that even in those places, all is not quiet on the Common Core front.
White People Problems
You may have heard someone say "Sounds like a white people problem." Or how about "That's so ghetto." Some people toss around these phrases without even thinking about them, but not WBHM Race and Diversity blogger Jasmine White.
Pre-K: Politics and Poverty
Most education experts believe quality preschool programs are essential to finding a long-term solution to the achievement gap, and will ultimately play a role in helping disadvantaged students escape poverty. But politics can sometimes get in the way.
Pre-K Series, Part 3: Access Is Everything
Most education researchers and even many economists think high-quality Pre-K benefits children and the communities where they live. But the effects are limited when programs just don't reach many kids. In Part Three of the Southern Education Desk series on Pre-K in the Deep South, WBHM's Dan Carsen has more from right here in Alabama, which has a highly regarded program that reaches a just a fraction of the state's four-year-olds.
