Education
Controversial Student Training Includes Taking On Gunmen
Jonesboro, Columbine, Virginia Tech. Those names and others have become tragic shorthand for school shootings. Today, when there’s a threat, the typical lockdown plan that most schools follow is sound the alarm, call police, lock doors, and stay put. But a growing number of schools are adopting controversial training that includes how to fight back against a gunman. WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the story.
Lee County’s Nowlin To Lead Jeffco Schools
The superintendent for Lee County, Stephen Nowlin, has been named to serve as the new superintendent in Jefferson County. The school board voted 4-1 on Thursday for Nowlin to replace retiring Superintendent Phil Hammonds.
Carsen and Ott Talk All Things Alabama Education
The School Superintendents of Alabama is set to announce today the Superintendent of the Year, and embattled Birmingham schools chief Craig Witherspoon is among the nine people up for the honor. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells Tanya Ott about that and a grade-changing scandal in Montgomery.
UAB to Open New Med School Branch
UAB officials say a new medical school branch in Montgomery will help address a looming shortage of primary care physicians in Alabama. It's estimated the country will need 45,000 more primary care physicians and 46,000 more surgeons and specialists by 2020 to meet the needs of an aging population.
Reverse Integration In A Birmingham School
Birmingham was at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, a major front in the battles that ended legal segregation. When the schools were integrated, white people fled the city, taking resources and other advantages with them. That continues today, but about two dozen families are bucking the trend and trying to reverse the process. WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the story.
August 31 Morning News
Alabama seeks waiver from No Child Left Behind; state's shrimp boats survive Isaac without a scratch, but could still lose millions of dollars; and allegations of voting irregularities in Perry County.
August 23 Morning News
Prepaid college tuition program will pay tuition, at least temporarily; Attorney wants off Auburn tree poisoning case; and only one candidate qualifies to challenge Roy Moore for AL Supreme Court Chief Justice.
John Archibald On Why Carol Garrison Is Leaving UAB
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has a new interim President. Earlier this week, University of Alabama System Chancellor Robert Witt announced that longtime UAB administrator Richard Marchase would take over for outgoing president Carol Garrison. The university will now start a national search for a permanent replacement. John Archibald offers his observations on the leadership change at UAB, as well as leadership on the Jefferson County Commission.
August 17 Morning Newscast
Carol Garrison steps down as president of UAB; the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights holds a public hearing about crackdowns on illegal immigration in Alabama and other states.
Stimulants on Campus
Thousands of college students are heading back to school across Alabama. But for some, keeping up with the workload means more than just drinking a few cups of coffee. As UAB student and WBHM intern Aditi Jani discovered first hand, some students are abusing prescription stimulants to cope with the pressure to achieve.
BREAKING: Birmingham BOE Conducts Civil, Productive Meeting
The Birmingham School Board conducted a civil and efficient meeting Tuesday night, perhaps cowed by a judge's ruling that the state does have authority over the district and that Superintendent Craig Witherspoon will keep his job during the takeover. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has this surprising web-exclusive.
August 15 Morning Newscast
The Birmingham School Board conducts a civil and efficient meeting; former governor Don Siegelman says a presidential pardon is his last hope for freedom; and criminal wrong doing at the Birmingham Water Works.
Meet WBHM’s Interns
Here's your chance to put faces to the voices you're hearing during our Summer Fund Drive. Meet WBHM's Summer 2012 Interns.
WBHM Names Scott Hanley as New GM
Scott E. Hanley will become general manager of Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM , licensed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham , effective Monday, Aug. 27.
Noted Author On Alabama Public Television Controversy
WBHM has obtained a letter sent to Governor Robert Bentley by a noted author and public television producer who calls on the governor to take action on the Alabama Public Television controversy.
Judge Extends Orders Against Birmingham School Board
One round of testimony is over, but the long road to legal closure in the battle over Birmingham Schools is not. After two sometimes arcane, sometimes fiery days of testimony, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Houston Brown on Thursday extended two temporary injunctions against the Birmingham Board of Education by 10 days or until further notice. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the latest in this web-exclusive story.
August 3 Morning Newscast
Judge extends injunction in Birmingham Schools case; State seeks waiver from No Child Left Behind; and LSU opens 2012 ranked #1.
Lacrosse in a Football State
If there's one sport that's synonymous with Alabama, it's football. But in recent years, a much older team sport has grown significantly in Birmingham and around the state.
Alabama Public Television COO Resigns
Alabama Public Television COO resigns citing controversy at network and "stressful work environment."
July 27 Morning Newscast
Governor Bentley finally comments on controversy at Alabama Public Television; Alabama asks federal court to approve redistricting plan; and when does a campaign contribution constitutes a bribe?
The Fight for Control of Alabama Public Television
This morning, a group of religious leaders will deliver thousands of petition signatures to Alabama Public Television headquarters in Birmingham demanding the network keep evangelical minister and conservative activist David Barton's religious DVD series off the airwaves.
Cuts More Clear at Birmingham City Schools
Details are emerging in the massive budget cuts at Birmingham City Schools. On Tuesday, the school board deadlocked over approving the state's $12 million cost cutting plan, but the state stepping in and imposed the plan anyway, firing 61 employees and cutting the salaries of many high-level administrators.
July 25 Morning Newscast
Birmingham Schools deadlocks on cost-cutting plan, but state overrules; COO of Alabama Public Television warns of dire consequences; Annual Kids Count data book finds problems for Alabama's children.
Birmingham Board Turns Down State Financial Plan, Bice Overrides
The Birmingham Board of Education voted against a state-backed plan of cuts Tuesday. But with the Birmingham City Schools under state control, State Superintendent Tommy Bice simply overrode the board. WBHM will update this unfolding story.
Southern States Lag Behind in Women’s Sports
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of Title IV, the federal legislation that dramatically increased opportunities for women to play sports at the high school and college levels. But a new report finds that Alabama and other Southern states still lag behind.
Judge Reinstates Birmingham School Superintendent
The chicken fight between the Birmingham board of education and the state amped up several notches this week. The board was supposed to vote Tuesday night on a $12 million cost cutting proposal, but instead surprised everyone by voting to fire school superintendent. Now, the courts are involved.
Tranquil Resource, Contentious Beginnings
About seven miles from Fort Payne is the northern gateway to a vision, a vision of a nearly hundred-mile "central park" between Birmingham, Atlanta, and Chattanooga. Decades in the making, the conservation, tourism, and education opportunities are gelling in this huge green corridor. In Part Two of his series, WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the intriguing story behind this growing resource.
Bham Board Fires Witherspoon, But…
People who've been saying they could no longer be surprised by the Birmingham school board were surprised Tuesday night, and for several reasons.The most important was the fact that, despite the state takeover, the board voted to terminate the contract of Superintendent Craig Witherspoon. WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the web-exclusive story.
Lessons of the Little River Canyon Center
On a high plateau in rural northeast Alabama, there's a multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art education complex. Campus, museum, community center, and event spot, Jacksonville State University's Little River Canyon Center is becoming a destination for students, tourists, and regular local people. How this unlikely place came to be is a twenty-year story of politics, money, celebrity, and inspiration. But for this first of two reports, WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen focuses on what people are learning there now:
Carsen Interviewed By “The Terminal” On Radio Journalism
The Terminal, Birmingham's web information hub, recently interviewed our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen on video about everything from his day-to-day job to big-picture education issues, including what has surprised him the most in his year-plus reporting for WBHM and the SED. Click through to watch the interview and get an inside look at what being a public radio education reporter is like.
John Archibald on upheaval in Trussville and Birmingham Schools
There's been lots of upheaval recently in local schools. Monday, the Trussville Board of Education terminated the contract of superintendent Suzanne Freeman. Not to be outdone, the Birmingham Board of Education is staring down a meeting on Tuesday to consider the state's financial plan for the district.
Carsen and Ott on All Things Alabama Education
We've had a short break from Birmingham Board of Education fireworks, but that doesn't mean that story or the Alabama education beat has slowed down at all. In this week's Edu-Chat, WBHM's Tanya Ott inverviews Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen on No Child Left Behind, the Education Trust Fund, local kids in China, and "meatless meetings."
