Education
OTL: Charter Schools
This week on WBHM we're exploring Charter Schools: how they operate, whether they're effective, and what political forces shape the debate over legalizing charter schools in Alabama. Friday (3/12) at noon on WBHM we discuss all this and more during On The Line: Charter Schools.
Charter Schools: Politics
Advocates of charter schools in Alabama are getting a do-over. A bill to authorize such schools has been reintroduced in the state legislature after lawmakers killed a similar proposal last month. But if the topic of charter schools weren't controversial enough, mixing it with Alabama politics makes for a potent combination. WBHM's Andrew Yeager continues our look at charter schools by examining the political context.
Charter Schools: Do They Work?
There are nearly 5,000 charter schools across the country. They educate more than 1.5 million students. And President Obama wants more. But do they work? There are a handful of charter schools in wealthy communities and, perhaps not surprisingly, they tend to have high test scores. But most charter schools are in low-income, often minority neighborhoods. How do they fare? WBHM's Tanya Ott has our report.
Charter Schools 101
A bill to authorize charter schools in Alabama is dead in the state legislature, but don't expect the debate to die down anytime soon. President Obama is pushing charter schools, and several of the gubernatorial candidates say they support the idea as well. But just what is a charter school? They've been around for more than a decade in some other states, but here in Alabama there seems to be a lot of confusion.
Dr. Freida Hill
Today is two months on the job for Freida Hill. She is the new chancellor of Alabama's two year college system. Hill spent 18 years working for Georgia's technical colleges. But in Alabama she steps into a system facing increased enrollment with shrinking budgets, plus lingering fallout from a corruption scandal. Hill spoke to WBHM's Andrew Yeager about some of those issues as well as her goals for the state's two year college system. She says she wants to improve the transition for students who transfer from a two year school to a four year school.
Gay/Straight: Bullying Gay Students
It's a phrase many kids use almost daily: That's so gay. Experts say that the use of homophobic slurs in schools is on the rise. Two 11-year-olds recently committed suicide after being bullied with anti-gay taunts. And though a new law requires the Alabama Department of Education to come up with a policy prohibiting harassment, that new policy isn't likely to mention sexual orientation.
Making Do: School Lunch
Want to know if times are tough? Look at the number of kids eating school lunch. Birmingham area schools report that since the economic crunch, fewer children are brown bagging it. School nutritionists say for the price, you can't beat school lunch. But is cheaper better?
Alabama Prepaid College Tuition
In the last two years, the value of Alabama's Prepaid college tuition plan (PACT) has dropped nearly 50%. The tumbling stock market and increased college enrollments are squeezing pre-paid plans nationwide, but Alabama's situation is the worst. State officials hope to calm nerves by holding a public meeting in Montgomery this afternoon. But as Les Lovoy reports they're likely to hear from a lot of irate parents.
Not Knowing Does Hurt: Dan Carsen on Science
What do Alvin the Chipmunk, pretzels, and the Internet have in common? Believe it or not, WBHM commentator Dan Carsen (who may soon become a dolphin) sees a disturbing pattern here.
Considering Faith: Prayer in School
Public schools are expected to be neutral when it comes to all matters religious. In reality, however, there's plenty of preaching going on. But the real surprise is this: chances are the people talking to your children most about God in school are other kids. Gigi Douban takes a look at a school club with a heavy evangelical streak.
Minority Science Brain Drain
To advance in the science-related fields of higher education takes a love of research and a commitment to academic excellence. The work is complicated, yet rewarding. But a large demographic is missing from the classroom and lab. Many African-American women who've chosen those science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields - STEM programs -- are not following all the way through to graduate school and beyond. And that's produced an educational catch-22, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
The XO goes to School
As children at Glen Iris Elementary School in Birmingham head back to school Monday, their backpacks will most likely contain notebooks, pencils and...small laptops. The Glen Iris students are part of a pilot program for the new XO Laptops. Mayor Larry Langford plans on bringing them to other Birmingham city schools this coming year as part of the first large-scale XO Laptop program in America. Despite criticisms these computers are a waste of money and merely toys, the little machines are getting a positive response from educators. WBHM's Katie Turpen reports.
Career Colleges
Twenty-five years ago, if someone wanted to continue their education after high school, but weren't inclined to attend a conventional college, they might enroll in a trade school. They'd learn shorthand, typing skills, or how to repair car engines and heating and air conditioners. Critics sometimes viewed trade schools as shady storefront 'diploma mills' handing out meaningless certificates along with an inferior education. But, over time, trade schools have morphed into career colleges, and as Les Lovoy reports they've gained a measure of respect .
Strong Girls
Boot camp might work for some juvenile delinquents, but most troubled girls need a lot less shouting and a lot more talking. One alternative is Strong Girls, Alabama's only arts program aimed at female juvenile offenders. Gigi Douban reports.
It’s Elementary
For filmmaker Debra Chasnoff, her work goes back to her son. It was the mid-90s, he was about to enter kindergarten and she was concerned about the teasing he'd receive because he happens to have two mothers for parents. From her concern developed, It's Elementary , a film Chasnoff produced and directed designed to combat negative stereotypes of gay and lesbian people through education. The film has generated controversy, with some public television stations not airing the program. Some of that controversy in documented in an updated version of the film, It's Still Elementary which plays Wednesday in Birmingham. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with Debra Chasnoff.
High School Drop Out Rates
A new report says Alabama's high school dropout rate is the number one threat to the state's long-term economic growth. Although the dropout rate has remained relatively constant over the past quarter century, a high school diploma is becoming more important, especially in the metro Birmingham area, where the service sector has replaced manufacturing. And as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, the lack of a high school degree costs individuals and the state.
Baseball’s Black History
It was a time of separate and not-so equal. In society and baseball. Those days, the first half of the 20th century, featured African-American baseball teams from around the country, including Birmingham. As the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute gets ready to pay tribute to Negro Leaguers, WBHM's Steve Chiotakis talked with two former Black Barons, Shortstop Roger Brown and Outfielder James Jake Sanders.
Kenyan Student Reaction
Talks in Kenya were temporarily suspended Thursday following the murder of Kenyan lawmaker David Too. It's just the latest act of violence in more than a month of civil unrest in that country. Demonstrations and fighting broke out following December's disputed election between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. For many Americans, the news is unfortunate, but not much more than a blip in a global landscape dotted with conflict. However, for Kenyans living in Birmingham the violence is very real. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with several UAB students from Kenya. He found them deeply troubled but remaining hopeful.
SFS: Juvenile Crime
In some ways, juvenile crime is the same as it ever was. There's shoplifting and drugs and gangs. But how those crimes are carried out, and how institutions are dealing with it--from schools to the courts--is changing dramatically. Reporter Gigi Douban takes a look at these issues, and the role of a major new initiative in juvenile detention reform under way in Alabama.
Community College Controversy
Scandal is rocking Alabama's two-year college system. The problems first surfaced in 2004, when Former Governor Don Siegelman was tried on bribery charges alleging he funneled more than a half-million dollars through the state Fire College. Last year, the system's chancellor was dismissed for alleged mismanagement and nepotism. This week, suspicion spread to state lawmakers. WBHM's TAnya Ott reports.
Prison Arts and Education
The vast majority of people who are in prison will get out. Legally. And chances are, those inmates who were locked up won't be rehabilitated or prepared for re-entry into society. But some lockup programs are trying to tackle prison recidivism through education and the arts. Studies show that they?re working. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis looks at one particular program in Alabama that offers inmates the opportunity to learn while paying their debt to society. But it still has yet to win over some victims.
On the Line – education
Standardized testing... school overcrowding... teacher pay. WBHM's listener call-in program 'On the Line' tackled The State of Education in Alabama.
Kenyan Student Group
UAB has a very visible international student population at the graduate level -- but increasingly, more undergrads are coming from other countries. And the largest group of foreign undergrads comes from - of all places - Kenya. WBHM's Roseanne Pereira spoke with UAB student Pauline Kamau about her efforts to bridge the divide between the US and the African nation.
International Women
Ever since September 11, 2001, enrollment of foreign graduate students in U.S. schools has been in decline. Until this academic year, when there was a slight uptick in the numbers. Foreign students play a vital role in higher education, particularly in some of the sciences, where they serve as researchers and instructors at higher rates than American-born students. The students are mostly male, and some bring with them families from their home countries. The transition to a new culture can be a challenge for many wives, as WBHM's Roseanne Pereira reports.
No Child Left Behind: Year 4
No Child Left Behind has been on the books now for four years and the jury is still mixed on its success. A new study released this week by the non-profit independent group Center on Education Policy finds that NCLB, as it's known, is having a significant impact on students and educators. On the one hand, schools are more effectively using test data to adjust teaching. At the same time, though, they're reducing instructional time in other subjects to make more time for reading and math.
The Learning Game
It's always seemed like a game to get children to learn. But the trend inside the classroom has been moving away from the traditional 'lecture and retain' methods and more toward educational programs that kids are likely to be interested in. Many of today's computer programs feature games that inspire competition and success. And that seems to be teaching a lesson to adults, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Asperger’s Syndrome: the Kids
Aspergers Syndrome is a mental disorder that only recently has been widely identified. As the rate of diagnosis increases, parents of young children with Aspergers look for resources. Reporter Donna Francavilla profiles a new choice in Birmingham.
Special Education
Walk into any classroom in America - and chances are there'll be at least one special education student. You may not be able to pick him or her out of the crowd. His disability could range from dyslexia or attention deficit disorder to cerebral palsy. It used to be these students were segregated from the general school population, but legal changes beginning in the mid-1970s brought special education students into regular classrooms. It used to be called 'mainstreaming', but today's buzzword is 'inclusion.' Parents fought hard for it, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports - despite significant gains they say it's still a battle.
No Child Left Behind
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Teacher Shortage
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
SciGirls
Research shows that by the time girls enter high school their interest and self-confidence in scientific pursuits has dropped dramatically. One Alabama summer camp aims to spark an interest in science among girls. Amanda Shaw reports.
Brown-vs-Board 2: Resegregation
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
