Interviews
School Accountability Act Either Brilliant Politics or Despicable Move
Republican legislators dropped a bomb last week with passage of a heavily revised School Accountability Act. Democrats pushed back with a legal challenge, and now the case may go to the State Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Might Dismantle Parts of Voting Rights Act
If the questions that came from U.S. Supreme Court justices yesterday are any indication, there’s a good chance Shelby County could prevail in its effort to challenge the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That’s just one of the stories grabbing local headlines this week.
Carsen Talks Education Flashpoints 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 discusses controversial "school flexibility" legislation, school takeovers, the federal lawsuit against the state takeover of Birmingham Schools, and the Southern Education Desk series on re-segregating schools.
John Archibald Visits Alabama’s Worst Cities
Birmingham News columnist outraged some readers with his list of Alabama's Best and Worst Cities. He's making amends by visiting some of the underdogs.
John Archibald: Don’t Forget Common Sense in Gun Debate
Gun violence and school safety are taking center stage in Alabama this month. First, the fatal shooting of a school bus driver in Midland City; now, charges against a man accused of holding several Chelsea Middle School girls at gunpoint in a school locker room. And that's just the beginning...
Interview: Dr. Robert Corley
In Birmingham's historic Kelly Ingram Park, there's a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the names on the stone pedestal is Robert Corley. Among other things, Dr. Corley teaches history at UAB. He was a founding member of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute board and has served on the city school board. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently sat down with him while researching stories for our special Civil Rights anniversary coverage. Corley says today's students are missing some of that vital history.
Hospital Never Events
Are you putting your life at risk when you go the hospital? It's a question surgeon Marty Makary hears a lot and one he tackles in his new best-selling book titled "Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care."
State Officials Say School Safety a Priority
State officials say making schools safer is a top priority for the upcoming legislative session. More than a hundred people packed a school safety hearing Wednesday. But some communities aren't waiting for the state to take action. They're making moves of their own.
Carsen Talks School Security 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 that analyzes the week's signficant stories. Dan discusses the controversy at Alabama State University, Birmingham City Schools, security in light of the Sandy Hook shootings, and the holiday struggles of students who depend on school for food.
Are Resumes Worthless?
If your New Year's Resolutions include getting a job or finding a better one, Dale Callahan says throw out everything you know about job searching. He’s a UAB professor and author of the book Resumes are Worthless: How to Find the Work You Love and Succeed.
Instagram’s New User Agreement: Social Media Suicide?
100 million people use the photo website Instragram to share snapshots of everything from their dinner to their cats and their children. But Instagram unveiled a new user agreement this week that has many critics crying foul. Find out why....
Democratic Leader Criticizes Bentley on ACA
House Minority Leader Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) says Gov. Bentley's decision to not set up a health insurance exchange is disappointing and dangerous.
Democratic State Supreme Court Chief Justice Candidate Bob Vance
Alabama isn’t much of a factor in the presidential election, but the race for state Supreme Court Chief Justice is shaping up to be an intriguing contest. For Democrats, Jefferson County circuit court judge Bob Vance is a late addition to the race. He spoke to WBHM's Andrew Yeager.
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.
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."
INTERVIEW: Dr. Michael Crowe
Education affects how the brain ages, and when older people take cognitive tests, the results are compared to those of others with the same amount of schooling. But new UAB research shows that because of racial and economic disparities in education quality, that approach could be leading to disadvantaged people being diagnosed as impaired when they really aren't. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen sat down with Dr. Michael Crowe, who says the disparities in our schools are obvious.
What Makes Good Teaching? Straight From The Classroom, A Play-By-Play
In some ways, teaching is like sports: there’s a lot that’s unseen by the untrained eye. That’s one reason post-game analysis is popular. So why not do that for something vital to our future? Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen used to be a teacher and a teacher-trainer. As part of our series "What Makes Good Teaching," he offers a play-by-play from right here in Birmingham.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Food Film Series
Think about everything you eat and where it comes from. For most of us, our food probably comes from a grocery store or restaurant. But before that? Many of us don't really know, specifically. That's one of the things the Birmingham Botanical Gardens hopes to change as it launches a summer food documentary film series this weekend.
School Takeover and Controversy in Educational Television
The Birmingham Board of Education has until tomorrow to submit its list of people it's going to lay off as part of the $12 million cost cutting plan and more Alabama Educational Television Foundation members quit to protest changes at Alabama Public Television.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Alabama Education
Clearly, just because school is out doesn't mean the education beat is slowing down. The question on many people's minds is, what's going on with Birmingham City Schools and the state? WBHM's Tanya Ott interviews Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen on that, tuition increases, "digital districts," and a grant meant to make cancer treatment more cost effective.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Alabama Education
A lot has been happening on the Alabama education beat since our last chat with Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen, but one story continues to dominate and make national news: the Birmingham School Board. A slim majority recently rejected a state cost-cutting proposal, but ironically, that defiant move could result in the board losing what little autonomy it has left. WBHM's Tanya Ott interviews Carsen on that subject and more.
Communications Blogger on Changes to Birmingham News
For more than a decade, those who watch journalism have been warning about the death of newspapers. From paper to ink to distribution, they're expensive to produce. When Advance Publications announced last month that it was scaling back production of the Birmingham News to just three print editions a week, many people weren't surprised. It follows a trend that's playing out across the country.
Former NY Times Bureau Chief on Changes at Birmingham News
There are still a lot of questions about how the reorganization of the Birmingham News and its digital partner al.com will play out. We know that come fall the print paper will only be published on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We don’t know how many staffers will lose their jobs and how that will effect what we read in the paper and online. But Micheline Maynard may have crystal ball.
AL.com’s Cindy Martin on Changes to Birmingham News
Starting this fall Birmingham will not have a daily print newspaper. The Birmingham News (and Huntsville Times and Mobile Press Register) will only be published three days a week. Supporters say the move was inevitable. Critics say it's regrettable.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Education Alabama
It's the final week of the legislative session and that means Alabama lawmakers are scrambling to pass several bills. One of them would tweak the immigration law by preventing school officials from asking students about their parent's immigration status. Still, the Justice Department is concerned about effects on Latino children. And that's just a little of what's happening on the education beat. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells WBHM's Tanya Ott about that and more in this week's interview.
Birmingham’s Banditos Have New Music
Just in time for their show tonight (4/23) at The Bottletree Cafe, WBHM's Tapestry has new music from Birmingham honky tonk/Americana band Banditos.
INTERVIEW: State Schools Chief on Birmingham Investigation
The state investigation and possible takeover of the Birmingham Board of Education has made national news. State Superintendent Tommy Bice and his investigative team met with the local board behind closed doors here in Birmingham late Thursday. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Superintendent Bice via cell phone while Bice was traveling late Friday. Click the link above or the picture for more of the story, or click an icon below to go straight to the web-exclusive interview.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Alabama Education
There’s a lot happening on the education beat. The problems on the Birmingham Board of Education have risen to the level of national news, and educators worried about everything from charter schools to budget cuts are raising their concerns, loudly. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen talks with WBHM's Tanya Ott about all this and more, starting with the big story: the drama surrounding the Birmingham Board of Education and the superintendent whom five of them tried to fire.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Alabama Education
These are interesting times for Birmingham City Schools. Standardized testing is underway just as there’s a standoff over the future of superintendent Craig Witherspoon. The Board of Education could vote this afternoon to terminate his contract. Check the station website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for the latest developments. There’s been some drama on the state and national levels too, with a congressional committee looking into the Alabama Education Association. WBHM’s Tanya Ott interviews reporter Dan Carsen on that and more in this week’s education chat.
Carsen & Ott: Weekly Interviews on Education in Alabama
Carsen & Ott Talk Explosions and Explosive Issues Several Alabama school communities are reeling after incidents last week shook things up. E.P.I.C. Elementary School in Birmingham had to be evacuated Friday after a propane tank exploded. No one was hurt, but down in Mobile County, a teacher was taken to the hospital after an incident with a student. Nice, tame topics like charter-school propaganda, same-sex prom dates, and Louis Farrakhan round out this week's interview, which ends on a positive note.
John Archibald
This week, members of the Birmingham City Council donned hooded sweatshirts in an act of solidarity with Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer. John Archibald says the incident points out real problems in our own backyard.
Carsen and Ott EduChat
Is the state legislature pitting business incentives against school funding? And why are some Republicans balking at the charter school bill? At least a situation that's literally toxic -- the mercury spill at Putnam Middle in Birmingham -- has been cleaned up.
