Search Results for King
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.
The Postman’s March
All this year we’re marking the 50th anniversary of key moments from the civil rights movement. While many are familiar with the turmoil in Birmingham, Gadsden was relatively calm. That is until a white man named William Moore set out on a solo protest walk across the south. It ended with his murder in Etowah County, Alabama. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager has the story of the “Postman’s March,” a case still unresolved today.
Hostess to the Civil Rights Movement
The best remembered images of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama are of fire hoses and police dogs in Birmingham and officers attacking marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. But today we bring you the story of one woman working to preserve the behind- the-scenes role her house played in the movement's history.
1963 Church Bombing Seeks Compensation
The lone survivor of a 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls is seeking millions of dollars in compensation and says she will not accept a top congressional award to honor the victims.
Diane McWhorter on Civil Rights 50th Anniversary
Birmingham is now in month four of commemorating the Civil Rights events of 1963. Some people welcome the chance to remember. Others say it was 50 years ago, why open old wounds?
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.
Remembering Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert has joined his friend Gene Siskel in the balcony in the sky, and according to WBHM blogger Billy Ray Brewton film criticism has died along with him.
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 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.
Proving Preschool with Performance
Pre-Kindergarten education is a hot topic right now. In his State of the Union address, President Obama made it a priority. But critics say the research just doesn't support long-term gains from Pre-K. Today, we launch a series examining the value of Pre-K .
Kyle Whitmire: Controversial School Bill Blocked…For Now
A Montgomery judge is extending a temporary restraining order blocking Alabama's governor from signing a controversial school bill into law. But Republican leaders vow to appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. We hear about the political fallout from The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Bloody Sunday: A Commemoration and a Challenge
An estimated 15,000 thousand people, including members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden, marched across a bridge in Selma, Alabama, Sunday, to reenact what’s known as “Bloody Sunday.” In 1965, civil rights protesters attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery but were quickly met by police billy clubs and tear gas. Bloody Sunday galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act at that time. While the commemoration is an annual event, this year's comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court heard a challenge to a portion of the law
Segregation Academies: Past And Still Present
Ever since the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional in its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Ed decision, the racial makeup of our schools has been in flux. Forced integration made the South’s public schools some of the most integrated in the country, but now – here and across the nation – our schools are re-segregating. The Southern Education Desk is taking a deep look at the issue with a multi-part series exploring this complex trend. In the second installment, WBHM's Dan Carsen examines a strategy resistant whites once used to sidestep public school integration, one that still shapes communities today: private so-called segregation academies.
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.
Do We Still Need Black History Month?
Eighty-seven years ago Dr. Carter G. Woodson created what at the time was called "Negro History Week". The second week of February coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and was meant to recognize the contributions of African-Americans. Now, it's Black History month, but some question why -- in 2013 -- it's necessary.
MLK Unity Breakfast: Disunity?
For 27 years people of all races, ages and gender have celebrated Martin Luther King Junior's birthday by attending The Unity Breakfast, in the heart of downtown Birmingham. This year's breakfast has special significance because of the 50th anniversary of some of the major events of the Civil Right movement. But attendees at today's Unity Breakfast will see a public show of disunity.
Southern Schools Mix MLK and Robert E. Lee
Schools around the country are closed today in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But schools in the Deep South are also observing the birthday of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi all officially roll the holidays together and leave it to schools to communicate the confusing marriage to students.
A New Direction for Alabama’s Medicaid System
When Alabama lawmakers kick off the new legislative session next month, they’ll have to tackle Medicaid. The program provides healthcare for almost a million low income residents. It takes up about a third of Alabama’s non-education spending and the costs keep rising. As WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, a panel met this week to recommend changes to Medicaid, but whether they’ll work is still unclear.
Kyle Whitmire: Inching out of Bankruptcy
A big question this year is whether Jefferson County will exit municipal bankruptcy. County commissioners spent a good deal of time this week working toward that effort in closed door meetings. We talk about it with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
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.
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.
Backpack Buddies Fighting Student Hunger
As we reported yesterday, about 17 million kids in the U.S. are in danger of malnutrition, which can trigger behavior problems and stunt brain development. Given the scope of the problem, the importance of subsidized school meals becomes clear ... but what happens to needy kids from Friday night through Monday morning? In his second story on student hunger, our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen looks at one solution in Shelby County.
Alabama Unemployment Rate Goes Down
Alabama's unemployment rate dropped to 7.5% in November, below the national average of 7.7%. Officials say hiring in two sectors increased.
Holiday Hunger: Harder To Address When School’s Out
Roughly 30 million students in the United States rely on federally subsidized school meals. Even so, more than half that number are in real danger of malnutrition. So many kids depending on school for food may seem troubling enough ... but what happens when school's closed? Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has more on that deceptively simple question as districts across our area prepare for the holidays.
Flu Comes Early to Alabama
The Centers for Disease Control is predicting a bad flu season and today announced the Alabama and four other southern states are showing the most flu activity right now.
Alabama Shakes Up For Three Grammy Awards
A year ago the members of Alabama Shakes were working day jobs and playing small gigs in bars. Today, they're nominated for three Grammy Awards and being hailed by Rolling Stone, NPR and the New York Times.
Turnaround Schools: Alabama’s George Hall, Pt. 2
Sometimes, poorly run disadvantaged schools defy the statistics and turn themselves around. Sometimes, they even achieve at a level so high they become national models for education in any neighborhood. In the conclusion of our series on "Turnaround Schools," Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen picks up the story of an elementary school that did just that. How did it happen? It wasn’t easy, but persistence, teamwork, and a belief in the students is winning out.
Turnaround Schools: Alabama’s George Hall, Pt. 1
Imagine a school in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood. It has discipline problems, a dismal reputation, and some of the worst test scores in Alabama. That was Mobile's George Hall Elementary in 2004. Now imagine an award-winning school known around the country for its innovative teaching and high student performance. That's George Hall Elementary now. So how'd it happen? In Part Four of our five-part series on "Turnaround Schools," WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen takes us there to find out.
Turnaround Schools: Mississippi
Failing schools can flounder for years. But occasionally, a school will buck the trend and turn things around. Case in point: in Mississippi, a former failing magnet school has made the biggest gains in test scores of any school in the state.
Turnaround Schools: Tennessee
This week we're running a special series on Turnaround Schools: failing schools that have managed to pull themselves back from the edge and thrive. Statistics show the odds are stacked heavily against them. Today, we have the story on one Tennessee school that climbed from the state's failing list to a Top Ten list, only to be set back by a violent attack.
