Vouchers

Ivey says ‘now is the time’ for a statewide vote on lottery and gambling bills

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called Tuesday night for the creation of a limited school voucher program and announced support for two controversial measures before lawmakers this year: gambling legislation and absentee ballot restrictions.

Trisha Powell Crain Talks Money, Politics, and More in Alabama Education

There's never a shortage of stories coming from Alabama's schools. But before WBHM's and the Southern Education Desk's "Issues and Ales" education forum Thursday evening, we wanted to shed as much light as possible on the big picture behind the headlines. For better or worse, that backdrop always includes money and therefore politics. So our education reporter Dan Carsen sat down with Alabama School Connection founder and BirminghamWatch contributor Trisha Powell Crain to talk about that and more.

Dan Carsen Speaks with Education Icon Diane Ravitch

Diane Ravitch has been a key figure in American education for decades. The prolific author and outspoken advocate was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to the Secretary of Education under the first President Bush. She was a pioneer in the accountability movement, but has since made friends and enemies by changing some of her views. She spoke with Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen, who asked her about issues hot in Alabama right now, including charter schools, charter advocate Michelle Rhee, and much more.