Poverty

Challenging work brings out a range of emotions in a technology class at Phillips Academy in downtown Birmingham. Photo by Dan Carsen.
Alabama / Audio / Poverty / Race / Special Coverage

Birmingham Schools, Takeover To Today, Part 3: Turning A Corner? Looking Ahead

Birmingham, Ala.– The Alabama State Department of Education’s intervention team has left Birmingham City Schools. ALSDE staff are approving local board agendas and monitoring finances from Montgomery. A year and a half after the state first took the reins, the local board is quietly going about its business. As 2014 approaches, [...]

"I get it" lightbulbs are lit in this technology class at Phillips Academy in downtown Birmingham. Photo by Dan Carsen.
Alabama / Audio / Poverty / Race / Special Coverage

Birmingham Schools, Takeover To Today, Part 2: A View From The Classroom Level

In any big institution, good things are usually happening even when problems get the attention. This week we’re airing and publishing a three-part “status update” on Birmingham City Schools, from the state takeover to today. Yesterday, Part One explored some of the reasons why the state intervened and the district could lose accreditation. Today in Part Two, our Alabama reporter Dan Carsen talks with teachers, parents, and students to get a different view — a view from the ground level.

State schools chief Tommy Bice (center right), Birmingham Mayor William Bell (lower left) and other area leaders look on with concern at a contentious April 2012 board meeting that helped trigger state intervention. Photo by Dan Carsen.
Alabama / Audio / Poverty / Race / Special Coverage

Birmingham Schools, Takeover To Today, Part 1: The Run-Up To State Intervention

The Alabama State Department of Education’s intervention team is now monitoring Birmingham City Schools from afar, a year and a half after it first took control of the city school system. The district had been facing major challenges, including a board so dysfunctional it made national news. But that’s only part of the picture. In this first of a three-part series, our Alabama reporter Dan Carsen delves into the complex and often painful situation leading to state intervention.

Pre-K: Politics And Poverty (Video)
Early Education / Louisiana / Multimedia / Poverty / Pre-K Series / Video

Pre-K: Politics And Poverty (Video)

While President Obama is pushing for universal pre-K, Southern states–who have been ahead of the curve in offering state-run pre-school programs–are now reconsidering their value.

Spending Disparities: A Patchwork Approach To Pre-K Funding (Interview)
Poverty / Pre-K Series / Race

Spending Disparities: A Patchwork Approach To Pre-K Funding (Interview)

Demand for pre-K programming is growing across the South, but state-level fiscal challenges have limited the number of kids pre-K can serve. Southern Education Foundation President and CEO Kent McGuire examines the challenges pre-K funding faces across the nation, but especially in the deep South.

Elementary students enter Jones Paideia Magnet School in Nashville.
Multimedia / Poverty / Race / School Choice / Segregation Shifts Series / Tennessee / Video

Segregation Shifts – Nashville Wrestles With Re-Segregation (Video)

Without court-ordered desegregation, many school districts have struggled to find strategies to maintain racial balance and diversity. Many parents now choose the neighborhood school for their children rather than sending them long distances away, even for a program that might be considered high quality—like magnet schools. Districts are finding that many parents of all ethnic groups no longer view racial balance as a top priority in educating their children. In Nashville, public school officials are finding it a challenge to balance school improvement plans with a desire for racial diversity.

“Bring Back The White Kids”: A Fight To Integrate In Rural Mississippi (Video)
Audio / Mississippi / Poverty / Race / Segregation Shifts Series / Video

“Bring Back The White Kids”: A Fight To Integrate In Rural Mississippi (Video)

School segregation in Tate County, Mississippi, has spurred debate about the concept of separate but equal. Mainly, whether it’s possible.

Carving Up The Elephant: Resegregation In Louisiana (Video)
Louisiana / Multimedia / Poverty / Race / Segregation Shifts Series / Video

Carving Up The Elephant: Resegregation In Louisiana (Video)

Schools in Louisiana’s capital city appear to be resegregating ten years after settlement of a 47-year-long desegregation lawsuit.