An in-depth exploration of education in the 21st century South.
The Mississippi Board of Education is asking Governor Phil Bryant to approve a takeover of the Tunica County School District. Education officials say the district is in violation of 22 state and federal accreditation standards.
The U.S. Secretary of Education recently recognized Alabama for having one of the nation’s steepest increases in high school graduation rates. Birmingham City Schools’ rate increased even more – up roughly 23 percent in the last four years. The latest data reported to the state education department puts the system’s rate at 79 percent — just below the national average. Alabama reporter Dan Carsen sits down with James Hanks, an 18-year-old who just graduated through Birmingham Schools’ Dropout Recovery Program.
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, [...]
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.
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.
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 biggest stories coming out of that state. Dan was brought on to discuss the state takeover of Birmingham City Schools, a fast-moving, far-reaching story that continues to unfold.
One round of testimony is over, but the long road to legal closure in the battle over Birmingham Schools is not. At least not yet. After two sometimes arcane, sometimes fiery days of testimony, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Houston Brown on Thursday extended two temporary injunctions against the Birmingham Board of Education by 10 days or until further notice. He could make a permanent ruling next week.
Tuesday night’s Birmingham school board meeting made national news, prompting many observers to think the action and emotions involved had reached a peak. They were wrong. In the following few days, things escalated even further. Changed locks, security guards, and the courts were involved. The SED’s Dan Carsen was at Tuesday night’s meeting and has this web-exclusive story.
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