Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:
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Sept. 27
The TimesDaily on the state’s new superintendent of education:
New state Superintendent of Education Michael Sentance has been an outspoken critic of Common Core.
Sentance worked in education policy in Massachusetts government in the early 1990s, when the Bay State adopted a set of standards and state tests that ultimately resulted in significant improvement in student achievements. This “Massachusetts Miracle” saw the state surge to the forefront of fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math rankings on the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress exams.
As a result of this success, Sentance was critical of the Common Core movement from its beginning in 2010. Instead, he argued for rigorous, proven standards that are developed by teachers and academics in a state “without the coercion from the federal government.”
During the interview process for the Alabama job, Sentance’s opposition to Common Core attracted the attention of at least one state school board member - Betty Peters, who also is a critic of Common Core. Peters voted for Sentance because she hopes he’ll make changes.
Other state leaders last week said if the state’s new superintendent of education wants to make changes to Alabama’s Career- and College-Ready Standards, they’ll listen to his proposals.
The Common Core standards have been controversial since their implementation in 2010. Originally, 45 states adopted all or some of the standards. But the heated debate that has followed those adoptions has led eight states to withdraw or repeal Common Core - Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey and Michigan in 2016; and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Indiana in 2014. In addition, four states have never adopted the standards - Texas, Nebraska, Virginia and Alaska.
Alabama’s politicians and educators are split on the Common Core issue. But in the six years since the state adopted the standards with modifications, some of the strong feelings against Common Core have subsided.
One of the most outspoken governmental leaders was Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery. When asked last week if he hopes Sentance makes changes in the state’s Career- and College-Ready Standards, Brewbaker said the state faces bigger issues that need lawmakers’ attention.
“While I don’t like Common Core or the move toward nationalization of education, you reach a point where you can’t blame the standards anymore,” said Brewbaker, who was once a teacher.
And many teachers and educational leaders who were skeptical of the new standards are now proponents of the change.
Two weeks into his new job, Sentance has yet to bring up the Common Core issue. He’s been busy visiting schools across the state, and meeting with various educational and government groups. A Department of Education spokeswoman said last week the new superintendent isn’t ready to discuss publicly his vision for Alabama’s educational system.
After his hiring, Sentance hinted he would not make any knee-jerk decisions on the Career- and College-Ready Standards. “If it’s working, I need to see how it’s working,” he said, “and that’s not clear to me now.”
At one point, Sentance said he would “hold a mirror up to everything” and then try to determine what needs to be done to improve.
That approach makes sense. Critics and supporters of Common Core should be patient and allow Sentance the opportunity to get acquainted with the state’s educational system before expecting any policy changes or revisions.
Online:
https://www.timesdaily.com/
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Sept. 25
The Dothan Eagle on leadership in Alabama:
According to Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Alabama has one of the most corrupt governments in the nation, and that’s not a list we’re proud to top. It should give Alabamians great pause, and prompt serious movement toward cleaning our house, so to speak.
In the House of Representatives, there’s been a start. Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard was removed from office after being convicted on numerous ethics charges earlier this year. That’s something, but it’s not enough.
What needs significant changes is the culture of Alabama politics along with prosecution of illegal acts. There are many examples of questionable actions by those in leadership positions that, while perhaps not technically illegal, are certainly no good for the state.
It’s clear that Alabama’s leadership is in disarray.
Last week, a report on a nonprofit created to “promote Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s political agenda,” Alabama Council for Excellent Government, showed that the organization raised and spent less than $100,000 last year, and appears as dead as it can be without being officially dissolved. ACEGOV, readers may recall, paid a portion of the salary of Rebekah Caldwell Mason, the governor’s senior advisor who resigned after being named as the receiving party of the governor’s inappropriate telephone calls. Mason resigned in March, and the organization, funded by unnamed sources and tasked with a nebulous mission, appears to have no useful function.
Recently, the governor called a special legislative session to address a shortfall in Medicaid funding. Specifically, Bentley, who has repeatedly voiced his opposition to gambling, was pushing a state lottery, saying all other options had been exhausted. Lawmakers couldn’t get the legislation off the ground, and instead decided to finagle a bond issue on the proceeds of future BP oil spill settlement payments, using the bond funds to pay off past debt, pave some roads in South Alabama and use the rest to prop up Medicaid for another year.
Gambling is another issue that Montgomery can’t quite get its arms around. Recently, Victoryland in Macon County reopened its electronic bingo facility following a court ruling suggesting that it would be legal to do so. Almost immediately, Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange issue a statement that the operation of Victoryland was in violation of the law, and gave Macon County law enforcement until Sept. 30 to inform the governor’s office of its plan to shut down the operation.
This fight against bingo has cost taxpayers more than $9 million so far, and it’s no closer to resolution than it was after former Gov. Bob Riley sent out the first wave of state troopers to shut down bingo halls in 2010.
Alabama needs to change its culture in Montgomery, and deserves leadership that’s decisive and effective, without hidden agendas or self-serving shenanigans.
Online:
https://www.dothaneagle.com/
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Sept. 24
The Selma Times-Journal on traffic fatalities in Alabama:
Alabama is entering uncharted territory with the arrival of charter schools.
A 2015 legislative act created a commission that may grant charters to organizations that meet the requirements of the act. The first charter schools are expected to open in 2017. One could be opening soon in Huntsville, which would be the first in the Tennessee Valley, but a federal court will first decide whether it would violate a long-standing desegregation order.
The act states the charter school applicant, the local board of education and the commission must review the potential impact of an application on the desegregation efforts of local school systems.
Traditionally, most U.S. charter schools have targeted students in poorly performing districts with the aim of improving their academic performance. Many of these schools have met with mixed success, and some have been outright failures.
The Alabama charter act allows the schools to operate outside the normal structure and regulation of public schools, though they are funded with taxpayers dollars.
Former state schools superintendent Ed Richardson, who heads the commission granting the charters, said students will take the same state tests as other public school students.
But what has not yet been settled upon is a system to measure charter school performance. Richardson said he will work with a third party to create that system.
School and student performances are the keys to knowing whether charter schools are delivering on their promise, and not just spending public money with fewer regulations than their counterparts. In order to make fair and accurate performance assessments, there must be some commonality in standards so that a true measurement may be obtained.
There is, in fact, no reason to rush into granting charters. Adequate research of those seeking charters should be as important as measurable performance standards.
The Huntsville charter applicant is the Sports Leadership and Management Foundation, a Miami-based group that operates several charter schools in south Florida. It would operate a K-2 school and add more grades later. The application states it would integrate sports-related themes into a rigorous curricular program.
Sports themes will always appeal in football-mad Alabama. Let’s see if the charter schools deliver on the academic side of the ledger.
Online:
https://www.selmatimesjournal.com/
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