Alabama

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Alabama
State stamps coming apart on a data textured background
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act See Which States Want Ed. Dept.'s OK to Change Testing, Federal School Funding
States are seeking potentially significant changes to implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Alyson Klein, March 16, 2026
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1 min read
032026 behavior tutor Banerji GT
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Download Catching Bad Days Before They Become Behavior Problems
What are the subtle signs that tell you students are maybe struggling? Here's a useful guide.
Olina Banerji, March 16, 2026
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1 min read
Students eat breakfast and color in Topaz Stotts' second-grade classroom before school starts at Klatt Elementary School in Anchorage, Aug. 17, 2021. Debate over school funding is dominating the Alaska Legislature as districts face teacher shortages and in some cases multimillion-dollar deficits. Schools have cut programs, increased class sizes or had teachers and administrators take on extra roles. (Emily Mesner/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File)
Students eat breakfast and color before the start of the school day in a second grade classroom at Klatt Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 17, 2021. Some districts around the country are turning to behavior tutors and similar staff roles to help address student behavior challenges and support teachers.
Emily Mesner/Anchorage Daily News via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement The School Role Helping Prevent Misbehavior Before It Starts
Experienced teachers can spot signs of trouble in students early in the school day.
Olina Banerji, March 13, 2026
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7 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon and former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice, right, are seen after a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House, on March 6, 2026, in Washington. McMahon last year encouraged states to seek flexibility from federal requirements. Now, states have begun to respond to that invitation.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon is pictured with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026. McMahon last year encouraged states to seek flexibility from federal education requirements. States are responding to that invitation.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Every Student Succeeds Act In 'Returning Education to the States,' How Far Will Trump's Ed. Dept. Go?
States' requests for new flexibility from the feds will test just how far the department can go.
Alyson Klein, March 11, 2026
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9 min read
The 2023 National Teacher of the Year award for Rebecka Peterson is displayed during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Washington.
The Council of Chief State School Officers will announce the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award later this spring. The crystal apple award is pictured in this photo from 2023.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Teaching Profession The Nation's Top 5 Teachers in 2026 Focus on Community, Place-Based Education
This year's top teachers bring their communities into the classroom, and vice versa.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 30, 2026
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7 min read
IQ test, paper sheet with test answer on the table
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs IQ Tests and Other School Records in Key Death Penalty Case
The court weighs the proper role of IQ tests for defendants claiming an intellectual disability.
Mark Walsh, December 11, 2025
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8 min read
Boston Latin Academy student Lila Conley, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during the Bridge to Calculus summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Boston Latin Academy student Lila Conley, 16, works on a precalculus problem during a summer bridge program at Northeastern University in Boston on Aug. 1, 2023. The College Board's AP Precalculus program expanded access to college-level coursework for students in high school.
Reba Saldanha/AP
Mathematics Precalculus Is the Fastest-Growing AP Course. That’s Reshaping K-12 Math
Schools report growing demand and success from students taking the relatively new College Board math course.
Ileana Najarro, July 30, 2025
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5 min read
Walter Gonsoulin Jr., was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Walter Gonsoulin Jr. was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025, at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Courtesy of AASA, The School Superintendents Association
School & District Management 2025 Superintendent of the Year Honored for Building Career-Focused Academies
The newly named superintendent of the year focused on course offerings that could prepare students for local, high-wage jobs.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, March 7, 2025
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2 min read
Clockwise from upper left: Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent of the Peoria Public School District 150; Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of Jefferson County Schools; Debbie Jones, superintendent of the Bentonville School District; David Moore, superintendent of the School District of Indian River County.
Clockwise from upper left: Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent of the Peoria school district in Illinois; Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of Jefferson County schools in Alabama; Debbie Jones, superintendent of the Bentonville, Ark., school district; and David Moore, superintendent in Indian River County, Fla. The four have been named finalists for national Superintendent of the Year. AASA will announce the winner in March 2025.
Courtesy of AASA, the School Superintendent's Association
School & District Management The 4 District Leaders Who Could Be the Next Superintendent of the Year
Four district leaders are finalists for the national honor. They've emphasized CTE, student safety, financial sustainability, and more.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, December 16, 2024
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4 min read
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington.
The Biden administration's new Title IX regulation was set to take effect Aug. 1, but only in parts of the country as court injunctions block it in 26 states and the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a request to step into the debate.
AP
Law & Courts Biden's Title IX Rule Takes Effect Amid a Confusing Legal Landscape
The rule that expands protections for LGBTQ+ students is effective Aug. 1, but injunctions currently block it in 26 states.
Mark Walsh, July 31, 2024
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7 min read
cellphone distraction policy bans in schools static
Laura Baker/Education Week via canva
Ed-Tech Policy Tracker Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?
See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools.
Arianna Prothero, Lauraine Langreo & Alyson Klein, June 28, 2024
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1 min read
Image of a student sitting outside of a doorway.
DigitalVision
School Climate & Safety Can a Teachers' 'Bill of Rights' Bring Order to the Classroom?
Alabama's new law gives teachers the authority to remove misbehaving students from class.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 20, 2024
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4 min read
An illustration of a wallpaper of mobile phones, some off, some turned over with stickers on the back covers and some missing with just an outline where they once were.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy One School Leader Banned Cellphones, the Other Embraced Them. What Worked?
Two principals describe their dramatically different policies on cellphones and how they are working.
Arianna Prothero, May 14, 2024
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7 min read
Charles Longshore, the assistant principal at Dothan Preparatory Academy in Dothan, Ala., interacts with students.
Charles Longshore, the assistant principal at Dothan Preparatory Academy in Dothan, Ala., observes a student's project.
Courtesy photo
School & District Management Q&A Prop Up the Principal, But Do It In Your Own Way: An Assistant Principal’s Advice to His Peers
Charles Longshore is both a coach and confidante to his teachers and students—all to support his principal’s larger vision for the school.
Olina Banerji, March 11, 2024
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6 min read
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