Alabama

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Alabama
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, 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, 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
Image of students working at desks, wearing black and white school uniforms.
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters Another State Is Launching a Private School Choice Program. Will More Follow?
Alabama is the 12th state to offer a private school choice program that all students in the state will be eligible to access.
Mark Lieberman, March 8, 2024
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5 min read
The State of Teaching
Teaching Profession Video How a Moment of Recognition Rejuvenated This Alabama Teacher
Kenisha Gage, an elementary school teacher in Huntsville, Ala., shares the highs and lows of her career as an educator.
Catriona Ni Aolain, March 6, 2024
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1 min read
Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Alonzo obtained her bachelor's degree through a partnership with Reach University and the Russellville city schools district.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
Teaching Profession Bilingual Teachers Are in Short Supply. How 3 Districts Solved That Problem
Helping bilingual paraprofessionals obtain bachelor's degrees and teaching credentials leads to more bilingual teachers, districts found.
Ileana Najarro & Madeline Will, February 23, 2024
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9 min read
Photo of boy in front of white board with math problem.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Mathematics 7 States Now Require Math Support for Struggling Students. Here's What's in the New Laws
They focus on providing PD, diagnostic tools, and evidence-based teaching. But it will take time to work out the details.
Sarah Schwartz, August 9, 2023
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7 min read
Student teacher Lana Scott, who plans to graduate from Bowie State University in the spring of 2023, teaches a small group of kindergartners at Whitehall Elementary School the alphabet, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Bowie, Md.
Student teacher Lana Scott, who plans to graduate from Bowie State University in the spring of 2023, teaches a small group of kindergartners at Whitehall Elementary School the alphabet, Jan. 24, 2023, in Bowie, Md.
Julia Nikhinson/AP
Teacher Preparation Some States Plan to Give Teachers-in-Training Their Own Classrooms, Prompting Concerns
Critics say some states' plans contravene the spirit of apprenticeships by allowing trainees to assume classrooms before earning their degrees.
Madeline Will, August 1, 2023
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10 min read
Protesters cheer outside Senate chambers at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state Senators on April 10, 2023, advanced a bill that some worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Protesters cheer at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state lawmakers advanced a bill that some advocates worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Arleigh Rodgers/AP
Equity & Diversity Pronouns for Trans, Nonbinary Students: The States With Laws That Restrict Them in Schools
Under the laws, teachers aren’t required to use trans or nonbinary students’ requested pronouns.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 14, 2023
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7 min read
Russellville High School ESL teacher Edmund Martinez works with students in Russellville, Ala., on December 9, 2022.
El maestro de ESL de Russellville High School, Edmund Martinez, trabaja con estudiantes en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Project El Lenguaje de la Equidad
Un distrito ha revisado cómo apoya a estudiantes de inglés, logrando grandes avances en los primeros grados que tal vez no pueda sostener.
June 2, 2023
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