Alabama

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Alabama
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
6 min read
Image of students working at desks, wearing black and white school uniforms.
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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
5 min read
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
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
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
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
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
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-Language 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
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Los estudiantes toman el autobús a casa desde la escuela secundaria Russellville en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project Este Distrito Está Teniendo Éxito con Estudiantes de Inglés. ¿Puede Mantener su Impulso?
Logros del sistema escolar de Alabama se ven amenazados por financiación limitada, necesidades no atendidas y política estatal moribunda.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
14 min read
Second grade students in Dalia Gerardo's class at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
El salón de clases de segundo grado de Dalia Gerardo en West Elementary en Russellville, Alabama, se muestra aquí en diciembre de 2022. El salón de clases presenta etiquetas y decoraciones de pared en inglés y español.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project Un Pueblo de Alabama Ahora Ve en los Estudiantes de Inglés Su Futuro
¿Qué ocurrió cuando un distrito escolar cambió su cultura e invirtió en ayudas para los jóvenes estudiantes de inglés?
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
15 min read
The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides. Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is one of the bilingual aides.
Para satisfacer las necesidades de una creciente población de estudiantes de inglés, las escuelas de la ciudad de Russellville han contratado a 10 nuevos asistentes bilingües, incluida Elizabeth Alonzo, fotografiada aquí antes de una clase en West Elementary el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners In Their Own Words Una Auxiliar Bilingüe Explica el Valor de la Representación de los Estudiantes de Inglés
Elizabeth Alonzo proporciona ahora el apoyo que no recibió en la escuela: alguien que habla y valora su primera lengua.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
4 min read
Marlena Young-Jones, an ESL teacher at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., works with students on Dec. 9, 2022. The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides.
Marlena Young-Jones, en esta foto de diciembre de 2022, es profesora de ESL en la escuela primaria West Elementary y graduada del sistema escolar de Russellville. La inversión del distrito en desarrollo profesional y apoyo para los estudiantes de inglés envía una fuerte señal sobre su importancia, dice ella.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners In Their Own Words ¿Cuál es la Mentalidad Adecuada para Enseñar a Estudiantes de Inglés? Una Maestra Explica
Profesores necesitan las disposiciones adecuadas para ayudar a los estudiantes de inglés, pero no son quienes determinan las condiciones.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
4 min read
Dalia Gerardo works with her 2nd grade students at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Dalia Gerardo, una maestra bilingüe, trabaja con sus estudiantes de segundo grado en West Elementary, en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022. El salón de clases de Gerardo presenta letreros bilingües que apoyan a sus estudiantes de inglés—y alientan a los angloparlantes monolingües a interactuar con el español.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Infographic El Crecimiento de Estudiantes Hispanos y los que Aprenden Inglés en EEUU—en Gráficos
Mientras la composición demográfica de escuelas públicas cambia, distritos deben evaluar cómo están sirviendo a sus estudiantes.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
1 min read
Brian Santos, a senior at Russellville High School in Russellville, Ala., stands for a portrait at the school Dec. 9, 2022.
Brian Santos, a senior at Russellville High School in Russellville, Ala., stands for a portrait at the school Dec. 9, 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Video Testigos del Cambio en una Pequeña Ciudad para Latinos: La Travesía de un Estudiante
Nacido en Russellville, Alabama, de padres inmigrantes de El Salvador, Brian Santos reflexiona sobre su travesía como estudiante de EL.
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