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Education

Poll: Alabama voters support choosing where to send their children to school

A recent poll found that three out of four Alabama voters want a position in choosing their children’s public school. The poll, conducted by ExcelinEd, issued a statewide survey of 587 registered Alabama voters, finding that 76 percent of those spoken to support giving parents the ability to choose a specific public school instead of … Continued
March 27, 2019

Alabama high school student advocates for dual enrollment programs on NBC’s “Today”

Student Ashley Kimbel of Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, appeared on NBC’s “Today” last month as the newest advocate for dual-enrollment programs. Kimbel, who is a 17-year-old dually enrolled Calhoun Community College student, is nationally known for designing a lighter-functioning prosthetic foot for Marine Corps veteran amputee Kendall Bane. Bane and Kimbel appeared on … Continued
March 27, 2019

Shelby announces $3.6 million in USDA grants to Alabama universities for agriculture research

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarding a total of $3,613,934 in National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants to Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University. The funding will promote food and agricultural sciences programs and research at the land-grant universities. “These NIFA grants are great news for … Continued
March 25, 2019

Senate votes to end Common Core in Alabama

Thursday, the Alabama Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 119, which would end Common Core in the Alabama public schools. For a decade, conservative activists have been telling the state to overturn the Common Core-aligned Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. For years, the leadership had thwarted efforts by Senators to pass a Common … Continued
March 22, 2019

Common Core is a failed, Obama-era relic that must come to a quick and immediate end

Alabama took a strong step toward independence in its public schools this week when the State Senate approved legislation to repeal the Obama-era curriculum mandates known by most as Common Core. Everyone agrees that Alabama needs strict academic standards that our children must meet. It is vital to economic development, it is vital to our … Continued
March 22, 2019

Community Colleges System enters agreement with Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation

Monday, the Alabama Community College System and the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation’s University Consortium announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that fosters the advancement of programs which center on a number of emerging technologies. The ACCS is the first community college system to participate in the multi-state consortium. The … Continued
March 19, 2019

Pre-K task force endorses Gov. Ivey’s first Pre-K expansion recommendation

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal includes a $25 million expansion of Alabama’s state-funded, high-quality and voluntary First Class Pre-K program. If approved by the state legislature, the proposed funding increase would open an additional 240 classrooms next year and help bring the total number of First Class classrooms statewide close to … Continued
March 6, 2019

Department of Education asks for $150K to defend former board member

Alabama State Department of Education is requesting $150,000 from education funding to defend a former board member, as first reported by education writer Larry Lee. Mary Scott Hunter is being sued personally for her role for allegedly throttling Dr. Craig Pouncey’s appointment as state school board superintendent in 2016. APR first reported news of a … Continued
March 5, 2019

Alabama hasn’t taught black history well. It’s hurt us all.

Majority-white public schools received about $23 billion more in funding than majority-nonwhite schools in 2016, according to a report from the nonprofit group EdBuild. That seemed to surprise a lot of people when the study’s findings were reported in the Washington Post last week. I’m not sure why. The majority of school funding models are … Continued
February 27, 2019

Shelby announces $43.3 million for new agricultural facility at Auburn

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, announced Monday that Auburn University will be receiving $43.3 million in federal funds to construct a new U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and National Soil Dynamics Laboratory as part of the agency’s capital improvement strategy. “I am proud to have secured funding for the new ARS facility in … Continued
February 26, 2019