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Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama

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Slight decline in number of Alabama graduates attending college, report shows

The number of Alabama high school graduates enrolling in college has slightly decreased over the last five years, according to a report published by a nonpartisan research group based at Samford University. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) has a tradition of reporting college-going rates for Alabama and its local systems and schools. … Continued
April 9, 2020

The Alabama 2020 Legislative Session begins today

The Alabama Legislature returns to Montgomery today for the 2020 legislative session. Both Houses of the Legislature will meet this afternoon for organizational sessions at the Statehouse. Tonight, Governor Kay Ivey (R) will deliver the annual State of the State Address to a Joint Session of the Alabama Legislature at 6:30 p.m. in the Old … Continued
February 4, 2020

2018 Alabama high school graduation rates released early

According to an early report, Alabama’s high school graduation rate for 2018 has increased.  The State Department of Education had planned to the public release of the 2018 graduation rates in October but the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, a nonpartisan research group based at Samford University, released the 2017-18 high school graduation rates … Continued
September 25, 2019

Several Alabama schools significantly improve ACT scores

The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama published ACT results for Alabama’s graduating high school class of 2018, showing large improvement from several schools. Pike County School System, Montevallo High School, Opp High School and Homewood High School and System showed some of the largest improvement in average ACT scores among Alabama schools between 2015 … Continued
June 4, 2019

Report explores “crisis” in Alabama’s prisons

The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama recently released a series of briefs outlining the problems within Alabama’s correctional facilities including overcrowding, unsafe and inadequate environments and an absurdly high incarceration rate compared to other states. In February, APR reported that Gov. Kay Ivey was poised to move forward with her plan to build three new prisons … Continued
March 7, 2019

Ivey addresses PARCA event

Friday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey addressed the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s annual Albert Brewer annual meeting at the Harbert Center in Birmingham. This year’s focus was on workforce development. “More Alabamians are working than ever before in history,” Ivey told the group. “It proves that what we are doing is, in fact, effective.” … Continued
February 19, 2019

Survey: 78 percent say Alabama spends too little on public education

A new public opinion survey from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama found that 79 percent of Alabama citizens think the state spends too little on public education. PARCA, in collaboration with Samford University, surveyed 421 Alabama citizens on a variety of policy issues from June 4 to July 18, 2018. Those surveyed have … Continued
September 13, 2018

Alabama voter priorities: Jobs and the economy rank high

Last year, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama surveyed Alabama voters to gauge their priorities heading into this year’s statewide elections. That report showed broad agreement among voters about key issues facing the state. First among the issues were Pre-K–12 education, health care and government ethics and corruption. Further down the list was jobs, … Continued
September 10, 2018

Only 71 percent of Alabama high school seniors are college/career ready

A new report from Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama shows that there is still a sizable gap between Alabama’s graduation rate and the number of students who are considered college and career ready even though the gap has improved. The report looks at state educational statistics for last year’s graduating class of 2017. While … Continued
June 25, 2018