The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. often planned strategy for the civil rights movement in room 30 at the A.G. Gaston Motel. For others, it was a place for wedding receptions and fancy dances. As restoration of the famed but deteriorating structure begins, Birmingham celebrated the motel’s anniversary and its founder on Monday. Read more. WBHM
WBHM In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education struck down racial segregation in schools. While the court ordered public schools to desegregate “with all deliberate speed,” the vague language allowed Southern officials to delay and resist school integration for years. It wasn’t until 1969 that the court forced school integration in a case called Alexander v. Holmes. Read more.
In this episode of The Big Q, WBHM discussed the intersection of youth and race. How do young people look at race? How do they handle differences? And how do educators handle acts of racism in the classroom? Read more.
Birmingham City Schools have a lot of competition for students, as reflected in enrollment decline and in the private, parochial, charter and other alternative schools that serve the Birmingham community. Students in the city have many options, depending on religious affiliation, or ability to pay, or talent, or simply availability and choice. That competition does not go unnoticed and it does have an impact, Dr. Lisa Herring, superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools, said in a recent interview. But she did not grant competition from alternative schools an outsized share of responsibility for enrollment declines in the city schools. She said talking about competition for Birmingham students also means considering other factors important to student success. “We always want to strive to be the very best,” she said. “We know that there’s accountability in that. And I believe that’s important, not just for our students but for our teachers, principals, parents and all. But we just want what’s best for our children. … So, if we talk about competition, we have to talk about care. If we say competition, we have to talk about competency.” Having looked at BCS enrollment over the past 10 years, she said, “There has been slight decline, not extreme, but certainly slight in that there’s some decline each year with one exception … . There was one year when we had an increase.” The increase was in the 2015-2016 school year, when BCS had 24,010 students in K-12, according to the Alabama State Department of Education website, up from 23,963 the year before. Otherwise Birmingham schools have had gradual declines most of the past decade, with the end result of a nearly 5,000 student decrease. In 2008-2009, the school system had 27,218 enrolled in K-12, according to the state department information. In the 2018-2019 school year, it had 22,246. The ALSDE website includes enrollment back to 1995-1996, when BCS had 39,545 students in K-12. Pre-K numbers dropped over the decade, from 2,109 in 2008-2009 to 1,938 in 2018-2019. Pre-K enrollment peaked in 2013-2014 with 2,331 students. Going back to ‘95-‘96, there were 3,192 students in pre-K. Declining enrollment, Herring said, is not all about students leaving for alternatives. “That’s tied to not just having school opportunities and school choice, but also a highly transient community. But to answer your question specifically, it makes us want to stay focused on making our schools a first choice based on offerings, and it’s based on performance.” Read more.
Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, a housing and community development nonprofit organization, has donated $50,000 to Washington K-8 School as part of its work in the North Titusville neighborhood. “Any development community effort is only successful it you have schools. Strong schools make for strong communities and strong communities have healthy families,” Lisa McCarroll, CEO of the group, said while presenting the donation during a Birmingham Board of Education board meeting June 11. Read more.
A series of emails released by the University of Alabama System show the dispute that led to a parting of ways with mega-donor Hugh Culverhouse preceded the comments he made about abortion.
As 2020 rolls in, BirminghamWatch looks back at its biggest stories of 2019, highlighting a different one each day.
When Dr. Terrell Brown took over as principal at Birmingham City’s Minor Elementary School, the school had a failing “F” grade. By the time he left three years later, Minor had improved to a “C.”
Over at W.E. Putnam Middle School, where Brown is now, the goal is to do a repeat.
Brown is taking his best practices from Minor and his time at Midfield City Schools and is applying them to his efforts to turn Putnam around from its “F” report card grade and five-time appearance on the AAA failing schools list. Read more.
Read the rest of BirminghamWatch’s special report on Birmingham schools:
Making the Grade? How Birmingham City Schools Are Doing Depends on Which Measure You Choose.
An Introduction to Birmingham Schools, From A to F
The Numbers
The History of the Birmingham City Schools
Many Questions About Birmingham City Schools Remain After Three Months of Trying to Understand the State of Education
Questions submitted to the Birmingham City Schools
The History of the Birmingham City Schools
Birmingham Schools’ Superintendent Talks About Facing Competition for Students, Being Accountable and Building Relationships.
More of BirminghamWatch’s Best in 2019
Birmingham‘s Technology, Start-up Scene Thrives, ‘Innovation District’ in Development Spotlight
Alabama Site for Detained Immigrants Has History of Abuse Charges, Efforts to Close It
First Class in More Than Name Only: Why Alabama’s Preschool Program Is Best in the Country on National Standards
MONTGOMERY — An additional $318 million for K-12 schools is in Alabama’s 2020 education budget, and lawmakers and education leaders say that money will make tangible differences in local schools. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the record-setting education budget into law Thursday. “This budget represents significantly more resources for education,” Senate education budget committee chairman Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said. Here’s what some of the new money will mean to K-12 schools. There’s nearly $190 million more for the K-12 Foundation Program that supports schools’ basic functions. The 2020 total is $3.9 billion. There’s also an additional $27.8 million for transportation. Read more.
The quality of education in Birmingham city schools varies across the city. Some schools, such as Phillips Academy, are rated “A” by the state Department of Education, while the report cards for other schools are not as promising.
Read profiles of some of Birmingham’s lower and highest performing schools.
Students: 703
Teachers: 41
Education Report Card 2017-2018: A (92)
Failing Schools List: None
Read more.
