2008 Spring Alabama School Boards Magazine

32143 AASB:ASB_Spring08 copy 5/28/08 4:17 PM Page 1

ALABAMA ASSOCIATIONOF SCHOOL BOARDS

July 27-30, 2008Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys, July 28-29

Perdido Beach ResortOrange Beach, AlabamaJoin your colleagues from across the state for a program packed with fun, timely topics and must-have training at this year’s Summer Conference. Your host, the Alabama Association of School Boards, is planning a program full of motivational speakers, practical clinics loaded with ready-to-use ideas and plenty opportunities to network with hundreds of other school board members, superintendents and education leaders.

Registration is Fast and Easy!

Register online at www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org/ConferenceInformation.htm ORCheck your mail soon for conference information and a registration brochure. Fill out the registration forms and fax them back to AASB.


FEATURES8 SPRING

CONFERENCEFOCUSED ONBUILDING AHIGHLY EFFECTIVESTAFFSchool board members andother education leadersgathered for AASB’s annual

spring conference

10 FACE TO FACEMary Ann McDonald visitswith Rep. H. ”Mac” Gipson

11 10 QUESTIONSAlabama Board of Educationmember Stephanie Bell discusses middle school

14 REIMAGINE CAREER TECH16 Clusters: Pathways toToday's Careers

16 COVER STORYAlabama advances its diplomaoptions

22 SAFETY ACCREDITATIONGenerating confidence for parents and the public

IN EVERY ISSUE3 UP FRONT6 EDUCATION

& THE LAW27 CALENDAR 15 HELP28 PEOPLE & SCHOOLS31 AT THE TABLEON THE COVER: photo/artwork©istockPhoto.com

OFFICERSPRESIDENTSue Helms

Madison City

PRESIDENT-ELECTFlorence Bellamy

Phenix City

VICE PRESIDENTSteve Foster

Lowndes County

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTJim Methvin

Alabama School of Fine Arts

STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sally Brewer Howell, J.D.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERKen Roberts, C.P.A.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONSDenise L. Berkhalter

DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONSLissa Astilla Tucker

DIRECTOR OF BOARD DEVELOPMENTLuAnn Bird

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTTammy Wright

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTSDebora Hendricks

Donna Norris

BOOKKEEPERKay Shaw

RECEPTIONISTLashana Summerlin

CLERICAL ASSISTANTSShannon Hendricks

Kristi Martin

BOARD OF DIRECTORSDISTRICT 1

Patsy BlackMonroe County

DISTRICT 2Bill Minor

Dallas County

DISTRICT 3Jeff Bailey

Covington County

DISTRICT 4Katy S. Campbell

Macon County

DISTRICT 5Jennifer ParsonsJefferson County

DISTRICT 6Sue JonesJacksonville

DISTRICT 7Susan Harris

Winfield

DISTRICT 8Pam Doyle

Muscle Shoals

DISTRICT 9Laura Casey

Albertville

STATE BOARDSandra Ray

Tuscaloosa

Alabama S chool Boards • Spr ing 2008 3

PUBLICATION POLICYAlabama School Boards is published by theAlabama Association of School Boards as aservice to its members. The articles publishedin each issue represent the ideas or beliefs ofthe writers and are not necessarily the viewsof the Alabama Association of School Boards.Subscriptions sent to members of schoolboards are included in membership dues,and complimentary copies are sent to publicschool principals throughout the state.Additional subscriptions can be obtained by contacting AASB.

Entered as third-class mail at Montgomery, AL. Permit No. 34.

Alabama School Boards is designed by J. Durham Design, L.L.C., Montgomery, AL.

Address all editorial and advertising inquiries to: Alabama School Boards, Editor, P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery, AL36123-0488. Phone: 334/277-9700 ore-mail [email protected].

InsideInside

12STUDENTSENTER A NEW WORLDTHROUGH‘ACCESS’

12

24The Urban

School'sChallenge:

MOREWITHLESS

24

2020SPRING 2008Vol. 29, No. 2

www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Motivating Students of Color:THE NO EXCUSES PHILOSOPHY


4 Alabama S chool Boards • Spr ing 2008

$500,000Earmarked for Dual Enrollment in Technical ProgramsThe Alabama Community College System has earmarked $500,000 for dualenrollment in technical programs at two-year colleges.Through dual enrollment, high school students canearn both college and high school credits. “Dual enrollment is a means by which we can give our young people the skills they need to earn a goodliving and at the same time respond to the work forcedemands of both new and existing industries,” saidsystem Chancellor Bradley Byrne. The funds will targethigh-demand technical fields, such as industrial tech-nologies, avionics, aviation maintenance, electronicsand welding, explained Dr. Matthew Hughes, directorof the Governor’s Office of Work Force Development.

SERVING SCHOOLBOARDS FOR 60 YEARS

In 2009, AASB will celebrate 60 years of repre-senting the state’s local school boards. AASB serves more than850 education leaders, supports local decision-making in pub-lic education and works to strengthen boardmanship throughtraining, research and risk-management programs.

DID YOU KNOW?In Alabama, 11.4 percent of the public school class of 2007 took at least one advanced placement exam in high school, according to the College Board.

EDGY K-12 TECHNOLOGYWant to know the latest in educational technology?Check out “Digital Directions” online at www.digitaldirections.org. This free monthlynewsletter by Education Week offers updates on news developments, trends and practical advice.The publication is also available in print.Learn more at www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative.

STATE TRENDThough child nutritionists may still dare you to

find a healthy meal cheaper than those sold inAlabama’s school cafeterias, there have been a number of price increases reported in the

news. Dothan Board of Education hasn’tincreased food prices for 11 years.

However, the rising costs of providingbreakfast and lunch at school —

food, milk, fuel, labor and otherexpenses — are forcing school

boards to raise prices. Dothanbumped up employee and stu-

dent meal prices by 25 centsthis year. The Albertville

school board voted for afood price increase after

the system’s costsjumped 26 percent.In the last coupleyears the price ofcafeteria fare has alsoincreased at schoolsin Bessemer, Hoover,Homewood, Jeffer-son County and Ves-tavia Hills, to name afew. The U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculturesets the charge forreduced-price meals.

&Trends,Research Dates

UPFRONT

CHEW ON THIS!According to Standard and

Poor’s SchoolDataDirect, 40.9 percent of the nation’s K-12 studentsreceived free- and reduced price-lunch in2006. Also, the Center for Public Educationreports 19 percent of schools routinely usecommon areas, such as cafeterias and gymnasiums, as classrooms.

11.4 %


What is Scientifically BasedReading Research?

Funding for Reading First was cut 64 percent in the 2008budget, even though the program has been deemed effec-tive, reports the Association of American Educators in theFebruary 2008 edition of its Education Matters news letter.The federal reading initiative, which targeted poor studentsin low-performing elementary schools, had been funded at$1 billion per year. Reading First was born of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act and uses scientificallybased research to guide reading instruction.

To meet the initiative’s “scientifically based” standard, the reading research must address achieve-ment in one or more skills in reading, examine the effectiveness of an instructional approach in com-parison with others, be of general use for large student populations and be reviewed by field schol-ars who consider it high quality. The Association of American Educators also outline five key areas that scientifically based reading research has identified as essential to effective early reading instruction.Those include:

Phonemic Awareness — Understanding individual sounds of spoken language work togetherto make words. Phonics— Understanding the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the let-ters representing those sounds in written language.Vocabulary — The ability to store information about the meaning and pronunciation of words through listening, speaking, reading and writing.Fluency — The skill of reading texts accurately and quickly.Reading Comprehension — Understanding, remembering and communicating with others about what has been read.

Download the newsletter at http://www.aaeteachers.org.

Newsweek and WashingtonPost rank Top AlabamaHigh Schools

Ten Alabama public high schools made theNewsweek and Washington Post 2008 ChallengeIndex, which measures a public high school’s effort tochallenge its students. Six of the 10 Alabama highschools have made the rankings in previous years andthree Alabama schools – Auburn, Virgil Grissom andMountain Brook high schools – have made the listevery year.

The state’s ranked high schools include: MountainBrook High School, Mountain Brook Board of Educa-tion; Loveless Academic Magnet Program HighSchool, Montgomery County Board of Education;Auburn High School, Auburn Board of Education;Homewood High School, Homewood Board of Educa-tion; Virgil Grissom High School, Huntsville Board ofEducation; Oak Mountain High School, Shelby CountyBoard of Education; Spain Park High School andHoover High School, Hoover Board of Education; Ala-bama School of Mathematics and Science; and BobJones High School, Madison Board of Education.

The index includes nearly 1,400 public schools thatencourage students to take Advance Placement,International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests.

TEACHER EFFECTIVENESSIMPACTS STUDENT SUCCESSStudies show teacher effectiveness has asmuch influence on a student’s academicsuccess as race, family income or homeenvironment, according to “Teaching andLearning: Meeting the Challenge of High Standards in Alabama.” The report was gen-erated by the Alabama Task Force onTeaching and Student Achievement. If increased student achievement is the goal, the task force says the state must strengthen its efforts to recruit, train and support teachers.Read the report at www.bestpracticescenter.org.


AASB Needs Your Snapshots of SuccessAt AASB’s annual convention, the association launched its “I Believe”

campaign. AASB President Sue Helms asked all school boards to send in photographs that tell a positive story about public schools to display during con-

vention. Please label each photograph with the board’s name, school’s name and a captionindicating the success and send by e-mail to [email protected] or by mailto Denise L. Berkhalter, Attention: Snapshots of Success, P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery,AL 36123-0488. s

m

SAY WHAT?“I always tell kids who areabout to enter freshmanyear: Go and take a broadrange of courses. Takecourses that are hard

for you, which teach you the discipline of doingsomething perhaps you’re not as good at. ... Take a broad enough set of courses that you mightjust find something you’re really passionate about. ...And if you’re going to do that, you can’t let anybody else define who you are. ... Set your own horizon, and let it be limitless.”— Excerpt from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’sinterview with Phillip Rawls of the Associated Press’ Montgomery Bureau. In April, the Birmingham nativereceived the first honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Air University on Maxwell Air Force Base.

Influence of Teacher Qualificationson Student Achievement

32143 AASB:ASB_Spring08 copy 5/29/08 9:34 AM Page 5


EDUCATION & THE LAW

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings andAlabama Gov. Bob Riley recently hosted aneducation policy roundtable with state legisla-

tors, educators and business leaders at the Alabama StateHouse in Montgomery.

At the event, Spellings discussed how the federal gov-ernment can partner with the state and school systems tosupport innovation and get every child on grade level orbetter. Spellings commended the state for its studentachievement and for having such a high percentage, 83 per-cent, of its schools make adequate yearly progress.

There are opportunities for improvement in this state,Spellings noted. She would like to see a higher graduationrate and more Alabama students take Advanced Placementexams.

Alabama has made strides toward those goals with its recent revisions to graduation requirements and the landmark $13.2 million grant the state received from theNational Math and Science Initiative in late 2007 to expandAdvanced Placement programs in the state’s public schools.

Relaxed NCLB StandardsSoon after her visit to Alabama, Spellings announced

plans to back a national standard for calculating graduationrates and relaxed accountability standards for selected statesas part of No Child Left Behind. NCLB targets grade-levelreading and math skills for all students by 2013-14 and sanc-tions schools that consistently fall short of reaching account-ability goals. The 2002 law signed by President George W.Bush was up for reauthorization last year, but efforts torewrite the law have stalled in Congress.

The plan to relax NCLB provisions for up to 10 states iscalled the Differentiated Accountability Pilot Program. Statescan develop more nuanced ways of evaluating and reform-ing underperforming schools while intervening less force-fully in schools that are raising most students’ test scores butstruggling with one subgroup. As states apply, Spellingssaid, priority will be given to those in which at least 20 per-cent of public schools receiving federal aid to poor childrenhave been labeled as “in need of improvement.”

One Graduation Rate FormulaSpellings also supports a standard method of calculating

how many students graduate from high school on time andhow many drop out. Under the proposal, all states woulduse the uniform method for calculating high school gradu-ation rates by 2012-13. Endorsed by the National GovernorsAssociation, the method calculates how many studentsgraduate in four years by tracking individual students’progress through high school and taking into account trans-fers and dropouts.

In 2005, the governors of all 50 states signed NGA’sCompact on State High School Graduation Data and agreedto adopt the common graduation rate formula. Some states,including Mississippi and Florida, have already imple-mented the formula. Others are phasing in the new method.Alabama and Georgia plan to begin using the nationalmeasure in 2009. Graduation rates at Alabama’s highschools are used as an accountability measure under NoChild Left Behind.

Under Spellings’ plan, states and school systems wouldhave to disaggregate their graduation rates by subgroups asearly as 2008-09. Schools would have to disaggregate grad-uation data for reporting purposes until 2012-13, but by thatsame year schools would also have to use disaggregatedgraduation data for determining adequate yearly progress.The disaggregated data would be made public, Spellingssaid, allowing for national comparisons based on race,background and income level.

“Fortunately, the need for more accurate graduation ratesand greater accountability is an issue of strong consensus,”she said. “Disaggregated data is a powerful motivator for

NCLB Changes May Include National Graduation Rate Formula, Relaxed Accountability Standards

U.S.

THE COMPACT FORMULAGraduation Rate= [ Students graduating within four years

with a regular or advanced diploma ]÷ [ (first-time entering ninth graders

four years earlier)+ (transfers in - transfers out)]


change and improvement, and especially for closing theachievement gap between poor and minority students andtheir peers.”

There is more to Spellings’ proposed changes to NCLBin regard to accountability, school choice and supplementaleducational services. These include:

On accountability:Require schools in restructuring to use interventions that

are “significantly more rigorous” than interventionsimplemented under the schools’ corrective action plans.

Prohibit states and school systems from identifying schoolsfor improvement based on the same subgroup failing tomake AYP in the same subject or academic indicator fortwo consecutive years.

Require states to justify the measures they use for statisti-cal reliability.

On school choice and Supplemental Educational Services:Require systems to provide notice to parents of their pub-

lic school choice at least 14 calendar days before the startof school.

Before systems can release unspent set-aside funds forchoice and supplemental educational services (such astutoring), they must demonstrate that they have: 1. Partnered with community organizations to inform stu-

dents and parents of choice; 2. Allowed eligible students to sign up for SES through-

out the school year; and 3. Ensured that SES providers are given equal access to

school facilities as available to other groups, etc. If sys-tems are unable to show evidence of these activities,they must carry over unspent set-asides to next year.

Require systems to publish on their Web site the number ofstudents eligible for and participating in choice and SES;a list of approved SES providers and schools available for choice.

Allow systems to count costs for providing outreach toparents on choice and SES toward the 20 percent set-asides, capping at 0.2 percent of the system’s Title I, PartA allocation. The National School Boards Association has posted its

official position on the proposed regulations onwww.nsba.org because the association is concerned theproposal provides little relief for schools and school systems struggling to implement what it calls a flawedaccountability system and burdensome administrativerequirements associated with the current No Child LeftBehind Act.

“We are, however, pleased that the proposed regulationsaddress some needed concessions regarding use of multipleassessment measures and growth models to track individualprogress and determine AYP,” said NSBA Associate Execu-tive Director Michael A. Resnick. “In relation to all thatneeds to be done, these proposed regulations fall short ofthe accountability system that needs to be in effect and addsa number of requirements that are both questionable andobjectionable.”

The U.S. Department of Education is accepting commentson the proposal until June 23. The department is also con-ducting a series of regional planning meetings to collectadditional comments. Final regulations are expected this fall.

NSBA sees a piecemeal approach to changing NCLB asan inadequate substitute for reauthorization and encouragesAlabama's school boards to submit testimony.

In six years, NCLB has identified 9,000 of the nation’s90,000 public schools as “in need of improvement,” andexperts predict that those numbers could multiply in coming years. NSBA reports the rising number of schoolslabeled as underperforming is overwhelming states’ capac-ities to turn them around.

This article contains excerpts from Alabama Governor's Office, National SchoolBoards Association and U.S. Department of Education reports. (See related articles on pages 8, 11 and 16.)


(Left to right) Alabama Governor Bob Riley, U.S. Secretary ofEducation Margaret Spellings and state Superintendent of Edu-cation Dr. Joe Morton participated in a roundtable discussionon education and No Child Left Behind in Montgomery .

During U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings’ recent visit toMontgomery, she discussed a new tool recently released by the U.S.Department of Education. “Mapping Alabama’s Educational Progress2008” provides a comparative look at the state’s key No Child Left Behindindicators.

Alabama is making gains, Spellings told a group of state education lead-ers and policymakers, with an increasing number of students proficient inmath in grades 3-8. She pointed to the recent Nation’s Report Card producedby the National Assessment of Educational Progress, shows Alabama’s fourthgraders posted their highest gains ever in math and reading and eighthgraders achieved their highest math scores in NAEP history. The state is oneof only nine to reduce the white-Hispanic achievement gap in math acrossgrades three through eight and high school.

Spellings visited the state as part of her traveling dialogue on No ChildLeft Behind and priorities for 2008.

— Alabama Governor’s Office

Phot

o: C

harle

s C

reel


By Denise L. Berkhalter

H

Above: (Left to right) Board memberBobbie Morgan of Greene County,Superintendent Jeff Wooten of Muscle Shoals and AASB District 8Director Pam Doyle of Muscle Shoals.

AASB President-elect Florence Bellamy thanks Lt. Gen. StephenLorenz for his inspirational keynoteaddress.

undreds of school board members and other education leaders gathered in Hoover for the Alabama Association of School Boards’ annual spring conference recently.

8 Alabama S chool Boards •Spr ing 2008

The event addressed how student achievement isimpacted by a school system’s ability to recruit, hire,keep and support competent, effective professionals.AASB gathered together speakers who could discuss theskills necessary to provide the best possible “Leadershipfor Developing a Highly Effective Staff.”

Speakers included Air University Commander Lt. Gen.Stephen Lorenz, who wowed the audience with his talkon creating a culture of high expectations. Dr. JohnDraper, executive director of the Council for Leaders inAlabama Schools, also garnered ovations with his addresson getting the right people in the right positions.

Conference attendees were privileged to have a sneakpeek at Alabama Take 20 survey findings. Eric Hirsch ofthe University of California-Santa Cruz’s New TeacherCenter reported findings from the state’s first study ofthe teaching and learning conditions in its schools.

Above: Charles Shoulders of Limestone County (left) participates ingroup disccussion.

Left: Selma Board Member Kirit Chapatwala and Verdell Lawson discover how technology can help develop a highly effective staff.



The Alabama Association of SchoolBoards was well represented atthe National School Boards Asso-

ciation’s 68th Annual Conference thisspring in Orlando.

AASB President Sue Helms, alsopresident of the Madison school board,attended along with the association’sExecutive Director Sally Howell, Presi-dent-elect Florence Bellamy of Phenix City, Immediate Past President JimMethvin of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Vice President Steve Fosterof Lowndes County. They were among an estimated 13,000 attendees.

NSBA President Norman Wooten described the event as important formodern-day school boards.

“As the job of a school board member has become more complex,” heexplained, “it has become even more important for us to obtain training.”

The event was a plethora of educational sessions, covering such topics asschool safety, the obesity epidemic among children, school vouchers and therise in gang activities in schools. Keynote addresses were given by retiredSupreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; Oscar-winning actor, directorand author Sidney Poitier; television journalist Jim Lehrer; and radio host, storyteller and author Garrison Keillor.

In addition, leaders from school systems across the nation discussed theiroutstanding programs and initiatives during the conference’s Sharing the Success clinics. Two Alabama school systems presented clinics. Madisonschool system discussed “Creating Section 504 Experts in Your System,” whichwas moderated by Superintendent Dee Fowler and included Director of

Instruction Mary Long, Board President Helms and SchoolBoard Attorney Rod Lewis. Madison also presented“Increased National Board Certification Equals IncreasedStudent Achievement,” moderated by Fowler and thatincluded Long, Helms and Curriculum Specialist Sue Hall.Vestavia Hills’ Sharing the Success clinic was about “Turn-ing Dreams into Reality: How to Put Theory into Practice toCreate a Positive Learning Environment.” That clinic wasmoderated by Superintendent Jamie Blair and includedBoard President Suzie Burdette, Board Vice PresidentJohn Cooper and board member Kim Benos.

(Left to right) Immediate Past President Jim Methvin, President Sue Helmsand President-elect Florence Bellamy were among the AASB members andofficers attending the NSBA 68th Annual Conference in Orlando this spring.

AASB Vice President Steve Foster (left) joins AASBExecutive Director Sally Howell (right) in greetingretired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connorduring the NSBA conference.

ber

oals.

e

Jim Methvin in mockAmerican School BoardJournal magazine cover.

Surf TheWAVE OF SUCCESS

AASB’s next academy conference is July 27-30in Orange Beach and features the theme “Surf the Wave ofSuccess,” an opportunity to not only gain skills that enhancestudent achievement but to also celebrate school successes.School board members who attend will earn School BoardMember Academy credit. Visit www.AlabamaSchool-Boards.org/ConferenceInformation.htm.

Conference early birds heard from Dr.Melinda Maddox, the state Department of Edu-cation’s director of technology initiatives, in apre-conference workshop on “Connecting with21st Century Learners.”

AASB Executive Director Sally Howelldescribed the conference, part of AASB’sSchool Board Member Academy, as a success.

“The academy is a regular source of trainingfor those interested in strengthening their gov-ernance teams and enhancing their boardman-ship skills,” she said. “I was happy to see somany board members take advantage of thisopportunity to learn how the school boarddrives employee performance and how effec-tive staffs drive student achievement.”

tes in

on staff.

CLAS Executive Director John Draper discusses “IrresistableLeadership” at AASB’s spring conference.



his face-to-face interview with Rep. Mac Gipson, ranking minor-ity member of the House Education Appropriations Committee, is the latest installment in a series of features recapping one-on-

one conversations between members of the Alabama Association of School Boards’ grassroots Leader to Leader program and key state leaders in government and education. Here’s the recent con -versation between Gipson and Elmore County school board memberMary Ann McDonald.

McDonald: I’m so glad you could meet with me today. Tellme, what brought you to public service? Gipson: Basically, I was brought up in the business com-munity in Prattville and felt I needed to give back to thecommunity. So, I got involved in the chamber of commerce.I held all positions in the chamber during my involvementwith them. I was recruited to defeat an incumbent. I hadnever been in politics in my life. After I was elected, I foundthat being in the Legislature was very similar to the businessI was in, the automobile repairs and tire business — solv-ing people’s problems. I found that I really enjoy servingthe people.

McDonald: You serve on a critical committee for K-12 —crafting the education budget. Tell us about the role youplay on the House Education Appropriations Committee.Gipson: My position is ranking minority member. By defi-nition, minority member means I don’t have as much inputas the majority does. But I try to work with the leadershipof the majority party to craft a budget that I think is best forthe state of Alabama and my district. I will work hard to dothat. It’s going to be a hard, difficult financial time we willbe facing. You have to remember this budget will follow arecord high budget. There are a lot of things in the ‘08budget that we will not be able to sustain in this budget —wonderful, wonderful things. My job is to prevent the cut-ting of those and to prevent your OCE from getting cut evento the point of cutting some programs. I would rather seethat happen before I see you all have to go through whatyou went through in ’01. (Editor’s note: OCE refers to thestate education budget line for Other Current Expense,which is used primarily for schools’ maintenance and oper-ations. In 2001, local school systems suffered severe educa-

tion budget cuts. The education budget will be determinedin a special legislative session.)

McDonald: What education accomplishment has been yourgreatest joy?Gipson: It’s been most fulfilling to me being on the moneycommittee since 1998 and appropriating money for thereading programs and math programs; especially the reading because it is the basis of all education. In 2007, we saw the national readingscores for Alabama move. Thatdid me more good than any-thing because I have been wait-ing patiently for the AlabamaReading Initiative to work upthrough the grades. Finally,those students starting outwith ARI took the fourth-gradenational assessment test andmoved the numbers andmoved them terrifically. Thatfulfilled me more than anyother accomplishment in theeducation realm. I hope to see the same thing in theeighth grade when they do the assessment test and also in mathematics when we getAMSTI (Alabama Math, Scienceand Technology Initiative)more involved in the schools.I like the national assessmenttests. These children will becompeting in the nation andworld, and these scores reflectwho they will be competingwith rather than the local, statecurriculum.

McDonald: What are thebiggest challenges facing theLegislature today?Gipson: To try to keep funding

FACE TO FACEBy Mary Ann McDonald

About Rep. H. “Mac” Gipson: A lifelong resident of AutaugaCounty; graduate of Starke MilitarySchool; U.S. Army veteran;attended Troy State UniversityMontgomery; retired CEO of Gipson’s Auto Tire, Inc.; pastPrattville Area Chamber of Commerce president; Children’sFirst Board vice president; grand -father of six; married to Mary Lee;and father of four children: Mary,H.M. III, Robert and Jo Ella. What he does: Serving a thirdterm in the Alabama House of Representatives and is the ranking minority member on the House Education Appropriations Committee.Committees: Education Appropriations and Tourism and Travel committees.Contact him: 334/365-9529

Rep. H. “Mac” Gipson

T

(Continued on page 27)



y

tephanie W. Bell of Montgomery has represented the Alabama State Board ofEducation's third district since 1995.

She is also the state's representative on theNational Association of State Boards of Education study group examining the topic"Early Secondary Education: A Precursor toHigh School Reform."

Brenda Welburn, NASBE’s executive director, has saidhigh school graduation rates can’t be expected to improvewithout a comprehensive analysis of the role of middleschools in providing a rigorous curriculum as an academicfoundation for high school success. So NASBE appointed Belland 20 others to serve on the year-long task force to formu-late state policies on middle school reform. The study groupis charged with meeting other state policymakers, middleschool leaders and education reform experts to learn aboutstate strategies for improving the middle school experience.

Recently, Bell and her fellow state board members votedto appoint a committee to develop a Middle School Initiativefor Alabama.

Bell took a moment to speak with Alabama School Boardsabout the national study of reform issues — such as cur -riculum, teacher preparation, assessment and evaluation,middle school organization and high school integration —that have policy implications for state boards of education.

Q. What can you tell us about your study group?A. We often refer to ourselves as the middle school study

group. The group was actually appointed at the end ofDecember 2007, and our first meeting was Jan. 25-26. Wehad another meeting in March. We have a pretty good crosssection in terms of representation and a positive workingrelationship with the U.S. Department of Education, JohnsHopkins University and the American Institutes for Research.We have members from Georgia, Utah, Maryland, Missouri,one from Florida, and others from Hawaii, New Jersey, NewYork, North Carolina, West Virginia, Illinois, Arizona, Ten-nessee, Ohio, Michigan, Vermont, Connecticut, Kansas,Delaware and Kentucky. The things we’re discussing here inour state, they’re discussing in their states, which to me is sointeresting. No matter how large or small the population,

we’re dealing with some of the same problems. Actually,some of the states had more problems than Alabama.

Q. What are some of those issues regarding middleschool and high school reform?

A. Trying to identify the children who are considered to be at-risk at earlier points and the maturity level of students aretwo issues. Some of the behavioral things we used to dealwith in high school, we’re having to deal with in middleschools. Discipline is something we’re dealing with, as wellas just trying to keep students interested in school. It’s diffi-cult to find that connection that will keep students in school.

Q. How is our state helping at-risk students in thehigher grades feel connected to school?

A. One of the positive things we are doing in Alabama —and some members of my study group have expressedinterest in this idea — is we have coaches who work withstudents who are at risk of not graduating. That connec-tion makes a big difference.

Q. Do other states have graduation coaches who workclosely with at-risk students?

A. Well, the committee at this point is interested in looking atthe coaching aspect of the program we have here. Thereare a few other states represented in our committee thatprovide that opportunity, though each of their programs issomewhat different.

Q. What’s the next step for your study group?A. Our next meeting will be in June, and we’ll have repre-

sentatives of successful school models come and talk toour group. At this point, we’re formulating a proposal thatwe would then present to Congress and individually inour state and also to teacher colleges in our states. Theteacher colleges are important because they are trainingthe kinds of teachers and administrators we would like tohire. We also want to keep the best teachers and adminis-trators at the middle school level who have a gift and wantto work with young people in that age group.

Q. When do students tend to hit roadblocks as they tran-sition through school?

A. Among our discussions, we have found there are sig nificantstages. The third- and fourth-grade transition is extremelyimportant, as well as the fifth- and sixth-grade transition.

10 QUESTIONSBy Denise L. Berkhalter

Stephanie W. Bell, State Board of Education

Stephanie Bell


S



Perry County

schools have

been involved in

ACCESS for three

years. Our students

have embraced

both the online and

the interactive

video conferencing,

or IVC, courses.

Initially, some of our

students struggled with

the delivery method

because they weren’t

accustomed to pacing

themselves without the

constant prompting of a

teacher. The instructors went

the extra mile to assist our

students in getting acclimated

to the online delivery method.

A C C E S S ,Alabama’s distance learning initiative, means just that to my students in Perry County — access. Before ACCESS, our students didn’t have access to any Advance Placement courses; did not have access to two foreign languages taught by highly qualified instructors; and did not have access to many of the higher level math and science courses that improve students’ chances of success in college.

By John H. Heard III, Superintendent, Perry County Board of Education

photo©istockPhoto.com



One ACCESS instructor, Barry Barnett, voluntarily drove fromBob Jones High School in north Alabama to Robert C. HatchHigh School in central Alabama to personally assist some of ourstudents who were having difficulty grasping some Algebra IIconcepts. The instructors of both the IVC courses and the onlinecourses have gone the extra mile to help students be successful.

Our students have gotten quite accustomed to this deliverymethod. They are members of the IPOD and Gameboy genera-tion and seem to be motivated and quite comfortable with theACCESS delivery method. You walk into the lab, and they areengaged the entire 96 minutes.

Distant ClassmatesOne benefit of the IVC courses that we hadn’t anticipated is

our students’ confidence and motivation have been enhancedbecause of their interaction with students from different back-grounds and cultures. They’ve found that they have a lot morein common with other students from around the state than dif-ferences. When they discovered that the students at Spain ParkHigh School in Hoover were asking the same questions theywere asking, it encouraged them to try harder to achievetogether. These students in the IVC classes interact and bondso well together that in some cases it becomes like one bigclassroom. For instance, the sociology class at Francis MarionHigh School is planning a field trip to Etowah County’s WestEnd High School in Walnut Grove, Ala., just to meet their“classmates.”

I am surprised at how much our students have grown in con-fidence as a result of these interactions with diverse studentpopulations.

Opportunities and EquityWhen it came to accessing Advanced Placement courses and

high-level academic electives, there was a huge gap in this statebetween children who attend schools in high poverty school sys-tems and children who attend schools in more affluent systems.This has been an equity issue that has always concerned me.

Before ACCESS, we simply didn’t have the means to offer ourgifted high school students the challenging courses they

deserved. If a student fell behind in credits, it either meant largerclasses or the student having to take an available course ratherthan the course he or she wanted.

ACCESS gives us the opportunity to meet the needs of threestudents, for example, who want Advanced Placement calculus,the four students who want Spanish II and the 12 students whowant English 110. At one school, our students enrolled in ninedifferent online or IVC courses this year! We simply could notaddress the needs of these small groups of students with in-house teachers.

ACCESS has been the system that has helped us close thatgap and provide more equity in our course offerings.

Economic DevelopmentAs we try to attract new industry to our community, ACCESS

has become one of our selling points. We can now assure apotential business that our students — and their employees’ chil-dren — will have access to the high-level courses necessary tosucceed in the workplace and in postsecondary.

The opportunity to grow professionally as a result of teach-ing IVC courses has also helped us retain at least one outstand-ing teacher. The advanced technology and prospect of beingable to teach a diverse group of students across the stateenhances our ability to recruit highly qualified high schoolteachers to rural Perry County.

ACCESS is not the wave of the future. It is a solution for today.

By the Way ACCESS is the state’s $20.3 million distance learning program that serves more than 23,000 students in 170 high schools across thestate. The acronym stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide, and the initiative provides opportunities and options forAlabama public high school students who wouldn’t otherwise have access toadvanced placement, electives and other courses. For more information aboutACCESS, which has been featured in eSchool News and Converge magazines, contact the state Department of Education at 334/242-9594.

John H. Heard IIIis superintendent

of the PerryCounty Board of Education.

This is an excerptfrom his recentpresentation to

the state Board ofEducation.

“I try to encourage every student to take at leastone online course because former students saytaking the online courses helped them to be bet-ter prepared for college work. My daughter hastaken an IVC (interactive videoconferencing) oronline course every year and loves it.” — Bettie Hodges, lab facilitator, Marion High School

“The distance learning program is an excellentopportunity to communicate with students all over our state. Without this program, we would not be able to branch from our everyday schoolenvironment. The program is a great learningexperience.” — Bethany Taylor, a student at West End High School.



ReimagineCAREER TECHBy Sherry A. Key

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “career and technical education?” Did you think about ...

Hollywood? Students working on animation design projects at G. W. Carver High School in Birmingham took a “trip to Hollywood”—thanks to distance learning — and received tips from top animationprofessionals at ACME Network.

Hovercraft? Students in the Auburn Training Connection programdesigned, built and demonstrated hovercraft in a parade.

Race cars and Moon buggies? Students at the Haleyville Center for Technology built a racing car, and students at the Huntsville Center for Technology designed, manufactured and demonstrated amoon buggy in a NASA competition.

Nurses? There are “high school” practical nursing programs in Arab, Boaz and Marshall County. Today’s new and exciting career and technical education course offerings are based

on 16 national clusters. The curriculum is exciting, engaging and relevant for studentswho are going to compete in today’s global economy. Each cluster leads to a businessand industry recognized certificate, credential and/or degree. There are more than 300courses local education systems can choose from to prepare the future and emergingwork force with the knowledge and skills needed for careers and continued learning inthe 21st century. Students participate in work-based learning experiences that includehigh school apprentice programs, cooperative education, clinical lab experiences andjob shadowing. Career and Technical Student Organizations provide Alabama studentsopportunities to develop and implement leadership skills, obtain business and indus-try recognized credentials and to be engaged in community and charitable services.

The new career and technical education is for every student that ever plans to havea career. The new framework provides for exploration courses in middle and highschool and courses that provide for advanced placement, articulated courses, dualenrollment and early college enrollment credit while in high school. By completing asequence of three courses in a cluster, students can receive the Alabama High SchoolDiploma with a career and technical education endorsement. By successfully complet-ing Algebra II with Trigonometry, that endorsement becomes the advanced career andtechnical endorsement. These endorsements prepare students for college and careerand are recognized by business and industry.

Just imagine a student who receives a diploma with the advanced health science-nursing endorsement, completes the local community college’s summer program,passes the National Council Licensure Examination for nursing and begins his new jobas a licensed practical nurse in the fall.

The opportunities are limitless.

Sherry A. Key is director of Career and Technical Education at the state Department of Education. She may be contacted at [email protected].

16 CLUSTERS: Pathways to Today’s CareersThere are 16 broad career areas students can explore in a particularfield as they consider their career options. These career clusters include:

For more info, visit the States’ Career Clusters Initiativeonline at www.careerclusters.org.

griculture, Food and Natural Resources

rchitecture and Construction

rts, A/V Technology and Communications

usiness, Management and Administration

ducation and Training

inance

overnment and Public Administration

ealth Science

ospitality and Tourism

uman Services

nformation Technology

aw, Public Safety, Corrections and Security

anufacturing

arketing, Sales and Service

cience, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

ransportation, Distribution and Logistics


When students get to the eighth and ninth grades, it is almosttoo late to encourage them in terms of academics and in termsof participation in extracurricular activities. And these extracur-ricular activities, such as the arts and athletics, might be the con-nection some students need to keep them anchored in school.

Those foundational years are crucial in establishing a patternof success. They must know how to read. They must have thetools and skills to build that foundation, and we can’t wait untilhigh school, not even until that transition from sixth to seventhgrade to make sure they have that foundation in place. That’swhy the earlier years, even the third- and fourth-grade years,are so crucial in terms of later success of a child.

We’re also finding that the emotional health of a child is justas crucial, and there are going to be certain limits in terms ofwhat we’re going to be able to provide in a school setting. Inthe past, we overloaded school counselors. Here in our state’spilot schools, we have coaches come in and help studentsestablish goals and intervening when necessary — during adifficult time or when a student doesn’t have the benefit of aclose connection with family. Another element of a successfulschool is family support. We’re looking at student health, wel-fare and safety and seeking guidance and support throughschool partnerships that provide two things: a shared vision, aswell as a safe environment.

Our ultimate goal is to have learning facilities where there isactive learning and where academics become the primaryfocus. At the top of the pyramid should be high expectationsand a relevant, challenging curriculum. It all goes back to thatadult advocate or coaches or whatever a state may call them.These coaches seem to be helpful in settings where studentsfeel challenged academically. The research we’re seeing showsthat many of these barriers that I’ve discussed may still be inplace, but they can be overcome. Our committee has tried toidentify those barriers, and our next step is to address them.

Q. If there is truly to be middle school reform as a precur-sor to high school reform, where should the focus be?

A. There are some key areas to focus on now. We need to lookat the determining factors. In other words, how do we identifythese students? Every state’s assessments are structured differ-ently, so how do we use those assessments without makingthem uniform nationwide. There is a cost for state assessments,and they have been approved by No Child Left Behind.Another means of identification is looking at those who are onfree and reduced lunches. As we look at other determining fac-tors, we should also provide challenging opportunities to stu-dents who are gifted academically — not just on the highschool level but on the middle school level, as well.

Q. Is the study group’s work making a difference?A. Well, we are focusing on how to keep students in school and

working to identify and minimize the other problems, such asbullying, that become significant in the middle school setting.

According to those on staff at NASBE who are helping us withthis committee, as well as the experts who have made presen-tations to us, there have been very few studies in this area ofmiddle school reform as a precursor to high school reform.They said they know of very few organizations other thanthose specific to middle schools that are actually trying to lookat this problem and that are really focusing on middle schools.

Q. Was there a presentation that really resonated with you?A. The support we have had from presenters has been encour-

aging. One presentation was given by Dr. David Osher of theAmerican Institutes for Research. He made an excellent pres-entation. He had actually studied individual schools in variousstates that are dealing with problems of adolescents. He lookedat special education, at social and academic failure, whengrades began to drop, when students began to have less inter-est in school and poor attendance and some of the other obvi-ous issues of lower self confidence and antisocial behavior. Itwas interesting to see the connections the schools were ableto make and some of the solutions offered to help their stu-dents. Some of what he presented, we already knew, but whatwas interesting is how he tied the social, behavioral aspects tothe academic aspect. It helped explain how students who weredoing well academically in the earlier grades all of suddenundergo a dramatic change and end up dropping out.

Q. What other information do you plan to contribute to thisnational study group?

A. We are now looking at situations within our states that are work-ing and looking at the empirical data and trying to change a situation that didn’t just start yesterday and one that is certainlyongoing with certain characteristics such as a large number ofstudents on free and reduced lunches and the dropout rateamong students in middle class families, for example.

Within the state, I will be visiting several middle schools thatare actually implementing some of the pilot programs that we have here. I will provide that information to my fellow

10 Questions: Stephanie W. BellContinued from page 11


Q. Is a competitive bid necessary when hiring a schoolboard attorney?

A.Not according to state law. The Competitive Bid Lawdoes not apply when you’re contracting the servicesof an attorney, architect, accountant or any otherhighly skilled professional whose personality may beconsidered in the decision to hire. (See Section 41-16-51(a)(3) of the Alabama Code.)

— Denise L. Berkhalter

Help.(Continued on page 31)



Alabama’s most rigorous diploma is now the standard for most students.State Department of Education officials call it Alabama’s “First Choice”diploma. It’s not new. About 39 percent of the state’s graduates in 2006opted to pursue the state’s Alabama High School Diploma with theadvanced academic endorsement, which requires a computer applicationshalf-credit, two foreign language credits and Algebra II with trigonometry.

Most other students had automatically worked toward the standard Ala-bama High School Diploma — which could be pursued with or without endorsement — while many students with disabilities sought the occupational diploma option.

The state Board of Education voted in May to change its graduation requirements and have high school students, with a couple of exceptions, earn a diploma endorsed as “advanced academic.” Alabama joins 18 states with advanced diplomas as the standard, including seven states that have made the advanced diploma mandatory.

The high school students who won’t pursue the advanced academic track are those opted out by a parent or for indi vidualized education program reasons. Eleven other states offer such an opt-out measure.

Class of 2008 Gets New Options At an emotionally charged K-12 meeting, the state Board of

Education unanimously voted to revise Alabama’s graduationrequirements, which included creating a credit-based endorse-ment to the Alabama High School Diploma.

To receive the endorsement, general education students andthose with disabilities need to complete the required core cur-riculum credits and earn one additional career/technical educa-tion credit. These students have to take the graduation exameach time it’s offered through 12th grade and must pass the read-ing, math and one other section of the five-section AlabamaHigh School Graduation Exam. This endorsement replaces theold Alabama Alternate Adult Diploma option, which was avail-able to eligible GED students.

Adding the credit-based endorsement to the diploma couldimpact the class of 2008. Seniors who weren’t likely to gradu-ate because they hadn’t passed the entire Alabama High SchoolGraduation Exam may well join their class in pomp and cir-cumstance if they meet the criteria. And, that’s just one reasonthe board’s decision was a big deal.

Alabama puts its graduation rate, which is an accountabilitymeasure under No Child Left Behind, at about 82 percent. Thegoal rate schools strive for is 90 percent. National rankings alsouse graduation rates, based on a variety of formulas, to comparestates. Alabama frequently ranks near the bottom. Until the

National Governors Association intro-duced its method, there was no nationalformula for calculating graduation

rates. Now the NGA formula couldbe adopted by the U.S. Depart-

ment of Education for use byall states for accountabil-

ity purposes. Alabamagoes to the NGAmethod of counting

graduates in 2009.

By Denise L. Berkhalter



Grad Rules Get Facelift The existing Alabama High School

Diploma — with or without its variety ofendorsements — and the Alabama Occupa-tional Diploma are now the state’s two diplo-mas. Other than the credit-based endorsement,all other versions of the Alabama High SchoolDiploma require students to pass all five sections ofthe standards-based graduation exam, which 92percent of seniors do. The exam is aligned to11th-grade standards and is administered beginningin 10th grade. Also, Alabama’s graduation standardsare considered stringent by many accounts because everydiploma option requires four years of English, mathematics,science and social studies.

Even with the changes, local boards can still addhonors, international baccalaureate and otherspecial diploma endorsements above andbeyond the 24-credit “first choice” diploma.Two Alabama High School Diploma endorsements— career technical and advanced career technical —remain in place.

Also under the new rules, credit recovery for students whoneed to master a portion of a course they failed and academicflexibility for those who can demonstrate content or skill mas-tery are now allowed but not mandated. These alternatives tothe traditional 140-hour classroom instruction model are avail-able to school systems now. Schools in Hunts ville, Ozark, Tal-ladega County and Trussville have already piloted credit recov-ery programs. Another change approved by the state board isall students must now pass at least one online/technology-enhanced course in high school.

Seniors Get Second ChanceThe rules change is expected to be up and going by 2009-10,

though some systems may actually put them in place this fall.Schools facing extenuating circumstances could request a one-year delay in implementing the requirements.

Dallas County civil rights activist Rose Sanders is just pleasedto know some seniors who may not have graduated this sum-mer will get that chance and that standards have been raised forall students. At the May state board meeting, she and severalparents spoke in favor of the revised graduation and diplomarules. Parents described how their children, some with mildlearning disabilities and others who have been accepted into

colleges, took one section of the grad examsix and seven times. One father’s story moved some

listeners to tears. Echoing the sentiments of a parent who testified, state board

member Betty Peters explained how the grad exam provides ascore but doesn’t provide feedback a student could use toimprove or seek tutoring — an issue state Superintendent ofEducation Dr. Joe Morton said he will ask staff to address.

Sanders said the changes are a result of a “progressive Ala-bama on the move” that is working “to bring about true quality,excellent education for every child in Alabama.” Sanders alsoasked the board to make the credit-based diploma retroactive,which Morton said would be unmanageable.

Morton said the credit-based endorsement offers hope for anestimated 3 percent of the 8 percent of the state’s seniors whocan’t seem to hurdle the grad exam.

“What happened today,” Morton explained at the state boardmeeting, “will help increase the graduation rate, and it will helpreduce the dropout rate. It is a plan that really speaks to raisingthe rigor of coursework, but also targeting assistance to studentswho need it.”

Board members Dr. Ethel Hall and Ella Bell commendedMorton and his staff for developing the First Choice Gradua-tion Plan.

“Dropping out should just not be an option,” Bell said. “Wehave too much industry coming in for our children not to beable to meet that need.”


photo/ artwork©istockPhoto.com



Though ex-officio state board President Gov. Bob Riley couldn’tattend the meeting, a statement from him supported Bell’s sentiments.Riley said First Choice is additional mortar on a foundation that has takenseveral years to build — one that includes the Alabama Reading Initia-tive, the Math, Science and Technology Initiative, ACCESS distance learn-ing program and the budding First Class pre-kindergarten effort.

On that foundation, Riley said, the state is working to “establish aworld-class education system that will prepare our students to compete inthe global economy” and attract industries from across the nation and theworld.

“By raising the bar and providing increased support to high school stu-dents across the spectrum,” Riley said, “we will increase the strength of ourwork force and provide our children with a better future.”

Alabama Advances Its Diploma OptionsContinued from page 17 5 COMPONENTS

OF FIRST CHOICEThe Alabama Board of Education approved the FirstChoice Graduation Plan in May to improve the state’sgraduation rate, reduce Alabama’s dropout rate andenhance work force and college readiness. Any localboard of education may request a one-year delay inimplementing any or all aspects of First Choice withample justification.

Advanced Academic Endorsementfor all students with an opt-out provision for anystudent who gets parental permission is expectedto improve the state’s 39 percent success rate ofstudents earning a diploma with advanced academic endorsement to an estimated 49 percentor 59 percent. Starts: With ninth-grade class of 2009-2010.

Credit-Based Endorsement is a newoption for students who cannot pass all five sec-tions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam— now at about 8 percent of Alabama’s seniors.Starts:With graduating class of 2007-2008.

Online Course Requirement meansevery high school graduate beginning with thesenior class of 2013 will earn at least one creditthrough some form of online learning. Starts:With ninth-grade class of 2009-2010.

Credit Recovery consists of teacher-ledremediation in the areas of non-mastery in a highschool course. Instead of making a student repeatan entire year-long course because the second sixweeks was weak and the semester average was anF, the student can redo the failed part, pass the testand stay on track to graduate. Starts: Voluntarilyin summer 2008.

Academic Flexibility means that insteadof requiring 140 hours of actual in-the-seat class-room time, students will be able to pursue course credits outside the classroom as long as the testsfor the course are passed. Starts: Voluntarily insummer 2008.

— Source: Alabama Department of Education


Road to Change Gets Rocky The road to modifying requirements in a way that increases

graduation rates and raises the bar was a rocky one. After concerns that the changes — discussed at every state board

work session this year — were being pushed too rapidly, a provi-sion was added to allow systems to test-drive the new graduationrules before they must be in place by fall ’09. And, for approvedreasons, a system could also defer implementation of the new graduation rules for a year. There were concerns about the difficultyfinding and funding more foreign language teachers, especially inpoor, rural and fast-growing systems. The state Department of Education solution is the state’s distance learning program thatoffers five language courses to students. Some eduation watchdogsquestioned whether the graduation standards were being “watereddown,” particularly with the credit-based endorsement.

Russell County Superintendent Dr. Yvette Richardson dis-agreed with sentiments that the credit-based endorsement lowersstandards. “It’s allowing people who normally would not do wellto graduate. We must realize everyone does not test well. Thisdoes give them another alternative,” Richardson told a WTVM television reporter.

Somehow the original issues were surmounted, and the stateboard has approved a First Choice committee to work throughany other kinks. Once appointed, the committee will developguidelines for implementing and communicating the new gradu-ation and diploma rules and will report to the state board in Sep-tember. Another committee approved by the board will create the

framework for a statewide Middle School Initiative and report tothe board in November.

The Middle School Initiative, which will look at ways to help at-risk students before they transition into high school, joins severalexisting programs. Last year, graduation coaches were placed in 25pilot high schools, and 38 Preparing Alabama Students for Successsites began using grant money to prevent at-risk students fromdropping out of school. Students, as they make their way throughthe pipeline to graduation, also have the Alabama Reading Initiative, which has expanded to all K-3 schools. In addition,online courses are available in all high schools.

“The Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative will be in 40 percent of all schools, K-12, by August 2008, and the dis-tance learning initiative is in 43 percent of all high schools,” Mor-ton wrote in a column for the Montgomery Advertiser.

Today, Morton said, is the right time to prepare students forthe next critically important stage of their lives.

And, time will tell if concerns voiced along the way were with merit or unfounded. Until then, the First Choice committeewill go about its work — developing guidelines; sample classschedules built around credit recovery, academic flexibility andonline coursework; a communication plan for informing parents/communities; and training sessions for school personnel.

It won’t likely be a perfect transition, as state board memberRandy McKinney told the Huntsville Times. “It’s going to havesome hiccups,” he said, “but it’s the right direction.”


Medicaid Safety Net BillPasses the House

AASB responded to the National School Boards Associa-tion’s call of action and contacted the state’s Congressmenin an effort to gather support for protecting the Medicaidsafety net that benefits eligible students.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ProtectingMedicaid Safety Net Act, by a veto-proof margin of 342-62.The bill would impose moratoria on a number of Medicaidregulations, including the rule to eliminate federal reim-bursement to schools for the costs of administrative activi-ties and transportation services. Those costs to school sys-tems are expected to total $3.6 billion over the next fiveyears.

U.S. Reps. Spencer Bachus, Robert Aderholt, Jo Bonner,Artur Davis, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers voted yes on themeasure.

The measure was amended to a military spending bill,approved by the Senate, and is pending in the House. AASBand NSBA are asking school board members to continue tourge their Congressmen to help extend the current morato-rium on the school-based rule, which will expire on June 30.If Congress approves, the new moratorium would be untilApril 2009.

ON THE WEBSouthern Education Foundation report, “High SchoolDropouts: Alabama’s Number One Education and EconomicProblem,” www.sefatl.org



Many of us recite thecliché, ‘Never judge abook by its cover.’ Too few of us recite oreven remember the rest— that you absolutelymust first read the book!

Most people refuse to read thebook and allow the cover tobecome their only blueprint

for interacting with minority kids. Byaccepting this paradigm, and allow-ing it to shape classroom expectations,educators are missing an opportunity to close the achievementgap and many other challenges associated with educating minor-ity youth.

Read the Whole Book, Not Just the Dust Cover.By actually ‘reading the book’ one begins to fully grasp how

minority kids not only have ambitions and dreams just like otherstudents, but that minority youth are motivated to achieve theirdreams by people who relate to them on a personal level. In our Helping Youth Pursue Excellence (HYPE) Program, my teamand I have interacted with thousands of minority and at-riskyouth. Over the years, we have engaged in conversations with an increasing number of minority students who have truly bigdreams. They desire to grow up and become doctors,

authors, teachers, artists,lawyers and business own-ers. By gaining an understanding of the world in which they live,you begin to uncover some of the societal and interpersonal challenges minority students face that hinder their growth poten-tial. This should be a top priority of any educator. After achievingthis understanding, you can finally identify what can be done toreverse the tide of academic failure.

Challenges by Any Other Names Are Still Challenges.Kids from challenged backgrounds or from urban communi-

ties have a myriad of burdens that hinder their ability to effec-tively communicate the dreams that have become buried deepinside of them. These challenges are no excuse for failure; how-

By Darrell “Coach D” Andrews




ever, they do point to areas of concern that successful educatorsunderstand and analyze. These educators have made their goalhelping their students navigate through challenges in order tosucceed in the classroom. Common problems students face are:

Demonization of Youth — This term, used by Dr. DebraProthrow-Stith of Harvard University, sheds light on the pro-liferation of negative images of minority youth by the mediaand other influencers that shape perceptions many peoplehave of minority kids. I have personally found that whilemany students may dress a certain way due to clothingtrends, this often has no bearing on the students themselves.How they dress does not mean they are bad kids with apa-thetic mindsets.

Oppositional Identity — A term created by the late Dr. JohnOgbu, a former cultural anthropologist out of the University ofCalifornia-Berkley. His research highlights various minoritiesand the challenges faced by involuntary immigrants (African-Americans, Native Americans and Chicano’ peoples who cameto this country through slavery or conquest). He points out thatmany minorities in this category have created a “counter cul-ture” to the majority culture of the population, reaction that isdue to years of limited opportunities and denial of assimilationinto the American system. The eventual result of this develop-ment is that individuals are often considered “sell-outs” if theygo against the identity of their culture.

Cultural Sensitivity — A majority of minorities do not seeany significance in the American school system, becausethey do not see many people like themselves succeeding init. Their parents and grandparents struggled to make it inthis county and continue to struggle to this day. Minoritystudents are often only shown images of successful peoplein history who do not look like them. Secondly, differentstyles of communication are not often valued in the class-room. For an easy example of how African-Americans oftencommunicate with passion and receive from people whoteach in the same manner, just visit any local African-Amer-ican church to experience this way of connecting. Afterbeing raised in such vivacious cultures, is it any wonderminority students have difficulty in the classroom? Yet weexpect them to learn after sitting in a room hearing lecturesthat are monotone in nature when their culture learns andinteracts in a high energy way.

Moving From Challenges to Motivation.Kids are not committed to programs, kids are committed to

people. This philosophy is a career motto of mine. After nearlytwenty years of analyzing and motivating minority youth, I havewitnessed over and over again that minority students do notcare what your skin color is. If you care about them, they willrespond to you.

In schools that have successfully implemented innovativestrategies to connect with students of color ...

• Educators related student-connectedness to academic outcomes. They simultaneously built student academic outcomes into their relationship building initiatives.

• Based upon the student’s input, they immediatelyengaged key community stakeholders. Organizations likecommunity groups and churches became role models and supporters for the “No-Excuses” philosophy.

• They had accountability across the board. From class-room teachers to school administrators, to parents and the stu-dents themselves, everyone was accountable for success.

• The school leaders made this philosophy a priority.It was not another feel good initiative. It was a core part ofthe school success plan.

• Schools encouraged and supported the dreams of stu-dents and connected these dreams back to their educa-tional experience. This is one of the best ways to helpminority students see the significance of their dreams.

• Schools made a “big deal” out of their student’s future. Ifschools make a big deal of it, so will the students.

• Students visualized outcomes. By keeping a picture of thepossibilities in front of the students and helping them takeownership of the vision, you begin to see the unlimited pos-sibilities in the students.

• Administration recognized that schools need to have adefinable goal. They set a goal that the students and staff canshoot for.

• Students were taught to reach beyond any self-per-ceived limitation. • Established goals were analyzed and discussed fre-quently. This keeps the goals alive and well.

• Educators understood that when you connect goals toacademic achievement, academic achievement becomes aquest instead of a routine.

Leadership was the driving force behind the success of theseschools and their minority students. Educators and administratorscan successfully use these strategies and their own innovativestrategies with confidence, purely because one leader withcourage is a majority. These methods will first and foremostimprove minority student relations, which is directly connected toimproving test scores and a host of other academic expectations.

Let me emphasize again that kids are not committed to pro-grams, kids are committed to people. All it takes is one schoolleader who breaks the societal limitations placed on students ofcolor and who inspires all stakeholders to take ownership of thedream of minority student success, and schools can and will seeimprovement. An effective school leader sees the potential intheir minority students and allows this vision to be the drivingforce behind their expectation of success!

Darrell “Coach D” Andrews is an educational consultant, has been a motivationalspeaker for numbers of national events and conferences and is the author of the book,Believing the HYPE-Seven Keys to Motivating Students of Color. Reach him toll free at866/426-2243 ext 108 or by e-mail at [email protected].(See related article on page 24.)



ragic incidents and crises that haveoccurred in schools across America,including the unthinkable shooting at

Columbine High School, have parents askingschool officials a common question: “What areya’ll doing to ensure the safety of my child?”

Obviously, school officials want all chil-dren to be safe. They often make gallant

efforts to prepare for the unimaginable. Unfortunately, thisemergency crisis preparation information is not made public andis often hidden from public view. Sadly, the only time that thespotlight shines on these preventative/reactive measures is aftera tragic incident occurs and people are screaming for accounta-bility and answers.

School officials, emergency personnel and health careproviders attempt to keep children and adults safe in our schools,and I believe teachers, parents, students, administrators and thecommunity-at-large need to be made aware of those efforts. Ifthis information is articulated in a responsible and clear way, par-ents’ anxiety levels will diminish while confidence levels rise.

Knowledge is power, and the more parents are made awareof the safety steps schools take, the happier and more confi-dent they will be. That’s why I believe we can significantlyimpact the safety levels of our schools in Alabama and, at thesame time, influence public perception and confidence if allschools that have gone through a safety accreditation processsimilar to the SACS accreditation process. Currently, the general public understands the SACS accreditation process:Professionals/experts visit a school or school system, examineall facets of it and establish if a predetermined standard of academic excellence is met. If so, the school or system isaccredited, the achievement is celebrated, and letterhead isembossed with the SACS logo.

The idea here is to generate the same level of confidencefrom parents and the general public by putting schools througha similar process to measure safety standards. If Alabama’sschools meet safety standards, they would receive a “SafetyAccreditation.” Accredited schools that complete the compre-hensive safety accreditation process could then say, “we canguarantee that we have put forth a 100 percent effort to makethis school safer.”

In essence, a group of safety experts will come into a school,do an orientation with the administrators and staff, conduct acomprehensive safety audit of the school and its safety proce-dures, do a table-top computer simulation of a crisis situationwith several members of the staff and law enforcement, conducta live drill with students, teachers and administrators, do a fol-low-up debriefing with all parties, provide school officials with

a written document of their findings and develop a correctiveaction plan with the administrators. The safety experts will deter-mine whether the school met a certain safety level according tostandards and award accreditation if met. The entire processwould take about three to five days depending on the size ofthe school.

Earlier this year, Phenix City’s South Girard Junior HighSchool was the first school in the state to go through this formalprocess. The accrediting body was Emergency Response Train-ing Systems of Salem, Ala. Safety standards were examined inthe following areas: facilities, technology and equipment, emer-gency response, and policies and procedures. There was alsostaff certification and training. The process was well received byall and has had a very positive response from the Phenix Citycommunity.

I have no doubt that safety is parents’ No. 1 concern whentheir children enter school. They want to know not only thattheir children will be safe but school officials will do everythingpossible to keep them safe.

Safety accreditation for schools is an idea that is bold, yetoverdue; different yet familiar; and that raises questions, yetmakes perfect sense. I cannot think of a better time to explorethe possibility and potential of safety accreditation in ourschools.

Dr. Larry E. DiChiara is superintendent of Phenix City Schools and has published numerous articles pertaining to school safety issues.

Safety AccreditationBy Dr. Larry E. DiChiara

Dr. Larry E. DiChiara

T



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Particularly within the climate established by No Child Left Behind, urban systems are

under the gun to bring all students to proficiency in a relatively short period of time.

While all systems have this same challenge, there are often greater gaps to close in

urban systems between where their students are and where they will need to be in order

to meet proficiency standards. Compounding this challenge is the reality that urban

systems also often find that they have fewer resources to work with in clos-

ing these gaps than do more affluent suburban systems.

These trends are evident nationally as well as locally.According to the Council of the Great City School’s

report, “Beating the Odds: An Analysis of StudentPerformance and Achievement Gaps on State

Assessments (2007),” more than 75 percent ofour nation’s inner city schools report profi-

ciency scores below their states’ averages.On the local front, despite system gains inachievement, significant gaps persistbetween proficiency scores of urban systems, such as Birmingham, and those ofthe state as a whole. For example, the 2005-06 State Report Card indicated that 69 percent of Birmingham’s fifth graders performed at or above proficiency in math-ematics, in contrast to 77 percent of fifthgraders at the state level. The gap waswidest between Birmingham and the stateat the sixth- and seventh-grade levels inmathematics, where 17 percentage pointsseparated the math proficiency scores of Birmingham and those of the state.Similar trends existed with respect toother high-poverty systems in thegreater Birmingham area.

By Dr. Deborah L. Voltz




Although urban systems often are challenged to close largerproficiency gaps, these systems also frequently find that they havefewer resources to do so. The U.S. Department of Education’sreport, “The Condition of Education (2007),” indicated that low-poverty systems across our nation spend an average of about $500more per student than high-poverty systems do. This pattern isreflected locally when analyzing the contrast between per pupilexpenditures in systems such as Birmingham, which in 2005-06spent about $7,800 per student, in comparison to Homewood, aneighboring suburb, which spent close to $10,000. Decliningenrollments in urban systems also have a considerable impact inthis area. In Birmingham, approximately 45 percent of 2005-06total revenue came from state funds. For Homewood, this figurewas 28 percent.

Of course, money is not the only important resource. It also isimportant to consider the distribution of highly qualified teachers.In 2005-06, Birmingham reported that about 22 percent of itsteachers were not highly qualified according to state guidelines.This figure stood at about 12 percent for the state as a whole. Foraffluent systems surrounding Birmingham, this figure was muchlower — in some cases as low as 1 percent.

In addition to the task of having to do more with less, urbansystems also have to do so in a context that is sometimes fraughtwith political complexity. The dynamics between various factions — city governance and school boards, elected boardmembers and their constituents, teacher unions and school sys-tems, school systems and the media — can distract school boardmembers and school personnel from their focus on student needs.Likewise, large administrative structures within urban systemsthemselves can increase political complexity. A climate of dwin-dling resources and increasing demands — a climate that oftencharacterizes urban systems — works against collaboration andcan breed distrust. Necessary school closings or reductions inforce due to declining enrollments can create angst and feelingsof instability or uncertainty. Financial crises and frequent leader-ship or policy changes often exacerbate these feelings. Mean-while, public opinion of urban systems declines as negativeimages in the media mount. These factors take a disproportionateamount of time, energy and effort from urban educators andurban school boards. Although all systems must deal with theseissues to some extent, this kind of background noise is oftengreater for urban systems.

Despite the significant challenges that many urban systemsface, there is reason to be optimistic about the future. Urbanschool system proficiency scores are on the rise nationally as wellas locally. For example, in 2006, Birmingham’s proficiency scoregains outstripped state gains in both reading and mathematics inthe majority of the grade levels tested. This shows that gaps arebeing narrowed and progress is being made. Likewise, the systemreported that more than 75 percent of Birmingham’s class of 2007went to institutions of higher education upon graduation. This isan important accomplishment to be celebrated.

Although each school system context is unique with its ownset of factors that facilitate and hinder success, urban schoolboards should network with each other to share the strategies that

they believe are linked to their successes. School boards alsoshould work to ensure that these successes are known to thebroader community. This may help to favorably shape the publicimage of the system.

Another promising trend is increasing public interest in urbanschools. There seems to be greater recognition that the fate ofurban systems impacts the entire metropolitan area. With thisrecognition comes more broad-based community interest in thesuccess of urban schools. Examples of this can be seen in grass-roots efforts, such as the Community Foundation’s “Yes We CanBirmingham” Campaign, which brings together business andcommunity leaders in mobilizing support for city schools. Like-wise, the newly established University of Alabama at BirminghamCenter for Urban Education brings together the university com-munity, along with other members of the local and national edu-cation community, in promoting the success of urban schools.Efforts such as these reflect the genuine interest of the broadercommunity in the success of urban systems.

Because increasing public interest can be a doubled-edgedsword, school boards should work to capitalize on this interest byhelping to guide new partners with respect to system needs. Thisis not to suggest that school boards shouldn’t be open to the per-spectives of others concerning these needs, but rather that schoolboard members should be proactive in these discussions. Schoolboards should be aware of the strengths of collaborators and howthose strengths might be utilized to address the needs of the sys-tem. For example, in the instance of school system collaborationwith university partners, a potentially useful strength of universi-ties is their capacity to conduct research. School boards can con-sider initiating conversations with universities around system-identified research needs. The same proactive strategies can beconsidered with respect to addressing system needs for highlyqualified teachers who have the skills and dispositions needed topromote the academic achievement of urban students.

Despite challenges that urban systems may face, I am optimistic about the future of these systems. There is energyand excitement around them, and there are many successesupon which to build. Urban school boards and educatorswithin these systems, together with their collaborators, have the capacity to achieve the highest levels of excellence in

education.

Deborah L. Voltz, Ed.D., is the director of University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for Urban Education.(See related article on page 20.)

There seems to be greater recognition that the fate of urban systems impacts the entire metropolitan area. With this recognition comes more broad-based community interest in the success of urban schools.



BOARDMANSHIP BASICSBy Mark Van Clay

School boards need good data by which to make good decisions. Yet dataused the wrong way can become a beguiling siren’s song for boardmicromanagement. Here are nine guidelines I use to sort through thisincreasingly common issue. When followed, they usually result in gooddata for good board decisions.

Intended Uses1. Measure the important things. When data are tied to school sys-

tem goals or a strategic plan, the shared information focusesa board on what it has defined as most important. This iswhen board data can be most productive. Good board datadon’t define board goals — they validate or fail to validategoals that already have been determined.

2. Know the intended use for the data. The reality is that a board cansee whatever data it wants to see, but board members shouldunderstand that what they do with that data needs to alignwith system or strategic goals.

I find six questions by Edie Holcomb, author of GettingExcited About Data, are helpful in defining good data use: • What questions are the data trying to answer? • What do the data tell us? • What do the data not tell? • What else do we want to know? • What can we celebrate?• Where are there opportunities for improvement?

3. Stick to your role when identifying data needs. The board’s properrole is a strategic one. It sets organizational vision, targets andlong-term goals. The strategic role doesn’t make change hap-pen. It sets targets that school system staff must reach tomake change happen. This differs from the administration’stactical role — the planning and timing of change — and theteacher’s operational role — the implementation of change inclassrooms. A board micromanages, for example, when itattempts to perform tactical or operational functions.

4. Understand the reality of data use at all levels. Data should cascadethrough the organization across all three roles. Though it won’tbe the same data, all cascading data must be aligned. Becausedifferent data are necessary at tactical and operational levels, aclassroom will be focused on individual student data whileadministration will be focused on school- or grade-level datathat derive from the individual student data. Likewise, bothmust be aligned to the strategic data that drive the school sys-tem — usually system-level data and benchmarking compar-isons to other school systems.

5. Identify role-appropriate indicators. Bad data for a board are datathat cause a board to dive into tactical or operational func-

tions. Data that publicly identify students or staff members,data that are classroom based or data that lead to boardmicromanagement or universal board judgments about staffperformances should not be provided to a board.

Good data are information that has the board focused onthe entire system, the long-term directions of the school sys-tem and the strategic goals it wants to reach. The indicatorsa board chooses — the kind of data it wants to see to gaugeattainment of its strategic goals (particular test scores, atten-dance data, financial projections, perception survey results,etc.) — will usually determine whether the resulting data arestrategically good or bad.

Proper Interpretation6. Align resources to achieve results. There’s no point in collecting

and analyzing data unless they are used to both celebratesuccesses and promote change. The limited resources oftime, people, training and money should be directed towardattaining predetermined desired outcomes. This calls foraligning budgeting to strategic goals. It is equally importantto align strategic goals to leadership evaluation tools thathave measurable outcomes, so leaders are held accountablefor results. For superintendents, this has the advantage ofhaving clear goals before the board early in the process. Eval-uations by boards thus become more objectively data-basedand less subjective.

7. Interpret data correctly. Boards need to understand it is asimportant to determine what data do not say as it is what datado say. Any single set of data is incomplete in and of itself. Ifa board acknowledges this basic reality up front, it will inter-pret the data it sees from both directions — what data meanand what they don’t mean.

8. Share information wisely and widely. A commitment to sharing datawidely increases that data’s power. When the entire system atall levels and the public are all focusing on aligned data linkedto strategic goals and targets, the conversations and the expec-tations from all directions become common. At that point, theyare within reach for everyone and all feel committed at theirlevel to reaching the goals and hitting the targets.

9. Carefully watch what you share. Sharing data widely doesn’tmean sharing all data widely with everyone. It means sharing only the data that are appropriate to share withthose in a particular role.

Reproduced with permission from the American Association of School Administrators. This article was written by Mark Van Clay, superintendent of the La Grange Elementary School System 102 in La Grange Park, Ill. E-mail: vanclayma@ dist102.k12.il.us.

GOOD DATA FOR GOOD BOARD DECISIONS: A Superintendent’s Perspective



in place for the ARI, AMSTI and the ACCESS (distance learning) pro-grams. These are the programs that will keep Alabama first in theSouthern Region and the Southern Region first in the nation. We needto try to keep that. But, the challenge with this budget is being ableto do that and prevent some of the other things from happening. Ihate to cut programs, but I’ll do that before I let the basic classroomsuffer.

By the way — back to moving our reading scores to the best inthe nation — the movement in test scores happened because teach-ers and principals embraced the theory behind ARI, AMSTI andACCESS. They are making it happen with their hard work, and theleadership of the boards is making it happen.

McDonald: What is your goal for our state?Gipson: My goal for the state is pretty simple: to move Alabama tothe top of the Southern Region, which will move Alabama amongthe leaders of the nation. We can do it. We have proved we canmove the numbers. Let’s move them some more and get there.

McDonald: In the K-12 education world, local school boards strug-gle for every dollar they can as they strive to help our studentsachieve and succeed and to address the many needs in our schools.How can they juggle the costs of unfunded mandates with the veryreal needs of children in the classroom?Gipson: With nine years on the Education Appropriation Commit-tee, I think that we have greatly reduced unfunded mandates. Theyare not near as bad as what they were when I first came in. I thinkwhat needs to happen is the local school boards need to commu-nicate with the local communities to involve them in education.

I think we have a weakness in Alabama from all of the moneygoing to the state from income tax and sales tax and there being adisconnect as that money flows with strings attached to the localLEAs (school systems) with strings attached from the state Depart-ment of Education. We don’t rely enough on local funds. We willnever be like other states to rely on local funds to a greater degreethan state funds. What we need is to involve local people. I knowmy most successful campaign was the first one when I didn’t haveany money, and I involved a lot of people. This is what schoolboards need to do — get local people involved. There is a worldof talent out there that could come right into the classroom to helpthe school system out by telling the children how to deal with realworld problems.

McDonald: Tell us about the Southern Regional Education Boardand the role you play with that organization.Gipson: I joined SREB in 1998. It has done more to develop me,the citizen legislator who came from the business community, andhelp me understand more about education. SREB is a regional com-pact that was created in 1948. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Thebiggest problem that the nation has is the South.” So, a group ofgovernors got together and decided to form this compact dealingwith regional education, and out of that came policies and sugges-tions that have been implemented throughout the regions.

I am past Legislative Advisory Council president. There is a legisla-

Face-to-Face: Rep. H. “Mac” GipsonContinued from page 10


JULY15 Primary Runoff Election

20-22 NSBA/Southern RegionNew Orleans, La.

27-30 AASB Summer ConferencePerdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach

31-Aug. 1 AASB Leadership IPerdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach

SEPTEMBER15-Oct. 2 AASB District Meetings

OCTOBER19 Board of Directors Meeting

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, Montgomery

19-20 AASB Academy Core Conference“Leadership for Community Engagement”

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, Montgomery

DECEMBER4 Board of Directors Meeting

Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover

4-6 AASB Annual ConventionWynfrey Hotel, Hoover Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover

JANUARY 200912-Feb. 9 AASB District Meetings ■

Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover

✔MARK YOUR CALENDAR



&People SchoolsRoy HudsonRoy Hudson, who teachers theater arts at Jeffer-son County’s Shades Valley High School, is thestate’s first arts educator to become the state’s topteacher. The 2008-2009 Alabama Teacher of the

Year was among two secondary teachers and four total finalistsfor the honor.

Regina EverettRegina Everett, the alternate winner, is also rec-ognized as the Alabama Elementary Teacher of theYear. Everett teaches fourth grade at Saraland Ele-mentary in Mobile County.

The other finalists announced by the state Department of Edu-cation were secondary teacher Jeanne Welt, who teaches seventh-and eighth-grade honors language arts at Madison city’s LibertyMiddle School; and Amber Trantham, who teaches third gradeat Alexandria Elementary School in Calhoun County.

Dr. Tommy BiceThe state Board of Education voted to replacedeputy state superintendent Dr. Ruth Ash, whoretired March 31, with Alexander City Superin-tendent Dr. Tommy Bice. On June 1, Bice will

assume his duties as the state Department of Education’s newdeputy superintendent of education for instructional services.He has served Alabama public schools as a teacher, psychome-trist, regional director for Alabama Institute for the Deaf andBlind, adjunct professor, career and technical education direc-tor and principal.

Barbara S. AllenBarbara S. Allen, chief of staff to the superin-tendent since 2002, was named interim superin-tendent of the Birmingham city school system inearly April, replacing Stan L. Mims, who resigned

April 2. She is a graduate of a Birmingham high school and ofAlabama A&M University. She earned her education specialistdegree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. David StilesDr. David Stiles, a former Mountain Brookschools principal and administrator, has beennamed the first official superintendent of the newSaraland school system. Appointed by the Sara-

land Board of Education, Stiles most recently worked as a Mor-gan Keegan & Co. financial adviser in Birmingham. Saralandsplit from the Mobile County system in 2006. Stiles, a doctoralgraduate of the University of Georgia, began his new positionin late March.

Dot Smith Dot Smith, former member and president of theTuscaloosa County Board of Education, has anamesake. The school board recently approvednaming the Duncanville Middle School Media

Center in her honor. Smith was elected to three terms thatspanned 1986 to 2004. Now under construction, DuncanvilleMiddle School is slated to open in August.

Stephanie WalkerStephanie Walker has been named to the BankTrust of Brewton Advisory Board. The company’s advisory board consists of eight mem-bers and three emeritus directors. A graduate ofLouisiana Tech University, Walker serves as

chairman of the Brewton school board and is director of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Preschool. She has also served on theJefferson Davis Com munity College President’s Advisory Boardand in 1995 was named Brew-ton’s Citizen of the Year.

McKee & Associatesawarded $500 attendance prizes atAASBs’ March 2008 Conference to the schoolboards of the Rev. WinstonWilliams of Selma(pictured at left withMcKee's Don Murphy) andKathy Sherrill of EtowahCounty (not pictured).


AASB Welcomes New Staff Member LuAnn Bird has been named AASB’s director of board develop-ment. Bird is charged with linking school board member train-ing with student achievement, coordinating meeting planningand overseeing AASB’s School Board Member Academy. Sheknows firsthand what school board service entails. Bird, who is

relocating to Montgomery after serving as board governance consultant for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, served on the Oshkosh School Board. Herexpertise includes governance training, team building, facilitating board retreats,strategic planning, goal setting and Iowa Lighthouse training. She began her new job May 5.




ON THE MOVECarla Craft, a Maynard Cooper & Gale attorney, will resign from thecity library board in June to serve on the Vestavia Hills schoolboard. She was appointed to a five-year term and will replace SuzieBurdette.

Julene Delaine began serving as a member of the Sumter Countyschool board in March.

Dr. Steve Nowlin, formerly interim superintendent, has been offi-cially named superintendent of the Lee County Board of Education.

Earl Cooper, a longtime Alabama Power Co. employee, was recentlyappointed to the Hoover school board. He begins serving in June.

George E. Turner, a former Fairfield City Council member, willreplace Sebastian Carillo on the Fairfield school board in June.

Gary Quick, who had served as administrative assistant to the interimsuperintendent, was recently appointed superintendent of the Bar-bour County schools.

Katie Gillis, who completed an unexpired term, has been appointedto a full term on the Fort Payne school board.

OF NOTEWanda Bain of the Russellville Board of Education won free regis-tration for either the upcoming October 2008 or March 2009 AASBSchool Board Member Academy conferences. Her name was cho-sen among those who completed AASB evaluation forms at theMarch conference.

The Madison County Board of Education will receive a $999,974Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department ofEducation.

Alabama was well represented among the 2007-08 Siemen’s Awardwinners recognized for Advanced Placement course achievementsand spotlighted in USA Today. The state teacher winner was TeresaTarter of Bob Jones High School in Madison, and the state highschool winner was Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham.They were honored with grant awards to support math and science.

Whit Wright, a senior at Tuscaloosa County’s Hillcrest HighSchool, was chosen to appear on MTV’s reality show “Once UponA Prom.” The 18-year-old basketball, baseball and football playerescorted country music superstar Taylor Swift to the Hillcrest prom.The episode airs June 12th.

&People Schools Continued from page 28

Academy Advisory Committee — Florence Bellamy,Phenix City, chairman; Susan Harris, Winfield, vice chairman;Ophelia Chandler, Guntersville; the Rev. Coley Chestnut, Selma;Matilda Woodyard-Hamilton, Tallapoosa County; Johnny Register,Geneva County.

Budget and Finance — Jeff Bailey, Covington County,chairman; Jim Methvin, Alabama School of Fine Arts, vice chair-man; Karen Duke, Decatur; Dr. Jane Ellis, Alabama School of Mathand Science; Ollie Evans, Hale County; Joe Hare, Talladega; Dr. JudyMcCrary, Scottsboro; Mike Oakley, Bibb County; and DarlenePerkins, Bessemer.

Bylaws — Sue Jones, Jacksonville, chairman; Bill Minor, DallasCounty, vice chairman; Andrew Betterton, Florence; John Hinton,Tuscaloosa County; Alphonso Johnson, Russell County; RothelMoody, Opp; Lisa Spence, Albertville; Phyllis Wyne, Birmingham;and Stephanie Walker, Brewton.

Executive/Legislative — Sue Helms, Madison, chairman;Florence Bellamy, Phenix City, vice chairman; Steve Foster, Lowndes County; Jim Methvin, Alabama School of Fine Arts; and Laura Casey, Albertville.

Leader to Leader — Select members will serve along withchairman Jennifer Parsons, Jefferson County, and vice chairmanLaura Casey, Albertville.

Multicultural Committee — Steve Foster, LowndesCounty, chairman; Robert A. Lane, Lowndes County, vice chairman;Patsy Black, Monroe County; Leo Branch, Greene County; Rufus Jor-dan, Russell County; Bill McSween, Dale County; Dr. Willie Maye,Birmingham; Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson, Madison; the Rev. Pre-ston Nix, Attalla; Dr. Beth McCulloch Vinson, Lawrence County; andthe Rev. Preston Nix, ex-officio member, President Alabama Cau-cus of Black School Board Members.

Resolutions — Katy Campbell, Macon County, chairman; PamDoyle, Muscle Shoals, vice chairman; Gayle Glenn, Trussville; IsaacAtkins, Greene County; Tracy Roberts, Baldwin County; Willie B.Smith, Crenshaw County; Tammy Starnes, Autauga County; CindyTidwell, Oneonta; and Lori Tippets, Jacksonville.

AASB 2008-09 Committees & Members

Left to right: AASB Executive Director Sally Howell poses with the Rev. Preston Nix, April Williams and Leo Branch following the 2008-09 AASB Multicultural Committee’s recent meeting.

Send news of appointments, elections, promotions, retirements, honors and deathsto Attn: People & Schools Editor, Alabama School Boards magazine, P.O. Drawer

230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488 or [email protected].



School BoardPhenix City Board of Education

HometownPhenix City

A Board Member for18 months

InspirationMaking a difference. I’m trying to makemy hometown a better place to live bystaying active with local civic groups.

Motto as a Board MemberThe kids come first.

Walter Mitty FantasyTo have a perfect school system.

Advice to New Board MembersKeep important issues as a first priorityand be able to work well with fellowboard members.

Greatest Accomplishment as a Board MemberTo be a part of such a fast growingschool system that has not resorted tothe use of portable classrooms.

Pet Peeve as a Board MemberFortunately, I’m on a school board thatworks well together, so I don’t haveone.

Reason I Like Being an AASB MemberAASB works for the betterment of ourschool systems.

My EpitaphA man of honesty and integrity.

AT THE TABLE

Paul Stampcommittee members. Nationwide, Iwould like to see us examine success-ful schools that have a track record thatis not short-term. We should studythese successful models where wehave seen real success to the pointwhere students actually graduated andhave gone on to some type of postsec-ondary education. That is the real goalof this committee. Our goal is not justto gear students up for the changingjob market, but it is to gear students upfor success. If we can help themimprove their quality of life, then thathelps everyone.

So, we’ll look at successful models atour next meeting and then determinehow we make that information part ofour report. As I mentioned, it wasencouraging to hear that board mem-bers in other states actually face thesame challenges we do, but at the sametime what may work in one communitymay not work in another community.

Also, No Child Left Behind has beenat the heart of some of the things thatwe have discussed because every state

has to work with those requirements.It’s likely that some of the recommen-dations we’ll make will be for changesin NCLB that are geared toward middleschool. At this point, we’re still in theprocess of determining what recom-mendations will be made. We alreadyknow that our study group report willbe issued nationwide to policymakers aswell as those in colleges of education,which are equipping teachers. We willrelease the report at our annual confer-ence in October, but we plan to offi-cially send it out in January. So, I wouldappreciate any contact from local schoolboard members or anyone at the locallevel who would like to make a contri-bution of information that could ulti-mately become part of the study groupreport. I’m interested in the problemsthey’ve faced with the middle and highschool levels and ways they’ve over-come those problems.

10 Questions spotlights education, political, civic andother leaders in Alabama. These 10 questions wereasked by ASB Editor Denise L. Berkhalter. If you wouldlike to interview a key leader in your area, send yoursuggestion to [email protected].(See related articles on pages 6 and 16.)

10 Questions: Stephanie W. BellContinued from page 15

tor or two from every state on theboard, and we have input to theboard on policies and decisions. Ithink it is highly important to ourregion and has been.

McDonald: What do you hope toaccomplish during your tenure in theLegislature?

Gipson: My tenure is up in 2010, andI am going to take a self-imposedretirement. So, I guess I’ve pretty welldone what I feel like I’m going to doat this point. I’m satisfied with thechanges that have taken placethroughout the state and my districtof Autauga and Elmore countiessince 1994. There’s the progress thatwe’ve made in schools and the newadditional classrooms we’ve had tobuild because of the growth. In my14 years, we’ve had two bond issues

that exceeded $2 billion in construc-tion work that has helped all theschools of Alabama. Our expenditureper pupil is higher, and we haveincreased our teachers’ pay. And, wehave done everything I think that wecould do in the 14 years that I havebeen here.We have done it throughnot raising taxes, but through eco-nomic development by bringing jobsto Alabama. We are doing a good jobin that, and I hope we continue formy last two years.

McDonald: Tell me what local schoolboards can do for you to help makeyour job easier. Gipson: Let legislators voice theiropinions on what they think schoolboards need to do. Go back andinterview your constituents, your cus-tomers of your school system, andsee what they want.

McDonald: Thank you.

Face-to-Face: Rep. GipsonContinued from page 27


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