WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.Editorial: Statewide Education Improvement

Editorial: Statewide Education Improvement

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By John Shryock - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Friday, May 18 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-18 23:20:53 GMT
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident. The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident.  The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are the other motorists on the roadways.

  • Tuesday, May 15 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-15 23:20:31 GMT
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments: "If the budget is passed at this severely cut rate, the shortage of physicians, hospitals, and clinics
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments:

  • Tuesday, May 1 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-01 23:20:35 GMT
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"

  • Friday, April 20 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-04-20 23:20:42 GMT
    For the next sixty seconds I want you to give yourself permission to push pause on whatever you are doing and listen and reflect for a moment. I did this recently after reading an article titled "Top five

  • Wednesday, April 18 2012 7:27 PM EDT2012-04-18 23:27:31 GMT
    Representative Christopher John England (Tuscaloosa) has sponsored a bill in the Alabama legislature that would allow convicted felons of drug crimes to receive food stamps under certain circumstances.

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Alabama no longer ranks at the bottom nationally among states for education performance. In fact, it ranks higher than 25 other states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, California and Colorado. 

That's according to Education Week, the nation's largest education publication, in their comprehensive annual report card issued each January. 

Their quality counts report issued this month gave the nation a C grade and Alabama a C+. 

Alabama scored above the national average on many assessments, but still received a D grade, 44th best in the country, on student achievement in reading and math proficiency in grades K-12, and the academic poverty gap between low-income students and non low-income students. 

The positive is Alabama is the national leader in gains in reading and math over the period measured – 2003-2009. 

And that is with the Math and Science initiative that fueled these gains funded in only 50% of our schools.  Imagine what can happen if this initiative is in all of our schools. 

That should be a priority for our new legislative leaders.  

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