Job Training and Workforce Development Ranks #8 Among Alabama Voter Priorities
In late 2017, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) surveyed Alabama voters to determine their thoughts about the general direction of the state and the issues that most concern them. PARCA partnered with Samford University to survey policy professionals from across the state including academics, journalists, business and nonprofit leaders, and lobbyists. Their […]
Newly released “Leadership Matters” report examines reinventing schools through key leaders
Last weekend at the Business Council of Alabama’s Governmental Affairs Conference, the Business Education Alliance unveiled its latest report, produced by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. The report, titled Leadership Matters: A Blueprint for Reinventing Schools for Student Success, looks at the role of state, school and community leaders in driving our schools […]
Alabama Class of 2017 High School Graduation, College and Career, ACT and WorkKeys Results
In this graduation season, we take a look back at some encouraging educational statistics for last year’s graduating class, the Class of 2017. For the Class of 2017, the final tally for the state high school graduation rate and college and career readiness rate both improved over the Class of 2016’s rates. However, there is […]
The Priorities of Alabama Voters
In 2018, Alabamians will elect a governor and five other statewide executive branch officers, 140 legislators, and scores of local officials. Those elected will lead Alabama for the next four years. These leaders should be responsive to the concerns of those they represent but also willing to help citizens understand critical, but perhaps less obvious, […]
Thank God For Mississippi: They’re Leading the Way on Educational Progress
At least in terms of education, it’s time to retire the old Alabama catchphrase, “Thank God for Mississippi.” It’s an easy response when the latest list comes out that finds Alabama and Mississippi at the bottom of the rankings. Frequently, Alabama bests Mississippi, and, in so doing, stays out of last place. However, a review […]
ACT Aspire: 2017 Results and a Final Look Back
The ACT Aspire, a suite of standardized tests given statewide to students in grades 3-8 and 10, has been the State of Alabama’s primary tool for measuring the academic progress of Alabama public schools since the 2013-2014 school year. Over the course of four administrations of the Aspire, students showed progress on most measures. By 2017, […]
College-Going Rates for Alabama High Schools
With population growth and a rising high school graduation rate, Alabama’s high schools are producing more graduates and they are sending more graduates, in absolute numbers, to higher education. However, at the same time, a slightly smaller percentage of graduates are moving directly into higher education. In 2016, 63 percent of high school graduates enrolled […]
Progress Made on Remedial Education
The latest statistics from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) show that Alabama high schools are making progress in producing graduates who are ready for college-level coursework. According to the new report from ACHE, the percentage of high school graduates who had to take remedial courses upon entering Alabama colleges decreased to 28.8 percent […]
Student Achievement Matters: The Future of Student Assessment in Alabama
In June 2017, the Alabama State Board of Education voted to cancel its contract with ACT for the administration of the ACT Aspire, a suite of standardized tests which, for the past four years, has served as the primary assessment tool Alabama used to gauge the annual academic progress of public school students across the […]
Number and Percentage of Workforce Ready Graduates Increased in 2016
Just over 60 percent of Alabama’s 2016 high school graduates scored “workforce ready” in 2016, according to new results from ACT’s WorkKeys assessment. The Class of 2016’s success rate, 61.3 percent, improves on the 60.8 percent rate for the Class of 2015. And because a greater number of students took the test in 2016, the […]