Exploring Seed Investing in Alabama
Economic development—using public funds to incentivize private economic investments—is a core government function practiced by both parties and at all levels of government. Numerous public and public-private partnerships in Alabama are tasked with some form of economic development, including the Alabama Innovation Commission. One of the Commission’s goals is to build up Alabama’s technology sector, […]
New Business Education Alliance Report Examines Investments in Alabama’s Education System, Immediate Outcomes, and Future Needs
Today, the Business Education Alliance of Alabama (BEA) is releasing Alabama Can Improve Student Achievement and Prepare a Future Workforce: Here’s How-Part 2, a follow-up to the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning’s report issued in December of 2023. The Alabama Legislature financially supported many of the Commission’s recommendations, and today’s release by the BEA follows up on what […]
Most Alabama Cities Grow; Losses Moderate
After being hit hard with declines during the Covid-19 pandemic, Birmingham and Mobile saw an ebb in population declines, while Huntsville and cities in Baldwin County, along with Auburn-Opelika and Tuscaloosa, continued to grow at a rapid pace. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this month point to widespread growth in cities in the northern […]
Graduation and College and Career Readiness
More Alabama high school students graduated ready for college or careers in 2023, according to data recently released by the Alabama Department of Education. Printable PDF available here. Students in the Class of 2023 made gains on all measures, bouncing back from the setbacks suffered during the pandemic and closing the gap between the percentage […]
PARCA Partners with VOICES on 30th Edition of Alabama Kids Count Data Book
VOICES for Alabama’s Children published the 2023 Alabama Kids Count Data Book today, marking the 30th edition of the book published by the nonprofit. For the 8th year in a row, PARCA worked with VOICES as a data partner for the project. Since 1994, the Alabama Kids Count Data Book has documented and tracked the health, education, safety, […]
Revisiting PARCA’s Annual Forum
Housing inventory continues to fall, and prices continue to rise. Pressures on the housing market ripple across the economy but may have the most significant impact on middle-income workers – those earning between 80% and 120% of the median income. As housing prices increase, middle-income workers often struggle to live where they work. The shortage […]
More Students Workforce Ready in the Class of 2023
The number and percentage of high school seniors graduating workforce-ready rose with the Class of 2023, according to the results of ACT’s WorkKeys Assessment, a test of skills given to public high school seniors. The results are another sign that student performance is recovering from post-pandemic lows, though the recovery is not complete. Printable PDF […]
Alabama’s Population Growth Accelerating
Alabama’s population increased by 34,000 last year to 5.1 million, driven by increased domestic migration and a decreasing number of deaths, according to the latest population estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau, covering the period between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. That’s the 15th fastest rate of growth among U.S. states and […]
Grad Rate Dipped, but Career Readiness Climbed for Class 2022
As graduation approaches for the Class of 2023, there’s new data available allowing us to look back on last spring’s graduates. The Class of 2022 faced particular challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which struck when they were sophomores and persisted through their junior year. In both those years, the number of kids who dropped […]
Most Alabama Counties Grew in 2022, Reversing Trend
People are moving to Alabama, and according to most recent population estimates, the growth is more widespread than it has been. Out of 67 counties, 36 saw population growth between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, the period covered in the latest Census Bureau release. In the prior year, only 29 counties saw positive […]