One year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced state and school leaders across the nation and around the world to immediately close school buildings, the lasting impact on students is increasingly evident: Months of online learning and limited in-person interaction with educators, coaches and mentors have led to gaps in learning, and unknown…

A governor's State of the State address is an opportunity to outline policy priorities, highlight past accomplishments and reflect on the condition of the state and country. In 2018, 17 governors are serving their last year in office, having reached the end of their term or deciding not to seek re-election. Many of them used their State of the…

The federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) has stimulated states to revisit school improvement. Previously, the Center analyzed ESSA and the related consolidated state plans using the lens of how the federal legislation and state plans address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students. Such analyses…

One of the key priorities for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is alignment and conformity across different federal and state systems. ESSA gives states the flexibility to hold schools accountable, measure student outcomes, and provide supports and technical assistance in a way that is aligned with their own priorities. States are encouraged…

Background: This study evaluated wellness policies created by Alabama public school districts and progress made in the implementation of Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) school food and nutrition mandates. Methods: Wellness policies from Alabama public school districts were compared to minimum requirements under the Child Nutrition…

As governors and state legislators gear up for a new year of budget action and policymaking, the federal Race to the Top competition is helping drive a flurry of measures nationwide aimed, at least in part, at making states stronger candidates for a slice of the $4 billion in education grants. Those efforts emerge as a priority in the 2010…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. Current actions are found in Legislative Reports that are released on a timely basis during the months that SREB state legislatures are in session, usually from January through July. These reports follow education…

The design considerations, criteria, and requirements for a proposed Alabama Resources Information System (ARIS) are reported. ARIS is based on the McHarg approach of composite mapping techniques and is planned as an evolutionary system. The system will be automated and adaptable to user needs and inputs and to the requirements of various federal…

Response to Intervention has garnered recent interest from policymakers, researchers, and educators. Studies of its effectiveness have found it promising, and state education agencies are increasingly interested in the approach. This report supplies basic information about state planning and implementation of the approach in Alabama, Florida,…

During the past decade great progress has been made in Alabama to provide library service to the people. However, in order to move forward the State must take stock of where it is in terms of library resources and services and plan for future growth. The purposes of this Long-Range Program are to establish, extend and improve libraries in areas…

The Academic Common Market is an interstate agreement among Southern states for sharing academic programs. Participating states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Each state is able to make arrangements for its residents who qualify…

This document contains the long range plan of the Alabama public libraries. The purpose of presenting this long range program is to meet the requirements of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) and to assess, prioritize, and communicate library needs to librarians, officials, and the public to provide adequate library service to the…

Conducted to obtain information for use in developing a revised five-year plan of library service for the state of Alabama, this study was designed to determine the priorities of the state's public libraries as perceived by librarians, chairpersons of library boards of trustees, and library users. Two survey instruments were designed and…

This document represents a plan for educational improvement within Alabama, and proposes the following four goals for higher education (2- and 4-year postsecondary institutions) in the state: collaboration, access, quality instruction, and research and economic development. Each goal is followed by specific, measurable objectives which serve as…

The report represents the objectives of Directions 1984, a comprehensive systemwide assessment and decision-making effort being undertaken by Alabama's two-year college system. Introductory material highlights the role of Alabama's two-year colleges in providing educational opportunities, explains the philosophy underpinning the Directions 1984…