Unconstitutional: Louisiana High Court Rules On Vouchers
Louisiana’s Supreme Court rules the current funding mechanism for the statewide voucher program is unconstitutional.
In-depth education reporting from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana 
Black School, White School: Teaching The Civil Rights Movement
Most people know Birmingham, Alabama was a Civil Rights Movement battleground. But how is that complicated history taught in schools today? And are there differences between white and black districts? The Southern Education Desk’s Dan Carsen went to class in urban Birmingham and a nearby suburb — one of the wealthiest in the nation — to find out.
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Core Controversy: The Political Debate Over Classroom Standards
Throughout the South and the nation, schools are adopting new math and language arts standards known as the “Common Core State Standards.” In this three-part series, the Southern Education Desk takes a deeper look into the criticism leveled at the Common Core and the realities on the ground.
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Will Common Core Teach Mississippi To Write?
Students across the country can expect to be writing a lot more under Common Core State Standards, which may turn out to be a formidable challenge here in the South. In part three of the Southern Education Desk series on Common Core, reporter Annie Gilbertson reports new writing standards are an especially tall order for Mississippi.
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Local Pickup Of Common Core May Face Challenges
By 2016, students in 45 states and the District of Columbia will be learning the same things – at the same time – under the same set of standards. The nationwide plan is known as the Common Core State Standards Initiative. But in the second part of our Southern Education Desk series on Common Core, Christine Jessel reports some Southern states are struggling to implement it.
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Passing Notes
Monday Reading List: Southern Education News
Alabama’s governor spent the weekend drumming up support to delay the state’s controversial Accountability Act; Georgia teachers will face new evaluations after summer break; Louisiana colleges and universities face a $1.7 million dollar maintenance backlog and more education news from around the South.
Good Teaching Series / Public Insight Network
Join The Conversation: “What Is Good Teaching?”
Please help public media stations across the South better understand a very basic question – What is good teaching? Share your knowledge and insights on what you think makes a good teacher here.
Resources / What You Need To Know
What You Need To Know: School Choice, Charter Schools And Vouchers
School choice, in its broadest sense, is a simple idea: that families should be able to choose what school their children attend. Educational choice takes many forms in school districts around the United States, but two types of educational options currently dominate the political debate over school choice: charter schools and vouchers.
Community
Teacher By Day, Student By Night
The most exciting part of student teaching so far is seeing my students rise to challenges. I enjoy setting the bar high and watching students fly over it. But this is the area in which my still being a student has also benefited me the most.
Recent Posts
Louisiana / School Choice / States
Alabama / Audio / Race
Black School, White School: Teaching The Civil Rights Movement
Most people know Birmingham, Alabama was a Civil Rights Movement battleground. But how is that complicated history taught in schools today? And are there differences between white and black districts? The Southern Education Desk’s Dan Carsen went to class in urban Birmingham and a nearby suburb — one of the wealthiest in the nation — to find out.
Alabama / Audio / Common Core Series / Mississippi / States / Tennessee
Core Controversy: The Political Debate Over Classroom Standards
Throughout the South and the nation, schools are adopting new math and language arts standards known as the “Common Core State Standards.” In this three-part series, the Southern Education Desk takes a deeper look into the criticism leveled at the Common Core and the realities on the ground.
Common Core Series / Mississippi / Special Coverage
Will Common Core Teach Mississippi To Write?
Students across the country can expect to be writing a lot more under Common Core State Standards, which may turn out to be a formidable challenge here in the South. In part three of the Southern Education Desk series on Common Core, reporter Annie Gilbertson reports new writing standards are an especially tall order for Mississippi.
Audio / Common Core Series / Special Coverage / Tennessee
Local Pickup Of Common Core May Face Challenges
By 2016, students in 45 states and the District of Columbia will be learning the same things – at the same time – under the same set of standards. The nationwide plan is known as the Common Core State Standards Initiative. But in the second part of our Southern Education Desk series on Common Core, Christine Jessel reports some Southern states are struggling to implement it.
Alabama / Audio / Common Core Series
Common Core: Is The Hype Really Just Hype?
There’s been a revolution in American K-12 education: the “Common Core State Standards.” Released in 2010, they’re math and language arts standards meant to raise rigor and establish consistency across the nation. They’ve been adopted in 45 states. But in the first of a three-part series, Alabama reporter Dan Carsen tells us that even in those places, all is not quiet on the Common Core front.
Audio / Tennessee
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Tennessee Education Reform
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says Tennessee has been a “font of innovation” when it comes to education reform, praising the state for progress made under a winning Race to the Top bid in 2010.
Audio / Louisiana / Multimedia / School Choice
Double Standards: High-Stakes Tests In Louisiana
When Hosanna Christian Academy decided to take on nearly 300 voucher students, they knew many of them would be behind academically. But principal Josh LaSage says he really wasn’t expecting so many of the voucher students to be so far behind.
Early Education / Louisiana / Multimedia / Poverty / Pre-K Series / Video
Pre-K: Politics And Poverty (Video)
While President Obama is pushing for universal pre-K, Southern states–who have been ahead of the curve in offering state-run pre-school programs–are now reconsidering their value.
Poverty / Pre-K Series / Race
Spending Disparities: A Patchwork Approach To Pre-K Funding (Interview)
Demand for pre-K programming is growing across the South, but state-level fiscal challenges have limited the number of kids pre-K can serve. Southern Education Foundation President and CEO Kent McGuire examines the challenges pre-K funding faces across the nation, but especially in the deep South.
Alabama / Audio / Early Education / Pre-K Series
Pre-K Access: Good Program, Few Spots
Most education researchers and even many economists think high-quality Pre-K benefits children and the communities where they live. But the effects are limited when programs just don’t reach many kids. Even in states such as Alabama, which have highly regarded programs, these services reach only a fraction of eligible children.
Alabama / Early Education / Georgia / Interactive / Louisiana / Mississippi / National / Pre-K Series / Tennessee
Mapping Pre-K Funding Cuts
When it comes to making cuts to pre-K – where is the nation making the deepest cuts? This interactive map shows what pre-K funding looks like across the nation and recaps recent developments in the South.
Audio / Pre-K Series / Tennessee / Video
Money Talks: Paying for Pre-K in the South (with Video)
When budgets are tight, states start to talk about cutting services. But what early education services does the South stand to lose when budgets get cut?
Audio / Early Education / Mississippi / Multimedia / Pre-K Series / Tennessee
Proving Preschool With Performance
At first glance, research on preschool may appear conflicting. A Vanderbilt University shows preschool students are 80-percent better prepared for school than their peers – especially in literacy and math. But a recent study of Head Start finds by third grade, their lead has all but disappeared completely. How should this data be interpreted?
Audio / Mississippi / Multimedia
Why Mississippi Preschool May Overlook Kids In Need
Mississippi is the only state in the South that does not fund preschool. That may change this spring if the legislature passes one of two bills to subsidize select programs. But Mississippi is likely to remain an outlier among southern states – as the legislation won’t give limited preschool seats to needy children first.
Take The Microphone
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Join the Public Insight Network at the Southern Education Desk.
Help us cover the education stories that matter most to you and add your voice to our reporting.
Join the Public Insight Network at the Southern Education Desk.
Help us cover the education stories that matter most to you and add your voice to our reporting.
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