PARCA's February 8th annual meeting will present new research on the state of education in Alabama, exploring both current conditions and recognizing efforts underway to raise the academic bar.
The lineup will include:
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| Dr. Randolph Horn, Samford University |
- Samford University political science professor Randolph Horn will present results of a statewide survey conducted this January of attitudes toward public schools, state government and the state of the economy.
- PARCA executive director Jim Williams and Research Coordinator Joe Adams will present PARCA's analysis of the latest public school test results. Alabama students have made progress in competition with national peers in reading but deep deficits remain, particularly in the critically important subject of mathematics. Both here in Alabama and around the country, a troubling gap in achievement persists between black and white students and between students in poverty and non-poverty families. However, PARCA's research points to Alabama public schools that are breaking the mold: high poverty and high minority schools that significantly outscore state averages on standardized tests, with some producing results that put them among the highest-scoring schools in the state. A separate analysis identifies schools that have made big leaps in achievement. Numerous schools 
have boosted reading scores among poverty students by more than 50 percent over the past five years. Just a few examples include Westhills Elementary in Bessemer, Hudson K-8 in Birmingham, Spencer Elementary in Mobile and Knox Elementary in Selma.
In PARCA's experience, schools can succeed if they measure performance, take ownership of the results, and target resources at areas that need improvement. That's the story in Dothan, a system profiled in PARCA's recent annual report.
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| Dr. Tommy Bice, State Superintendent |
- Alabama state school superintendent Tommy Bice will present
the State Department of Education's plan to raise expectations for Alabama's public schools. Plan 2020 sets specific and measurable goals for closing the achievement gaps between demographic groups, for raising high school graduation rates and for producing students that are ready to join a highly-skilled work force or for higher education.
- Schools can't bear all the burdens of society alone. They need help from community partners that are working in the lives of students
and families beyond the school walls. Margaret Morton, the Executive Director of Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement (SAFE), is leading an effort to expand statewide a system of family resource centers. The centers are private nonprofit organizations that attempt to establish a one-stop shop for social services. The centers work in partnership with existing public and private service providers, with local businesses, schools and governments to stabilize families and improve conditions for children. You can read more about SAFE and the entire ANFRC in the latest issue of The PARCA Quarterly Winter 2013.
