Sunday, September 12, 2010

Alabama Voices: Unions, not real education reform, top factor | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser

Alabama Voices: Unions, not real education reform, top factor | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser

Alabama Voices: Unions, not real education reform, top factor

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

By Bob Riley

Chester Flynn, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit education think tank, got to the heart of the problem when he said of the Obama administration's Race to the Top: "Some places that don't deserve it are being rewarded. Some that merit gold medals for their reform efforts and plans are instead punched in the nose."

Count Alabama as one of the states that got punched when our schools should be receiving a gold medal.

Over the past eight years, under the leadership of state school Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton, student achievement in Alabama has risen substantially. Alabama has invested in proven classroom programs