 “In
order to ensure that our children will be able to compete in this global economy,
it is imperative that we continue building a strong education system that has one
mission – giving our children the tools they need to succeed.”
- Governor Bob Riley
Alabama
has experienced more success in education during the past five
years than any time in our recent history making our education
system stronger than ever. In order to ensure that our children
will be able to compete in this global economy, we must continue
building a strong education system that has one mission—giving
our children the tools they need to succeed. Nationally renowned
programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Math,
Science, and Technology Initiative and ACCESS Distance Learning
are revolutionizing the way our children learn. The First Class
Voluntary Pre-K initiative is rated as the best pre-K program in
the nation for quality. Success in education starts by
recognizing what works and allowing our students to benefit from
it. Programs like ARI, AMSTI, ACCESS and First Class Voluntary
Pre-K are proven to be effective tools for student achievement
and must be funding priorities.
2008 Legislative Priorities:
Expand the First Class Voluntary Pre-K program
Research shows that children who benefit from pre-K are less
likely to repeat a grade or be placed in special education, more
likely to graduate from high school and college, and earn higher
salaries as adults. At the moment, access to Alabama’s existing
pre-K program is limited to just four percent of the state’s
four-year-olds, or about 2,400 children. Governor Riley’s plan
triples that number in its first year and would provide access
to First Class Voluntary Pre-K for 21,000 children by 2011.
First Class uses a combination of grants to ensure pre-K
classrooms maintain high-quality standards and to keep costs
affordable for families. Pre-K Excellence Grants of up to
$45,000 will be awarded to public school systems, Head Start
centers and private childcare centers to help them achieve high
quality standards and expand
their capacity.
In addition, First Class also provides supplemental assistance to classroom programs
to help them serve children from lower- and middle-income families.
Bring ACCESS Distance Learning to Every High School
ACCESS, which stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms,
Educators and Students Statewide, puts high-end interactive
video conferencing technology in participating schools so
students can be connected in real-time with teachers in
classrooms at other locations across the state. The program also
offers asynchronous courses over the Internet. Offering classes
through video conferencing and the Internet provides local
school systems with greater flexibility to meet school and
student needs.
Funding for ACCESS in the Fiscal Year 2008 education budget is
$20.3 million and as of this year there are 170 Alabama high
schools with ACCESS. Governor Riley’s education budget proposes
increased funding for ACCESS in Fiscal Year 2009, with the goal
of allowing every high school in Alabama to benefit from the
program by 2011.
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