Report: State grade lags in educational innovation

Alabama's grades in the area of educational innovation are low enough to cause concern among local school superintendents.

The report released Monday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Center for American Progress paints a less-than-glowing portrait of how Alabama is doing in areas including school management, finance, removing ineffective teachers and technology. With seven categories evaluated in Alabama, the grades included one B, three Cs and three Ds.

"This is hardly a decent report card," said Muscle Shoals Superintendent Jeff Wooten. "In fact, it's disturbing, but mainly from the standpoint that (Alabama) isn't judged on the same playing field because many of our shortcomings are a result of us not having the financial resources to implement certain programs that are very much needed.

"It all gets back to the issue of funding and the fact that we continue to do it with sales and income taxes. We can't compete with those states that have stable funding mechanisms."

The report, "Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Innovation," is a call to action in response to how poorly states measured up on key indicators of educational innovation. The data for the report was collected from each state's department of education.

The report is the first attempt to evaluate the innovation gap in American education on a state-by-state basis. It found that although Alabama has solid academic standards, 90 percent of teachers report that routine duties and paperwork interfere with their teaching. Overall, states posted mediocre results, and across the categories, no state earned top grades in more than one or two areas.

"A nation that values human dignity and advancement for all cannot accept an education system that leaves too many of our young people consistently unprepared for the future," said John Podesta, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress. "Our aim with this report is to inspire the reinvention of our school system and provide all students - regardless of their life's circumstances - with the education they deserve."

Wooten said that while all Alabama schools can do better, the report leaves room for question as to whether the shortcomings are the fault of the schools or the lack of funding.

"Several of our bad grades were in areas out of the local school's control," he said. "The state has made great strides in education the past eight to 10 years, but we're still way behind. This report just tells us that Alabama doesn't put the proper emphasis on education."

A detailed list of recommendations was developed to suggest the most effective approach to reforming the nation's education system. Recommendations include:

• greater flexibility whereby schools and principals are empowered to reinvent education management.

• greater accountability for individuals and organizations responsible for performance.

• offering teachers more professional development.

• stronger reform environment whereby states and districts create common academic standards.

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@TimesDaily.com.