Ivey OpEd in Alabama’s Turnaround Schools Initiative will give many of our most challenged public school students the chance to realize their goals.
By: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey
As 2023 draws to an end and 2023 is over, it’s the opportunity to look back on what we’ve accomplished over the past year. In Alabama I believe that we have once more made significant improvements. When I was inaugurated on my 2nd term as Governor in January, on the front stairs of the State Capitol I made it clear to Alabama’s citizens Alabama that enhancing the education of our students would be my primary priority. I believe our year has reflected these efforts. The highlight of my life was going to one of the 15 Turnaround Schools.
When I visited Hayes K-8 Academy in Birmingham I was talking with children in a classroom for kindergarten when a girl was seen raising her hand. I contacted her and she told me she was interested in becoming a doctor. She asked me what sort of doctor she’d prefer to be and she immediately replied with, “a good doctor.” Her classmates began with a flurry of hands raising to share what they would like to be someday. One of them told me that they wanted to become an officer in the police force. Another girl told me that she would like to become a teacher.
Hayes K-8 is among 15 schools that are part of the Turnaround Schools Initiative. It is a plan of action designed to transform schools with poor performance as well as the communities around them. There are schools in remote areas of Alabama including my own county of Wilcox that are included in this program. There are also schools such as Hayes K-8 that are inner city schools. However, regardless of the child’s zip code is, we need to provide them the opportunity to fulfill their goals. Through the Turnaround Schools Initiative will do this.
The benefits of a good education open possibilities to be whatever you wish to become, whether that be a teacher or a police officer, or an “good” physician. Consider what is it to be an educated citizen in America and you will realize that we can accomplish anything when we set our minds on it. It is here that you can see where the American Dream begins.
I went to every one of fifteen Turnaround Schools, and to say that I was enthused and inspired by the students is an understatement. Even with just one year the program, and the Turnaround Schools Initiative is delivering outcomes. Most of the 15 schools have been removed from the Comprehensive School Improvement List or the Priority Schools List. One school located in Huntsville, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary that was receiving the grade of an “F” in the state report card, is now scoring an “C.” Highland Gardens Elementary located in Montgomery has been able add music, art and Spanish classes along with an STEM teacher. I was ecstatic to find out that Wilcox County had the highest percentage of growth in 3 3rd grade reading, out of every district within the State. And perhaps most important, we are witnessing more parental involvement. The list of improvements is endless and it can all be attributed in part to Turnaround Schools Initiative and these students and teachers bursting into the action.
Turnaround Schools Turnaround Schools receive additional funding that is specifically tailored to the school’s particular requirements. On top of that, the specific assistance these schools get through the Office of School Improvement, the state and community partners like those from the Department of Early Childhood Education and the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Mental Health, the Alabama Arts Alliance and others are all on the same page and willing to help. This truly is a hands-on-deck, team approach. Everyone knows that a high-quality education starts at home, is carried into the classroom and spreads out to the surrounding community. Therefore, our holistic strategy is essential for our students to excel. I am determined to see our Turnaround Schools Initiative being an ongoing endeavor. We’re determined to ensure that the model is right for both the turnaround effort as well as continuous improvement of schools.
When policies such as that of the Literacy and Numeracy Acts take full effect, initiatives such as that of Turnaround Schools Initiative help students improve their proficiency in math and reading, and more importantly, it will continue to help students as they progress through the grades. When the Alabama’s math and reading scores increase in the future it is possible to look back to this program.
The truth is that some might want to get rid of these students however I prefer to visit Alabama’s future doctors, teachers and police officers.
While visiting many school, I told these students that Alabama’s students are our future and my primary priority.
This is an essential initiative that could alter the course of life of a multitude of students, that’s why I’ll be promoting this program in the coming years. Our students rely on us to support them achieve their goals.
