Southern States

No Child Left Behind set a lofty goal some years ago that included a minimum graduation rate of 90 percent in every school district across the country. While many school districts have reached or are nearing that goal, one of the largest school districts in the country, Memphis City Schools, still faces a wide chasm of reaching the benchmark.

Memphis Business Journal reports that in 2012, the graduation rate for Memphis City Schools was just 70.3 percent. While this percentage is much higher than the 2009 figure of 62.1 percent, it is still far from that 90 percent. It is also far below the statewide graduation rate of 87.2 percent in 2012.

To help the school district improve graduation rates, several options are now on the table of the Memphis school board. With these choices help or hinder the slow but steady improvements the district has already seen in recent years? The answer may depend on who you ask.

This video reports on improving graduation rates.

Online Schooling to Improve in Memphis

One option Memphis students now have is an online school, which allows students at all levels to work toward their standards at their own pace. However, the only online school in Tennessee currently, Tennessee Virtual Academy, has released its first round of test scores with rather dismal results. According to a recent report in the

One of the largest school districts in the country is revolutionizing the way students learn in the classroom by incorporating technology into the lesson plan. A new program in Mobile County, Alabama, called Bring Your Own Device or BYOD, is creating a fun, interactive way of learning in select classrooms across the district. Teachers, as well as students, are embracing the ability to use technology to enhance the learning experience. As the program takes off, the expectation is that it will spread throughout the entire county by the beginning of the next school year.

How it Works

BYOD is a learning program that allows students to bring smartphones, laptops, reading devices or tablets into the classroom every day. The students then use those devices during lesson plans, for everything from researching a specific topic to taking pop quizzes designed by their classroom teacher. Students use the devices they are already familiar with, allowing them to adapt to the new method of teaching much more quickly.

According to AL.com, the new program has been implemented in a number of pilot schools throughout Mobile County. The program differs significantly from the technology integration taking place in neighboring Baldwin County, which has purchased a laptop for every student in the district. By allowing students to bring their own devices from home, the school district is able to save a significant amount of money without sacrificing the learning experience of the students.

A recent survey cited

Brevard County is making some tough decisions for the upcoming school year, including the closures of some Florida schools. According to the Brevard School Board, the decisions are purely financial, as the district struggles to overcome a $30 million shortfall. However, proposed closures have failed to make much of a dent in that massive shortfall, and the controversy generated by the closures may be far-reaching regarding who will keep their seats on the board in upcoming elections. Despite the protests of students, parents, and teachers, it appears that Brevard County will follow through with school closure plans.

Three Schools to Close in Brevard

WFTV reports that the Brevard County School Board has officially voted to close three schools in the county next year. The three schools on the list include South Lake Elementary, Gardendale Elementary, and Clearlake Middle School. Another school that had been on the proposed chopping block, Sea Park Elementary, was allowed to remain open by a narrow 3-2 vote in its favor. South Lake Elementary and Gardendale both lost the votes to remain open by 3 to 2. Board members voted 4-1 to close Clearlake Middle School.

Some parents with students at the school took the closure news very hard – with some reacting emotionally at the school board meeting and others vowing to fight for their neighborhood schools.

“I will make it my passion for the next two years to make sure everybody who voted to these

In the aftermath of numerous shootings at schools and elsewhere that plagued the nation during 2012, school districts around the country are reevaluating the effectiveness of their safety plans. In Alabama, one of the largest school districts in the country, Mobile County, is joining with the rest of the districts in the state to establish active shooter policies and other changes to school safety. The proposed changes are accompanied by plenty of debate, as districts are forced to look at controversial policies involving gun ownership and armed security in public schools.

This video offers an active shooter emergency plan from the Federal Government.

Active Shooter Policies First on Drawing Board

AL.com reports that the first policies to be given serious consideration by the state board of education will be those involving active shooter scenarios. The board recently voted unanimously to approve a resolution to implement a new active shooter policy in all public schools throughout the state. This new policy includes annual active shooter drills, with training for school staff to be overseen by the Alabama Department of Homeland Security.

“We want to make it more difficult for the bad guys to get access to our schools,” Mary Scott Hunter, a member of the board of education, told AL.com.

According to Dothan First, the active shooter drill will differ from the standard “lockdown” exercises previously done in schools. The new

Struggling schools in Kentucky may face a double-whammy this year, with potential takeovers in sight even as the state’s commissioner of education makes “reckless” statements regarding the quality of education in some parts of his state. At the focus of the controversy is Jefferson County, one of the largest school districts in Kentucky and across the country. While some say the county is making positive progress in turning around its schools, other believe the progress is too slow to provide the necessary academic benefit to many of the youth in Jefferson County.

Comments Fuel Fire

The Courier-Journal reports that the commissioner of education for Kentucky, Dr. Terry Holliday, recent referred to the lack of progress in low-performing Jefferson County schools as “academic genocide.” He also likened the difference in education quality among schools in the county to “apartheid.” The comments drew fire from students, parents, teachers and the school board for the county. Shortly after the comments were made, the Jefferson County school board issued a joint statement, which was quoted in the Courier-Journal as saying:

“Dr. Holliday accused JCPS of committing ‘academic genocide’ on Louisville students and compared JCPS ‘apartheid’. We emphatically reject this characterization of our district and the work of JCPS’s 16,000 employees. We are concerned this reckless language will distract from the real issue of increasing student achievement by starting yet another squabble among adults, about adults.”

Despite the protests of the school board, Holliday has stated that he chose