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  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

Alabama

U.S.
Rank

#25
Overall PPI Score:
68.2%
PPI Grade Key:
← Back to Alabama state overview
A
B
C
D
F
  • Opportunity
  • Innovation
  • Policy Environment

Charter Schools

Score:

72%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#27

A muddled process undermines growth and the need for a plentiful amount of great charters. Still, Alabama’s score rose from a D to C because of a cap on the number of charter schools expiring.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 2015

Most recently amended: N/A

Number of charter schools: 11

Number of charter students: 1,842

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No, the cap that was established in 2015 sunsetted in 2020.

Virtual charters allowed? No

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local districts that apply to be authorizers can authorize start-up and conversion charters; the Alabama Public Charter School Commission serves as authorizer for applicants in districts that don’t choose to authorize, but not for conversion schools. 

Appeals for denied applications go to the Commission.

While Alabama school districts can register with the state to be authorizers, only five have signed up but none are currently active. Though the Alabama Public Charter School Commission is able to authorize charter schools on appeal if they overturn a district denial, this layered (district and state) approach to authorizing subjects charters to additional, unnecessary, time-consuming processes.

GROWTH:  More opportunities for growth now, since the cap on the number of charter schools allowed here expired in April 2020.

OPERATIONS: Charters receive a blanket waiver from regulations that apply to traditional district schools. However, the law also gives control to the State Board of Education to write regulations specific to charter schools, creating a political environment where charter schools can be arbitrarily subject to regulations that harm their ability to operate effectively. This is not a good model – any rules that apply should not be subject to political whims.

EQUITY: The law calls for charter schools to be funded at parity with district schools and even calls for charters to receive local dollars (in addition to state funds) but the money flows through the district when it is the authorizer, which has considerable power over how much money the charter eventually yields for per pupil costs, less than what is expended on traditional schools. The law does not provide per-pupil facilities funds.

Learn More:

Alabama Charter School Law

New Schools For Alabama

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

62%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#31

An expansion of the state’s Tax Credit Education Scholarship Program this spring paves the way for more contributions to scholarship granting organizations which then direct scholarships for private education to some of the nearly 35 percent of lower income families whose choices this program was designed to support. Recent expansion in the cap for tax credit gifts should help bolster the viability of the program, student participation, and the amount of money the state can spend per pupil. But the limitation of the state’s cap will restrict scholarships to roughly 3,000 students, far fewer than actually need it.

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 2015

Number of programs: 36

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Tax Credit Scholarship
Tax-Credit Scholarship Education Scholarship Program
This tax-credit scholarship program allows taxpayers who donate to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations to receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for their contribution. On April 14th 2022, Governor Ivey signed Senate Bill 261 (SB261) into law, raising the current cap on contributions under the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). The AAA was first enacted in 2013 to establish a tax credit scholarship program for Alabama. The program increases the individual giving cap from 50% to 100% of income tax liability – up to $100,000. It also increases the corporate giving cap from 50% to 100%  of income liability without a cap on the tax liability that may be offset. However, the cumulative amount of tax credits issued shall not exceed $30 million total – which has not changed since it was initially enacted. That is equivalent to only 0.4 percent of Alabama’s total K-12 revenue.  Once a student receives a scholarship, the family’s income may not exceed 275 percent of the federal poverty level ($76,313 for a family of four in 2022-23). Statewide, 35 percent of families with children are eligible for scholarships under this program but the tax credit caps limit their opportunities. For those fortunate to receive one, scholarships are capped at $6,000 for K–5, $8,000 for 6–8, and $10,000 for 9–12 with the average scholarship value at $4,721.

Individual Tax Credit/Deduction
Accountability Act of 2013 Parent-Taxpayer Refundable Tax Credits
This refundable tax credit is for parents who transfer their children enrolled in or assigned to a “failing” public school to a “non-failing” public or private school. Different from traditional tax credit programs, refundable tax credits have greater utility for parents of more modest incomes. Currently, only five percent of Alabama’s students are eligible for this program because participation is based on whether an entire school is categorized as “failing.”  Participation should be expanded to any students who are assigned to a school that is not a good fit.

Learn More:

EdChoice on Alabama

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

69%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#33

Meets or exceeds many goals including ensuring student growth is accounted for in teacher evaluations but is lacking in ensuring compensation is tied to performance.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 74%
General Teacher Preparation 70%
Elementary Teacher Preparation               90%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 63%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 75%
Alternate Routes 70%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 57%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 70% 

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Charter Schools

Score:

72%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#27

A muddled process undermines growth and the need for a plentiful amount of great charters. Still, Alabama’s score rose from a D to C because of a cap on the number of charter schools expiring.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 2015

Most recently amended: N/A

Number of charter schools: 11

Number of charter students: 1,842

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No, the cap that was established in 2015 sunsetted in 2020.

Virtual charters allowed? No

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local districts that apply to be authorizers can authorize start-up and conversion charters; the Alabama Public Charter School Commission serves as authorizer for applicants in districts that don’t choose to authorize, but not for conversion schools. 

Appeals for denied applications go to the Commission.

While Alabama school districts can register with the state to be authorizers, only five have signed up but none are currently active. Though the Alabama Public Charter School Commission is able to authorize charter schools on appeal if they overturn a district denial, this layered (district and state) approach to authorizing subjects charters to additional, unnecessary, time-consuming processes.

GROWTH:  More opportunities for growth now, since the cap on the number of charter schools allowed here expired in April 2020.

OPERATIONS: Charters receive a blanket waiver from regulations that apply to traditional district schools. However, the law also gives control to the State Board of Education to write regulations specific to charter schools, creating a political environment where charter schools can be arbitrarily subject to regulations that harm their ability to operate effectively. This is not a good model – any rules that apply should not be subject to political whims.

EQUITY: The law calls for charter schools to be funded at parity with district schools and even calls for charters to receive local dollars (in addition to state funds) but the money flows through the district when it is the authorizer, which has considerable power over how much money the charter eventually yields for per pupil costs, less than what is expended on traditional schools. The law does not provide per-pupil facilities funds.

Learn More:

Alabama Charter School Law

New Schools For Alabama

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

62%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#31

An expansion of the state’s Tax Credit Education Scholarship Program this spring paves the way for more contributions to scholarship granting organizations which then direct scholarships for private education to some of the nearly 35 percent of lower income families whose choices this program was designed to support. Recent expansion in the cap for tax credit gifts should help bolster the viability of the program, student participation, and the amount of money the state can spend per pupil. But the limitation of the state’s cap will restrict scholarships to roughly 3,000 students, far fewer than actually need it.

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 2015

Number of programs: 36

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Tax Credit Scholarship
Tax-Credit Scholarship Education Scholarship Program
This tax-credit scholarship program allows taxpayers who donate to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations to receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for their contribution. On April 14th 2022, Governor Ivey signed Senate Bill 261 (SB261) into law, raising the current cap on contributions under the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). The AAA was first enacted in 2013 to establish a tax credit scholarship program for Alabama. The program increases the individual giving cap from 50% to 100% of income tax liability – up to $100,000. It also increases the corporate giving cap from 50% to 100%  of income liability without a cap on the tax liability that may be offset. However, the cumulative amount of tax credits issued shall not exceed $30 million total – which has not changed since it was initially enacted. That is equivalent to only 0.4 percent of Alabama’s total K-12 revenue.  Once a student receives a scholarship, the family’s income may not exceed 275 percent of the federal poverty level ($76,313 for a family of four in 2022-23). Statewide, 35 percent of families with children are eligible for scholarships under this program but the tax credit caps limit their opportunities. For those fortunate to receive one, scholarships are capped at $6,000 for K–5, $8,000 for 6–8, and $10,000 for 9–12 with the average scholarship value at $4,721.

Individual Tax Credit/Deduction
Accountability Act of 2013 Parent-Taxpayer Refundable Tax Credits
This refundable tax credit is for parents who transfer their children enrolled in or assigned to a “failing” public school to a “non-failing” public or private school. Different from traditional tax credit programs, refundable tax credits have greater utility for parents of more modest incomes. Currently, only five percent of Alabama’s students are eligible for this program because participation is based on whether an entire school is categorized as “failing.”  Participation should be expanded to any students who are assigned to a school that is not a good fit.

Learn More:

EdChoice on Alabama

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

69%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#33

Meets or exceeds many goals including ensuring student growth is accounted for in teacher evaluations but is lacking in ensuring compensation is tied to performance.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 74%
General Teacher Preparation 70%
Elementary Teacher Preparation               90%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 63%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 75%
Alternate Routes 70%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 57%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 70% 

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Digital & Personalized Learning

Digital Learning:

Score:

75%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#24

Over the years Alabama has implemented various statewide initiatives to promote digital exposure for students. Alabama has a state technology plan, Transform 2020, that provides a roadmap for effectively implementing technology into the classroom to increase students’ digital literacy skills and prepare them for the future.

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a database filled with high-quality digital lesson plans and classroom resources that reflect state learning standards.

Alabama Technology in Motion (ATiM) is a teacher professional development program where specialists provide training to K-12 educators on how to integrate digital learning and computer science in their everyday instruction, using the Alabama Course of Study: Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards. 

ACCESS Virtual Learning is a statewide virtual school that opened in 2004, giving students in grades 8-12 the opportunity to take online advanced placement, elective, credit recovery, and credit advancement courses and more. ACCESS Virtual offers 52 different courses and three models of instruction: web-based instruction led by educators, videoconferencing instruction taught in real-time, and a hybrid model of the two. In the 2019-20 school year, there were 60,740 students enrolled. 

Alabama’s Piedmont City School District and Talladega County Schools are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 8,400 students in the state access to digital learning opportunities. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.  

Bandwidth: “89.1% of students in Alabama can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. 79,836 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.” 

Personalized Learning:

While there is no statewide commitment to personalized learning, Alabama has a program in place called Innovative School Systems. This program is composed of a flexibility contract and innovation plan to help schools meet the needs of their diverse student populations.

Learn More:

Educational Technology Fact Sheet

Alabama Technology in Motion (ATiM)

ACCESS Virtual Learning

League of Innovative Schools

Innovative School Systems

COVID-19 Response

The state’s response to the COVID-19 crisis was not organized. In the early stages of the virus, the Alabama Department of Education issued guidance to schools about potentially needing to close, including this unfortunate statement: “For most districts, it will make more sense to cancel school altogether than to organize a learning model that cannot be accessed equitably by all students.” A couple of weeks later, though, when the Governor closed all school facilities, she instructed schools to develop alternative methods of instruction, and by March 30, a comprehensive manual with resources was released.

During the initial school closures as districts were planning their movement to remote learning, schools continued to provide essential services to students across Alabama. Schools were closed for two weeks, during which distance learning resources were developed and distributed.

The Montgomery School District, the state’s largest, had an innovative approach to students without wifi access — sending school buses to neighborhoods, providing mobile wifi. The state also created a list of resources for students and teachers, and a virtual learning opportunity about the state’s history. 

As of Aug. 6th, schools in Alabama began to reopen in-person, a move that Superintendent Mackey has supported; the state allowed districts to create their own plans for how they will safely reopen. District by district plans can be found here.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

27%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

19%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat'l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

28%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

22%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat'l average)

Graduation Rate:

92%

Average SAT Score:

1146/1600

Average ACT Score:

18/36

Public School Enrollment:

748,268

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

0.2%

Average Student Funding:

$10,116.00
Digital & Personalized Learning
Digital Learning:

Score:

75%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#24

Over the years Alabama has implemented various statewide initiatives to promote digital exposure for students. Alabama has a state technology plan, Transform 2020, that provides a roadmap for effectively implementing technology into the classroom to increase students’ digital literacy skills and prepare them for the future.

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a database filled with high-quality digital lesson plans and classroom resources that reflect state learning standards.

Alabama Technology in Motion (ATiM) is a teacher professional development program where specialists provide training to K-12 educators on how to integrate digital learning and computer science in their everyday instruction, using the Alabama Course of Study: Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards. 

ACCESS Virtual Learning is a statewide virtual school that opened in 2004, giving students in grades 8-12 the opportunity to take online advanced placement, elective, credit recovery, and credit advancement courses and more. ACCESS Virtual offers 52 different courses and three models of instruction: web-based instruction led by educators, videoconferencing instruction taught in real-time, and a hybrid model of the two. In the 2019-20 school year, there were 60,740 students enrolled. 

Alabama’s Piedmont City School District and Talladega County Schools are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 8,400 students in the state access to digital learning opportunities. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.  

Bandwidth: “89.1% of students in Alabama can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. 79,836 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.” 

Personalized Learning:

While there is no statewide commitment to personalized learning, Alabama has a program in place called Innovative School Systems. This program is composed of a flexibility contract and innovation plan to help schools meet the needs of their diverse student populations.

Learn More:

Educational Technology Fact Sheet

Alabama Technology in Motion (ATiM)

ACCESS Virtual Learning

League of Innovative Schools

Innovative School Systems

COVID-19 Response

The state’s response to the COVID-19 crisis was not organized. In the early stages of the virus, the Alabama Department of Education issued guidance to schools about potentially needing to close, including this unfortunate statement: “For most districts, it will make more sense to cancel school altogether than to organize a learning model that cannot be accessed equitably by all students.” A couple of weeks later, though, when the Governor closed all school facilities, she instructed schools to develop alternative methods of instruction, and by March 30, a comprehensive manual with resources was released.

During the initial school closures as districts were planning their movement to remote learning, schools continued to provide essential services to students across Alabama. Schools were closed for two weeks, during which distance learning resources were developed and distributed.

The Montgomery School District, the state’s largest, had an innovative approach to students without wifi access — sending school buses to neighborhoods, providing mobile wifi. The state also created a list of resources for students and teachers, and a virtual learning opportunity about the state’s history. 

As of Aug. 6th, schools in Alabama began to reopen in-person, a move that Superintendent Mackey has supported; the state allowed districts to create their own plans for how they will safely reopen. District by district plans can be found here.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

27%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

19%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat’l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

28%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

22%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat’l average)

Graduation Rate:

92%

Average SAT Score:

1146/1600

Average ACT Score:

18/36

Public School Enrollment:

748,268

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

0.2%

Average Student Funding:

$10,116.00

Leadership

Your governor:

Gov. Kay Ivey (R)

Assumed office in 2017; Elected in 2018 (two-term limit)

Kay Ivey was consistently strong with her support of all students having access to the education opportunities that work best for them, whether it’s improving traditional district schools, expanding charter schools, or providing private school choice programs through tax credits and vouchers. But the road to opportunity is paved with more than good intentions. This small state has hundreds of great innovators yearning for more opportunities to demonstrate there are multiple ways to educate students, and parents who want to choose them. Hoping to see more from the home of the Roll Tide.

State Legislature:

The House and Senate are both favorable to education reform issues, particularly the Senate, but have not passed any reform measures in a few years. There should be a great opportunity for bringing more educational opportunities to Alabama’s families with some leadership from the legislature.

Despite supportive officials, the state ranks near the bottom on national assessments, and impediments to dramatic improvements include lack of ambition among lawmakers and a strong status quo.

Constitutional Issues

“Although the Alabama Constitution contains both a Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment language, the Alabama courts have not interpreted these clauses expansively to prohibit school choice.” (Institute for Justice)

A new charter school authorized by the state commission to open in Montgomery County had been challenged by the school boards association and education unions, but in March 2019 the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of the constitutionality of charter schools.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Alabama School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School data is transparent and easy for parents to access. School report cards can be found in one click under the Data Center subheading on the main page of the Alabama DOE website. Report cards are filled with relevant information and are easy to read and understand. There are also clear options at the top to view individual schools or compare schools, which is a nice feature. Information about educational options are also found from the homepage, which is a plus for transparency.

Alabama does not hold school board elections during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.

Leadership
Your governor:

Gov. Kay Ivey (R)

Assumed office in 2017; Elected in 2018 (two-term limit)

Kay Ivey was consistently strong with her support of all students having access to the education opportunities that work best for them, whether it’s improving traditional district schools, expanding charter schools, or providing private school choice programs through tax credits and vouchers. But the road to opportunity is paved with more than good intentions. This small state has hundreds of great innovators yearning for more opportunities to demonstrate there are multiple ways to educate students, and parents who want to choose them. Hoping to see more from the home of the Roll Tide.

State Legislature:

The House and Senate are both favorable to education reform issues, particularly the Senate, but have not passed any reform measures in a few years. There should be a great opportunity for bringing more educational opportunities to Alabama’s families with some leadership from the legislature.

Despite supportive officials, the state ranks near the bottom on national assessments, and impediments to dramatic improvements include lack of ambition among lawmakers and a strong status quo.

Constitutional Issues

“Although the Alabama Constitution contains both a Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment language, the Alabama courts have not interpreted these clauses expansively to prohibit school choice.” (Institute for Justice)

A new charter school authorized by the state commission to open in Montgomery County had been challenged by the school boards association and education unions, but in March 2019 the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of the constitutionality of charter schools.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Alabama School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School data is transparent and easy for parents to access. School report cards can be found in one click under the Data Center subheading on the main page of the Alabama DOE website. Report cards are filled with relevant information and are easy to read and understand. There are also clear options at the top to view individual schools or compare schools, which is a nice feature. Information about educational options are also found from the homepage, which is a plus for transparency.

Alabama does not hold school board elections during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.

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Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools, open by choice, free from most rules and regulations that hamper traditional public schools and held accountable for results.

Since 1991, when charter schools were first established in Minnesota, the principle has remained the same — increased operational autonomy in exchange for increased accountability for outcomes. This freedom to innovate allows academically excellent charter schools to flourish.

As of 2020, there were more than 7,300 charter schools across the country with more than 3.3 million students, with demand higher everywhere they are located. Forty-six states, including Washington, D.C. have charter school laws. West Virginia enacted the most recent law in 2019. All charter laws are not created equal, however, and in fact, many are so flawed that they allow for only minimal opportunity for parents. PPI draws from CER’s newest Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard, produced in the summer of 2020. For the US as a whole, the glass is more empty than full when it comes to meaningful charter choices.

Since 1996, CER has researched, analyzed, and ranked charter school laws, taking the content of each law into consideration as well as how it impacts charter schools on the ground. This Parent Power Index looks at four main areas of each state’s law:

If it allows for multiple authorizers, and if applicants have the ability to appeal a denial; whether it allows for growth, particularly with no caps on number of schools or enrollment; if schools and teachers have freedom to innovate; and if there is equitable funding of schools, including for facilities and transportation.

Charter schools are the most analyzed public school reform in decades. Since 1996, CER has studied their impact, their environment, and their practice and made recommendations for how to improve each law. The Parent Power Index charter score is based on whether the law allows for freedom and flexibility that can ensure parents, teachers and the general public are able to build vibrant, successful charter schools without undue interference from flawed state regulators, with equitable funding and parents in the driver’s seat. More about how this works can be found in CER publications, most notably Charting a New Course and The Future of School.

In addition, past rankings document how states have grown or confined charter schools and what best practices should be followed. Finally CER has provided a model charter school law for policymakers that is the standard bearer for advocates who believe that parents, not systems, should drive education.

Choice Programs

Educational choice is best defined as the availability of a multitude of public programs that provide parents with the ability to include private and religious entities – schools, tutoring, and other organizations – in their choices. Those programs are enacted at the state level, allowing in a wide variety of ways that the funds allocated for education in a state either follow the student to the institution the parent chooses or, as in the case of tax credits, public funds are redistributed to support the choices parents make, rather than automatically going to government based school districts.

These options are often referred to as scholarship programs, vouchers, tax credits, education accounts and more.

The existence of a higher degree of educational choice in a community or state, particularly for lower income students, has been found to be a significant factor in improving education and ensuring all students have access to the best school that meets their individual needs. Where once private options were only available to the more advantaged, most choice programs today ensure that those without resources have the power to shape their student’s education and invest in their future.

PPI 2020 assesses the extent to which every state gives families better and more abundant educational options through various mechanisms. Choice programs are analyzed and evaluated on their potential to reach all children across a state and for the degree to which they can actually support the full choice of parents, as opposed to only providing a modest amount of financial support. Programs where a significant population of parents can obtain scholarships or vouchers to send their children to the school of their choice score higher than those that have limitations based on geography, income, and student eligibility constraints.

To determine scores, PPI relies on well-established organizations which study, advance and support such programs. The scores were developed with this lens, and on information and ratings from EdChoice’s School Choice in America Dashboard, American Legislative Exchange Council’s Report Card on American Education: 23rd Edition, and American Federation for Children’s School Choice Interactive Map.

Teacher Quality

Teacher Quality is an equally important facet of ensuring greater educational opportunity. There is a direct correlation between quality teachers and student achievement, and teachers have the power to foster highly effective learning environments and leave a lasting impact on the future of their students. State teacher policies are critical in ensuring that students have the opportunity to receive the best education possible. Without schools full of well-prepared teachers who are held accountable either directly to the parent or to taxpayers for student achievement, opportunity can be meaningless. Most states vary widely in the criteria used to train, hire, retain, evaluate, reward and advance teachers, and local rules also influence that criteria greatly, as do teachers unions. PPI looked again to the expert analysis of the National Council of Teacher Quality, and from several aspects of their work PPI extrapolated final teacher quality scores. (NCTQ does not grade each state.)

Relying solely on the rich data collected from the National Council on Teacher Quality, states are measured by across a wide range of policy categories: Training and Recruitment, Staffing and Support, Evaluation, and Compensation. The score is by no means comprehensive about teacher quality across every community and state, but it is based on the extent to which states rigorously expect, manage and measure different aspects of teacher training, hiring, evaluation and compensation. States score higher when they have strong, data-driven, performance-based accountability systems that ensure teachers are rewarded, retained, and advanced based on their effectiveness. Likewise, states that establish rigorous teacher preparation programs and offer alternative licensing programs earn higher scores.

For more information about the Teacher Quality landscape, please see the National Council on Teacher Quality’s detailed analysis in their State Teacher Policy Database.

Innovation

States are measured on their increasing commitment to and practice of innovative approaches to education that include digital learning models and pathways, full or in part, encouraging personalized learning through focus on competency and mastery – even on a pilot level – or by allowing flexibility in schools and school districts that want to do it. Personalized learning models value mastery of material over traditional subject matter time tests, and competency over end of course grades. While these practices are best decided locally, closest to the student, states can motivate, incentivize, fund, discourage or encourage.

To determine scores, the PPI drew heavily from ExcelinEd’s 2019 State Progress Toward Next Generation Learning, Aurora Institute’s 2020 Future-Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education, and KnowledgeWorks’ 2019 State Policy Framework for Personalized Learning.

COVID-19 Response

When COVID-19 reached our shores in early 2020, states were forced to close their schools for in-person instruction. Whether and how to continue teaching and set expectations for continued learning outside of the classroom was a big debate. Many states and schools quickly pivoted to delivering education remotely, either through technology enabled tools or with low-tech paper packets and phone calls, or a combination of both. The response from schools and school districts varied widely, with some being willing to adapt and some actually discouraging both teaching and learning. CER tracked those responses (and continues to do so, given the fluidity of the situation). States that were encouraging, set expectations, and demanded that schools figure out whatever they could to keep moving students forward, tended to have more schools and districts that responded well and worked to deliver education regardless of challenges. Many states that had digital or virtual learning programs in place were able to make a more seamless shift. Innovative leaders at local and state levels rose to the occasion. But many states and localities dragged their feet and, in some cases, outright discouraged schooling to keep going, including forbidding teachers in some areas to be required to do any face to face teaching via technology.

States were evaluated based on reviewing their official notices and declarations, and by reviewing a broad array of surveys and data many groups have been maintaining. This score also factors in states’ prior commitments to expanding broadband and internet access and how they worked to provide devices to keep students learning and engaged.

What was, and is, a challenging and unprecedented time for schools, teachers, and parents was also an opportunity to look at states’ and schools’ abilities to adapt, be flexible, and innovate.

For more on Education Innovation, check out the CER ACTION Series:

  • Virtual Events & Videos
  • Key Data
  • Resources
  • Publications

Leadership

Improving education opportunity and innovation requires leaders who boldly and courageously push forward to create or expand successful programs that allow a wide variety of educational choice and individualized programs to thrive. Governors and state legislators are the most important entities in each state to pave the way, or deter, expanded parent power. Some leaders pay lip service to issues, while others wake up with a fire in their belly to ensure that they are doing what they can every day to push through conventional wisdom and demand 21st century schooling opportunities for all students.

Whether or not your governor is the bold, fire-in-the-belly kind, or a passive applauder of others’ efforts, is evaluated to help you push or prod or applaud. PPI looks at their positions AND actions on charter schools, choice programs, innovation, and commitment to increasing educational opportunities for all students at every level and summarizes it for you here. You have the power to elect leaders who prioritize parents and students!

Constitutional Issues

The ability for states to enact educational change can be significantly limited depending on certain provisions in state constitutions.

The most common clause that limits educational opportunity in most states are “Blaine Amendments” – named after 19th century Congressman James Blaine nearly 150 years ago. Historically, these provisions in 37 state constitutions were either interpreted to restrict educational choice programs that include private schools or have been a deterrent for many programs being considered, let alone enacted.

This issue received a great deal of press leading up to and following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30, 2020 decision in the case of Espinoza vs Montana Department of Revenue, a case that dealt with Montana’s Blaine Amendment. That landmark decision found that the U.S. Constitution “forbids states from excluding religious schools as options for families participating in educational choice programs, including through Blaine Amendments.”

As a result, most states have a new path to enact programs that provide options for families, including religious schools. Their individual versions of Blaine Amendments can either be nullified with attorney generals’ opinions, with legislation or with both. Additional restrictions on expanded opportunity are often dedicated by what is called a Compelled Support Clause where dated constitutional language restricts public funding to government entities.

We look at each state’s particular constitutional issues, utilizing a number of sources, CER attorney analysis and the Institute for Justice’s research as our guide. Additional information about Espinoza and Blaine Amendments can be found here.

In addition, if states have other constitutional barriers to more opportunity, they are evaluated in this area.

Transparency

Transparency is a key element of providing great opportunities for students. Every parent needs and deserves full transparency of school-level data to allow them to make informed decisions and drive changes in how their students are educated. School report cards empower parents in their decision making by giving them access to meaningful and quality education data about a particular school or district. Report cards often provide information on student performance, student growth, attendance, graduation rates, demographics, teacher quality, school environment, assessments, and more. States that have greater transparency and accountability provide the public with data that is current, readily available, and easy to understand.

States are measured based on the transparency and accessibility of data for the average person looking to learn about their child’s school. States have more gas in the tank when school report cards are easily accessible from their state DOE homepage; report cards are comprehensive, user-friendly, and easy to understand; and information about educational options are readily available. Additionally, states score higher when they hold School Board Elections during the General Election cycle, as opposed to off-times of the year when turnout is low, because this tends to afford parents more power in their decision-making.