For improving their reading instruction, thousands of Alabama public school teachers may be eligible for a $1,000 stipend. Early childhood teachers and elementary teachers who completed the specialized training in teaching young children to read might get a one-time bonus, according to education authorities in the state. The program lasts two years for elementary teachers and one year for early childhood teachers. As part of the Alabama Literacy Act, which offers intense assistance to the state's lowest-performing primary schools, the Alabama State Department of Education embraced LETRS training.
A federal judge ruled Tuesday against a group of Tuscaloosa County teachers who said they were denied due process when their hours were increased, without extra pay, during the COVID pandemic.
According to a recent study from the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services, more than half of Alabama's first-time teachers leave the classroom before the end of three years, generating a "churning turnover" that is expensive for certain districts and more difficult to address. The national five-year leave rate was found to be 44 percent, according to the research.
Alabama's state legislature adopted a law on Thursday that was first proposed as a "bathroom bill." Alabama's adoption of the law bars discussions of gender and sexual orientation in primary schools.
In an effort to retain experienced educators in the classroom, Alabama lawmakers authorized the highest teacher pay boost in a generation on Wednesday.
A Senate committee on Wednesday authorized significant raises for experienced teachers in the state's K-12 schools for the coming school year, with some of the hikes reaching as high as 21%.