UA Town Hall Features Discussion of Alabama Education

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — “Making the Grade: Reforming Alabama’s Education” will be the topic of a University of Alabama Honors College Town Hall meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 30, in the Ferguson Center Forum on The University of Alabama campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

The panelists are Dr. Tommy Bice, Alabama state superintendent of education; Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, dean of the UA College of Education; and Emily Shultz, executive director for the Alabama Coalition for Public Charter Schools.

The panel will review recent education initiatives, including No Child Left Behind, magnet schools and Common Core, and assess whether these changes have improved the Alabama school system. They also will discuss what effect the newly passed charter school law has on public education.

Town Hall is an interactive program sponsored by the Honors College. The program brings together students, faculty and community members to create solutions to real-world problems. Typically, speakers representing different viewpoints or occupations related to a hot topic give informative presentations.

Students are then challenged to pose questions to the panel concerning the issues discussed. Town Hall coordinators partner campus organizations and community groups to act on these ideas in follow-up meetings.

For details, contact the Honors College at 205/348-5500 or honors@ua.edu.