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Local school rule touted by Sessions
Published October 30, 2008
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions can understand why Boaz Middle School consistently ranks in the top of Alabama schools and why faculty, staff and administrators are so innovative.
After hearing of Principal Ray Landers winning national Middle School Principal of the Year honors earlier this fall, Sessions decided to visit the school to see for himself why the school works so well.
“I want to thank you for providing such a fabulous school and for what all of you give to the children,” Sessions said after touring the school, visiting with teachers and students and answering faculty questions.
“It is hard to legislate how a school should be run from Washington, D.C.,” Sessions said. “The more money the feds give a school, the more rules and mandates they give.”
Sessions praised Landers for his leadership and ideas, many of which are models for other schools in the region.
“This is a fabulous school. It doesn’t take long to see that you all take pride in what you do. It is impressive,” he said.
Sessions visited classes led by Heidi Battles and Renee Adams. Battles’ students had crafted dioramas depicting historical scenes. In Adams’ class, students were dissecting plants, discussing reproduction of flowers.
“The students love hands-on activities,” Adams said, gesturing to her students, each bent over their desks, working to sketch the flower and its parts. “You don’t have to work to engage them. They are excited about learning.”
After a brief tour of the school, Sessions talked with 12 teachers and various faculty members and city leaders. Teachers asked Sessions about pending legislation, including an extension of the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates all children, will be working on grade level by 2014.
“I asked the president of Yale University what we could do to make education better. He said we know hands-on is better than lecturing. That is what you do. You are doing things I think haven’t been done in America except in Alabama,” Sessions said. “We have seen an 8 percent increase in reading test scores. For the whole state, that is a big move. Other states posting good scores were Florida and Massachusetts. Both states use the reading initiatives similar to Alabama.
“I don’t know how funding will go (when the act extension comes up for a vote). We truly, truly don’t want the federal government to fund and run education. I think we can do better.”
Sessions is optimistic his Striving Readers Act of 2007 will pass congress. The act, as written, provides funding for literacy training programs targeting at-risk middle and high school students, something most schools lack currently, Landers said.
“That act would target poverty kids in middle and high school. I commend you on that bill,” Landers said.
Sessions said Boaz schools are leaders, often times implementing programs and projects to give students a boost before intervention is called for. Landers cited examples of before- and after-school literacy programs, credit recovery classes and individualized reading intervention sessions, prompting Sessions to jokingly ask, “When does the school day start here, anyway?”
Sessions commended Boaz officials for their use of the Alabama Reading Initiative, saying it was integral to Alabama students scoring well on national testing last year. At Boaz Middle School, Landers said, more than 360 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades scored at the highest levels.
“The Reading Initiative pulls everybody up. All students need to be better readers and the scores show our students are good readers. The proof really is in the pudding,” Landers said.
Sessions vowed to continue fighting for education funding, especially funding for reading and math and science programs implemented by the federal government.
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