Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Under his leadership the city has overhauled its public schools, taking the district from 15 "F"-rated schools to just one in two years. A Stanford and Harvard study found that children in Birmingham are making up for maths learning lost during covid lockdowns about half a grade level faster than students in less poor districts. Pupils in Birmingham's school district are almost all black and nine out of ten qualify for free or cut-price lunches.
An anti-absenteeism programme run in partnership with Birmingham's public-housing authority, which houses about 40% of pupils. Parents whose children have perfect attendance for a month can enter a lottery to have the city pay their rent or utility bill. Rather than having teenagers arrested for truancy, prosecutors help ensure those on the brink of missing too much class have clean clothes and a place to sleep at night; 437 of the city's pupils are homeless. In four years the share of students who were chronically absent halved from 29% to 13%.
Mark Sullivan, Birmingham's superintendent, wanted year-round schooling but faced opposition from the board, teachers, parents and pupils. Instead he introduced "intersession"—extra classes over school breaks, with attendance optional. Buses still run and lunch is served. When the programme began in autumn 2021 around 1,800 students showed up; by summer the number reached 10,000, or half the district. The city pays local college students and retired teachers to tutor those who are still falling behind. In 2023 just 53% of Birmingham's third-graders read at grade level; now 81% do.
In 2020 some 82% of Birmingham seniors graduated from high school; the city predicts 88% will in 2026. Woodfin launched "Birmingham Promise", which pays full tuition at many Alabama colleges for graduates of the city's public schools. He raised $20m in private funds to match the city's $10m by persuading businesses that investing in the programme would help them build a skilled workforce.
Don't relax! It's only your tension that's holding you together.