State: Alabama
Alabama
Your Guide to Data and Services for Alabama
SREB works with Alabama policymakers, colleges and schools to help them improve education. From this page, find independent, accurate data, reliable best practices and ways to shares scarce resources.
Alabama Members of the Board
Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama, Montgomery, ex
officio (2027)
Alan Baker, State Representative, Brewton
(2025) Executive Committee member
Terri Collins, State Representative, Decatur
(2023)
Mark Dixon, President, A+ Education Partnership,
Montgomery (2022)
Eric Mackey, State Superintendent of
Education, Montgomery (2024)
(Appointments to the Board are made by the Governor. Terms
expire June 30 of the specified year.)
Alabama Members of the Legislative Advisory Council
Alan Baker, State Representative, Brewton
Terri Collins, State Representative,
Decatur, Chair of the Legislative Advisory
Council
Barbara Drummond, State Representative,
Mobile
Tracy Estes, State Representative, Winfield
Vivian Davis Figures, State Senator, Mobile
Danny Garrett, State Representative, Trussville
Workforce
Alabama
Workforce Prep
- Helping adults earn a postsecondary certificate or degree is vital to preparing the SREB region’s workforce for the future.
- The percentage of working-age adults with at least some postsecondary education increased over the last decade.
- The overall employment rate increased across most SREB states at all education levels.
- By 2030, every SREB state will have more dependent-age individuals than working age adults.
- Adults with higher credentials are less likely than their peers with less than a high school education to earn wages below the poverty threshold.
Educational Attainment
Helping adults earn a postsecondary certificate or degree to prepare for employment is imperative for states.Rapid advancements in automation and artificial intelligence will increasingly displace adults with low levels of education, transforming some positions while eliminating others. Better-paying careers in the coming years will require students to earn a certificate or degree after high school.
In the SREB region, the percentage of working-age adults with at least some postsecondary education increased 7.6 points between 2012 and 2022. But across the region in 2022, 38% of working-age adults still had a high school diploma or less.
Job Share by Education Level
The share of jobs held by adults with a high school diploma or less in the SREB region between 2012 and 2022 decreased by 3.0 points, while the share held by adults with a bachelor’s degree or more increased by 6.4 points.
Employment Rates by Education Level
Despite fewer low-skilled adults in the workforce in 2022 than in 2012, there was an overall employment rate increase across most states at all education levels over the decade. In fact, employment rates for adults with high school credentials increased in all SREB states over the 10-year period, by 3.5 points (See the chart below for state data). In all 16 SREB states, adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher were employed at greater rates in 2022 compared to 2012.
These shifts point to a dire situation for low-skilled adults — those with a high school diploma or less — who are most vulnerable to technological advancement and economic downturns.
Working-Age Adults vs. Dependent Population
Without additional education and training, some 18 million SREB adults and their children could be unemployable by 2030. Helping adults earn credentials beyond high school will be critical for 25- to 44-year-olds, who are early- or mid-career and will face job changes.
Technological progress and low educational attainment in the workforce are not the only challenges facing states. By 2030, every SREB state will have more dependent-age individuals than working age adults. Many adults in the 25-64 age range will either be unemployed or out of the labor force by 2030, so the gap between working adults and dependents will likely be higher than conveyed.
Percentage of Adults in Poverty by Attainment
Between 2012 and 2022, poverty rates for adults with any postsecondary education decreased in six SREB states. For adults with a high school diploma or less, poverty rates decreased in nine SREB states.
Earnings by Education Level
Adults with higher credentials are less likely than their peers with less than a high school education to earn wages below the poverty threshold — $13,590 for an individual with $4,720 for each additional person in 2022. In the median SREB state, adults with some college or higher earned $20,645 more than those with a high school diploma or less.
With the disruption of the pandemic, along with technological advancement shifts, SREB states are facing considerable challenges in meeting workforce needs.
The growing dependent population, rising poverty rates and gaps between attainment and job share seen in 2019 pre-pandemic data will be exacerbated. With millions displaced and fewer high school graduates attending college, training for future job openings may become a necessity for 2030.
With fewer people attending and completing college, there are now millions displaced in the workforce pipeline who might need reskilling for future positions. States that coordinate thoughtful partnerships and strategic investments to attain degrees or skills will strengthen a thriving workforce in the future.
Alabama
Faculty Diversity by Rank
These state profiles examine the racial and ethnic makeup of college faculty by rank at various institution types. The data compare Black, Hispanic, and white faculty at two-year and technical colleges, public four-year institutions and private four-year institutions.
Alabama: School Improvement Services
The Southern Regional Education Board works with educators and state and district education agency personnel in Alabama and nationwide to provide support for continuous school improvement, rigorous curricula and instructional practices, teacher induction, professional development and instructional coaching services, technical assistance and program evaluation.
Find out what services are available for Alabama districts and schools in this PDF.
Alabama: An Early Path
An Early Path covers data and policies for each SREB state in Pre-K, elementary and middle grades in 2023. The reports also highlight important demographic data. These are SREB’s 11th progress reports to states on educational progress and the final set for the 2020 Challenge to Lead Goals. Each state report provides comparable data so states can see how they relate to one another, the SREB region and the nation.
Alabama: Finding a Path
Finding a Path covers data and policies for each SREB state’s progress in high school, postsecondary and the workforce. Watch for reports on birth to middle grades in 2023. These are SREB’s 10th biennial reports to states on educational progress and the final set for the 2020 Challenge to Lead Goals. They provide comparable data so states can see how they relate to one another, the Southern region and the nation. New this year: sections on the K-12 teacher and postsecondary workforces.
Alabama Featured Facts
from the SREB Fact Book on Higher Education
Alabama-specific data on population, demographic, education attainment, enrollment, graduation rates, workforce, tuition, debt, funding, faculty salaries and more.
Alabama
Student and Faculty Diversity
These state profiles compare the demographics of college faculty and the general and college student populations in each SREB state. The data compare the percentage of Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, and white students with the percentage of faculty in those groups at two-year and technical colleges, public four-year institutions and private four-year institutions.
Alabama
College Affordability Profile
To help policymakers assess and improve college affordability in their states, SREB provides tailored reports on the policies, programs and prices that drive affordability. Each state profile details net price at different types of institutions, state financial aid based on need or other factors, student borrowing, and percentage of family income needed to pay for college at different income levels.
Alabama Teacher Quantity and Quality Roundtable
Final Report
Alabama, like many states across the country, continues to face teacher shortages in its public education system. While the state legislature has passed various measures to help in the short term, state leaders agree that long-term strategies are needed to retain and recruit a high-quality teacher workforce. This final report from the Alabama Teacher Quantity and Quality Roundtable outlines its recommended three-pronged approach, which focuses on career pathways, early-career support and advancement opportunities.
Alabama
2020 State Workforce Outlook
Data on how automation and the COVID-19 pandemic will affect Alabama’s workforce.
