myBama
UA Education Policy Center
Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.

RESEARCH FOCUS

Rural & Community
Initiatives

Two decades of research on Alabama's Black Belt and the rural communities
that share its challenges. Through sustained issue briefs on healthcare, broadband,
poverty, education, and transportation, this work documents how conditions change

— or don't — and gives local leaders and state policymakers the evidence to act.

Rural & Community Initiatives

 Focus Areas

Health Access & Outcomes

Improving care access and closing health coverage gaps.

Broadband & Digital Access

Closing connectivity gaps that limit learning and work.

Poverty & Economic Opportunity

Addressing persistent poverty, housing, and local economies.

Early Learning & K-12 Pathways

Expanding early learning, STEM, and school opportunity.

Infrastructure & Mobility

Connecting communities through roads, transit, and access.
  1. Children in Alabama in 2025

    Issue Brief No. 67
    August 2026

  2. Off the Beaten Path: Roadways and
    Commuting in
    Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 66
    March 2026

  3. Broadband in
    Alabama’s
    Black Belt
    in 2025

    Issue Brief No. 65
    December 2025

  4. Healthcare in
    Alabama’s Black Belt:
    Impacts of Potential
    Medicaid Cuts

    Issue Brief No. 64
    June 2025

  5. Halfway Home and a
    Long Way To Go: Bridging
    Persistent Poverty Gap in
    Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 63
    April 2025

  6. Empowering Futures: Expanding Educational Opportunities in
    Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 62
    February 2025

  7. Profiles of
    Community
    Leaders in the
    Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 60
    April 2022

  8. Poverty, Housing, & GDP in Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 58
    March 2022

  9. K-12 STEM Education in Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 56
    March 2022

  10. COVID-19 and Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 55
    March 2022

  11. Internet Access Disparities in
    Alabama & the Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 50
    October 2020

  12. Healthcare: A Key Challenge
    in Alabama’s Black Belt

    Issue Brief No. 49
    October 2020

  13. Access to Early Childhood Interventions and First Class Pre-K in Alabama & the Black Belt Region

    Issue Brief No. 47
    October 2020