Ruth Serven Smith is education editor for AL.com’s Education Lab, a team of journalists covering K-12 around Alabama, with an eye toward elevating accountability and solutions. She grew up in Oklahoma and attended the University of Missouri, and has worked in local newsrooms around the country. In her free time, she sews her own clothes. Her journalism work can be found at AL.com/EducationLab and on Twitter at @ruthservensmith.