A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Jean Childs Young Middle School is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, April 2. Ambassador Andrew Young, founding principal and co-chairman of Goodworks International, LLC; Kasim Reed, mayor of Atlanta; and Andrea Young, executive director, Andrew Young Foundation, are scheduled to participate. APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall and Atlanta Board of Education member Emmett D. Johnson are also among the participants. The new facility opened to students for the first time in early January.
APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall was elected chair-elect of the board of the Washington, D.C.-based Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) during the group’s meeting on March 21. The national policy and research organization is a coalition of 66 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems. The 132-member board is composed of the superintendents and a school board member from each of the member school districts.
Dr. Hall currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the board and will continue in that capacity until June 30, 2010. She officially becomes board chair-elect on July 1, 2010. The chair-elect is next in line to become chair and presides over board meetings in the absence of the chair. APS is a long-standing member of CGCS, which last year awarded its prestigious Richard R. Green national leadership award to Atlanta Board of Education member Emmett D. Johnson.
Hopefully by now you’ve been able to pick up a copy of the latest (spring) edition of The Atlanta Educator. The occasional print publication was delivered to CLL staff and the schools over the course of this week, and features more amazing stories about APS’ transformation into a top-performing urban school district. You’ll be able to thumb through the pages and read articles on the Effective Teacher in Every Classroom Initiative, powered by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; a comprehensive look at the chess programs engaging our elementary school students (pictured, above); profiles of members of our CLL staff, the Atlanta Board of Education, and APS veteran teachers, students and alumni; APS’ increasingly international flare; and visits from a certain (and impressed) U.S. education secretary.
What’s that, you say? You don’t have a print copy in front of you? Well, you’ve obviously got a computer, and so we’ve posted all of our Atlanta Educator features online with this trusty link. (Or download a PDF file here.) In fact you can check out ALL previous issues of the paper (in PDF form) through this link. Either way, we hope you’ll enjoy these stories, and help us spread the news about how APS is making a difference in students’ lives. Next up: our summer issue, which will celebrate our high school graduates.
Federal, municipal and APS officials gathered for a rally Monday at Young Middle School to promote Atlanta’s 2010 Census in Schools program to promote awareness of the once-in-decade survey of the U.S. population. U.S. Census Director Robert Groves joined his regional director, Renee Jefferson-Copeland, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Board of Education Chair LaChandra Butler Burks and APS Deputy Superintendent Kathy Augustine for the rally attended by the school’s sixth- and seventh-graders. (The eighth-graders were undergoing testing at the time of the rally.)
“This is a special day for us, and it’s great to be here at this new school,” said Groves, alluding to the newly renovated Young Middle campus. “Schools like this one connect to the Census. How do you build a school? You build them where the kids are. Census data helps people in Washington (D.C.) make good decisions on where to build where the kids are.”
Over the past decade, Grady High School‘s mock trial team has been very active in the state competition, a program where teams of 14 students are coached by attorneys and teachers to work together to prepare presentations of case material provided by the High School Mock Trial Committee. After performing in the regional and state competitions, some teams are selected to compete on the national level.
Grady has won regional titles and state championships in 2000, 2005 and 2009. They placed eighth in the nation in last year’s national tournament; this year they plan to reach even higher goals. They recently competed at regionals and will advance to the state level of the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition. For more information, please contact Georgia Mock Trial Coordinator Stacy Rieke at (404) 527- 8779.
With a new year came three new members of the Atlanta Board of Education. Herewith are the profiles for these new members, starting with …
Courtney English (District 7). Mr. English is a former Atlanta Public Schools middle school teacher and community activist. Born and raised in Atlanta, he is a proud graduate of Morehouse College. English was a founding teacher at the new all-male B.E.S.T. Academy at Benjamin Carson where he taught seventh grade social studies. (Read more here.)
Nancy Meister (District 4): As a parent and stakeholder, Ms. Meister is passionate about the future of the Atlanta Public Schools and has been personally involved in the district for many years and recognizes the importance of public education. She and her husband have watched their children grow and thrive in the Atlanta Public Schools system. (Read more here.)
Reuben R. McDaniel, III (District 8): In May 1999, McDaniel was named president/CEO of Jackson Securities, LLC an Atlanta-based investment banking firm. With over 25 years of investment banking experience in finance management, capital markets and municipal finance, McDaniel relies on his proven financial insights, exceptional talents in building relationships, strong analytical background and consummate corporate management skills. (Read more here.)
We conclude our three-part series introducing the new Atlanta Board of Education members with Reuben R. McDaniel, III (District 8). In May 1999, McDaniel was named president/CEO of Jackson Securities, LLC an Atlanta-based investment banking firm. With more than 25 years of investment banking experience in finance management, capital markets and municipal finance, McDaniel relies on his proven financial insights, exceptional talents in building relationships, strong analytical background and consummate corporate management skills.
Selected as one of Black Enterprises’ “75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street,” McDaniel was responsible for transforming the firm from a regional public finance boutique into a national institutional investment bank. Under his leadership, Jackson Securities has sustained double-digit revenue growth and diversified revenue streams by establishing a Corporate Finance Group, Wealth Management Group and an Institutional Sales & Trading Group.
On Jan. 20, the Parent Action Team held its 2nd Annual Parent Action Day at the Capitol. Over 60 people attended the event. Parents, grandparents, community activists, APS staff and board members all participated in the program geared towards promoting parent advocacy at the State Capitol.
The 2010 Parent Action Day program opened with a pitch perfect rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by Josiah Martin. Next, a motivational speech by Atlanta Public Schools Chief of Staff Sharron Pitts left a lasting impression on our parents. She spoke on the importance of parental advocacy in the wake of more budget cuts. Verdaillia Turner, president of the Atlanta Federation of Teachers and the Georgia Federation of Teachers spoke on the ramifications of teacher furloughs and how parent advocacy is necessary to deterring recurrences. Sen. Nan Orrock gave a thought-provoking account of the origin of school vouchers and explained the negative impact that vouchers have on Georgia’s public education system. Education Budget Committee member, Rep. Kathy Ashe, discussed the state of the current education budget. She also mentioned how previous cuts lead to Peach County’s school district shortening its school week to a four-day school week. The Parent Action Team is necessary.
We continue our three-part series introducing the new Atlanta Board of Education members with Courtney English (District 7). Mr. English is a former Atlanta Public Schools middle school teacher and community activist. Born and raised in Atlanta, he is a proud graduate of Morehouse College. English was a founding teacher at the new all-male B.E.S.T. Academy at Benjamin Carson where he taught seventh grade social studies. Ironically, English’s lessons were delivered in the same room where he learned the subject content as a student. English is a member of the 2007 Atlanta Corps of Teach for America and now direct his efforts toward enhancing the quality of education for students.
As a teacher, English designed and implemented a unique curriculum to teach “Applied Social Studies,” in which students learn the subject through the lens of all academic disciplines. His talents as an educator have been reinforced by his success rate in the classroom. Eighty percent of his students have met learning objectives with at least 80 percent proficiency for two consecutive years on the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT).
Notice of a public hearing: The Atlanta Board of Education will hold one public hearing on January 28, 2010, 5:30 p.m. at Thomasville Heights Elementary School, 1220 Henry Thomas Drive, SE, Atlanta, Georgia, in the auditorium.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the recommendation to modify the Parkside Elementary School zone to reflect the following: Current students living in the portion of the Parkside Elementary School zone that is south of Custer Avenue will be assigned to Thomasville Heights Elementary School. This recommendation will be affective at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
No vote will be taken at this public hearing.