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District honors

APS earns national budget and financial reporting awards

by talkupaps 12 Oct 2010

written by talkupaps

Atlanta Public Schools has been awarded the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) Meritorious Budget Award for excellence in the preparation and issuance of the 2010-11 school system budget. The award was designed to recognize school business administration for achieving excellence in budget preparation. This marks the fifth year the district has earned this prestigious budget award.

Founded in 1910, ASBO has nearly 6,000 school business management professionals as members. The association provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth, and the effective use of educational resources. Last month, the district earned ASBO’s Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2009. The award is considered the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting.

12 Oct 2010 0 comment

Dr. Hall becomes chair-elect of the Council of the Great City Schools

by talkupaps 1 Jul 2010

written by talkupaps

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall takes office today as chair-elect of the Council of the Great City Schools. In June 2009, Dr. Hall was elected as secretary-treasurer of the organization, which comprises 67 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems.

Portland Public Schools board member Dilafruz Williams will serve as chairwoman of the organization, and Florida’s Hillsborough County School District member Candy Olson will be secretary-treasurer.

“As the nation’s school districts face mounting economic challenges in the upcoming school year, we’re confident that the Council’s board will steer urban school reforms forward despite the obstacles,” said Council Executive Director Michael Casserly.

1 Jul 2010 0 comment

APS takes a greener path

by talkupaps 30 Jun 2010

written by talkupaps

Atlanta Public Schools has embraced plenty of green initiatives, such as schoolyard gardens and outdoor classrooms. Last year, Springdale Park Elementary opened as the first APS facility to seek LEED certification. By the way, Springdale Park will be honored during a ceremony at City Hall tonight by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.

But APS plans to do even more for the environment. The APS Facilities Services Department has launched a Green Awareness Campaign with the goal of creating awareness for green initiatives around the district. The program kicks off today with a paper recycling program.

Over the next couple of weeks, representatives from the Energy and Environmental Services Department will place blue recycling containers in common areas throughout the Center for Learning and Leadership building, year-round school sites, as well as designated summer school sites.

The Valerie Dial Thomas Facilities Service Center also will be included in the initial distribution. The program will progressively roll out to the entire district during the 2010-11 academic year. This exciting new program will partner with school-based recycling programs throughout the district.

It’s just one more example of how Atlanta Public Schools is Making a Difference in the lives of its students — and the planet!

30 Jun 2010 0 comment

APS Office of Communications wins big in NSPRA competition

by talkupaps 18 Jun 2010

written by talkupaps

The APS Office of Communications snagged a range of awards in the recent National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) contest surveying work done in publications and electronic media. Graphic Designer Charlotte Napper won three awards. She won an Excellence Award (or first place) in the Special Purposes Publication category for her Lowery Lecture Series program, a Merit (or second place) award in the Branding/Imaging Package category for her “Journey to Excellence” brochure, and an Honorable Mention in the Marketing Materials category for her Neighborhood Celebration brochure. Director of Communications Morieka Johnson won two Excellence (or first place) awards — in the Handbook category for the 2009-10 Guidebook, and in the Print Newsletters — External Audience category for The Atlanta Educator.

18 Jun 2010 2 comments

APS helps students, teachers tap into their creative side with summer academy at the Woodruff

by talkupaps 10 Jun 2010

written by talkupaps

UPDATES: Watch video of a morning session here. Watch video of Young Middle orchestra teacher Robert Jeffrey and a student here.

More than 120 students and nearly 30 teachers throughout Atlanta Public Schools have taken up residence, almost literally, at the Woodruff Arts Center for a month of intense study. The second-annual Middle School and High School Summer Academy for the Arts and Sciences allows gifted and talented students to work in a more creative learning environment while gifted-endorsement candidate teachers to take the next step in their certification process.

The program keeps everyone on their toes. Students spend the first two weeks taking classes in the morning and then spend the afternoon tapping into visual- or performing-arts classes. The gifted-endorsement candidates spend the first week observing master teachers, and then the endorsement candidates take it from there.

All of this learning and instruction, in one of the best cultural arts settings in the nation, helps Atlanta Public Schools take arts education to the next level. APS has partnered with the Woodruff Arts Center to establish the Atlanta Studio Conservatory, a fine-arts school that will be housed in the planned Woodruff complex expansion for the 2011-2012 school year. APS and the Woodruff signed a “new project memorandum” for the school back in early May.

“We want to make it possible for our students to be a position in which, when they graduate from high school, they will already have had a conservatory atmosphere in the arts,” explained APS Fine Arts Director Cynthia Terry. “This way, when they get to a performing-arts college or conservatory, they won’t need to take developmental courses. They’ll be better prepared.”

Program Coordinator Althea Bolton can feel the excitement among the students, especially those who are returning for their second year. “The excitement is about not being in a traditional classroom setting,” said Bolton, who pointed to a Thursday morning pre-lecture from members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra followed by an ASO rehearsal. “They don’t get this in a normal classroom setting. The key piece to this program is for the students to realize, if they’re going to be true artists, they need to put in the time to perfect their craft. And being in this atmosphere helps acclimate them to that idea.”

Check out the classes the students are taking, at the jump …

10 Jun 2010 2 comments

APS students sign on the dotted line during Project GRAD Atlanta’s College Signing Day

by talkupaps 30 Apr 2010

written by talkupaps

College-bound APS seniors got their moment in the sun Thursday during the fourth-annual Project GRAD-Atlanta College Signing Day. During the ceremony, parents and college representatives watch as each student signs on the dotted line at the school they will attend in the fall.

Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) provides activities and support so that economically disadvantaged students chart a path to college by. The program also offers up to $4,000 in scholarships to Brumley-GRAD scholars along with support at the college level. Now in its 10th year, Project GRAD currently serves students at Booker T. Washington High School, The New Schools at Carver and South Atlanta Educational Complex, along with six middle schools and 16 elementary schools.

30 Apr 2010 0 comment

APS eighth-graders advance in state writing test

by talkupaps 26 Apr 2010

written by talkupaps

APS students improved their performance by five percentage points and closed the achievement gap between the district and students around the state on the 2010 Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment. Seventy-nine percent of APS students scored at “meets” or “exceeds” standards levels.

The results indicate that the previous performance gap on the state writing assessment between APS and state averages has been eliminated. The new Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment was administered for the first time in 2007.

A total of 3,173 APS students took the state writing test. The results indicated that APS students improved their performance from 74 percent meeting or exceeding standards last year to 79 percent scoring in those categories on the 2010 results.

“These results clearly show that our teachers and school-based staff and administrators are making a difference where it counts in terms of our student performance,” said Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall. “This type of improvement over time clearly demonstrates that our reform programs implemented over the past decade are effective in escalating student academic performance.”

26 Apr 2010 0 comment

APS Operations Officer Larry Hoskins receives national award

by talkupaps 20 Apr 2010

written by talkupaps

APS Deputy Superintendent of Operations Larry Hoskins received the Council of the Great City Schools’ (CGCS) Distinguished Service Award last week at the organization’s Chief Operating Officers Conference in Florida. The award honors operations officials who exemplify leadership, innovation, commitment and professionalism in urban education. Hoskins has been with APS since 2009. Prior to coming to APS, he served in a number of operations positions in public school districts in Ohio. APS Operations is responsible for transportation, facilities, nutrition, security and warehouse services.

CGCS is a Washington, D.C.-based organization, whose membership includes 66 of the largest urban school districts in the country. The organization provides support and advocacy for all aspects of urban public education.

20 Apr 2010 14 comments

The Atlanta Educator is on newsstands … and online!

by talkupaps 18 Mar 2010

written by talkupaps

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.

18 Mar 2010 1 comment

Four APS students named 2010 Horatio Alger Georgia Scholars

by talkupaps 25 Feb 2010

written by talkupaps

Only 50 high school seniors have been recognized as 2010 Horatio Alger Georgia Scholars, but four of those students attend Atlanta Public Schools. Please congratulate Kamalia Blunt and Shaeroya Earls of Booker T. Washington High School, as well as LaToria Dixon and Amanda Harrison of Frederick Douglass High. Each student will receive a college scholarship totaling $5,000 from the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation.

APS graduates from the class of 2009 amassed more than $92 million in scholarship offers, so look for this year’s graduating class to meet — and hopefully exceed — that number. Also, special thanks to Principal Sharonda Murrell of the Douglass School of Communication & Journalism for spreading the good news.

25 Feb 2010 2 comments

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District honors

APS earns national budget and financial reporting awards

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Dr. Hall becomes chair-elect of the Council of the Great City Schools

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APS takes a greener path

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APS Office of Communications wins big in NSPRA competition

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APS helps students, teachers tap into their creative side with summer academy at the Woodruff

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APS eighth-graders advance in state writing test

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APS Operations Officer Larry Hoskins receives national award

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The Atlanta Educator is on newsstands … and online!

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Four APS students named 2010 Horatio Alger Georgia Scholars

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