Atlanta Public Schools and the Atlanta Board of Education have earned the equivalent of the “Triple Crown,” achieving three of the nation’s most prestigious education honors for 2009.
This achievement culminated last night (Thursday, Oct. 29) with Atlanta Board of Education Member Emmett Johnson capturing the Richard R. Green Award, the nation’s highest honor for urban education leadership, at the Council of the Great City Schools Fall conference in Portland, Ore. The Council represents 66 of the largest urban school districts in the nation, educating 7.1 million students.
Throughout his 12-year tenure with the Atlanta Board of Education, Johnson has played a leading role in strengthening the relationship between the school board and the superintendent. His efforts laid the groundwork for Atlanta’s transformation to a high performing school district and a national model for urban school reform.
Just a month earlier, the Atlanta Board of Education won the Council of Urban School Boards of Education (CUBE) 2009 annual award of Urban School Board Excellence. This prestigious award honors urban school districts that demonstrate progress in educating children and serve as role models in school board governance. CUBE represents 115 school boards in 35 states and the Virgin Islands, educating more than 8 million students in more than 12,000 schools.