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U.S. DOE: Nation’s high school graduation rate hits record of 82 percent
The U.S. Department of Education this morning announced a record high school graduation of 82 percent for 2013-2014. Georgia’s 2013-2014 rate was 72.5. Last month, the state released its 2015...
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Myth of hero teacher who swoops in and saves children from poverty, racism...
Ed Boland’s gritty new memoir about teaching in a tough New York City school will not put him on a pedestal alongside classroom legends Jaime Escalante (“Stand and Deliver”), Erin Gruwell (“Freedom...
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New survey finds surprising opinions about tests
A new national poll offers a basis beyond anecdote to report what parents, children and educators think about tests. Feb. 16, 2016, Atlanta — A protest against testing during a rally at the Georgia...
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Study: Black students three times more likely to be in gifted programs if...
A new study out of Indiana University and Vanderbilt University finds black teachers are more likely to refer black students to gifted services and classes, which give children creative learning...
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Spend less on jailing adolescents and more on educating them
Brian L. Pauling is president and CEO of 100 Black Men of America, Inc., a global nonprofit mentoring organization with more than 100 chapters reaching 125,000 youth in the United States, the United...
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Fulton principal on defying the odds: ‘Good is never an option when better is...
Serena Lowe, the principal of Conley Hills Elementary School in East Point, sent a note about her Fulton County school, which, despite high poverty levels, scored an 80.2 on the state’s latest College...
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Fifty years after Coleman Report: Are we any more open to integration by...
In his landmark study of American schools, sociologist James S. Coleman arrived at a startling conclusion: “The educational resources provided by a child’s fellow students are more important for his...
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Damned by data: Do states spend more time rating schools than helping them?
In this age of data worship, state education agencies seem to devote more time to rating schools than helping them. Many state legislatures have embraced a “damned by data” strategy to force change in...
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Despite demographic shifts, Gwinnett outpaces state averages in Georgia...
Statewide, students performed a bit better on the second round of the Georgia Milestones compared to last year when the test made its debut. As usual, Gwinnett County posted a strong showing, which is...
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Do Georgia’s new Milestones tests demand too much of younger students?
With some time to review the 2016 Milestones results, I see no cause for panic. Unless you are Atlanta, DeKalb or Clayton. The underperformance of some schools in those districts, especially APS,...
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NAACP calls for halt to privately managed charter schools. Will that hurt or...
David Mitchell is founder, CEO and president of Better Outcome for Our Kids or BOOK. A new Atlanta-based nonprofit, BOOK seeks to educate the African-American community about school choice options,...
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Black, rural and impoverished: Are colleges ignoring these students?
Darris R. Means is an assistant professor in the University of Georgia College of Education. In the essay below, he examines the lack of outreach by colleges to rural youth, particularly black...
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Pass the Opportunity School District. Then, pass real school choice.
Atlanta attorney Glenn Delk has been urging greater school choice in Georgia for 25 years and has done legal work for charter schools, most of it pro bono. In this piece, he defends and endorses the...
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Failing schools can turn around without Opportunity School District. Here’s how.
Since retiring in 2014 as superintendent of the Gainesville, Ga., schools, Merrianne Dyer has been consulting in other states through the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson and the...
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Opinion: Real scandal in APS and other districts is intense focus on testing
AJC education reporter Molly Bloom updated us last week on students whose test scores were changed in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal and whether they’re getting the promised academic help....
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Her father desegregated America’s public schools. Now, she champions charter...
Cheryl Brown Henderson, whose father Oliver Brown was the leading plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education, writes today about the value of charter schools and how school choice relates to her father’s...
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National SAT scores down. Georgia up. Does it mean anything?
Do SAT scores mean anything? Can we draw anything from the news today national scores are down slightly despite a push for more “rigor” and an increased emphasis on literacy starting in kindergarten?...
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State releases Milestones results. As predicted, fewer students show proficiency
They’re here — the statewide results of the first round of the Georgia Milestones tests. District and school level results will be released in October. As expected, the statewide results across k-12...
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‘I want to drop out of college with debt and no degree so I can move into my...
In the student accountability debate, most parents are unaware the test is only part of the equation. An important decision is what score on the test is deemed passing. This is called the cut score and...
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Opinion: Offer more school choice to African-American students
David Mitchell is founder, CEO and president of Better Outcomes for Our Kids or BOOK. An Atlanta-based nonprofit, BOOK promotes school choice options, including traditional public schools, public...
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