When We Truly Lift Every Voice: A Three-Part Consideration of Activism in Atlanta in Post-Assimilation America
It was on Saturday, June 6 that my heart dropped. I had just come home from my socially distanced spin-class at Cycle Gang in College Park. I had not opened Facebook, turned on my television, or even checked messages. I…
GaDOE Offers Guidance on Opening Schools for the 2020-2021 School Year
This morning in a 10-page document, “Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools” the Georgia Department Education offered guidance to Georgia’s 181 school districts that containing over 2,200 schools that employ over 114,800 teachers who educate approximately 1.6 million students every day. This document came after…
The “Amy Cooper” Next Door: How Implicit Bias Works
Do you know a “Karen?” This very modern slur has been used to typify entitled, privileged behavior that results in demands or threats that go beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate. According to “slang” dictionary, a “Karen” is…
Dekalb County Schools Opts Not to Hire New Superintendent
In a surprising 4-3 vote, the Dekalb County Board of Education voted against hiring superintendent finalist, Rudy Crew during the board virtual work session. Crew an experienced leader from Miami and New York and currently as the acting president of…
Gwinnett and Cobb County Schools Transition to Four Day Work Weeks
In correspondence sent to parents, both Gwinnett County and Cobb County Schools have opted to transition to a four day work week starting April 13 after hearing from hundreds of parents around how online learning is going for students and…
Federal Waiver Approved Federal Assessment Waiver- No CCRPI for 2020 or State Testing
Immediately following the closure of metro Atlanta schools for two weeks on March 16th, Superintendent Roger Woods took the step to suspend teacher and leader evaluation and state assessment, and consequences with attendance. Followed by an announcement of the United…
Starting April 13, Atlanta Public Schools Will Offer Front Line Workers ‘Hero Pay’
Even though the last day of in person instruction stopped on March 13, 2020, some of Atlanta Public Schools Front Line Workers will receive hero pay. While teachers and principals work to finish out distance learning to the end of…
Changes to Advanced Placement Will Focus on Access and Preparation for 2019-2020 Exams
As the country has shifted to virtual learning, it looks likes the College Board, the organization behind Advanced Placement has issued new guidelines for schools effected by COVID-19 closures. The most telling one is that all exams will now be…
Atlanta Community Feedback Will Serve Food During Metro Area Spring Break
The Atlanta Community Food Bank will serve for Fulton County Schools families at 10 locations on April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ACFB works with over 600 nonprofits including food pantries, community kitchens, childcare centers, night shelters and…
COVID-19: School is Closed in Georgia: 5 Questions for Parents
Today at a 4:00 news conference, Governor Kemp announced that physical school buildings will be closed for the remainder of the school year. While a relief for some parents, for others it was a shocking turn of events that have…
My Experience with PTSD as an Educator in Atlanta
As an Army wife, it feels strange writing about my own experience with PTSD. I do not take the experiences of veterans who have suffered from PTSD lightly. But the reality is that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is more…
The ‘D’ Word: The Overwhelming Effects of Data on Schools.
[Based on the state’s CCRPI scores] “Elementary schools had total scores ranging from a high of 81.3 to a low of 39.8 points. The average elementary school score was a 64.2, while the state’s average elementary school score was 77.8,”…
Superhero: The Black Male School Counselor
It’s the first week of school, I’ve been paged… I know it’s probably one of my students- a first or fifth grader. I turn the corner to the downstairs First Grade Hallway and see Matthew*. He’s flailing and yelling at…
Teachers Must Not Only Be Non-Racist, But Anti-Racist
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces…
Opinion: The Purpose and Responsibility of Protesting in Atlanta
We stage sit-ins and we plant trees. We form petitions and we write letters. We mobilize and we strategize and we move our nation forward, together. This is the power and the purpose of protesting and let this not be…
How to Survive The ‘End Days’ in the Midst of a Pandemic
We are headed down the home stretch. The countdown has begun. This is the time of year when everyone thinks teachers are gleeful and full of vigor. It’s believed that the stress and rigor of the year should be slowly…
With the Risk of 275,000+ Teacher Being Laid Off, Council of Greater City Schools Urges Congress to Act
In an unprecedented move, the Council of the Greater City schools drafted asking Congress for emergency funding of $200+ billion for the upcoming school year. Without this aid, the group says that an estimated 275,000 teachers may lose their jobs….
Atlanta Public Schools Announces Plan for Graduation With Hashtag #Worththewait
In true Atlanta Public Schools fashion, senior students will go out with a bang with virtual graduation in May and later summer graduation in the summer- or later. After surveying 1,650 APS seniors across all 14 high schools, an overwhelming…
Dekalb County Schools Names Dr. Rudy Crew As Sole Finalist for Superintendent Job
Today the Dekalb County Board of Education announced Dr. Rudy Crew as the sole finalist in its search for a new superintendent. Bring to an end of a five-month search that yielded 68 applications and community input. While Dr. Crew…
Atlanta Board of Education Announces Dr. Lisa Herring as Finalist for Superintendent
At Tuesday’s board meeting the Atlanta Board of Education announced the sole finalist for Superintendent job, Dr. Lisa Herring- current Superintendent for Birmingham City Schools in Alabama. To the surprise of many, in October the Board launched a nationwide search…