By Nathan Brown “Nathan Brown is a student of elementary education at Hamline University. He is a future educator who stands against the implementation of postmodern theory into public education and writes about these issues at NateBWriting.weebly.com. He also creates children’s music under the name ‘Captain Cool Kid’, and his first album, “Songs 4 Every1”, is […]
Author Archives: Zelda Andrews
We used to teach now we write full-time about all things education in Atlanta.
Posted inPolicy
Biden’s $170 Billion+ Plan to Reopen Schools in 100 Days
President Biden unveiled his administration’s first legislative priority in a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that pushes $130 billion to reopen schools in 100 days in a quest to get the pandemic under control and mitigate the economic and social impact on the country. While he intends to get bipartisan support of this package, Democrats hold […]
Posted inUncategorized
Betsy DeVos Resigns: Most Teachers Say Good Riddance
In the wake of the domestic terrorism by Trump supporters, Betsy DeVos was the second Cabinet from the Trump administration who has resigned. In her resignation letter sent on Thursday, she directly pointed to President Donald Trump for flaming the seeds of tension as his supporters stormed the nation’s capital. In her statement released to […]
Posted inNational News
Trump Hold American Schools Hostage Until After the Election
In true fashion, Donald Trump took to Twitter today to let the world know that a new Coronavirus relief package wouldn’t come until after the November 3rd election. This decision has the possibility of being a hurdle to the thousands of K-12 schools who are depending on the aid from Washington to operate during the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Atlanta Public Schools Announces Staggered Start Date and Virtual Learning for Fall Semester
In a memo to staff today, newly minted Superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring has made the decision to push school back for two weeks and starting virtually. This decision was made on the heels of Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms to move the city back to phase I with the mounting Coronavirus cases surging in Georgia. […]
Posted inCoranovirus
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 Center for Disease Control gave federal guidance to prioritize the health and safety of […]
Posted inUncategorized
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 Medgar Evers College had been met with criticism surrounding taxpayer’s dollars being improperly spent and […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
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. The letter came upon a time when COVID-19 cases topped one million in the United […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
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 percentage expressed interest for a delayed open-air (78%) or fall (71%) ceremony while fewer did […]
Posted inDekalb County Schools
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 will be voted on after the 14 Day Public Input Period mandated by Georgia Law, […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
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 for a replacement of the sometimes controversial Meria Carstarphen. Dr. Herring will bring more than […]
Posted inOpinion
The Heart of a Teacher is Consistent
Guest Writer: Melissa Kloeckner Educators have gone and done it again. Despite the short notice, FAPE law restrictions, and the varying home resources and needs of students, they have stepped up to the plate and risen to the occasion. I can already hear the voices… “Well, teachers are still getting paid so they should be […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion:Why Would Anyone Choose to Be a Teacher in 2020?
Guest Writer: Madison Woodward When I was a child, I used to play teacher and do lessons to my stuffed animals in my room, I even received an overhead projector for Christmas one year. But as I got older, I worried more about money and prestige than anything else; I did not want to be […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
Atlanta School Board Poised to Announce Carstarphen’s Replacement
On Friday Atlanta Public Schools Board President, Jason Esteves, released a statement updating the community on the status of the search to replace Carstarphen who came to the district in 2014 after a massive cheating scandal that rocked the district. The announcement came after in September 2019, the board announced that it would not renew […]
Posted inCoranovirus
While Others Districts Close Early, Cobb, Marietta, Fulton, and Atlanta Public Schools Opt to Stay Open
While other districts have opted to end school early, four metro Area school districts (Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, Marietta City Schools, and Cobb County) have opted to keep school going to the end of the school as previously scheduled. While Governor Kemp’s announcement that Georgia schools will remain closed through the end of […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools Closes Two Food Sites Due to Employees Testing Positive for COVID
On Thursday, April 16, Atlanta Public Schools announced the closer of two Food Distribution Sites- Thomasville Heights and Washington High School after learning that two employees who volunteered in food distribution at Thomasville Heights Elementary School in late March and two employees who volunteered in food distribution at Booker T. Washington High School in early […]
Posted inAnti Racism
Two Carrollton City Students Expelled Over Racist Videos
Hours after a racially offensive 50-second clip was posted to TikTok and within hours had thousands of page views, Carrollton City Schools took the unprecedented move to expel those students according to a message from Superintendent Dr. Mark Albertus. “The racist behavior observed in the video easily violates this standard,” he said. “They are no […]
Posted inGwinnett County Schools
State Superintendent Woods Urges Compassion Over Compliance
This morning State School Superintendent Richard Woods urged us to choose compassion over compliance in a message to Georgia parents and stakeholders. The correspondence started by praising Georgia’s teachers, educational leaders, parents, and students by them doing a remarkable job during our “new normal”. Wood continued with, “We have seen public education rise up and […]
Posted inDekalb County Schools
Dekalb County Schools Will End School Year Early
Dekalb County Schools has announced the plan to close the 2019-2020 school year early. According to the district’s Twitter account, the school year will end 4 days early on May 15th for grades PreK-11 instead of May 21st, the school year for Seniors will end on May 8th. The newly published End of Year Guide for […]
Posted inFulton County Schools
Dekalb County and Fulton County Schools Both Change Food Distribution Schedule
With most of the metro Atlanta schools coming out of Spring Break on April 13th, two metro area school districts have changed the way food distribution will be given to students as they continue virtual learning due to COVID-19. Beginning Monday, April 13, Dekalb County Schoools will “transition to a modified meal service plan under […]
Posted inTeaching in Atlanta
Buford City Schools Implements New Grading System
Starting March 30th, Buford City Schools will implement a new grading system for the remainder of school closure (through April 27) for grades 1-8. The goal of this new grading system is to provide low impact grades for all students while providing additional support for those students who have not yet mastered standards in the […]
Posted inPolicy
Georgia Department of Health Gives Guidance on Picking Up Items from School Settings
Late Friday, the Georgia Department of Health gave guidance on picking up materials and other belongings for schools. Noting that there is still a lot that is unknown about the newly emerged COVID-19 and how it spreads. The Center for Disease Control has cautioned that it may be possible that a person can get COVID19 […]
Posted inCoranovirus
Nation’s Governors Send Letter to U.S. Department of Education
This week the on behalf of the Education & Workforce Committee, governors from around the United States urged the U.S. Department of Education to disburse funds to states and territories from the Education Stabilization Fund of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136). In addition to the ask, they also […]
Posted inPost Secondary
Fall Study Abroad Programs Canceled at Emory University
After canceling all in-person summer programming and going completely off-campus and in remote learning format, and May Commencement, Jan Love, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Emory University announced that all university-sponsored study abroad for undergraduate students in Fall 2020 is canceled. Love added to the announcement, “We have made this […]