Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, House Speaker Jon Burns, and key Republican members of the General Assembly, held a press conference to unveil significant budget and safety priorities for education in Georgia. These measures aim to address critical needs in K-12 education and enhance […]
Category: Georgia Department of Education
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia Introduces School Voucher Program for Students in Low-Performing Schools
The Georgia Office of Student Achievement has identified hundreds of elementary, middle, and high schools across the state as low-performing. In response, the state is rolling out the Georgia Promise Scholarship, a school voucher program designed to provide new educational opportunities for affected families. The Georgia Promise Scholarship offers eligible students a $6,500 voucher that […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Governor Kemp questions decision to reject AP African American History Course
Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp is questioning State Superintendent Richard Woods’ decision not to approve AP African American History for the 2024-2025 school year. In an open letter dated today, Kemp acknowledges that his office doesn’t have a role in the decision. However, he says his office has fielded calls from stakeholders seeking information about […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
State Superintendent Richard Woods does not approve course focused on African American history
In a unilateral move, State School Superintendent Richard Woods decided not to recommend adding Advanced Placement African American History to the state catalog for the 2024-2025 school year. Richard Woods, Georgia School Superintendent This change comes after the state approved several school districts to offer a pilot in the 2023-2024 school year, and students were […]
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Emory University relocates commencement ceremony after- Pro-Palestinian protests on campus
College students across the United States are protesting the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israeli forces. Last week Emory University became one of the sights to see student resistance. On April 25th, protestors in Atlanta established an encampment on Emory’s campus to demand the university divestment from Israel and Cop City, a police and fire […]
Posted inGeorgia Politics
New dashboard highlights reading readiness across the state
Starting today, it will be easier for educators, communities, and stakeholders to access literacy data at the state, district, and school levels. Through the Reading Readiness Dashboard, Georgians can access information on the percentage of students reading below, on, and above grade level for every school, district, and Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) region in […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia to deploy 60 full-time literacy coaches in elementary schools statewide
In a move aimed at enhancing literacy outcomes in elementary schools across Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has announced plans to place 60 full-time literacy coaches in elementary schools throughout the state. The initiative, unveiled today by State School Superintendent Richard Woods, targets the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools to bolster literacy education […]
Posted inGeorgia Politics
Georgia Senate Committee on Education & Youth passes bills during meeting
The Georgia Senate Committee held its Education & Youth Committee Meeting at 2:30 p.m. yesterday. During the brief meeting, the committee passed two bills. The first was SB 208, which aims to provide education fees. The bill’s First Reader Summary reads, “To amend Chapter 71 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, […]
Posted inGeorgia Politics
Georgia schools getting electric buses through federal grant
by Dave Williams | Jan 23, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA – Seven Georgia school districts will receive nearly $60 million in federal funding for new electric and low-emission buses. The Georgia grant is part of $1 billion going to school systems across the country to pay for clean buses. The money comes from the bipartisan infrastructure spending […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Superintendent Woods appoints leader to build statewide literacy coaching model
State School Superintendent Richard Woods has appointed Dr. J. Nicholas Philmon, a key figure in developing structured literacy practices in Marietta City Schools, to spearhead and develop a statewide literacy coaching model in Georgia. As the Structured Literacy Coaching Coordinator, Dr. Philmon, while retaining his position with Marietta City Schools, will collaborate with the Georgia […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Mentions Education In State of The State Address
Today, Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his State of the State Address at the Georgia Capitol Museum. At the beginning of the address, Kemp promised to “put hard work and Georgians first,” fund priorities like education, public safety, and healthcare, and keep the government “efficient, responsible, and accountable.” During the address, Kemp mentioned the Georgia Match […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
We’re hiring! Seeking a general assignments reporter for
ABOUT THE ROLE Education in Atlanta is seeking a general assignments reporter who has range and can follow the beat to all things happening around the metro area that directly (and indirectly) impact education. This job is great for someone who likes to dig beyond the headlines, seeking documents and data to evaluate education programs […]
Posted inAtlanta Public Schools
State Superintendent: Baffled by Atlanta Public Schools keeping state retention bonuses
This holiday season, many public school teachers in Georgia are celebrating Gov. Brian Kemp giving all state employees a $1,000 retention bonus, including teachers. However, Education in Atlanta has learned that there is confusion on whether teachers in Atlanta Public Schools will receive the additional compensation. On Monday, Governor Kemp announced educators would be given […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Gov. Kemp announces $1000 bonus for all state employees
Gov. Kemp announces bonuses for every state employee, including public school teachers; each k-12 educator will receive a $1000 bonus that will appear on a paycheck this month. During a news conference, Gov. Brian Kemp announced this morning where Speaker Burns, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett, and Senator Bo Hatchett joined him. “We are […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia Council on Literacy tackling tough challenge head-on
by Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service KENNESAW – Georgia’s low literacy rate can be fixed despite the dismal statistics currently plaguing educators, the head of a council of state legislators, literacy experts, teachers, and school district officials said Tuesday. “We will not shrink back from our mission,” Scott Johnson, chairman of the Georgia Council on Literacy, […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Governor Kemp’s GEORGIA MATCH Initiative to Send 120,000 High School Seniors College Admission Letters
Next week, more than 120,000 high school seniors in Georgia will receive personalized letters from Governor Kemp. These letters will list the public technical institutions, colleges, and universities in the state that are reserving spots for them in the Fall 2024 semester based on their academic eligibility. This initiative, known as GEORGIA MATCH, is a […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Schools across Georgia are recognized as Literacy Leaders
Schools in Georgia with more than 90% of their third-grade students reading and grade level or above or with a 15% or higher increase are being recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as Literacy Leaders. A total of 155 schools across Georgia met the qualifications with seventy recognized for achievement and 85 recognized for […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia schools show gains in early literacy for 2022-2023 Milestone Assessments
Last week the Georgia Department of Education released scores from the 2022-2023 Milestones Assessments, and there seems to be early gains in early literacy across the state. The 3rd Grade Georgia Milestones Assessment measures how well 3rd-grade students have learned knowledge and skills in the core areas of language arts and mathematics. The third grade […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
State Board of Education considers change to minimum percentage requirement for End of Course Assessments
The State Board of Education meetings held on June 14th and 15th heard two rule changes that will impact students in grades K-12 this upcoming school year. The first rule was focused on waiving the promotion, placements, and retention rule for the Georgia Milestones Math Assessments for students in grades 5 and 8. The second rule […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia dropping ‘woke’ words from teacher preparation rules
by Dave Williams | Jun 8, 2023 | Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA – The Georgia Professional Standards Commission voted unanimously Thursday to delete “woke” words, including “equity” and “inclusion,” from the state’s teacher preparation rules. Along with “diversity,” a word the commission voted last month to delete from the preparation standards, the changes were requested by the University System […]
Posted inGeorgia Politics
Professional Standards Commission dumping ‘diversity’ from teacher preparation rules
by Dave Williams | May 11, 2023 | Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA – The Georgia Professional Standards Commission voted unanimously Thursday to remove the word “diversity” from the state’s educator preparation rules despite an outpouring of opposition. The request to delete diversity and several other words came from the University System of Georgia, which was seeking to clarify expectations […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Four Georgia students recognized as U.S. Presidential Scholars
Four Georgia students have been recognized as one of the 59th class U.S. Presidential Scholars, a prestigious honor for the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. According to the press release, Aira Dani of Northview High School, Michelle Li of North Oconee High School, Sahil Sood of Lambert High School, and Jack Xu of […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
Georgia Professional Standards Commission set to vote on removing diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements from educator training
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) is scheduled to vote on May 11, 2023, to remove language for diversity, equity, and inclusion language from requirements for educator training. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) was established in 1991 to assume full responsibility for the preparation, certification, and professional conduct of certified personnel employed in Georgia […]
Posted inGeorgia Department of Education
The science of reading undergirds Georgia’s new literacy-education laws
by Rebecca Grapevine | Apr 21, 2023 | Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA – Georgia is gearing up to implement a new approach to teaching reading in the early grades. Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed into law two literacy bills passed during this year’s legislative session. About 36% of Georgia third graders read below grade level, according to the state’s 2022 Milestones test results, […]