DeKalb’s Nancy Jester: Parents deserve more choices. “Yes” on charter schools amendment.
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 hour ago
DeKalb school board member Nancy Jester supports the charter schools amendment. Here is why: *For an opposing view, read DeKalb board member Eugene Walker’s piece.* By Nancy Jester Let’s set the record straight about who controls education in Georgia. Superintendents and their administrators do. Local boards of education do hire the Superintendent but once in place, these educrats are in the driver’s seat. The legal framework in our state reinforces the supremacy of the superintendent’s position relative to a board. School system administrations choose who works in the system and... more »
DeKalb’s Eugene Walker: Keep schools in local hands. “No” on charter schools amendment
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 hour ago
DeKalb school board Chairman Eugene Walker opposes the charter schools amendment. Here’s why: *For an opposing view, read DeKalb board member Nancy Jester’s piece.* By Dr. Eugene Walker While most of us are going about our daily lives in our normal routines, there are a handful of folks at the State Capitol who have been up to no good. With our economy still in tatters and our home values still at historic lows, these lawmakers approved a referendum which will appear on the November ballot which would have devastating effects on the DeKalb County School District and the children ... more »
An invitation from the AJC editor to a pre-k forum Thursday. It’s a great panel. Hope to see you there.
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 4 hours ago
[image: downeyart (Medium)]On behalf of Kevin Riley, the editor of the AJC: Dear Friends: • Georgia’s Pre-K early childhood education program has been a national model in its 20 years of existence. • “Where does it go from here?” is a question many are pondering today. To help answer that question, the AJC is inviting metro Atlantans to an Atlanta Forward community forum on Pre-K sponsored by PNC Bank. Attendance and parking are free, but registration’s required. “*PRE-K TURNS 20: WHAT’S NEXT*?” takes place Thursday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Georgia Public Broadcastin...more »
A child with autism shines with Katy Perry’s help
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 15 hours ago
My AJC colleague Jay Bookman ends the week with a music video. I want to follow his example today as I think this music video also delivers a message about the power of education to improve kids’ lives. (And it also speaks to the character of singer Katy Perry.)
An email from principals asks charter school teachers/staff to sign onto the amendment battle. Is that legal?
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 day ago
In a ruling a few weeks ago, the Georgia Attorney General said that school systems could not use public resources/funds to either oppose or support the charter schools amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot. The decision came in response to complaints from attorney and voucher advocate Glenn Delk that school superintendents and boards were speaking out against the amendment on public time and money. Attorney General Sam Olens notified the state DOE to alert local school boards that they “do not have the legal authority to expend funds or other resources to advocate or oppose the ratificat... more »
Closing the achievement gap: We’ve been building vocabulary. How about also building character?
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 day ago
What sets children on a successful path in school and, hopefully, in life? The current belief is that it’s how much children know, so we buy math flashcards for 3-year-olds and sit toddlers down in front of “Baby Einstein” videos. We eliminate recess to direct more time to reading and numbers. But is the answer stuffing information into children’s brains at earlier ages? A new book suggests that we are focusing on developing the wrong abilities. What might contribute more to children’s success — especially children growing up amid deep adversity — is persistence, self-control, cu... more »
Student produced video questions push for charter schools amendment
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 day ago
Now students are getting into the charter amendment debate. Here is a video by two Grady High School students. I am not allowing comments on this post because I am on deadline today and can’t monitor comments. I recognize that many of you will disagree with the students, but I applaud student involvement in public policy debates.
Atlanta explains how it calculates value-added scores. Using scores for “improvement, not accountability.”
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 2 days ago
* I ran a letter a few days ago from the principal of an Atlanta charter school expressing concerns* about the value-added scores assigned to his school. *A**tlanta is looking at both teacher and school-level value-added as part of its Effective Teacher in Every Classroom initiativ*e. Using test scores, researchers are calculating how much “learning” Atlanta students gain in the standard school year. This sort of calculation is being made for school districts and teachers nationwide and will ultimately be done for every school system in Georgia as we move to accountability models... more »
Did Atlanta superintendent overhaul North Atlanta High and upset community without reason or true data?
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 2 days ago
In his explanation for the administrative purge at North Atlanta High School 12 days ago, APS Superintendent Erroll B. Davis cited poor academic performance. A forensic accountant from Midtown decided to research that statement and found a much different picture than what Davis presented. “He seemed to imply that North Atlanta High School should be held to a higher standard than other APS schools because of the neighborhood’s wealth,” said Jarod Apperson, who writes the Grading Atlanta blog. “While the neighborhood includes wealthy residents who attend private schools, NAHS itsel... more »
Guest column: Charter schools amendment is cash cow
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 3 days ago
The charter schools amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot has generated record numbers of op-ed submissions across my desk. I published *one here yesterday in support of the amendment*. I am running an opposing view today. This is by the Teaching Georgia Writing Collective, a group of educators, parents and citizens who engage in public writing and public teaching about education in Georgia. The group had its impetus in Athens and includes UGA faculty. The writers contend that charter schools are now being seen as a business opportunity, and the amendment will increase those seeking to ... more »
School board rep: Until we know truth about North Atlanta High, delay extension of Erroll Davis’ contract
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 3 days ago
School board member Nancy Meister, who represents the North Atlanta High School community, clashed with board chair Reuben McDaniel over allegations of institutional racism at North Atlanta High, a*s revealed in emails obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.* APS school chief Erroll Davis replaced the leadership team of the Buckhead high school 12 days ago, angering hundreds of parents who packed a meeting last week to demand an explanation. At the meeting, Davis was in the unusual role of attempting to convince 900 parents and students that their beloved school was not near... more »
Former college prof and AP teacher: Advanced Placement is “one of the great frauds” in high school today
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 4 days ago
The Atlantic offers a provocative essay *maintaining that AP classes are a scam and over hyped*. The piece is by John T. Tierney, a former college professor who also taught AP classes at a high school. (According to his bio, he received his Ph.D from Harvard and B.A. from Johns Hopkins. He retired from Boston College in 2000 and later taught American government and American history at an independent high school.) There is research that students who take AP classes and AP exams perform better in college. However, increasingly, college professor complain to me that AP classes are n... more »
Former DOE official: Amendment 1 should be about quality charter schools
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 4 days ago
Andrew Broy is the president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Formerly, he was associate state superintendent for the Georgia Department of Education where he oversaw charter schools. Broy supports the recreation of a state-appointed commission to approve charters and explains why in this essay: By Andrew Broy I have watched the debate over the constitutional amendment over the past year and am increasingly puzzled by the arguments. When House Bill 881 was signed by the governor in 2008, one of the key goals was to create an independent, single-purpose body that could... more »
Rating teachers: Ruining the profession and running off good people
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 5 days ago
With teacher ratings becoming a reality, many people are expressing concerns about the impact on the profession. I read two great pieces this weekend that I want to share here. (Also, please read the column I ran Friday from *a charter school principal in Atlanta about his concerns over the low value-added score given his school.)* In an op-ed in The New York Times, Deborah Kenny, chief executive and founding principal of Harlem Village Academies and the author of “Born to Rise: A Story of Children and Teachers Reaching Their Highest Potential,” joins the chorus of concern, noting... more »
Student success, Georgia economy threatened by state’s declining support
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 5 days ago
Taifa S. Butler is the deputy director of *Georgia Budget & Policy Institute,* which will release *a survey today of Georgia’s 180 school districts* on the impact of state funding cuts. The 150 districts that responded too the survey educate more than 92 percent of the students in public schools. The survey found that the state’s lack of support for education diminishes learning opportunities for students by forcing school districts to shorten the school year, increase class size, reduce the number of teachers and cut teacher pay. By Taifa S. Butler Georgia’s future depends on it... more »
North Atlanta drama continues. Parents now alarmed over teacher resignation.
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 6 days ago
I am getting copied on emails between parents at North Atlanta High School and APS, and it doesn’t sound like detente has been reached over the purge of the school’s leadership team a week ago. I am also getting calls now on the resignation of an English/journalism teacher whose hiring created tensions between principal Mark MyGrant and APS, although it remains unclear why. The resignation of Amy Durham, coupled with the reassignment of* **Laura Brazil, academy leader for North Atlanta High’s Global Broadcasting and Journalism, *has alarmed many parents with children in the progra... more »
Does AYP tell the whole story of any school, whether North Atlanta or Lilburn Middle?
Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 6 days ago
In his explanation to nearly 900 parents and students at North Atlanta High on why he gutted the school’s leadership team in a blitzkrieg eight days ago, APS school chief Erroll Davis cited the school’s underperformance. “This should be our premier school in this city,” he told the crowd. “It’s not a sin to be in the middle of the pack. But I don’t want that to be the standard for North Atlanta High School. With the kind of commitment, with the resources that are available in this community, this school should be at the head of the pack.” Unflappable and polite, Davis faced tough ... more »