Critical Communication

Trends and Happenings in Georgia Education

What You Need to Know to Stay Up to Date With Atlanta and Georgia Education

Kroger Donates Gift Cards to Metro Atlanta Teachers The Kroger Company’s Atlanta division recently donated $95,000 in gift cards to metro Atlanta school districts to help teachers buy school supplies. The cards were distributed to teachers in Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry and Rockdale Counties, as well as Atlanta Public Schools.

Marist Opens Goizueta Center The Marist School opened its new Goizueta Center for Immersive Experience and Design at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. The center, part of the school’s STEAM 2.0 initiative, features spaces for students to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects including robotics, 3D design and printing, broadcasting, podcasting and music technology.

Metro Atlanta Schools Named Blue Ribbon Winners Five metro Atlanta public schools and one local independent school have been honored as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020 by the U.S. Department of Education. The winners were Brooks Elementary, Cornerstone Christian Academy, DeKalb Early College Academy, Martha Ellen Stillwell School of the Arts, Murdock Elementary and State Bridge Crossing Elementary.

GACS Launces HighTech Platform Greater Atlanta Christian School has rolled out Synchronous Learning, a state-of-the-art remote access system that allows students in remote locations to collaborate in real time with interactive whiteboards, directional microphones and 55-inch monitors with 4K cameras in all K-12 classrooms.

Fayette County Names New Superintendent Johnathan S. Patterson took the reins of Fayette County Public Schools as its newest superintendent in October.

Westminster, GSMST Named State’s Best Niche.com, a website that reviews area schools, colleges, neighborhoods and companies, has once again named The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology as metro Atlanta’s best public high school, and The Westminster Schools as the area’s top independent high school. Pace Academy, Atlanta International School, The Paideia School and Fulton Science Academy rounded out the top 5 independent schools, with Northview, Walton, Alpharetta and Lambert

completing the top 5 public high schools.

APS Teams With Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Public Schools and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks recently announced a partnership to promote physical fitness during the pandemic. Through the team’s Hawks at Home program, APS students learn basketball skills from Hawks coaches, staffers and players.

GA Students Beat National Averages Georgia’s public school students have once again outperformed their counterparts across the country. For the third year in a row, Georgia students averaged a 1043 score on the SAT, beating the national average by 13 points. They also received a 21.7 average composite score on the ACT, higher than the national average of 20.6. This is the fifth year Georgia outpaced the ACT national average.

Pace Students Tackle Global Health Students at Pace Academy in Buckhead are taking a deep dive into issues concerning global health and education this school year. The focus comes by way of the school’s Isbell Center for Global Leadership, which aims to help mold Pace students into global citizens by helping them examine issues that affect the entire planet.

Debaters Win International Competition Atlanta’s Great Debaters student debate team won the Harvard Diversity Project’s International Debate Competition over the summer. This marks the third year in a row the team has won against others from across the globe. Langston Hughes High student Madison Webb and The Westminster Schools’ Christian Flournoy made history as the first Black girl and the youngest Black boy to win the tournament.

Education 101 Terms to Know in Your Search for the Right Educational Experience for Your Child

CHARTER SCHOOL A tax-supported public school that is independently run, allowing for greater educational choice for parents in the community.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING An educational approach using applied, hands-on methods of learning.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) A specifically designed comprehensive academic program emphasizing traditional disciplines while instilling a global perspective in its students.

MAGNET SCHOOL A public school that offers a specific or enhanced curriculum designed for students of special interest or ability.

MONTESSORI A school following the principles developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, focusing on the unique individuality, self-reliance and independence of children.

SPECIAL NEEDS A school or program for children who have mild to moderate learning differences. It usually features smaller class sizes, individualized attention and multisensory learning methods. ACCREDITATION Official certification that guarantees a school provides an education of a reasonably high quality. Schools must prove levels of quality and maintain continuous standards of improvement.

ACT An alternative to the SAT, this national college admissions examination consists of subject area tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, with an optional 40-minute writing test.

COLLEGE AND CAREER READY PERFORMANCE INDEX (CCRPI) A school improvement, accountability and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will prepare all Georgia public school students for colleges and careers.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Education that applies to children from birth to age 8, focusing specifically on their development, including physical, emotional, sensory, communicative, cognitive and social needs.

EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA) The main federal law for K-12 general education covers all students in public schools.

GEORGIA MILESTONES Tests designed to measure how well students in grades 3 through 12 acquire the skills and knowledge outlined in the state-adopted content standards. They replace the CRCT and involve both multiplechoice and free-response questions.

GEORGIA PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Statewide standards of academic content for all subjects K-12, to which every school must adhere and on which students are annually tested.

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Funded by the Georgia Lottery, this is a scholarship in the state that rewards academically achieving students with financial assistance to attend eligible

Did You Know? Georgia's high school graduation rate was 83.8 percent in 2020, nearly two points above the 2019 rate of 82.0 percent.

MISSION/PHILOSOPHY A statement outlining the guidelines a school follows as it works to achieve its various educational goals and/or maintain its performance standards.

NOTIFICATION DEADLINE The date by which an independent school notifies families of the acceptance of a child for enrollment to the school.

OPEN HOUSE An event held at a school where parents can learn more about the school and its offerings.

PSAT A standardized test that offers students practice for the SAT Reasoning Test and allows them to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

REPLY DEADLINE The date by which parents must notify an accepting school of their commitment to enroll their child at the school.

SAT This standardized test measures the critical thinking, writing and mathematical reasoning skills of students planning to attend college.

SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TEST (SSAT) The admissions test that many independent schools require students take in order to be considered for enrollment.

SUMMER CAMP A common destination for children and teenagers during the summer, at which they can participate in a variety of activities or classes.

Deciphering Associations and Organizations

Many local and national organizations work to improve summer camps and public and private schools by identifying those that meet certain standards through accreditation. These groups also set

Atlanta Area Association tion and school improveGeorgia Association of Christian Schools (GACS) gacs.org Uses indicators of quality, voluntary self-improvement and peer review to measure Christian school performance.

Georgia Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children (GAPSEC) gapsec.org Shares information about programs at independent schools for students with learning disabilities.

policies and offer services to city and state Georgia Independent educational communities. The following School Association (GISA) gisaschools.orgare just some of the associations and Serves the professional organizations you should know. growth, advocacy and interscholastic needs of The Association of best practices for Atlanta’s Boarding Schools (TABS) accredited independent Southern Association of boardingschools.com schools. Colleges and Schools Serves the development (SACS) sacs.org needs of boarding schools Cognia The recognized regional and provides information cognia.org accrediting body for public to potential students and Advances education excel- and private schools in the their families. lence through accredita- 11 U.S. Southern states. Association Montessori ment initiatives. Southern Association of Internationale (AMI) Independent Schools ami-global.org Department of Educa- (SAIS) sais.org Provides support, training tion (DOE) gadoe.org Provides accreditation, and development to Mon- The governing body for professional growth and tessori schools. the Georgia public school leadership development for system for grades K-12. independent U.S. schools. member schools. of Independent Schools For more information about these and other organizations and associations that (AAAIS) aaais.org ensure quality education among camps and schools, visit the websites of the Georgia Department of Education (gadoe.org) or the U.S. Department of Promotes standards and Education (ed.gov).