 The second half of the 2007-2008
school year is off to a great start.
In fact, since the beginning of 2008, we have had the chance to honor some of
Georgia's top performing schools and teachers across the state. This is the
good news about education that you often don't hear about or read about, so I
want to take this opportunity to spread the word.
As we tackle the challenges facing education today, it is very important we
take the time to recognize our many successes and say "job well done!"
Schools of Excellence and Blue Ribbon Schools
On February 8, I was honored to celebrate with two groups of schools that
are making our state very proud: The Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student
Achievement and the National Blue Ribbon Schools.
These schools met rigorous criteria to be recognized at the state and national
level. Many of these schools face challenges, including widespread poverty. But
these award-winning schools have a "no excuses" mentality that has led to great
results and much-deserving recognition.
We celebrated their accomplishments February 8 during the Excellence Awards
Banquet held at the Georgia World Congress Center. The night featured the
Etowah High School Air Force ROTC and student performances by "HeighLeit" from
the DeKalb School of the Arts and the Senior Dance Troupe from Savannah Arts
Academy.
We heard from three students speakers who told us what made their school great:
Sydney Stepney, from F.L. Stanton Elementary in Atlanta, Emily Wallace, from
Huntington Middle School in Houston County and Robert Noel, from Walton High
School in Cobb County.
It was a great night for everyone involved. I'd like to say a very special
thank you to all those who attended and our sponsors who made the night
possible.
- Georgia
Schools of Excellence
-
National Blue Ribbon Schools
-
Excellence Awards Banquet Sponsors
Other recognitions:
- 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalists:
On February 14, I was proud to announce the
10 finalists for 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year. These finalists were
chosen from a pool of 141 school district Teachers of the Year based on answers
to essay questions. A team of judges will visit the finalists at their schools
to observe them in the classroom and conduct a face-to-face interview. We'll
announce the winner on May 9 at the Georgia Teacher of the Year Banquet, held
at the Georgia Aquarium.
- Advanced Placement Honor Schools:
We also recently recognized
more than 80 AP Honor Schools that have done an exceptional job getting
more students to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and pass the rigorous AP
exams. We continue to see tremendous growth in the number of students taking --
and succeed in -- AP classes. This was confirmed by
The
AP Report to the Nation which was also released this month.
Sincerely,
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The
Annual Report on Georgia Charter Schools was released in December and
gives in-depth data on the performance of Georgia's 71 charter schools as a
whole and individually. The report confirms that Georgia's charter schools
serve a more diverse population racially and socio-economically, yet these
schools get results that are as good, if not better, than our public schools as
a whole. There are twice as many charter schools this year than there were in
2005. Next school year, the number of charters could jump to over 100.
|
Georgia Charter
Schools |
State of Georgia |
| Students |
|
|
| Percent Minority |
61% |
53% |
| Percent in Poverty |
56% |
50% |
| Performance |
|
|
| Percent of schools making AYP |
85% |
82% |
| Pass rate on Reading CRCT
(2007)
|
89% |
87% |
| Pass rate on Math CRCT (2007) |
81% |
80% |
The chart above gives a few facts about Georgia's charter schools. For more
information,
you can view the report on our website (note: large file). If you have
questions about Georgia's Charter School program,
visit our website or call (404) 657-0515
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In December, State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox announced the winners of
the 2007-2008 Title I Distinguished District grants. The winners are:
Atlanta Public Schools - Large School District with over 10,000 students
Habersham County - Medium School District with over 4,000 to 9,999 students
Oglethorpe County - Small School District with over 2,000 to 3,999 students
Warren County - Extra Small School District with under 2,000 student
 Read More
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