Can you name all of your school board members?
How about the one that represents your area?
While I'm sure some of you can, many parents, teachers and
citizens cannot.
But the recent troubles in Clayton County clearly demonstrate
how important school boards really are. The Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is on the verge of stripping
Clayton County's schools of its accreditation mainly because
of the actions of its school board. The impact could be
catastrophic for students, homeowners, business owners and others.
However, the Clayton board is the exception, not the rule. Most
of Georgia's 181 school districts are run by excellent school
boards that understand their role and empower the system's staff
and students.
These board members dedicate an
inordinate number of hours to their office, usually for little
or no money. They field questions at night, on weekends and in
the grocery store from concerned parents and teachers and, often,
have to make gut-wrenching decisions about spending, staffing and
discipline. This dedication of hours and effort almost always comes
at the expense of time with their families and loved ones.
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The National Mathematics Advisory Panel has brought together experts from all across the
country to debate and discuss the best way to teach mathematics to American students.
The Panel released a long-anticipated report earlier this month. The report is great
news for Georgia!
Georgia's new mathematics curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in
Mathematics, is very closely aligned to the recommendations of the advisory panel.
The GPS is aligned in how it is structured, what it asks students to know and how it
asks students to show that understanding. In fact, the advisory panel report has 11
specific recommended benchmarks that all mathematics curricula should contain.
To see how the GPS matches up, click on the following link:
 National Mathematics Advisory Panel Recommendations (PDF)
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