Atlanta Public Schools are preparing to move into a new era with the selection of its next superintendent this week. Dr. Bryan Johnson, who was announced as the “sole finalist” to be the next superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools on Tuesday. Johnson, a former superintendent of Hamilton County, Tennessee., schools, was most recently executive vice […]
Education
Posted inEquity, Money
Killer Mike’s Bankruptcy Journey Highlights Black Wealth Gaps
Editor’s note: The following is excerpted with permission, from the book “Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap,” which examines the structural origins of racialized wealth inequality in the United States and what perpetuates it today. The authors, Ebony Reed and Louise Story, will be featured panelists at Capital B Fest in […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Georgia School Voucher Law Sparks Debate on Education Funding
A new bill signed into law in April by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is set to provide state-funded scholarships to eligible Georgia families who may be in the market for alternatives to traditional public schools. The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, or SB 233, allows the state to set up self-directed accounts with as much as […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
APS Budget Boosts Literacy Programs, Teacher Salaries, and Nutrition Funding
Budget season is officially wrapped for Atlanta Public Schools. The Atlanta Board of Education on Monday approved a record $1.8 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year. APS is expecting its spending to increase in the next year by about $86 million, a 7% jump from last year’s budget, primarily due to salary hikes and […]
Posted inHigher Education, Incarceration
We Need More Prison Education Programs. But Is the Money There?
When Kimberley Pugh was released after a 13-year term in Habersham County’s Lee Arrendale State Prison, her college classes were the only thing that felt “normal” about the outside world. “Everything around me was in complete chaos, but I had to focus on my reading, my writing, and make sure I had all my assignments […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy, Religion
Black Jewish Students and the On-Campus Divide Over Gaza
Life on campus at the Atlanta University Center has been more complicated for Spelman freshman Sara Scherlinder since the Gaza humanitarian crisis began more than six months ago. In a 24-hour period earlier this month, the 19-year-old Scherlinder, a Washington, D.C., native, attended a leadership forum for students who are both Black and Jewish, which […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy
Planned Biden Morehouse Visit Angers Black Student Gaza Supporters
Morehouse College students packed a campus auditorium Tuesday evening to voice their anger at the decision to invite President Joe Biden to deliver the historically Black institution’s commencement address next month. Most of the estimated 50 students in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting expressed outrage and frustration at Biden’s support for Israel in its war against […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
CultureCon at Clark Atlanta Shines Light on HBCU Education and Community
Against a backdrop of vibrant greens and blues, hundreds of HBCU students clad in cropped denims, bolded letterman jackets, and trendy telfars flooded Clark Atlanta University’s campus for the inaugural CultureCon on Campus student conference. The student-centered event is under the umbrella of CultureCon, a conference that fosters community and connection for Black creatives and […]
Posted inEducation, Explainers, K-12, School Boards
State-Funded Private School Accounts Are Coming. Here’s What That Means For Black Families.
The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a bill to provide state-funded scholarships to low-income families who want to send their children to some of the state’s most costly private schools, passed the Georgia General Assembly and is just a step away from becoming law. If Gov. Brian Kemp signs the measure as expected, it’s likely to […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
‘Bridging the Gap’: Here’s How APS GO Teams Connect Communities to the School Board
Another Atlanta Public Schools election season is around the corner, and this time community stakeholders will have the opportunity to vote for a hyper-local advisory council that relies on parents, educators, community leaders, and students to inform the Atlanta Board of Education of happenings on the school level. Similar to the city of Atlanta’s Neighborhood […]