The walk to and from school for Mechanicsville resident Shatoya Kent and her 6-year-old daughter, Zyvanna, usually takes about four minutes. Last week, they learned that won’t be the case much longer. Kent’s daughter is a first-grader at Dunbar Elementary, one of 16 city schools scheduled to permanently close or be repurposed at the start […]
Atlanta Public Schools
Posted inCommunity, Education
Free Back-to-School Supplies: Where To Get Everything From Binders To Backpacks
Back-to-school shopping means hitting the stores for notebooks, pencils, backpacks, binders, rulers, calculators, and more. And for cash-strapped shoppers, the prices can add up quickly, putting a dent in parents’ pockets. Adding to the financial pressures many face are concerns over rising inflation and President Donald Trump’s tariff plans. In an Intuit Credit Karma survey […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
School Safety Bill SB 61 May Send More Black Kids to Adult Court
A school safety bill introduced in response to the Apalachee High School shooting in September got a major change after advocates warned that it would unfairly criminalize children. Senate Bill 61, authored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Forsyth County, was initially written to add both terroristic acts and terroristic threats against a […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Why Black Students at One Atlanta School Are Excelling in Reading
When Heather Perry asked her third grade class at Warren T. Jackson Elementary last week what they love about her literacy lessons, a sprinkling of hands shot up into the air. One student noted the way Perry uses mnemonic devices like songs, chants, or popular TV characters to aid in conveying and retaining information. Another […]
Posted inCulture, Education, History
Georgia’s First High School for Black Students Celebrates 100-Year Legacy
The first-ever Georgia high school to serve Black students got its flowers in an elaborate centennial celebration hosted in the atrium of Atlanta City Hall last week. Dozens of Booker T. Washington High School alumni gathered on Sept. 16 to pay homage to the Atlanta school’s 100-year history, which includes graduating icons like Martin Luther […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Education
APS Board Greenlights Redevelopment of Former Lakewood Heights Elementary Site
Renovations will soon be underway at the former site of Lakewood Heights Elementary after the Atlanta Board of Education voted in favor of addressing deteriorated conditions of former APS learning sites. Board members voted last Tuesday to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation to determine recommendations for the former school grounds’ […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education, K-12
How Georgia’s $36 Billion Budget Will Impact K-12 Schools and Higher Education
Budget season has officially wrapped for the state of Georgia, and Gov. Brian Kemp has released his finalized Governor’s Budget Report. The massive 420-page document details a $36 billion budget that will fund more than 40 state agencies, six judicial level entities, and four legislative bodies in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. For more than 2 […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
What’s Next for Atlanta Public Schools? Bryan Johnson’s 100-Day Plan Is Revealed.
School is in, and Atlanta Public Schools’ newest top educator just turned in his first assignment: a 100-day plan. Bryan Johnson was sworn in as APS’ superintendent this past Monday, a date that also served as the deadline for Johnson to provide the Atlanta Board of Education with a plan for his first few months […]
Posted inEducation
New Atlanta Schools Superintendent’s First Big Challenge: Taxes
When Atlanta Public Schools’ new superintendent was sworn in on Monday, he told the audience that he wants little fanfare in his first 100 days. “There won’t be a ton of words,” Bryan Johnson told those gathered at APS headquarters. “There’ll be a ton of work.” Hours later, Johnson learned that there could be lots […]
Posted inEducation
How Lessons Learned from a Pilot Literacy Program Will Inform APS’ $11.8M Initiative
The deadline for Atlanta’s new school superintendent, Bryan Johnson, to deliver a plan for his first 100 days is next week, but there’s already a clue about what might be one of his top priorities. $11.8 million of Atlanta Public Schools’ recently passed $1.8 billion annual budget is dedicated to literacy initiatives, a nod to […]