Posts by Meria
Honoring Our Heroes: Veterans, Military Service Men and Women … and the Tuskegee Airmen
Every day but on Veterans Day in particular, I stand in awe of our veterans and the men and women who actively serve in the U.S. armed services. Their job is to protect our nation, keeping it a free and safe place for our students as they grow into adulthood. They do so while making…
Read MoreLiving the Mission to Graduate ALL APS Students
As superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, I have the distinct honor every May to shake the hand of every newly minted APS graduate who walks the stage during graduation. And as I watch these new graduates return to their seats, I wonder what graduating from high school actually means to them … what choices they…
Read MoreBalancing Accountability with Fairness
With Atlanta Public Schools’ history of bad behavior, it’s natural for stakeholders to believe reports of more cheating happening in our school district. Given some of the unethical behavior I found when I first arrived in Atlanta, I, too, questioned whether every unethical person had been rooted out of our system. Which is why I…
Read MoreTaking Further Steps in School Event Security
Over the last two school years, I have already seen more shooting incidents around our Atlanta school community involving children than the rest of my other two superintendency tenures combined. It’s so disheartening but it also means we have to be more proactive to protect our students, parents and staff. As a school district, we…
Read MoreToday (and Every Day), We Are #YellowTogether!
Today is Georgia School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and we should all extend our deepest gratitude to our bus drivers for their commitment to our students during school and during their many after-school activities. They aren’t just bus drivers. They are educators on wheels! After parents and care-givers, they are often the first adults our…
Read MoreAmerica’s Urban School Superintendents Call for National #SELectLOVE Movement
On October 14, 1964, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On that historic occasion, the Nobel Committee praised him for being ‘‘the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence.” For Dr. King, nonviolence was at the heart of…
Read MoreAPyeS! Applauding our 2016-2017 Teachers of the Year Finalists
I love our schools – especially the classrooms – and the best part of my job is when I get to do my work in our schools with our beautiful students and brilliant teachers. Every week, I have the pleasure of watching teachers as they work intensively with students to examine chapters of fascinating history,…
Read MoreOperation Rochambeau: The #StateofAPS, a District in Transformation
Excellence in everything we do, come along/ We’re changing the focus from what’s wrong to what’s strong/ Equity – we gotta remedy the past/ Remove barriers so our new future comes fast/ Ethics – our integrity is rebuilding/ From the top down for the sake of our children/ Engagement, connecting with our community/ To build…
Read MoreWater in APS: All Clear!
I am relieved and pleased to report to our students, families, teachers and staff that the water they drink and use has met Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. That means that following the district’s voluntary water testing initiative for the presence of lead this summer, all occupied APS buildings have met the standard of being…
Read MoreJoin Us for #StateOfAPS!, Friday, Oct. 7, at King Middle
I am not throwing away my shot! I am not throwing away my shot! Hey yo, I’m just like my country I’m young, scrappy and hungry And I’m not throwing away my shot! – Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton Atlanta Public Schools is on a journey of transformation, and I am thrilled to invite every APS…
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