Posts by Meria
How We Can Move From Heaviness to Hope
Listening again to helicopters hovering overhead downtown last night after watching media coverage of the ensuing protests across the country, I couldn’t sleep. I kept playing over and over in my head the conversations I’ve been having with two APS graduates who are black males. “I am one bullet away from becoming a #hashtag.” A…
Read MoreAPS Tests for Lead to Ensure Safe Water in Schools
When reports began circulating several months ago about the discovery of lead in the water in public buildings in Flint, Mich., and other major cities, we in Atlanta Public Schools felt we had to do something immediately to ensure that the water in our buildings remained safe for consumption. We immediately decided to test our…
Read MoreA New Day for Safety and Security in APS
Tonight marked the beginning of a new era for Atlanta Public Schools – the official start of the APS Police Department. This is a day that has been more than a year in the making. The new police force will not only have the crucial training and skills in police work and emergency management, but…
Read MoreAddressing Allegations, Building Trust in APS
As part of our mission to ensure every student graduates ready for college and career, we are doing the work to create a “culture of trust” in the ways we remedy the past and remove barriers for the future. Take issues such as CRCT remediation and enrichment or pay parity. These are problems we didn’t…
Read MoreSocial Emotional Learning – A Proven Game-Changer for APS Students, Staff
Truth without hope is failure, but hope without truth is fantasy. It’s only in those moments when you are able to confront truth at its harshest, and hope at its most powerful, that you believe dramatic change is possible. – Sen. Mike Johnston For all of us on Sunday, we witnessed the mass shooting in…
Read MoreCongratulations, APS Class of 2016!
It’s official. It’s late on Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center. And the last of the Atlanta Public Schools’ Classes of 2016 – an enthusiastic gathering of newly conferred graduates from Alonzo Crim High School – has left the building. Throughout the week, APS family and friends came together in 12 different ceremonies to…
Read MoreCelebrating Another Amazing Year in APS
The time has come: it’s the end of the school year! Congratulations, everyone—teachers, parents, staff, partners, and, of course, students—on another amazing school year. From Day One on August 5 to the very last day today, we have had a year full of learning, achievement, and fun, and that is worth celebrating. Some may think…
Read MoreThank You, Thank You, Thank You for Reinvesting in Atlanta’s Kids!
On May 24, voters approved E-SPLOST, a sales tax renewal that will pay for much needed renovations of our schools, technology, buses, athletic facilities and important school security enhancements. Our district has been through a lot since the local option sales tax was last approved in 2011, so tonight’s win is a major accomplishment—one that…
Read MoreE-SPLOST: Reinvesting in Atlanta’s Kids
Tomorrow, Atlanta residents will head to the polls and vote on renewal of the Education-Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (E-SPLOST), which funds capital projects across our school system. Before anything else, I want to say thank you to Atlanta’s residents. Your vote on E-SPLOST five years ago has led to incredible investments in our…
Read MoreAPS Making Progress on CCRPI
APS Making Progress on #CCRPI; 46 Schls Saw Growth; 7 Schools Say #BuhByeOSD. #Transformation
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