Blog
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…
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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…
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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,…
→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…
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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…
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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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I couldn’t leave the office today without acknowledging a transformative moment in Atlanta Public Schools, one that unfolded this very day exactly 55 years ago. It was on Aug. 30, 1961, that nine students – Willie Jean Black, Donita Gaines, Martha Ann Holmes, Madelyn Patricia Nix, Arthur Simmons, Lawrence Jefferson, Mary James McMullen, Rosalyn Walton…
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Today is the 53rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Today, I shared my thoughts about this historic occasion in this Huffington Post blog along with my own dream for a “kinder, braver, safer” world. #Ihaveadream #SELectLove http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-have-a-dream-for-a-kinder-braver-safer-world-advancing_us_57c10ea1e4b06384eb3fbe98
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Huddle up, fans of our schools, teams and athletes in Atlanta Public Schools. After playing football with B.E.S.T. Academy, Carver, Douglass, Grady, Jackson (USA Today covered my touchdown!), North Atlanta and South Atlanta, I’m ready for opening day! (Don’t worry KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, Therrell, Mays and Washington! I’ve got my eyes on you next!) I’ve…
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As we end the near of another first week of school in Atlanta Public Schools, I have finally had a few moments to reflect upon the past three days among our students, teachers, administrators, support staff and the rest of our community. Day One for the 2016-2017 school year marked my third opening day at…
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