Blog

Taking Further Steps in School Event Security

October 21, 2016

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…

Time to “Max the Vote” for Toomer Elementary School!

October 21, 2015

Kindergarten students are incredibly curious. Whenever I visit kinder classrooms you notice two things – they love to ask questions and they love to move! Emily Max and her kindergarten students at Toomer Elementary School are no different. When Emily decided to apply for a $100,000 grant through the Farmers Insurance Dream Big Teacher Challenge…

I See You: Social-Emotional Learning at Fain ES, Boyd ES, West End Academy and Crim Open Campus HS

August 21, 2015

Checking in on the progress of our schools doesn’t stop after Day One or even week one. I love visiting schools as often as possible and seeing first-hand how the decisions we make as leaders impact the day-to-day learning of students. It was great to see the beginnings of our social-emotional learning (SEL) work taking…

M. Agnes Jones Elementary is Serious about S.T.E.M.

August 6, 2015

I was looking forward to my trip to visit principal Woolfolk and her students and staff at M. Agnes Jones Elementary School today. I had heard about their new Innovation Station inspired by Georgia Tech, which included robotics, tinkering and 3D printers. The Washington High School cluster of schools, of which Jones is a part,…

Teacher Appreciation Day at the High Museum of Art – Saturday, March 21, 2015

March 20, 2015

APS Teachers, join fellow educators for Teacher Appreciation Day at the High Museum of Art – Saturday, March 21, 2015! This Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.,  the High Museum of Art is celebrating educators with their annual Teacher Appreciation Day.  Teacher Appreciation Day is the High’s “Thank you!” to all of our APS teachers.  I am a new member of the…

Benjamin E. Mays Raiders brings GHSA state quarterfinal football contest to Lakewood Stadium

November 26, 2014

Congratulations are in order AGAIN for our Benjamin E. Mays Raiders football team! They pulled off a spectacular upset last Friday with a 21-18 victory over the number one ranked Ware County Gators in Waycross, Ga. The Raiders now advance to the Georgia High School Association state quarterfinals for the first time in school history and…

Benjamin E. Mays Raiders brings GHSA state quarterfinal football contest to Lakewood Stadium

November 26, 2014

Congratulations are in order AGAIN for our Benjamin E. Mays Raiders football team! They pulled off a spectacular upset last Friday with a 21-18 victory over the number one ranked Ware County Gators in Waycross, Ga. The Raiders now advance to the Georgia High School Association state quarterfinals for the first time in school history and…

Our Three New Stakeholder Committees

October 13, 2014

I am pleased to announce the members of our three new stakeholder advisory and oversight committees: Finance and Budget Advisory Committee, Special Education Advisory Committee, and SPLOST Oversight Committee. Last month, I announced that we were creating the committees as part of our broader community engagement work in Atlanta Public Schools. We asked individuals who are…