1
1
Latest News
2
Atlanta school board candidate sues district over election job rule
3
Kennesaw State cops found professor passed out drunk in student center
4
Atlanta students get a melodic lesson in money management
5
Transgender student policy at forefront of Decatur schools’ battle
Get Schooled
Should Kennesaw State president stand up for cheerleaders who knelt down?
Is school recess a privilege students earn or a foundation they need?
Opinion: Immigration divides Ivy League America and ordinary working folks
Will $25 billion wall keep Americans working? Or, will it take new worker mindset?
Former Spelman president: We must teach college students to open up about bias
KSU change won’t stop their kneeling protest, cheerleaders say
They’re going to continue to speak out by kneeling down. Five Kennesaw State University cheerleaders who knelt on the football field during the national anthem at a recent game said Tuesday they’ll continue their silent protest in a somewhat different fashion, since a new campus policy prevents them from taking such action on the gridiron. The students said in a group interview Tuesday...
Cobb high school hosting first HBCU panel event for students
South Cobb High School is holding an event Wednesday for students to learn about HBCU life. Several of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be represented at the hourlong gathering, which starts at 6 p.m. inside the school’s theater. South Cobb administrative staff, school counselors and a panel of HBCU alumni will respond to questions from participants interested...
Cobb rapper Lil Yachty surprises Georgia State journalism class
The students in Christopher Daniel’s music journalism class at Georgia State University didn’t initally realize what was happening on Monday. Rapper Lil Yachty lifted up the hat atop his beaded skinny braids that covered his eyes a bit and then it became clear — the self-proclaimed “King of Teens” was in the classroom. “Everyone was kind of stuck in their...
Kennesaw State cheerleaders will continue to protest
Five Kennesaw State University cheerleaders said Tuesday they will continue to kneel to raise awareness about police brutality and other social issues. The cheerleaders knelt during the national anthem before the football team’s Sept. 30 game. KSU announced a new policy a few days later that prevents the cheerleaders from doing so. KSU administrators have said the policy doesn’t have...
Here’s how to avoid the Campbell homecoming parade traffic on Friday
It’s homecoming week at Campbell High School, and that means the annual parade will be snaking through Smyrna on Friday at rush hour. The parade is expected to last an hour starting at 5 p.m., the city said. There will be no roads closed for the parade, but there will be temporary impacts as it heads through town. The parade begins at the Smyrna First United Methodist Church, moving past...
Atlanta teachers may not be allowed to take away recess for disciplinary reasons
Teachers could no longer take away recess from a student for disciplinary or academic reasons under a proposed policy shift the Atlanta Board of Education is considering. An existing Atlanta Public Schools policy, last revised in 2013, states that “breaks may be withheld” for those reasons. The proposed changes appear in two policies related to instructional scheduling and school...
Calendars for the next two school years in Cobb up for vote
After much parental anguish over an early start date for Cobb County schools this year, district leaders are slated to soon set the start dates for the next two school years. On the agenda for the county board of education’s Wednesday work session are two draft calendars for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, both with start dates of Aug. 1. The agenda item includes a recommendation...
How bad are conditions inside DeKalb County Schools?
At several DeKalb County School District buildings, students and staff contend with poorly circulated air conditioning, and garbage cans collect water falling from the ceiling. Teachers have complained for years about the district’s building conditions, saying the problems hinder their ability to teach. District officials point to decreases in manpower over the years, but say efforts recently...
College, high school cheerleaders may take a knee but NFL cheerleaders won’t
Cheerleaders from Kennesaw State University were noticeably absent from the field at Saturday night’s pre-game activities. Read More: KSU cheerleaders kept off field after some knelt during national anthem The week prior, on Sept. 30, the cheerleaders had been on the field pre-game when some members of the squad opted to take
a knee during the national anthem. School officials...
DeKalb Schools working to address school building problems
At a meeting at Sequoyah Middle School in 2015, parents there to discuss overcrowding at several schools in the area commented on ongoing air conditioning problems at the schoolhouse. Two years later, the problems there persist. Parents and teachers post pictures on social media of trash cans filled to the rim with water from leaky roofs and mold on walls, and tell stories of overheated classrooms...
19 must-do Atlanta homecoming events in October
October marks a time for tasting pumpkin spice, preparing for Halloween and−last but not least − attending highly anticipated homecoming festivities. Atlanta colleges and universities are known for bringing major school spirit when it involves homecoming. From watching the bands break it down during halftime to enjoying concerts, college students, alumni and even locals will be drawn to...
Teams to face off in multilingual debate at the University of North Georgia
Several teams are scheduled to meet next Saturday and Sunday on the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus for a major competition. It’s not college football. It’s the Great Latino Debate. The two-day event, at the Martha T. Nesbitt Building, will have teams from five universities debating in English and Spanish. The teams are coming from the universities of North...
Report: Too few minority-owned businesses win contracts for Atlanta school projects
Atlanta Public Schools awarded fewer contract dollars to minority and women-owned businesses than would be expected based on how many of those firms operate locally, according to a new study. Disparity questions related to minority vendors emerged when APS officials asked voters last year to support a one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, known as SPLOST. Voters approved the sales...
Five things to know about Emory University’s 2016 crime statistics
A federal law called the Clery Act requires the nation’s colleges and universities by Oct. 1 to release crime data for the most recent three years in a report that includes efforts to improve safety. Emory University, which has about 15,000 students, has a report with detailed data on crimes ranging from sexual assault to criminal damage. Here are five facts of note from the report on its main...
Here’s your chance to hear from Atlanta school board candidates
Atlanta school board hopefuls will make their pitches for voter support at an Oct. 18 candidate forum organized by a North Atlanta parent group. The 7 p.m. Oct. 18 forum will take place at the Willis A. Sutton Middle School main campus, 2875 Northside Drive. The event is hosted by North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools. The November election includes 30 candidates running...
DeKalb Schools to present new curriculum in public meetings
DeKalb County School District officials are taking their new curriculum on the road. The district announced two events on Oct. 10 and 11 for the community to get a glance of the recently revamped curriculum. The “Curriculum Road Show,” will feature members of the administration demonstrating how the “student-centered” instruction works. Tuesday, the road show will...
Five things to know about the University of Georgia’s 2016 crime statistics
A federal law called the Clery Act requires the nation’s colleges and universities to release crime data by Oct. 1 for the most recent three years in a report that includes efforts to improve safety. The University of Georgia, which has about 37,000 students, has a report with detailed data on crimes ranging from sexual assault to criminal damage. Here are five items of note from the University...
Five things to know about Georgia State’s 2016 crime statistics
A federal law called the Clery Act requires the nation’s colleges and universities by Oct. 1 to release crime data for the most recent three years in a report that includes efforts to improve safety on the campus, which has about 32,000 students. Here are five items of note from Georgia State’s report: There were four reported rapes.
Eighty-four liquor and drug law arrests reported.
Ten...
Gwinnett County teacher under fire for Nazi student assignment
Gwinnett County school district officials said Thursday that they are addressing a teacher’s recent homework assignment to sixth-graders asking them to draw a Nazi mascot. The assignment was given Monday at Shiloh Middle School, said Sloan Roach, a school district spokeswoman. A parent contacted Gwinnett school officials to raise concerns about the exercise, Roach said. “The year is 1935...
Atlanta student-run station wins national award for sports coverage
Westminster Schools in Atlanta has won an award from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the organization that hosts the Emmy Awards. WCAT — the student-run webTV station — was presented the 2017 National Student Production Award Tuesday. Bennett Porson, William Turton and the WCAT staff won in the Sports–Live Event category for their coverage of...
Five things to know about Georgia Tech’s 2016 crime statistics
A federal law called the Clery Act requires the nation’s colleges and universities by Oct. 1 to release crime data for the most recent three years in a report that includes efforts to improve safety on the campus, which has about 30,000 students. Here are five items of note from Georgia Tech’s report: There were 10 reported rapes. That was the same total reported rapes as in 2015...
This Morehouse alum just became the youngest mayor of Birmingham in modern history
One Morehouse alum has made history, because he just became the youngest mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, in more than 120 years. Randall Woodfin, who graduated from the Atlanta HBCU in 2003, beat out seven-year, two-term incumbent William Bell this week for the position at age 36. He is the youngest mayor to fill the seat since David Fox in 1893. The Birmingham native, graduated with a bachelors degree...
Bill Gates gives kudos to Georgia State for work to improve graduation rates
Bill Gates has given a rare, public shout out to a Georgia university for its work to improve its graduation rates. Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and one of the world’s richest men, visited its Atlanta campus this summer and wrote in a blog post this week that he was “amazed” by what he learned about Georgia State University’s efforts to boost its graduation rates....
Comcast gives Clayton County students free computers
Photos: The company donated 100 laptops to students at Morrow Middle and Unidos Dual Language Charter schools.
Metro Atlanta’s digital divide is keeping some people down, experts say
Insufficient internet access in metro Atlanta has helped propagate a divide that’s keeping some residents from achieving economic success, local leaders said at a panel discussion Wednesday. “We do leave a lot of people behind,” said Tom Cunningham, the chief economist of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “That’s a bad thing in a social sense. It’s a bad thing...
Park to connect Georgia Gwinnett campus, downtown Lawrenceville
Work has begun on Lawrenceville’s college corridor project, which will connect Georgia Gwinnett College and downtown Lawrenceville with a 2.2-mile linear park, city officials said. The $30 million project has been in the works for about five years and was approved by the Lawrenceville City Council in 2015. Work on the project will include “construction of roadways and streetscapes in the...
Atlanta schools says confidential data for all employees ‘potentially exposed’
An Internet scam that swiped paychecks from a couple dozen Atlanta Public Schools employees may be a lot bigger than district officials initially knew. APS announced late Tuesday that federal investigators warned the problem extends beyond the initial reports of 27 employees whose paychecks were stolen and seven additional staffers whose direct deposit information was changed. Confidential...
Georgia appeals court rules for Clark Atlanta in land dispute
Clark Atlanta University should regain ownership of 13 acres it deeded to Morris Brown College more than 75 years ago, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Monday. Morris Brown sold the land in 2014 to the Atlanta Development Authority, now called Invest Atlanta, according to court documents. The agency leased the property, along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, back to the financially-strapped college...
Payday scam reported at Fulton County Schools
A second local school district reported that dozens of its employees had their electronic paychecks rerouted in another online phishing scheme. Fulton County Schools encountered the cyber theft problems for its Aug. 31 payday, when paychecks for 46 employees failed to show up in staffers’ bank accounts. A third attack that targeted Clayton Public Schools last week was unsuccessful...
Why students flip for Milton High’s Cirque-inspired classes
At about 2:30 p.m. on a recent afternoon, Cole Dobbs climbed up a tall pole, turned his body parallel to the floor and held a difficult pose known as the human flag. Nearby, a couple of performers hung upside down as they performed intricate moves on white aerial silks. Others spun on a large steel ring known as a cyr wheel. Cirque du Soleil’s glorious “Luzia” is in town, performing...
Schools’ safety considered after Las Vegas massacre
Schools have suffered some of the nation’s most shocking mass murders in the last decades, so the Las Vegas shooting naturally stirs concerns about the safety of students. In 1966, the scene at the University of Texas stunned the nation, as television captured a sniper in a bell tower firing round after round. It went on for more than an hour, ending with the deaths of more than a dozen and...
ICYMI: In October, DeKalb Schools students will attend school an extra 20 minutes
The school day will end 20 minutes later for all DeKalb County School District students, as students begin making up days lost to the storm known as Irma. The district shuttered schools four days last month as the storm raced through Florida and Georgia, causing damage from heavy winds and rain that downed power lines and trees and electricity for more than 1 million Georgia residences. ...
Clark Atlanta Unversity gets a chance with Chance the Rapper
Photo courtesy: Curtis McDowell (Photos 1-3: Chance The Rapper and Dr. Ronald A. Johnson. 4th Photo: Larry Huggins, CFC Co-Founder, Chance The Rapper, Dr. Ronald A. Johnson and J. Lin Dawson, CAU Athletic Director) Clark Atlanta University hosted Grammy-Award winning rapper Chance the Rapper, Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Chicago Football Classic between the CAU Panthers and the Grambling...
Payday problems: Cyber thieves swipe paychecks from Atlanta school employees
Atlanta Public Schools issued new paychecks to 27 employees who fell victim to what the superintendent called a phishing attack by cyber thieves. Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said Internet scammers stole $56,459 in payroll funds by rerouting direct deposit information from 27 unsuspecting employees. Another seven employees had their direct deposit information changed, but their pay made...
Georgia to search for alternative to standardized state tests
Standardized state tests have long been the ruler used to rap the knuckles of teachers and principals whose students underperform in Georgia schools, but that could change under a proposal by state Superintendent Richard Woods. In what could be read as a concession to his critics, the state’s elected school chief says he will convene a task force to look for measures that could replace the tests...
Student says Georgia university did little to stop sexual harassment
Clark Atlanta University doctoral student Tayler Mathews said she didn’t want to do it. “I didn’t want to take it here,” she said of a civil rights lawsuit against the university she filed last month, saying it didn’t properly handle her sexual harassment complaints. “I really thought they would take care of this.” In fact, Mathews says in court documents...
Georgia needs program that helps college students facing financial pressure, group says
Georgia should create a needs-based grant program to assist low-income college students with financial challenges, an organization said in a report released Thursday. The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute said Georgia is one of only two states that does not offer state aid programs weighted to financial need. “One simple approach to providing low-income students with financial aid...
Lawrenceville will save historic black school, add museum and library
The city of Lawrenceville will not demolish an historic, segregation-era school for black children, officials announced Thursday. They’ll instead convert the original, 12-room Hooper Renwick School into a “civic space” with a museum — and a new public library branch next door. A new, $150 million mixed-use development will eventually go up nearby, but officials declined...
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal rejects state’s education plan
Gov. Nathan Deal refused to sign Georgia’s plan for complying with the latest federal education law, highlighting a conflict with state school Superintendent Richard Woods. Deal wrote to Woods that Georgia’s plan, required under the Every Student Succeeds Act, “falls short in setting high expectations for Georgia students and schools” and is too restrictive on how local districts...
Atlanta International School adds primary building
Atlanta International School is adding a $12-plus million expansion to its campus. The new three-story primary school building will include 21 classrooms, an outdoor classroom, flex space and shared work areas. The project also includes a new cooling tower to improve air conditioning to both the new Primary School Learning Center and existing buildings and a new cafeteria and large outdoor courtyard...
This Georgia college has some of the best college food in the country, new ranking says
When it comes to the best college grub in the country, one Georgia school is said to serve up a mean plate of hearty, healthy and tasty options. That’s according to a new ranking from review site Niche.com, which named University of Georgia’s campus dining among the top in the country. To come up with the “2018 Best College Food” list, Niche analysts compared...
DeKalb Schools sees increase in graduation rate
The DeKalb County School District saw its graduation rate increase nearly four percentage points, as 74 percent of students graduated during the 2016-2017 school year. “We are pleased to see the growth in our graduation rate, as it reflects the efforts we’ve made to encourage good attendance, study habits and instruction,” Superintendent Steve Green said in a release. “Combined...
Should Kennesaw State president stand up for cheerleaders who knelt down?
In all the debate around athletes taking a knee, no one was as eloquent as 97-year-old World War II veteran
John Middlemas. In a photo went viral, the Missouri farmer took a supportive knee because “those kids have every right to protest.” He’s right. Now, if only Kennesaw State University President Sam Olens would take such a spirited and public...
Atlanta, Cobb, Fulton schools win innovation grants
Four metro Atlanta schools won grants of up to $7,000 each to try innovative programs to teach students. Atlanta Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta Public Schools will use its $6,998 grant to create a computer science summer program. Students enrollecd in the Georgia Virtual Computer Science Principles course, receive tutorial support, and participate in career exploration activities and college...
Is school recess a privilege students earn or a foundation they need?
Is recess a privilege that can be taken away or a foundation of learning that ought to be protected? That seems to be the dividing line in the debate over whether
Atlanta Public Schools should rescind its policy that allows the break to be withheld for disciplinary or academic reasons. The policy is under review by the APS
school board. The topic has generated many comments...
Opinion: Immigration divides Ivy League America and ordinary working folks
Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. In this essay,
he examines the nation’s divergent views on immigrants, saying, “What works for Ivy League and elite state university graduates
does not rhyme well for ordinary working folks in America’s interior.” He also suggests U.S. immigration...
Will $25 billion wall keep Americans working? Or, will it take new worker mindset?
President Donald Trump wants to build a wall between Mexico and the United States projected to cost $25 billion to stem illegal immigration and protect American-born workers.
The wall is the No. 1 priority on the White House immigration principles released Sunday night. Would that be money well spent? The White House press is reporting neither party is likely to endorse that level of funding...
Former Spelman president: We must teach college students to open up about bias
Beverly Daniel Tatum is president emerita of
Spelman College. She is directing a new Diversity, Civility and the Liberal Arts Institute for the
Council of Independent Colleges, an association of private colleges and universities throughout the country. The institute will take place in June in Atlanta. Tatum is also author of “
Why Are All the Black...
When colleges send new students 450 emails, they are part of the problem
I discovered at my first and only college advisement session at the end of my sophomore year that I needed just one more semester
to graduate. (I had overloaded my schedule and taken summer courses.) The advisement lasted 10 minutes as there was a line
of students outside the door. The adviser never suggested I explore study abroad or internships to enhance my resume, and
...
Grand jury indicts sheriff, two deputies in body searches of south Georgia students
Earlier this year, the AJC’s
Brad Schrade reported on a disturbing — I would go as far as horrifying — police search of students at Worth County High School In pursuit of drugs,
Worth County Sheriff Jeff Hobby locked down the school for four hours on April 14 while deputies lined up and frisked more than 800 students. Students – whose
...
Opinion: Don’t erase Decatur’s protections for transgender students
Linda Ellis is the executive director of the Health Initiative, an organization supporting the health of LGBT Georgians. She
and her partner Lesley live in Decatur and are parents to two sons, John, 19, and Sam, 15. In this piece, Ellis talks about how her own marriage, family and life have become fairly typical as more Americans accept
gay unions. She and her wife are regular...
Las Vegas: How do teachers respond when tragedy seeps into classrooms?
Given the 24/7 coverage of the mass shooting in Las Vegas and the fear and anger many Americans are feeling, how should schools
and teachers respond? There is no clear road map for educators when a madman with an arsenal of automatic weapons slaughters 59 people and injures
520 others attending a music festival below his hotel room. And there is no shielding kids from the headlines...
A UGA professor of education asks: Why is school so boring?
Peter Smagorinsky teaches in the University of Georgia’s College of Education and is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished
Service Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. He is a frequent contributor to the AJC Get Schooled blog. In this essay, he addresses a question asked by students for generations: Why does school have to be so boring? By Peter Smagorinsky I&rsquo...
Testing widens rift between governor and state school chief
I was off most of last week, but wanted to discuss the
push by Richard Woods, state school superintendent, to take advantage of the testing flexibility built into the federal education law that replaced
No Child Left Behind. Woods is pressing ahead despite a growing rift with Gov. Nathan Deal over how Georgia schools should be held accountable for
student performance...
Opinion: Forcing guns on Georgia’s campuses violates state constitution
Michelle Haberland is a professor of history at Georgia Southern University. She is a member of the Georgia chapter of
Moms Demand Action. In this piece, she argues politicians should not decide whether guns belong in Georgia classrooms and goes back in state
history to fortify her case. Haberland applauds the
lawsuit filed this week by six veteran Georgia...
APS names three finalists for teacher of the year
Atlanta Public Schools announced three teachers who are finalists for the district-wide Teacher of the Year. The 2017-2018 Districtwide Teacher of the Year finalists represent elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the Atlanta system. The teachers are nominated by their schools and will be recognized during an Oct. 25 award ceremony. The finalists are: Jennifer Lockwood, a 13...
Georgia colleges work on Hurricane Maria & Mexico earthquake relief efforts
Several University System of Georgia campuses are working on ways to help those impacted by Hurricane Maria and the recent earthquake in Mexico. Here’s a breakdown of the efforts, according to system officials: Armstrong State University: The university’s Hispanic Outreach and Latino club at Armstrong is planning a tamale fish fundraiser next Tuesday. All of the funds will be evenly distributed...
Take Two: DeKalb Schools announces new plan for Irma make-up days
The DeKalb County School District leadership has nixed initial plans of how to make up school days lost when the storm known as Irma pushed heavy winds and rain into metro Atlanta. District officials announced late Wednesday that schools would extend the school day 20 minutes during the month of October, and that students would attend school on election day, Nov. 7. Two additional make-up...
Georgia Tech puts $1 million toward mental health counseling services
Georgia Tech, which has been criticized by some students in recent days for not having enough mental health services, announced Wednesday it will have an additional $1 million for such efforts. Tech’s student government association is contributing $500,000 for mental health initiatives. President G.P. “Bud” Peterson said he’s contributing a matching $500,000 from campus...
Georgia high school graduation rate inches higher
Georgia high school students continue to graduate in increasing numbers. Even as enrollment has grown, the graduation has continued to climb, according to new figures released by the Georgia Department of Education Wednesday. Last spring’s senior class for the first time topped an 80 percent graduation rate under the the 6-year-old federal measure known as the “four-year adjusted...
Atlanta’s high school graduation rate increases to 77 percent
Atlanta Public Schools bumped its graduation rate to 77 percent for the class of 2017, an increase of nearly 6 percentage points over last year. The graduation rate increased in all but four of the district’s schools, APS reported Wednesday. The Atlanta high school that made the biggest gains was Carver School of Technology, which saw its graduation rate increase by 16.7 percentage points...
Georgia’s high school graduation rate inches up
Georgia high school students are continuing to graduate in increasing numbers, with four out of five students finishing with a diploma for the first time in half a decade. Even as enrollment has grown, the graduation rate has continued to climb after a sharp decline early in the decade, according to new figures released by the Georgia Department of Education Wednesday. The rate for last year&rsquo...
Feds say Georgia college violated student’s constitutional rights
U.S. Justice Department officials filed court papers Tuesday saying Georgia Gwinnett College violated the constitutional rights of a student who claims he was told he couldn’t distribute fliers sharing his Christian faith in an open area of the campus. The Justice Department filed a 26-page “statement of interest” in support of the student, Chike Uzuegbunam...
Please confirm the information below before signing in.