Georgia Department of Education E-Newsletter [Feb. 2008]

February 2008

The second half of the 2007-2008 school year is off to a great start.
In fact, since the beginning of 2008, we have had the chance to honor some of Georgia's top performing schools and teachers across the state. This is the good news about education that you often don't hear about or read about, so I want to take this opportunity to spread the word.
As we tackle the challenges facing education today, it is very important we take the time to recognize our many successes and say "job well done!"
Schools of Excellence and Blue Ribbon Schools
On February 8, I was honored to celebrate with two groups of schools that are making our state very proud: The Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement and the National Blue Ribbon Schools.
These schools met rigorous criteria to be recognized at the state and national level. Many of these schools face challenges, including widespread poverty. But these award-winning schools have a "no excuses" mentality that has led to great results and much-deserving recognition.
We celebrated their accomplishments February 8 during the Excellence Awards Banquet held at the Georgia World Congress Center. The night featured the Etowah High School Air Force ROTC and student performances by "HeighLeit" from the DeKalb School of the Arts and the Senior Dance Troupe from Savannah Arts Academy.
We heard from three students speakers who told us what made their school great: Sydney Stepney, from F.L. Stanton Elementary in Atlanta, Emily Wallace, from Huntington Middle School in Houston County and Robert Noel, from Walton High School in Cobb County.
It was a great night for everyone involved. I'd like to say a very special thank you to all those who attended and our sponsors who made the night possible.
- Georgia Schools of Excellence - National Blue Ribbon Schools - Excellence Awards Banquet Sponsors
Other recognitions:
- 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalists: On February 14, I was proud to announce the 10 finalists for 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year. These finalists were chosen from a pool of 141 school district Teachers of the Year based on answers to essay questions. A team of judges will visit the finalists at their schools to observe them in the classroom and conduct a face-to-face interview. We'll announce the winner on May 9 at the Georgia Teacher of the Year Banquet, held at the Georgia Aquarium.
- Advanced Placement Honor Schools: We also recently recognized more than 80 AP Honor Schools that have done an exceptional job getting more students to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and pass the rigorous AP exams. We continue to see tremendous growth in the number of students taking -- and succeed in -- AP classes. This was confirmed by The AP Report to the Nation which was also released this month.
Sincerely,

State Board of Education Meeting Update
Superintendent On the Road with Superintendent Cox
Division Newsletters GAVS News Georgia Virtual School Newsletter
November 2007 Volume 1, Issue 5
GSO to Go GeorgiaStandards.Org Newsletter
February 2008
Unlocking Continuous Improvement: The Georgia Strategic Goals for School Improvement
October 2007
Media Matters Instructional Technology Newsletter
February 2008 Volume 6, Number 7
Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Newsletter
January 2008
Resources Print Materials
Math Webpage
GeorgiaStandards.org
Online Assessment System

The Annual Report on Georgia Charter Schools was released in December and gives in-
depth data on the performance of Georgia's 71 charter schools as a whole and individually. The report confirms that Georgia's charter schools serve a more diverse population racially and socio-economically, yet these schools get results that are as good, if not better, than our public schools as a whole. There are twice as many charter schools this year than there were in 2005. Next school year, the number of charters could jump to over 100.

Georgia Charter Schools

State of Georgia

Students

Percent Minority

61%

53%

Percent in Poverty

56%

50%

Performance

Percent of schools making AYP

85%

82%

Pass rate on Reading CRCT (2007)

89%

87%

Pass rate on Math CRCT (2007)

81%

80%

The chart above gives a few facts about Georgia's charter schools. For more information, you can view the report on our website (note: large file). If you have questions about
Georgia's Charter School program, visit our website or call (404) 657-0515

In December, State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox announced the winners of the 2007-2008 Title I Distinguished District grants. The winners are:

Atlanta Public Schools - Large School District with over 10,000 students Habersham County - Medium School District with over 4,000 to 9,999 students Oglethorpe County - Small School District with over 2,000 to 3,999 students Warren County - Extra Small School District with under 2,000 student

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2007 Georgia Department of Education, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive S.E., Atlanta, GA 30334. Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe