PA CIFIC A TLA N TIC O C E A N CULTIVATING A FIRST CLASSO CWE A NORKFORCE BY INVESTING IN QUALITY EDUCATION With a progressive early learning program and ground-breaking HOPE scholarship for higher education, Georgia is modeling innovation -- earning the state an elite Race to the Top grant and the respect of educators and business leaders alike. Georgia Colleges and Universities Research Universities Dalton State College Dalton North Georgia College & State University Dahlonega Regional Universities State Universities State Colleges Two-Year Colleges Georgia Highlands College Rome Gainesville State College Gainesville Research Unit Kennesaw State University Kennesaw Georgia Gwinnett College Southern Polytechnic State University Lawrenceville Marietta Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Perimeter College University of Georgia Decatur Athens Atlanta Georgia State University Atlanta Metropolitan College Atlanta Atlanta University of West Georgia Carrollnton Clayton State University Morrow Augusta State University Augusta Gordon College Barnesville Georgia College & State University Milledgeville Medical College of Georgia Augusta Columbus State University Columbus Macon State College Macon Fort Valley University Fort Valley Middle Georgia College Cochran Georgia Southwestern State University Americus Darton College Albany East Georgia College Swainsboro Georgia Southern University Statesboro Savannnah State University Savannah Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Savannah Armstrong Atlantic State University Savannah Albany State University Albany Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton South Georgia College Douglas Waycross College Waycross Coastal Georgia Community College Brunswick Bainbridge College Bainbridge Valdosta State University Valdosta Source: Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Georgia leads early education. "A skilled workforce comprised of confident and innovative talent is the backbone of a successful economy." Georgia has one of the most successful early childhood education programs in the nation. Education Week's Quality Counts report recently gave Georgia a perfect score of 100 for early childhood education. The state's Pre-K program has served more than one million Georgia children since its founding, offering free, high-quality curriculum to more than 76,000 4-year-olds in Pre-K programs per year. We are focused on building K-12 education. Across the state, Georgia has developed higher academic standards and new curriculum. Results are striking: the graduation rate rose to an all-time high of 80.8 percent in 2010 an increase of two percentage points over 2009, and more than 17 percentage points since 2003. The state was one of only 15 states to show "significant progress" for eighth graders in math. Georgia minority students continue to outperform their national peers, and the state has seen a rise in ACT scores (even as the national average has dropped). IB World Schools flourish. Fifty-eight schools in Georgia offer the International Baccalaureate program, placing the state at No. 7 in the nation. With a nationally ranked university system, Georgia is one of only four states with two or more schools ranked among the top 25 public national universities in the 2010 edition of U.S. News and World Report's college rankings. Georgia's 68 technical colleges and universities offer optimum opportunities for students to learn from researchers conducting cutting edge research. Georgia's first-in-the-nation HOPE scholarship program has provided full scholarships to more than one million Georgians attending state colleges, universities and technical colleges have benefited from full scholarships. The program has allowed the state to retain some of the best and brightest students for their careers. Recent cuts proposed to HOPE will retain full tuition coverage for Georgia's highest-achieving students and will cover 90% of tuition for those who maintain a "B" average or above. ATLANTA IS A HIGHER EDUCATION LEADER Among America's 50 largest metro areas, the Atlanta region ranks: 7th in college students enrolled 3rd in African American students 7th in degrees awarded In the top 10 in degrees awarded across 14 academic fields 5th in university research expenditures Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education GEORGIA LEADS THE NATION IN IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT In October 2010, the Gwinnett County School System received the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which honors the urban system that has the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement and reduction in the achievement gap. In August 2010, the U.S. Department of Education named Georgia one of 10 recipients of a Race to the Top grant, awarding the state $400 million. The competitive grant encouraged and rewarded states for creating conditions for education innovation and reform. Georgia is one of just three states to adopt four or more policies identified by the national College & Career Ready Policy Institute as necessary to adequately prepare students for college and 21st century jobs. Georgia has adopted the new national Common Core State Standards for language arts and mathematics that establish clear and consistent goals for learning in grades K-12 to prepare children for success in college and work. Passed in 2010, Senate Bill 84 is landmark legislation that will serve as a national model for local school board reform. The bill improves school board governance; clarifies roles and responsibilities of board members and superintendents; and gives the governor and State Board of Education authority to remove unethical school board members that put their systems at risk for accreditation loss. Education Week's annual report on educational technology, Technology Counts, ranked Georgia number one in the nation for the use of technology in schools. In 2010-2011, Georgia ranked 11th in the nation for percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams. Pre-K programs in Georgia already served more than 1 million children. Only four states have 2+ schools in the top 25 public U.S. universities. Georgia is one of them. 58 IB schools in Georgia. IN GEORGIA, WE START YOUNG AND FINISH STRONG For more information: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . decal.ga.gov Georgia Department of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . doe.k12.ga.us HOPE Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gacollege411.org University System of Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . usg.edu Technical College System of Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tscg.edu 03/2011 Georgia Department of Economic Development I 75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 1200, Atlanta, GA, 30308 I 404.962.4034 I georgia.org