Georgia Department Of Education 
Educating Georgia's Future 
2015 
Richard Woods, Georgia's School Superintendent 
 
  ; 
 
  NCLB 
Math and ELA Focus 
4 Year College Readiness 
for every child 
 
RT3 
Core Content & CTAE Focus 
College/Career Readiness 
for every child 
 
Georgia 
Holistic Focus Every child... 
Ready to Learn, Live, and Lead 
 
    I have to 
 
with each of my 
 
students if I am going to have any impact. My presence in 
 
the classroom should not only encourage but also challenge 
 
each of my students to reach success. 
-- Ernie Lee, 2016 Georgia Teacher of the Year 
 
MOVING FORWARD 
-toaccess place for new teachers. Measured, responsible accountability. It's our goal to move beyond a pilot into 
 
More quality resources as teachers implement standards. We're working to 
the Teacher Resource Link (TRL), so teachers have the support they need to deliver standards. 
Surveying beginning teachers to find the root causes of turnover. Forty-four percent of Georgia teachers leave the profession by year five, and we want to understand the root causes of that issue. We're developing a survey for teachers 
 
Superintendent Woods visited Barbara 
 
Landreth, one of Georgia's longest-serving 
 
teachers, for 
 
. 
 
OUR PRIORITIES 
Giving teachers autonomy to do what's best for their students. We need to trust that Georgia's teachers know their students and can determine the best way to deliver the standards to them. Hearing educator voices and bringing them into decision-making. When we listen 
A measured and targeted approach to accountability. We have enough hammers in our toolkit. We need more rulers that give teachers, students and schools meaningful feedback. 
 
May typically plays host to Teacher --but this year, it was in Georgia. 
LINKS TO USE Proclamation: bit.ly/gadoeTAM Column: bit.ly/gadoeteachers Teacher Resource Link: bit.ly/gadoeTRL 
 
112,177 
Total number of teachers in Georgia 
 
56 
Number of teachers on GaDOE's Teacher Advisory 
Council 
 
35.3% 
Percentage of Georgia teachers with 11-20 years of experience in the classroom 
 
55 
Years of experience held by Georgia's longest-serving 
teacher 
 
    Percentage of fourth graders from low income families in Georgia who could read at or 
above grade level (2013) 
 
 Career Pathway 
 
     Superintendent Woods sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressing a desire for more responsible testing. 
 
       To move Georgia education forward, we must always act in the best interest of students. With students in mind, we join hands and work together. We support classroomcentered, common-sense policies. We work to strengthen the teaching profession, enhance literacy, and promote a blended STEAM curriculum. We advocate for responsible testing and accountability. 
All of this, we do with one thing in mind: the 1.7 million students who are our foremost responsibility and greatest opportunity. 
 
  Georgia Department Of Education 
Educating Georgia's Future 2015 
 
Richard Woods, Georgia's School Superintendent 
 
/gadoe 
 
@gadoenews 
 
GaDOE.org