14 | Commentary
Reporter Newspapers
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Commentary / APS must continue graduation, testing gains As we open the schoolhouse doors on a brand new school year, Atlanta Public Schools continues its journey of transformation into a culture with a childcentered mission and vision. Our goal is to make an even deeper connection with our students, our parents and caregivers – our families. We need all of our APS families to join with our teachers, principals and staff in focusing on preparing every single student for college and career. That begins by getting students to school on the first day and every day of the school year. Every day is a day of instruction, an opportunity to learn.
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transformation together, I pledge to continue to do my part to work diligently to foster a transparent, collaborative environment for our families and stakeholders. I look forward to being your partner in helping to fulfill the hopes and dreams of our children.
Meria Joel Carstarphen is superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.
Community Survey: What is your local school’s biggest challenge? It’s about the money. When we asked participants in our 1Q survey to identify the greatest challenge facing their local grade schools in the coming year, nearly 40 percent cited school budgets. One 66-year-old Brookhaven woman put it simply: “More funding!” Of the 200 respondents, 18 percent saw administrative leadership as the biggest challenge facing their local school. Another 16 percent listed state or federal standards governing schools as the top problem. Respondents to the cellphone-based survey of residents in communities served by Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta INtown were asked to choose one primary issue from among seven issues facing schools, or to choose “other” if the listed issues missed the mark. Choices ranged from classroom subject matter to parental involvement. The smallest number — just 4 of the 200 respondents, or 2 percent — saw school buildings or facilities as the
greatest problem. Asked how best to improve education locally, survey respondents found areas needing fixing in about every part of the school system. Some respondents pointed to classroom teachers. “Hire better qualified teachers who are accountable for results,” a 61-year-old Sandy Springs man wrote. Others took fault with school administrators. “Have strong, honest leaders that know how to budget and lead,” a 36-yearold Atlanta woman said. Still others looked to parents for a solution. “It starts with parents teaching kids at home,” a 42-year-old Atlanta woman said. And others looked to the larger community as the source of, and potential solution to, local school issues. “Deal with the root causes,” a 22-yearold Buckhead woman responded. “Racial and class divides manifest themselves in the geographic composition of the city, and the effects of white flight in the 1970s fol-
lowing integration efforts are still seen today, leading to some public schools having ample funding while some severely lack in resources.”
What is the biggest challenge affecting education in your local grade school in the coming year? School budget 39.5% Administrative leadership 17.5% State or federal standards 16% Parental involvement 12.5% Class subject offerings 5% School building or other facilities 2% Other 7.5%
Here’s what some other respondents had to say: “Providing more resources to schools, for both students and teachers.” --22-year-old Atlanta woman “More community involvement.” --55-year-old Sandy Springs man. “Better paid teachers.” --31-year-old Brookhaven woman
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We are making great progress on this journey. Last year, we finished our first full year with all of the transformational components in place -- a year that saw more than 2,400 beautiful students walk across the stage with their high school diplomas in hand, more than any year in recent history. We also saw significant gains in academics, as shown in our Georgia Milestones results, where about two-thirds of our schools – 17 more than the previous year – saw gains. We must strive to achieve even more student outcomes in this new school year. As we continue on this journey of
“Raise money for better qualified teachers.” --20-year-old Brookhaven woman “Please get rid of the constant standardized tests. Teachers teach for the test instead of imparting knowledge.”
--58-year-old Buckhead/Sandy Springs man “Get the government out of it. Teach life skills, i.e. balancing checkbook, the value of money, how to use and not use credit.” --50-year-old Atlanta woman “Strong leadership and effective communication with students and families will lead to an improvement in the education system.” --18-year-old Buckhead woman
percentage of what they do in class. Also provide better infrastructure because the schools in my area are old and overcrowded. Speaking of - class size is a major issue because it only allows teacher to teach to the average student.” --44-year-old Brookhaven woman “More parent involvement and better funding for the arts.” --36-year-old Brookhaven woman “Better funding for public schools - in all areas.” --54-year-old Sandy Springs woman
“Let teachers build their own curriculums. Let them have autonomy over a BH