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All Rights Reserved.</div>By using this website, you accept the terms of our <div class="privacy"><a href="https://www.ajc.com/visitor-agreement/">Terms of Use</a>, <a href="https://www.ajc.com/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a>, <a href="https://www.ajc.com/california-privacy-notice/">CCPA</a>, and understand your options regarding <a href="https://www.ajc.com/privacy-policy/#ad-choices">Ad Choices</a>.</div><div class="learn-more"><a href="https://jobs.coxenterprises.com/?prefilters=none&CloudSearchLocation=none&CloudSearchValue=none/">Learn about Careers at Cox Enterprises.</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></nav></header></div><main class="c-sectionCentered"><div class="c-sectionHome b-sectionHome-padding b-sectionHomeMaxWidth full-width"><div class="c-contentElements"><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0fXrl3fc7ZKaW"><div class="c-page-title redesign2024"><h1 class="c-title-content" value="Get Schooled"><span>Get Schooled</span></h1></div></div><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0fTgovilrCi32v"><div class="c-pkg-lead-auto b-margin-bottom-d30-m20" data-sectiontitle="Feat Pkg Lead Auto"><div class="content single-item top-border"><a href="/education/get-schooled/the-school-board-was-the-test-ground-for-the-fall-of-our-democracy/K6RAN5KZUBD4NIQOICRRIJ6YYU/" class="block-1 img-override-aspect"><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/RFWN6RPHQREPJBAZ23NIDFZKKE.JPG?auth=1efa9210de856b9e9e947df22c32fe166b2cb08d5a9619166c3191e783470bd4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Audience members applaud at a Cherokee County school board meeting in Canton on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Members of the public spoke both for and against removing books that some deem objectionable. People who objected to removing books from schools wore yellow as a sign of solidarity. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com</p></div></div></div></a><div class="block-2"><div class=" c-story-tease large-text "><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline single-story pkgLeadAuto " href="/education/get-schooled/the-school-board-was-the-test-ground-for-the-fall-of-our-democracy/K6RAN5KZUBD4NIQOICRRIJ6YYU/"><h3>The school board was the testing ground for the fall of our democracy</h3></a></div></div></div><div class="block-3"></div></div></div></div><div class="HP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div class="MP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0fiErl3ifXq176"><div class="b-margin-bottom-d30-m20"><div class="c-list"><section class="section"><div class="content"><div class="list-items"><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/our-children-must-feel-and-be-safe-in-their-schools/7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png?auth=1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Students at Baggett Elementary School in Norcross are part of a new program to increase social and emotional learning. (AJC 2022)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: contributed</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/our-children-must-feel-and-be-safe-in-their-schools/7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI/"><h3>How we can make our children feel safe in their schools</h3></a><p class="description">According to Sen. Emanuel Jones, “Georgia has the eighth highest rate of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.”</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/senate-bill-41-provides-real-solutions-to-the-real-problems-of-girls-in-sports/EFLWDTHJQRHWXEVSWII7HCCPNM/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG?auth=4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Duluth center Adriana Saria-Alvarez (15) and Buford guard Ava Grace Watson (2) battle for a rebound in the first half of their first round game of the GHSA Class 7A girls playoffs at the Buford Civic Center on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Buford. A Georgia state senator writes in an op-ed that athletics programs for girls need more support. (Jason Getz/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/senate-bill-41-provides-real-solutions-to-the-real-problems-of-girls-in-sports/EFLWDTHJQRHWXEVSWII7HCCPNM/"><h3>Senate Bill 41 provides real solutions to the real problems of girls in sports</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/a-school-culture-war-raging-but-not-what-you-might-guess/OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG?auth=4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Pro-Palestine protester Taqi Hasan of Snellville (foreground) demonstrates as supporters of Israel hold a Passover gathering at Ali’s Cookies in Decatur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Guest author Beth Collums writes that educators must play a role in helping children learn how to find middle ground and compromise to avoid victimhood culture. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/a-school-culture-war-raging-but-not-what-you-might-guess/OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA/"><h3>A school culture war rages, but not one you might guess</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/vouchers-for-private-schools-may-add-up-to-segregation-in-georgia-classrooms/H5KMZERGSVGD3HLHBLI26B63QA/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-portrait"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MGMMQJU22VELBAN6NLRXA776CI.JPG?auth=3163ab623140fc98c48930174cefd3244adeb9f6a344acda462fb9f368c002c5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="The Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the state's largest teacher group, placed crayons and notes on the desks of state senators a few years ago to highlight the opposition by many advocacy groups to a school voucher bill. AJC FILE PHOTO." width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Special to the AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/vouchers-for-private-schools-may-add-up-to-segregation-in-georgia-classrooms/H5KMZERGSVGD3HLHBLI26B63QA/"><h3>Vouchers for private schools may add up to segregation in Georgia classrooms</h3></a><p class="description">The ACLU has long questioned the constitutionality of voucher systems.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/trumps-removal-of-gun-violence-prevention-office-could-harm-students/YZW4LNEKKJGYZLYUFSBTMVPWVE/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MZRB3H2M54Q7KXJGUOBZXRJGFA.jpg?auth=7d54ee1c9646807bef09334a97b0814188456673a64024521407f4c3c557f12f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Community members and leaders came together during a community candlelight vigil at Jug Tavern Park on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder. Four people were killed after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/trumps-removal-of-gun-violence-prevention-office-could-harm-students/YZW4LNEKKJGYZLYUFSBTMVPWVE/"><h3>Trump’s removal of gun violence prevention office could harm students</h3></a><p class="description">DeKalb County student: Trump has pledged to fix all problems riddling America but has demonstrated that he cares little for the safety of students.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/expanding-pre-k-access-will-help-georgia-families-and-the-economy/GEERECCZFZHE5DUK5VLKEINC7A/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IVVYHL5C6CO5KZUUT3YVA72RIM.jpg?auth=0228c99ab728c0964754b2990191034d57c07c54eb30c166da7fb25c09009fdd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, and Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, hold a press conference announcing their plans to bolster pre-K. at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)." width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Olivia Bowdoin</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/expanding-pre-k-access-will-help-georgia-families-and-the-economy/GEERECCZFZHE5DUK5VLKEINC7A/"><h3>Expanding pre-K access will help Georgia families and the state’s economy</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-leaders-must-find-ways-to-elevate-teacher-voices/C44Q7MVFBBF5LJBT4SXSWOJ2OU/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DDFK6B7FY7ORSVOBQTIRMRC3XQ.jpg?auth=0cda62e313b0a115f63fa093b734b3e558679a6f5509c23a8286b1dc23ed5097&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="New hires learn and find inspiration from the speakers at the Gwinnett County new teacher orientation in Duluth on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (Katelyn Myrick/katelyn.myrick@ajc.com)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Katelyn Myrick</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-leaders-must-find-ways-to-elevate-teacher-voices/C44Q7MVFBBF5LJBT4SXSWOJ2OU/"><h3>Schools can reduce teacher shortages by elevating their voices</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/emory-student-hopes-trump-will-bring-more-local-control-to-education-policies/BLBD4VLJZZHUPGAFCQZTC2E7BU/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Z5YHH3PJWBSV7O4YSSDOGZIF6M.JPG?auth=58705be2c20c0ae632a305254c53d9890cab591f7c911e3993e4857a66d7a3f7&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Former President Donald Trump reacts as he leaves the stage during a rally at the Georgia State University’s convocation center on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/emory-student-hopes-trump-will-bring-more-local-control-to-education-policies/BLBD4VLJZZHUPGAFCQZTC2E7BU/"><h3>Axing bureaucracy: The Trump promise to revive American education</h3></a><p class="description">For American education to reclaim its spot beneath the sun, we need innovation and we needed it yesterday.</p></div></div><div class="MP02 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div class="RP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 tablet-smallDesktop-only"></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/how-trump-can-improve-american-education/NVRH34P3ANHHRLC35V5QUHGJ6A/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/N7LAWAE4GJ4ORCRGGGZFBWYV2Q.jpg?auth=84c7d24435b900d453681fd72b0a099dcafb9be2c1172971804879d1be760ab9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Georgia Tech students popped the umbrellas on campus on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Our guest writer hopes President Donald Trump can downsize federal student loan programs and tackle higher education’s inflated costs and mediocre performance. (John Spink/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: John Spink/AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/how-trump-can-improve-american-education/NVRH34P3ANHHRLC35V5QUHGJ6A/"><h3>How Trump can improve American education</h3></a><p class="description">Given that Donald Trump already spent four years in the White House, do we already know what to expect when it comes to education? Not so much.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/opinion-the-case-against-reactive-school-closures/AADUQFA2I5E7DGEEFJO4VQ6HY4/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OHT2NBH47V56IKMKHVCQXFGXUA.jpg?auth=7d00019cb6a519ccd5b637df9bb74c3c55716f6658bbc108f6c47f800596adac&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Yngrid Huff, deputy chief operations officer of Fulton County Schools, addresses questions and tries to clarify the process of plans to close Spalding Drive Elementary School and Parklane Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2008" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Jenni Girtman</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/opinion-the-case-against-reactive-school-closures/AADUQFA2I5E7DGEEFJO4VQ6HY4/"><h3>The case against reactive school closures</h3></a><p class="description">Fulton County needs to approach school closures holistically and with a long-term vision, rather than addressing them piecemeal.</p></div></div></div><span class="separator-line"></span><button class="btn-loadMore redesign 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"},{"_id":"DBHBCQSARNALNL5CZPKQHBU7MA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"My answer to that question was simple: It’s not about the book bans, the bathrooms or the mythical “indoctrinators” teaching our kids basic math, science and history. Rather, this was about the dismantling of trust, oversight and institutions."},{"_id":"DFZMAXBTQJABREFS66ODOECVM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T13:49:35.127Z","replies":[],"pos":193,"comment":" ","type":"insert","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"We bear witness to this unraveling today as the American government plummets into extreme chaos with no end in sight, undergoing an actual coup led by oligarchs in suits rather than the “commonfolk” exhibiting the extreme behavior we have watched divide neighbors in those board meetings. The end result is a nation that mirrors the worst of itself, quelling the exceptionalism it claims and denying diversity it no doubt needs — and has always needed — to survive."},{"_id":"SZWRNMUYOJA2LHM3BZBHB4RW3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That school board chaos encompassed the uprisings of the so-called parental rights movement that topped your local news<b> </b>broadcast, riled up Facebook forums and demonized educators and students alike with precision and uniformed attacks marketed as “concern” for our most vulnerable population."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"e0e1c05f3086d7d5fa6c35aba13e3257a034b70d828818709af67bb09bb8cad5"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Nicole Carr is a journalist and journalism professor at Morehouse College. Courtesy","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Con","type":"author","byline":"Con"}]},"subtitle":"Nicole Carr","width":4445,"_id":"LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2cfNSPyTkdhZ7a4-DjiuXk__6g=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Nicole Carr 2025 headshot_4446x2501.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[]},"created_date":"2025-02-10T21:09:13Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-10T21:09:13Z","height":2500,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg?auth=e0e1c05f3086d7d5fa6c35aba13e3257a034b70d828818709af67bb09bb8cad5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"BLLWIQIFZBBG3FNG5BBOM2QGUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I was asked for my thoughts on the “endgame” because I’d been <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/chaos-at-the-school-board\"><u>researching</u></a> and reporting on the movement in a different way from 2020-2023. "},{"_id":"XWVGM4QWFVA2XPSG3CQFXXDZGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That included uncovering exactly who was providing and financing this message, pushing for the passage of identical local and state legislation designed to dismantle undefinable “woke” education and how a minority coalition of loud and predominantly white people (not necessarily parents) managed to co-opt and mesh the meaning of diversity, equity and inclusion, critical race theory, public health measures and various curricula into an all-out war on educators and marginalized communities in the name of states’ or individual rights."},{"_id":"65JMKCNLLRB23BLAXYVGNSRKIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"What we, particularly those of us in “mainstream media,” so comfortably called a conservative movement was actually pretty radical in theory and action. It was also in lockstep with movements of our past that resulted in the use of mint julep textbooks and resistance to integration well into the 1980s."},{"_id":"4DRXNULHKZGNDDPKNHNC3IE5JU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I traveled the country to talk to people being assaulted, followed home and finding what appeared to be a bullet hole in their living window after a conflict at a school board meeting. "},{"_id":"BSUU4G7X4NBDZFX4BZ3ZJANVCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/conservative-transformation-wayne-new-jersey-school-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/conservative-transformation-wayne-new-jersey-school-board\">New Jersey</a>, I learned how a lifelong Republican and school board member had become the target of his beloved party when he wouldn’t affirm false accusations about the board’s motives. It was eerily similar to the experiences members of the GOP had amid the “Big Lie” about stolen elections. "},{"_id":"26223U66EJDDZMIF4ZNPT6AC64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Right here in Georgia, I <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents\">uncovered</a> moblike harassment targeting an educator who was asked by the Cherokee County school system to apply and take on a diversity, equity and inclusion job, only to become the target of unspeakable juvenile and dangerous behavior that followed her to Cobb County’s school system. The campaign to get her fired was led by locals and people who were in no way connected to or living near the district itself. "},{"_id":"LY76SHKFXZEZHDJFGIP6SHZ5QI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Parents had undergone training that included material from the unaccredited Prager University as they received advice on how to cook up enough emotion, chaos and video footage to appear on Tucker Carlson’s now defunct prime-time cable network show. School board members had security in parking lots and in front of their homes. The parents had been taught their kids were being demonized in school for being white."},{"_id":"B3UMFMHA4NGMZGVVPDXB4BPLIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"But the story was bigger than that. "},{"_id":"MTS6N53SNRF3TD3DZZDJJNWRIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It was about the newly formed coalitions asking people to anonymously track and report educators they deemed “woke” (reporters, don’t ever let someone else use the term without asking the person to define it). And it was about this sort of coalescing of chaos that makes it difficult to understand the alleged issue at hand, often times because evidence does not support the claims used to anger or excite fear in the accusers."},{"_id":"3VCKTOINJRDYLGPVGA7GSAAEYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Perhaps the portion of the 2022 story that stood out to me the most was buried at the end. "},{"_id":"2CSEF3W24ZG4DORDEZ35VX5P6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Cherokee County Schools had banned the word equity from its district initiatives to avoid the backlash and fervor of the movement. No one had successfully explained to or convinced detractors that DEI — as defined and laid out in public documents by the districts themselves — was in service to children with Individualized Education Programs, physical disabilities and an array of socioeconomic experiences. "},{"_id":"EWIZHWWMNBCGNITSY2YLLYFQAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It was clear that, coupled with the hysteria of Critical Race Theory, everything was taking on a “new” meaning and the public relations blitz was now shaping a subculture set to move us to where we are today."},{"_id":"42FKGMYRD5EJZC5LFAK5EV5KVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T14:00:17.172Z","replies":[],"pos":205,"comment":"test","type":"insert","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"After exhaustive reporting that included interviewing and tracking hundreds of people, I knew enough to recognize what we were witnessing would not end at the school board. The school board was the testing ground for the current fall of democracy. And we cannot pretend we did not see it coming. "},{"_id":"EFPO7ZF6OFFVNLREX6OVOIHGWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"As we watch federal employees targeted and placed on DEI watch lists, remember that the same mechanisms were deployed by “conservative” groups against educators who became so disheveled they didn’t understand what they could teach and when, even if the material met longtime standards."},{"_id":"GEF5WH57V5F67AJXEASBAHJ43E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"When we think about the level of chaos that ensued in our nation’s Capitol, remember the uprisings in the school board and who was held accountable for harm and who was not. "},{"_id":"CBGKBWW6F5BHPD76CU6S32LAWM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"When we think about the legacy of school vouchers, remember that data is already showing us we’re <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-academies-school-voucher-money-north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-academies-school-voucher-money-north-carolina\">maintaining</a> segregation academies across the country. When we think about President Donald Trump’s desire to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\">dismantle the Department of Education</a>, think about where you’ve recently heard that idea before. "},{"_id":"65W5SDLTY5BSTHSWZH6U5TQB54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Yes, it took flight in your school board meetings. And when we think about who has led these movements — do not ignore the fact that race is indeed a factor. "},{"_id":"S4BWDF2NIZCVZDYM2JMJJRMQVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"This is not the makeup of a multiracial democracy at work. This is dripping in the language, overtures and undertones of white supremacy, no longer hidden under a blanket of short-lived political correctness. Education is the great equalizer, so when one seeks to maintain or gain power, education is the target."},{"_id":"ATEIZOOREREUTNUV4FW5TP7L3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The public school system is the one institution most of us will pass through in our lifetime. It’s where we’re molded from our earliest years. It’s where we are socialized and shaped. It’s where we learn how to deal with conflict and sensibilities before we shoot off into the world. "},{"_id":"WG7F7GRMUVFFBN5TJ2PPGDEE2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It took federal government action to force a more equal playing field for access to and resources for the schoolhouses. And it’s the new federal government that is returning us to a place the majority of us do not want to be."},{"_id":"RGNY4TE3SJCC7K6DMANGTHH4KM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"We may not bear witness to the chaos at the school board any more. The goal has been met. The unraveling — on a much higher level — has begun. "},{"_id":"KOAJPDEK7NG23GZARBX5RFZSHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"But the next time you think what’s happening in your backyard doesn’t resonate with our greater democracy, think again."},{"_id":"3CFA7WVDJZCX7NG2MQPGTA7LRI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>Nicole Carr is a journalist and journalism professor at Morehouse College.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"trump-administration"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"black community"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1efa9210de856b9e9e947df22c32fe166b2cb08d5a9619166c3191e783470bd4"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author","byline":"Arvin Temkar"}]},"subtitle":"04XX22 CHEROKEE BOOK BAN","width":1600,"caption":"Audience members applaud at a Cherokee County school board meeting in Canton on Thursday, April 21, 2022. 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Members of the public spoke both for and against removing books that some deem objectionable. People who objected to removing books from schools wore yellow as a sign of solidarity. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/RFWN6RPHQREPJBAZ23NIDFZKKE.JPG","height":1067,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/RFWN6RPHQREPJBAZ23NIDFZKKE.JPG?auth=1efa9210de856b9e9e947df22c32fe166b2cb08d5a9619166c3191e783470bd4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}}],"expires":1740142798786,"lastModified":1740142678653},"{\"arcSite\":\"ajc\",\"daysBack\":180,\"from\":2,\"includeDistributor\":\"\",\"includeSections\":\"/education/get-schooled-blog,/education/get-schooled\",\"primarySize\":[[630,420]],\"size\":80}":{"data":[{"content_elements":[{"_id":"HDDH4TZCM5ETFFHFOSUSCC7ZK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":"<i>- </i>"},{"pos":208,"comment":"<i>- </i>"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-07T20:27:55.542Z","start":0,"end":10,"text":"added \"safe\" to hed, per eric stirgus","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-07T20:06:06.885Z","start":116,"end":117,"text":"em dashes instead of hyphens","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739315990704},"type":"text","content":"<i>“Character education programs teach children how to listen to their sixth sense. These programs teach life skills — they teach our youth how to love themselves and, equally important, how to care for others.”— Pam McNall, CEO and founder of </i><a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://respectfulways.com/__;!!JZyed81S!ncmw0PYH7KVUQCAdLIPJ0WOsRnkFdOPuAkRHhV_9xLqpg7ezK_5groI5r_Isz_q4trVKEi-SWtzgcfG0epul58k$\"><i>Respectful Ways</i></a><i>.</i>"},{"_id":"QRPPYJTXX5FCJBQOGUFCCPIIMI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990705},"type":"text","content":"Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of being a volunteer mentor to Pam McNall. The experience has been worthwhile for both of us. We both have learned a lot."},{"_id":"P3MEWXUDN5EODCC5TRYKU7RIQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":16,"comment":"public-school "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-07T20:06:58.707Z","start":30,"end":43,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739315990706},"type":"text","content":"I have numerous public school teachers in my family. They are not in this occupation for the money or because it is easy. It is not. All are very dedicated and motivated to help school children. However, some are finding it to be more difficult than when they began their careers. And, in this age of cellphones and the internet, McNall has taught me a tremendous amount about why our school kids are having such difficult behavioral problems."},{"_id":"VJS47WZMNJANNPX5Z3B4ELSR4E","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FTJFARTD75ADNJPQ2MJY5ZXS7E"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia House Speaker pushes student mental health database after Apalachee shooting","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-house-speaker-pushes-for-school-safety-legislation-after-apalachee-shooting/5RRYEEABDNA3RJLWDKFDC6WU5Q/"},{"_id":"VJNKYT5DYBE2TPL5GWF2HU246M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":183,"comment":","},{"pos":468,"comment":"before "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990707},"type":"text","content":"They attach their self-worth to social media likes and comments — and spend up to 10 hours a day online. Science has <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side__;!!JZyed81S!ncmw0PYH7KVUQCAdLIPJ0WOsRnkFdOPuAkRHhV_9xLqpg7ezK_5groI5r_Isz_q4trVKEi-SWtzgcfG0oC2ZzfY$\">proven</a> that this level of brain imbalance can have lasting effects — physically, mentally and emotionally. Student mental health, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-students-private-battle-anxiety-disorders-in-the-classroom/GHFOO54WSRB3TIANIC2OWKIJQE/\" target=\"_blank\">anxiety</a> and depression are at an all-time high in U.S. schools. But prioritizing trauma-informed care is not happening. In fact, the number of behavioral specialists and <a href=\"https://blog.csba.org/school-counselor-ratios/\" target=\"_blank\">counselors</a> available for hire in public schools is below recommended levels. The question remains: Where are students to turn if they don’t have the emotional help they need nor programs available like Respectful Ways?"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Jack Bernard cropper","width":431,"_id":"JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/8oMvF3ITJ6HQwAbnJ5ms01XpBSg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Jack Bernard.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"E5DIS555UNDVXOLJ4KKIWLMEOQ"},"created_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","height":242,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg?auth=5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"LGHJHQHXHFCFNM4GHJEQ6GPCPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990709},"type":"text","content":"According to Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, “Georgia has the <a href=\"https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/01/28/georgia-democratic-senators-bill-would-create-statewide-database-to-flag-students-who-pose-a-threat/?emci=b198c410-d5dd-ef11-88f8-0022482a9579&emdi=58ee3257-49de-ef11-88f8-0022482a9579&ceid=327468\" target=\"_blank\">eighth highest rate</a> of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.” That disturbing situation is not something we Georgians want to discuss, but we must. Jones has introduced a bill to address the problem via both mental health measures and reasonable gun control, such as <a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69631\" target=\"_blank\">safe arms storage</a>. On the other side of the isle, House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has introduced a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-house-speaker-pushes-for-school-safety-legislation-after-apalachee-shooting/5RRYEEABDNA3RJLWDKFDC6WU5Q/\" target=\"_blank\">school safety bill</a>, pushing the law enforcement end and establishing a student mental health database."},{"_id":"KJRV3Y2T7JCGTE6RRHMNMJ6Y4A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"CLV3U7Z6ABF2JEHIZALZ2YKDJU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia Republicans and Democrats disagree on legislation after Apalachee school shooting","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislature-takes-diverting-paths-toward-school-safety/XP5QSO3XGVCX7HDI222MEXZV7I/"},{"_id":"NWUOSQE6TJDW7OBXQ6LXK5DKPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990710},"type":"text","content":"Our society must do something meaningful about school violence at the source now, not later. By teaching life skills and social skills, we can intercept a tragic situation before it evolves into a shooting. Otherwise, we should all be afraid for current and future generations of America’s students. It is clearly a nonpartisan issue."},{"_id":"GVF22DH3ZFBU7MXT2MYFPIHOE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990711},"type":"text","content":"We need our youth to recognize when something just isn’t quite right. However, listening to your intuition takes practice for young people. It takes reasonable social skills, plus emotional intelligence, to accomplish that aim."},{"_id":"OM7DYLEX6RES5GTCKOGKWTQFZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990712},"type":"text","content":"A student’s brain is like a muscle; it must be exercised or it will deteriorate. If we don’t teach our girls and boys how to empathize with others, they will never develop — or will lose — that precious ability. We do not need kids pulling out their cellphones to record a school fight. Instead, our children should know that they must do something about it. Because they understand that it’s morally wrong to stand by and simply do nothing."},{"_id":"3DA4GBGO3JBDLB45KHQ5OXPRZA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"5UC7433IMZFZPD4JEGDSM6ZWXE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Kemp to dole out extra $50 million in Georgia school security grants","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-to-dole-out-extra-50-million-in-georgia-school-security-grants/YIDUIWD6QBBHFPG5MSMSDDY43Y/"},{"_id":"7XO2CZFG2BF7PKDIQDPBZIPNE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":" above"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990713},"type":"text","content":"Families and religious institutions can help us to obtain this goal. But they cannot do it alone. As McNall stated, a significant part of the solution lies in establishing student well-being programs at our schools. We must fix this problem at the source through character education and teaching emotional intelligence at our schools, which will make all the difference in the world to that struggling kid thinking about bringing a gun to school."},{"_id":"6K64SNSMXRHRPHVCR2XCJ3H7SM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990714},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Schools can improve student well-being through character education and teaching emotional intelligence."},"description":{"basic":"According to Sen. Emanuel Jones, “Georgia has the eighth highest rate of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.”"},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"contributed","type":"author","byline":"contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Elementary launches Social Emotional Learning & Wellness program","width":4032,"caption":"Students at Baggett Elementary School in Norcross are part of a new program to increase social and emotional learning. (AJC 2022)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png?auth=1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/our-children-must-feel-and-be-safe-in-their-schools/7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Jack Bernard","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"How we can make our children feel safe in their schools"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:09.484Z","_id":"7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"contributed","type":"author","byline":"contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Elementary launches Social Emotional Learning & Wellness program","width":4032,"caption":"Students at Baggett Elementary School in Norcross are part of a new program to increase social and emotional learning. (AJC 2022)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png?auth=1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JLPQHV3JYNAN3BEAA2A6QO3GL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775590},"type":"text","content":"As a lifelong athlete in a post-Title-IX world, participating in high school basketball, tennis, track and field and on the USA Handball team, I have experienced firsthand the continued inequalities girls face in sports."},{"_id":"PCT7MT53GJAQLIJJNWZWB27PLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775591},"type":"text","content":"The reality is that decades after Title IX was enacted to help level the playing field, girls are still cheated out of true fairness in sports every single day. Spending our time focused on vulnerable transgender youth is a distraction from the real problem at hand."},{"_id":"4HJGBDA7ERECZABZQQFKNLAT7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775592},"type":"text","content":"As my Republican colleagues in the Georgia Senate push <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69274__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE3XXfCco$\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 1</a> through the General Assembly, we must call out the potential harm this bill poses to our trans girls and name out loud the problem of true equity that women continue to face in almost every arena."},{"_id":"KOQI2YNSWFD7DJEJCCFP7AXRT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775593},"type":"text","content":"We must turn our focus to the real issue at hand — true fairness and safety in girls’ sports — instead of resorting to the bully tactics that the Republican “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act” has become."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"193f661552993dddc1300a9c8154294380e74335fea65a25bd75a21754e71383"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Senator Kim Jackson is the Georgia state Senator for District 41 in DeKalb County. (ACLU of Georgia)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Sen. Kim Jackson","width":5409,"_id":"TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ZWJ3JLgN7hSfFgJboTKaof9BDsQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Sen.-Kim-Jackson-1038[93]_5409x3043.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1738869220391},"created_date":"2025-02-06T18:33:30Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-06T18:33:30Z","height":3042,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg?auth=193f661552993dddc1300a9c8154294380e74335fea65a25bd75a21754e71383&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"YJWANQGM6BCGNHITEU2PIGOEXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775595},"type":"text","content":"I have introduced <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69576__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rELWL-DHI$\" target=\"_blank\">SB 41</a>, the “Equal Opportunities for Girls in Sports Act,” which lives up to its name by addressing the ongoing, unequal treatment girls experience in sports across Georgia. This bill opens up a real conversation about true “fairness” and “safety” in girls’ sports that will level the playing field and acknowledge the barriers faced by female athletes."},{"_id":"N375WE66BJEG7MWQLRI5HC7D7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":157,"comment":"Inequities like the girls soccer coach working twice as long (averaging 20 games a season) while making a third of the pay of the football coach (averaging 10 games a season)."}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-06T22:30:49.550Z","replies":[{"date":"2025-02-06T22:38:47.077Z","text":"great! george is out for the night, so i will unbold the updated text and move it for print now.","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"start":333,"end":423,"text":"Jackson's office agreed to this change.","user":"ERIC STIRGUS","email":"Eric.Stirgus@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738944775596},"type":"text","content":"Barriers like being made to practice late at night or early in the morning when it’s still dark outside to accommodate the boys team’s practice preferences. Inequities like some girls soccer coaches making a third of the pay of the football coach. A real conversation about how some girls’ sports teams are assigned teacher supervisors with no coaching experience because the pay inequity is so steep that a qualified coach won’t take the job."},{"_id":"IHQVTECDARB7JFN5GVGXIAYBYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775597},"type":"text","content":"The list goes on."},{"_id":"DYRO5DW2J5GLDBAOEEIPKRAJT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":" Sports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys soccer team but not the girls soccer team that wins the state championship."}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-06T19:34:41.845Z","replies":[{"date":"2025-02-06T20:04:22.705Z","text":"Maybe:\n\nSports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys basketball team that wins the state championship much more than the girls basketball team that wins it all. ","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-06T22:28:56.386Z","text":"Her office agreed to your suggestion.","user":"ERIC STIRGUS","email":"Eric.Stirgus@ajc.com"}],"start":270,"end":412,"text":"May be wrong, but I think these would be treated similary in local print or tv. I'd definitely agree there would be a disparity between coverage of a football title and any girls sport. A better example here may be a disparity between boys basketball and girls basketball. Where I've worked, those two have been treated pretty equally, but I'm sure that's not the case elsewhere.","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738944775598},"type":"text","content":"Attention given to football teams far and above outweighs that given to any girls teams at their schools. Stretched-thin medical professionals and physical trainers who are hired to care for all school athletes are commandeered by the football and boys basketball teams. Sports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys basketball team that wins the state championship much more than the girls basketball team that wins it all."},{"_id":"CCWHVHANGFHCTDXP75TZ2DMZ7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775599},"type":"text","content":"While professional female athletes are finally receiving greater recognition and heralded as role models for young women, troubling trends continue for our youth."},{"_id":"A3PDFGRXZ5AADHFSUGQVECN4LE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775600},"type":"text","content":"By age 14, <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/do-you-know-the-factors-influencing-girls-participation-in-sports/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE9ODFH00$\" target=\"_blank\">girls are dropping out of sports</a> at two times the rate of boys, for <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/do-you-know-the-factors-influencing-girls-participation-in-sports/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE9ODFH00$\" target=\"_blank\">reasons</a> including bullying, social isolation and discrimination based on their real or perceived sexual orientation. Women in their 20s are twice as likely to <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://scwomenlead.net/women-who-played-sports-are-more-likely-to-be-business-leaders/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rEupB1t44$\" target=\"_blank\">report safety concerns</a> from their youth sports experiences as are those in their 40s, citing concerns about injury, safety and poor coaching."},{"_id":"TKHS6U4ACBCSDFF6F33LNJJKNM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775601},"type":"text","content":"Creating more equal opportunities for girls in sports during their formative years benefits them later in life."},{"_id":"7OWXH52NWZAC3GUK5FMAHXWKTQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775602},"type":"text","content":"Among <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://scwomenlead.net/women-who-played-sports-are-more-likely-to-be-business-leaders/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rEupB1t44$\" target=\"_blank\">women</a> between ages 20 and 80 who played sports in their youth, 69% hold at least one formal leadership role outside of the family. The Women in Sports Foundation says that 80% of women who are Fortune 500 CEOs played sports in their earlier years."},{"_id":"E24VMQ54MRHYBLPQSF6KH5VVY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775603},"type":"text","content":"The message is clear: Girls benefit exponentially from equitable access to quality sports in school."},{"_id":"HYT47HBB7JDUXHYKQZEE3RSWLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"S.B. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775604},"type":"text","content":"SB 41 seeks to help level the playing field for Georgia girls by providing equal athletic opportunities by enforcing common sense guidelines, including:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"JS7UL5O5QNGTXCIECPCVMQACGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"522WGCEDVBF2BPGCCXZJW2SN3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Bar students from being treated differently based on gender"},{"_id":"4A636HZS3RCA3FUWXYXI73RZZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":110,"comment":"both gender"}],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Require schools to provide equal compensation, medical and training facilities and supplies for boys and girls sports teams"},{"_id":"45E2NCF5XBEH3I57WCHF52AJKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Commensurate compensation for girls coaches based on “actual time” in the sports season"},{"_id":"UAQJY5CD75FTBFPUB5HDCV32A4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Require equitable publicity/media"}]},{"_id":"3XKWH4SOFZGABBETZ3APCP6T4U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775606},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s female athletes need real solutions to their real problems. Our trans girls are the farthest problem from what is actually hindering our kids’ ability to play."},{"_id":"F236UE43MRAADLMKHNIDBAB6UA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":113,"comment":"S.B. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775607},"type":"text","content":"We have a long way to go to level the playing field in girls sports. So let’s solve our real problems by passing SB 41."},{"_id":"5HPJXKHAIRDWROWVTJLZUVXRSQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775608},"type":"text","content":"<i>Kim Jackson is the Georgia state senator for District 41 in DeKalb County.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"high school sports"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"clonedChildren":[],"basic":[],"clonedFromParent":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"022123 HS BUFORD","width":4270,"caption":"Duluth center Adriana Saria-Alvarez (15) and Buford guard Ava Grace Watson (2) battle for a rebound in the first half of their first round game of the GHSA Class 7A girls playoffs at the Buford Civic Center on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Buford. 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(Jason Getz/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG","height":2847,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG?auth=4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"2VEZMAT7XJANTACW3T4RGVVNDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:19:04.332Z","start":0,"end":5,"text":"tweaked hed from \"A school culture war raging, but not one what you might guess\" to \"A school culture war rages, but not one you might guess\"","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002156},"type":"text","content":"There are many hot button issues regarding children, parents and schools brewing in the 2025 Georgia General Assembly. One might even call them “culture wars.” However, there is a much more important culture war raging over our children presently and it isn’t one that has anything to do with conservative vs. progressive or Democrat vs. Republican. It has nothing to do with transgender bathrooms, school vouchers or vaccines."},{"_id":"WS3MIYNPNZASHO2VLDXSJAQHKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002157},"type":"text","content":"It’s a culture war of dignity culture and victimhood culture."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1"},"caption":"Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. 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They describe a large-scale moral shift occurring toward imbuing conflict in socially ambiguous situations and seeing the “other” as direct opposition. On the other hand with dignity culture, “when intolerable conflicts do arise, dignity cultures prescribe direct but nonviolent actions” to find middle ground."},{"_id":"MBZX7CEXPRCZBFUNWNIKCVA6CQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:34:09.250Z","start":503,"end":504,"text":"closed out quote","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002160},"type":"text","content":"In victimhood culture, “the aggrieved actively seek the support of third parties as well as those that focus on oppression.” Every conflict becomes pregnant with moral superiority. Research <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-mindset-of-victimhood/__;!!JZyed81S!hL2GcQzxJQ7aZOYWYXq5Xh2M3F5PDwA9-qD-00nyalAo8a6AnpVn_E_AYmATWzhwlJi3Gq8LTIgZVZlfgh8EMw$\">on the victimhood mindset</a> postulates, “While splitting the world into those who are ‘saints’ versus those who are ‘pure evil’ may protect oneself from pain and damage to their self-image, it ultimately stunts growth and development and ignores the ability to see the self and the world in all of its complexities.”"},{"_id":"ED7E5PBXA5GZNLDNM6TXF2FUOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002161},"type":"text","content":"Have you fallen into the victimhood mindset? Ask yourself: Is President Donald Trump pure evil? Or heaven sent? Is the opposing political platform morally corrupt and is yours without fault?"},{"_id":"JB7P4AT4YZDYVFNDU46Q2APFAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":100,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":106,"comment":" ’"},{"pos":114,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":119,"comment":" ’"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002162},"type":"text","content":"This is a key job of the parent; to help our children see that everyone has value and no one is all “good” or all “bad” no matter what they do, think or say. So how can we teach our children to fight against beliefs siloed by polarized thinking?"},{"_id":"N52DUI6OIRGWTPFEDYA6GYQZJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":88,"comment":"5 "},{"pos":341,"comment":"all "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002163},"type":"text","content":"Let’s look at infants and young children. Ever hear a toddler say “I love you” and then five minutes later in the Target aisle throw a tantrum and say “I hate you?” When kids are very young they grow in internalizing that even when mommy says you can’t have another cookie, mommy is not all bad. She provides a toy and the child sees her as good again. This cycle goes on and these tiny paradoxes create the opportunity for the child to reconcile that mommy is not all good or all bad, but instead a mixture of loving actions who can both frustrate and provide relief."},{"_id":"3B4WA6TLIBH5BHZETRKH2CT4NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002164},"type":"text","content":"Like most ways we teach our children, gradual development comes in a million tiny lessons over time. We need to encourage their growth by challenging assumptions and introducing complexities of thought, situations and people."},{"_id":"TCFFPDCJMZEVBEIWHBMFJLGEII","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":116,"comment":"blindspots "},{"pos":190,"comment":"like minded "},{"pos":231,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":235,"comment":" ’"},{"pos":272,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":278,"comment":" ’"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:25:33.126Z","start":127,"end":138,"text":"two words, per merriam/AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-05T20:26:13.581Z","start":213,"end":224,"text":"hyphenate as a compound modifier","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002165},"type":"text","content":"For older kids and teens, parents can watch Fox News and CNN with them and discuss how each perspective has glaring blind spots and legitimate strengths. Adolescents develop through finding like-minded people but we can teach that “us” should never come at the expense of “them” through shaming or belittling."},{"_id":"INZLIBN2T5BWBPFT7SSID4E7Q4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:27:12.835Z","start":276,"end":277,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002166},"type":"text","content":"Teachers can empower students to think critically through the many layers of any given topic when constructing a viewpoint and actively listen to someone with a differing opinion. Developing lasting relationships with people of diverse views leads us to engage them as friends, not as foes. Isolation breeds dichotomous thinking."},{"_id":"OMXPLU6M4VE3ZHTQ6LQVSENNYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":42,"comment":"newsfeeds "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:28:00.832Z","start":52,"end":62,"text":"two words, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002167},"type":"text","content":"This is a hard road though. Social media, news feeds and influencers all tend to lead us to conclusions of our own tendency. The nature of algorithms is ever narrowing of original viewpoint, not expanding."},{"_id":"2RFTPMP7C5HWLJKJXW4QJCAVNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002168},"type":"text","content":"If victimhood culture seeks to heighten the extremity of the offense and gain an army of supporters, the dignity culture seeks common ground. As described by <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2007471917300078*:*:text=Dignity*2C*20face*2C*20and*20honor,-Leung*20and*20Cohen&text=In*20dignity*20cultures*2C*20individuals*20are,in*2Dgroup*20harmony*20and*20modesty.__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!JZyed81S!hL2GcQzxJQ7aZOYWYXq5Xh2M3F5PDwA9-qD-00nyalAo8a6AnpVn_E_AYmATWzhwlJi3Gq8LTIgZVZkCfQacUQ$\">researchers</a>, in a dignity culture “individuals are construed as relatively equal, with each having a stable and internal sense of worth.”"},{"_id":"TDBJBJE3SVFWRILIFGS2PNYFNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002169},"type":"text","content":"But compromise doesn’t get clicks … or votes."},{"_id":"IM4T6S3R2VDZHHIWCIAZJXCLII","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002170},"type":"text","content":"There is a great vilification of anyone who disagrees with someone with a victim mindset, every conflict becomes a conflict of good and evil, right and wrong, between morality and wickedness. An obvious flaw to this logic, all conflict is not based on moral absolutes, in fact most conflict is not. Preserving the dignity of those you are in disagreement with is no longer rewarded or even admired. Compromise is seen as weakness and dog eat dog is the rule of the day — for both parties and political extremes."},{"_id":"WZHG25KOHVFGBOHT6XGUYBXM2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002171},"type":"text","content":"We can teach our kids that real strength is shown by finding middle ground, and compromise is how we make forward progress in democracy. Real power is not bullying or demanding your own way, rather it is listening and seeking common ground for public good. We’ll see if the 2025 Georgia General Assembly can lean into dignity culture or if they will succumb to the current trend of victimhood culture."},{"_id":"JSBWNOHM5NBENJ3L46AVV5ANP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002172},"type":"text","content":"No matter what though, we must teach our kids to reach out, lean in and move toward others, especially those with which we don’t agree. It’s impossible to see eye to eye if we’re always standing on a soap box."},{"_id":"TP2IHHT7GZGPHHRSFMAIDKB6PQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:32:23.392Z","start":0,"end":4,"text":"added tagline info","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002173},"type":"text","content":"<i>Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer with a professional background in child and family therapy. She often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Emory University Protesters and Encampment\r","width":3300,"caption":"Pro-Palestine protester Taqi Hasan of Snellville (foreground) demonstrates as supporters of Israel hold a Passover gathering at Ali’s Cookies in Decatur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Guest author Beth Collums writes that educators must play a role in helping children learn how to find middle ground and compromise to avoid victimhood culture. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG","height":2201,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG?auth=4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/a-school-culture-war-raging-but-not-what-you-might-guess/OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Beth Collums","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"A school culture war rages, but not one you might guess"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:06.662Z","_id":"OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Emory University Protesters and Encampment\r","width":3300,"caption":"Pro-Palestine protester Taqi Hasan of Snellville (foreground) demonstrates as supporters of Israel hold a Passover gathering at Ali’s Cookies in Decatur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Guest author Beth Collums writes that educators must play a role in helping children learn how to find middle ground and compromise to avoid victimhood culture. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG","height":2201,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG?auth=4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"BIUZDPCJRFGFRGA22OFW3S56SI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":69,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701567},"type":"text","content":"Georgians just celebrated the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The MLK Day celebrations got me thinking about how far we as a nation and state have come in my lifetime. And how far we have yet to go."},{"_id":"OZ55JLK3ARCFVIBUO635JMCPOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701568},"type":"text","content":"Over 70 years ago, our Supreme Court ruled <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/the-legacy-of-brown-v-board-of-education-in-georgia/L3YPLWUQN5FP7GXDMCWDQVY5L4/\" target=\"_blank\">public school segregation was unconstitutional</a>. However, Southern states ignored that legally binding decision. About a decade later, I graduated from a segregated high school (Cartersville). Our schools were separate, but not equal."},{"_id":"6BXGVQAPAZEC3G4CJ6HOHJKL5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701569},"type":"text","content":"King believed in nonviolence. He led protests leading to the desegregation of all public schools in Georgia and the bipartisan passage of laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. As a result of public schools being desegregated, many segregated private schools emerged throughout the South. In Georgia, private schools have <a href=\"https://projects.propublica.org/private-school-demographics/states/ga\" target=\"_blank\">proportionally fewer Black students</a>, 15%, versus public schools, 36%."},{"_id":"SSWWO7HD5VEYFFPBOS6G5KSPVQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ZHFZUDLLARELTE2HVXIQ33775M"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Rocky rollout of Georgia private school vouchers is just beginning of challenges","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-voucher-laws-dont-help-students-only-politicians/RPSYMV6O5FDCVORVN5B4BIG27Q/"},{"_id":"DN6QE74XYRBLDPZ7UFVIN333FY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":30,"comment":"which "},{"pos":56,"comment":"."}],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701570},"type":"text","content":"There are troubling questions that arise from this data:"},{"_id":"JBQEGZG4FFHSTBT2O5ZG4VNXV4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"“"},{"pos":88,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738350360869},"type":"text","content":"Will Georgia’s recently approved voucher system lessen segregation or promote even more?"},{"_id":"4O2EU2ILPRBAXKT5VNJMACOREY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"“"},{"pos":94,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738350360870},"type":"text","content":"Does our tax dollars going to promote church run schools run counter to the U.S. Constitution?"},{"_id":"GEVU7OF2JBD6RGC4RBNTTEWSVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"“"},{"pos":61,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738350360871},"type":"text","content":"What will the effect of vouchers be on public school budgets?"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f"},"caption":"Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia. COURTESY","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Jack Bernard cropper","width":431,"_id":"JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/8oMvF3ITJ6HQwAbnJ5ms01XpBSg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Jack Bernard.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"SDPXN7J6ORDM7ADGBHNMM3ODPM"},"created_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","alignment":"right","height":242,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg?auth=5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"VPQ3WF5Y2NBCRPPEV25HIUIALM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701572},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Let’s address the segregation issue first."},{"_id":"NRCRJ6H6EVCJZA2ZJ7NU34IZXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738350360874},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"In 1954, with the issue of school desegregation on the minds of Georgia’s politicians, <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Georgia-School-Vouchers-Fact-Sheet-2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the state approved a constitutional amendment</a> permitting state funds to be utilized for private school vouchers. This fact says a lot about why vouchers were created in the first place."},{"_id":"YBVNIFNJRVABHEDZCV77XSVGPA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"HJJIGMJEZNBGRBAMV2IJ2BVUL4"},"alignment":"left","type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Vouchers are warning shot in GOP war on public education","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-vouchers-are-warning-shot-in-gop-war-on-public-education/BLGSGWFXARGBDKGB2WUX56BY2Y/"},{"_id":"XURHNFXPVBA6XBEFCNIEV6HY6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701573},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Georgia’s General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp, a voucher advocate, approved a voucher program <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-legislation-establishing-another-voucher-program-in-georgia/3FZ3LA3DZVFI3AVEK6BF6B66OU/\" target=\"_blank\">last year</a>. This occurred despite a Georgia survey finding that, if vouchers negatively impact public schools, only 34.9% of residents approve their use, according to <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/poll-k12-2024/#:~:text=A%20new%20poll%20commissioned%20by,voters%20oppose%20private%20school%20vouchers\" target=\"_blank\">a poll</a> commissioned by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute from the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs Survey Research Center."},{"_id":"ZDDJ3FE22FF4LB76OVO5TFXQNQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738350360876},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"To qualify, students must be in low-performing schools, with lower-income children given top priority. Under that law, $6,500 annually is given to parents by our state government so that their child can attend a private school. However, Georgia’s <a href=\"https://www.privateschoolreview.com/tuition-stats/georgia/high\" target=\"_blank\">average yearly tuition</a> for a private high school is $13,411. No low-income student can afford to go to a private school. Thus, upper and middle-class families will use the vouchers."},{"_id":"JMNXLH5VNBGEZNUNP5AOQUMIJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":79,"comment":"whereas "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-31T01:43:44.281Z","start":137,"end":150,"text":"weak attribution","user":"David Collins","email":"David.Collins@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738025701574},"type":"text","content":"The <a href=\"https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/georgia-median-household-income-by-race/\" target=\"_blank\">median household income</a> for a Black family in Georgia is $57,293 annually, and it’s $82,397 for white families, according to some research. Therefore, it would appear that the new voucher system will only exacerbate the very low proportion of Black students in private schools."},{"_id":"ULN3FO3JX5EQFHAFTBFUU7NYSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":244,"comment":"why "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701575},"type":"text","content":"Let’s analyze the church-state implications of vouchers. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Per the <a href=\"https://www.acluga.org/en/know-your-rights/religious-freedom#:~:text=So%20they%20created%20the%20First,so%20many%20other%20nations%20apart\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia ACLU</a>: “This fundamental freedom is a major reason the U.S. has managed to avoid a lot of the religious conflicts that have torn so many other nations apart.”"},{"_id":"W3A5UGO4TBE5TBUGHBIADDYL6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":164,"comment":"which "},{"pos":325,"comment":"s"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701576},"type":"text","content":"In fact, the ACLU has long questioned the constitutionality of voucher systems. In a 1999 memo on the issue, the ACLU cited a long list of U.S. Supreme Court cases that supported the ACLU viewpoint. However, since the politicization of the Roberts court over the last two decades, the Supreme Court has become friendly toward our tax dollars going to fund parochial schools, which <a href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest-dashboard/state/georgia\" target=\"_blank\">total 830 of our state’s 3,146</a> K-12 schools."},{"_id":"IHET6RESI5HGTOGHQUGIROZV64","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ZHUO3CDP2NFABOFMFC2OEUI3Z4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Cobb board member: New voucher bill empowers private schools, not parents","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/cobb-board-member-new-voucher-bill-empowers-private-schools-not-parents/UIOSO24K6VHJVGNZDV4M4QRFII/"},{"_id":"XJITKRCACFH4PO67PEXUKXICNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":207,"comment":"less "},{"pos":246,"comment":"eventually "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701577},"type":"text","content":"Finally, we have the question of where does voucher funding come from? Every school district has an annual budget consisting of fixed and variable costs. When revenue is removed from a school because it has fewer students, variable cost tends to go down eventually. For example, fewer teachers are needed. Some may be laid off. However, fixed costs remain the same. For example, building maintenance and utilities. Therefore, as the ACLU <a href=\"https://www.aclu.org/documents/memo-constitutional-implications-voucher-proposals\" target=\"_blank\">says</a>, voucher programs are “drain(ing) the public schools of tens of millions of government tax dollars.”"},{"_id":"O2DXH6TMKBDDNH4VPYQELPYQ4Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701579},"type":"text","content":"In conclusion, it is hard to justify the voucher program from either a constitutional or practical perspective. Plus, vouchers exacerbate discrimination against Georgians of color. From both moral and fiscal perspectives, the governor and General Assembly must repeal this law."},{"_id":"76RX45LD2RF2RBMF4CXJEIIFB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738025701580},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The ACLU has long questioned the constitutionality of voucher systems."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3163ab623140fc98c48930174cefd3244adeb9f6a344acda462fb9f368c002c5"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Special to the AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"HANDOUT","type":"author","byline":"HANDOUT"}]},"subtitle":"Vouchers","width":720,"caption":"The Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the state's largest teacher group, placed crayons and notes on the desks of state senators a few years ago to highlight the opposition by many advocacy groups to a school voucher bill. AJC FILE PHOTO.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MGMMQJU22VELBAN6NLRXA776CI.JPG","height":960,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MGMMQJU22VELBAN6NLRXA776CI.JPG?auth=3163ab623140fc98c48930174cefd3244adeb9f6a344acda462fb9f368c002c5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/vouchers-for-private-schools-may-add-up-to-segregation-in-georgia-classrooms/H5KMZERGSVGD3HLHBLI26B63QA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-01T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Jack Bernard","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Vouchers for private schools may add up to segregation in Georgia classrooms"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-01T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-04T16:19:54.546Z","_id":"H5KMZERGSVGD3HLHBLI26B63QA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"3163ab623140fc98c48930174cefd3244adeb9f6a344acda462fb9f368c002c5"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Special to the AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"HANDOUT","type":"author","byline":"HANDOUT"}]},"subtitle":"Vouchers","width":720,"caption":"The Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the state's largest teacher group, placed crayons and notes on the desks of state senators a few years ago to highlight the opposition by many advocacy groups to a school voucher bill. AJC FILE PHOTO.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MGMMQJU22VELBAN6NLRXA776CI.JPG","height":960,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MGMMQJU22VELBAN6NLRXA776CI.JPG?auth=3163ab623140fc98c48930174cefd3244adeb9f6a344acda462fb9f368c002c5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"LTG7KW34JJCD5HD4VI3ONPEEIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429633},"type":"text","content":"Days after his inauguration to serve a second term, President Donald Trump <a href=\"https://mashable.com/article/white-house-pulls-gun-violence-protection-website\" target=\"_blank\">dissolved a federal office</a> dedicated in memory to the sacrifice and heroism of students, teachers and American citizens who fell victim to gun violence."},{"_id":"3NUBYLGR2VHILOFATLGZP4ZQLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429634},"type":"text","content":"The Office of Gun Violence Prevention, established in 2023, received unparalleled youth support from organizations such as March For Our Lives and Everytown for Gun Safety. This support followed in the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the Buffalo supermarket shooting in New York. These two organizations, originally founded to organize young people against gun violence and to spark legislative change, made the creation of a federal office against gun violence their top goal."},{"_id":"C6Q6ZGWAABFJNKXCEY5DLBXW5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":35,"comment":"."}],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429635},"type":"text","content":"The new office had four priorities: Coordinating the federal response to mass shootings and concentrations of community gun violence. Expanding state and local partnerships to help reduce gun violence. Developing and implementing executive actions on gun safety to save lives. Implementing the landmark <a href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2938/text\" target=\"_blank\">Bipartisan Safer Communities Act</a> and other federal gun violence prevention laws."},{"_id":"JXYV2JQ6IFERFOU6GW57LNS6G4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"RIX53XZLNVGCFEO22KEKFACKBY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"After Apalachee, Republican lawmakers split on gun safety rules","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/after-apalachee-republican-lawmakers-split-on-gun-safety-rules/L72BUM27KBGB7GYUW4ISAIBQUA/"},{"_id":"IXRJIECEDNFN3FJQOFZLNY54R4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429636},"type":"text","content":"Over the first half of 2024, the Department of Justice reported a 17% decrease in homicides and a 20% reduction in mass shootings in comparison to the same time period in 2023. It was one of the largest <a href=\"https://www.everytown.org/white-house-office-of-gun-violence-prevention-accomplished-first-year/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\">decreases</a> in gun violence in the nation’s history. For students living in Georgia who want only for their lives to matter, an elimination of the largest coordinated effort to combat gun violence is a nightmare: especially in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"76888d3b2814fd5db1106911b2f462d6131e3f1ad4466c58b31a27e1edb86a47"},"caption":"A rising senior at Dunwoody High School, Daniel Herrera, 17, was looking forward to taking AP African American Studies this year. When he and his classmates learned the class might be in jeopardy, they were dispirited.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contr","type":"author","byline":"Contr"}]},"subtitle":"Dunwoody High School student Daniel Herrera","width":400,"_id":"F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/Q2_XY2pS5-B05MOUTHAzp0lhKtg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","version":2,"originalName":"danielh.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"ISA4TNEUUVDEFAXHEOYPD7Q3CQ"},"created_date":"2024-07-23T19:45:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-07-23T19:45:34Z","height":400,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg?auth=76888d3b2814fd5db1106911b2f462d6131e3f1ad4466c58b31a27e1edb86a47&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2JONANJA5NF43FHB6VGPZVDKMI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429638},"type":"text","content":"Trump has pledged to fix all problems riddling America, from the economy to immigration. However, he has demonstrated through actions in his previous presidency, and what he has said he plans to do in his second term, that he cares little for the safety of students. He began by <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-signs-bill-revoking-obama-era-gun-checks-people-mental-n727221\" target=\"_blank\">repealing an Obama-era law</a> in response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which would have prevented certain individuals with histories of mental illness from purchasing guns. And he advocated for an end to <a href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/28/gun-free-school-zones-draw-trumps-ire-but-advocates-protest/381902002/\" target=\"_blank\">gun-free zones</a> and arming teachers, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."},{"_id":"T5DTF2B3PVDLHMIPYBWAMXM5YM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SVC3P6NNSZAXDIP2ZWWMCIJAYE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia voters worry about shootings but don’t back gun limits, AJC poll finds","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/ajc-poll-georgia-voters-worry-about-shootings-but-dont-back-gun-limits/JEPPVPCA4FFQZKMC5NN75VZPNQ/"},{"_id":"HWFFFBWAUNBKTIEBQN5ZALJLBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":35,"comment":"in "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429639},"type":"text","content":"Actions such as these suggest that his second term will only be more of the same. Trump said <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-2024-nevada-south-carolina-a6339d7c607bc042bb01583876e129cb\" target=\"_blank\">in a meeting</a> with National Rifle Association members in 2023, that: “There was a great pressure for me to [pass laws] with guns… we did nothing.” He did do nothing. More than 100,000 Americans died of gun violence in his first term, several people that Trump has “failed” <a href=\"https://www.everytown.org/press/100000-americans-have-been-killed-by-gun-violence-since-trump-took-office-here-are-5-ways-he-failed-them/\" target=\"_blank\">according to Everytown</a>."},{"_id":"WV4WSL3NQRHDTMGUXUATVNZAB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":332,"comment":"can "},{"pos":539,"comment":"-"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429640},"type":"text","content":"Trump’s new promises show a similar lack of remorse, as in <a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trump-announces-plan-to-end-crime-and-restore-law-and-order\" target=\"_blank\">a video</a> on his Agenda47 website, where he outlines his plan to restore law and order in America, he says: “I will protect the right of self-defense everywhere…I will sign concealed carry reciprocity.” (<a href=\"https://gunviolence.issuelab.org/resources/22706/22706.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\">Concealed carry reciprocity</a> allows all people, including criminals, to carry a weapon everywhere. The only exempt area is a gun-free zone, making gun access and travel commonplace across the country.) The overarching philosophy regarding gun policy in Trump’s second term is nonaction, and it cannot be more clear."},{"_id":"Q44O4OLNWFEYFKRHGKFY4SECOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429641},"type":"text","content":"It shouldn’t be this way. Research shows states mandating universal background checks for all gun sales have seen a <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-019-04922-x\" target=\"_blank\">15% homicide decrease</a> compared to states without them. Similar policies, such as permit-to-purchase laws, which require a permit to buy a gun, have correlated to similar <a href=\"https://giffords.org/lawcenter/resources/scorecard/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\">reductions </a>in gun violence."},{"_id":"XGN7UE6FD5GJXGF4YYHDQKZDVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429642},"type":"text","content":"Trump’s promised lack of action is not only cavalier, but dangerous, and will contribute to many more mass shootings and gun deaths. Ending the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is only the first step, next is eliminating gun-free zones, then it’s eliminating background checks, then it’s back to square one, and the violence Americans have come to normalize and accept as a “fact of life” will only get worse."},{"_id":"VRWMJLROVNEA5AMSVNINJIQKJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429643},"type":"text","content":"Educators and students have already had to accept school shootings as a “fact of life.” The progress we have seen in the last four years is dangerously close to being cut short without meaningful reforms that we will be unlikely to see during a Trump presidency."},{"_id":"ONQPMDGRTRGM5MOGF4GHF25FPM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"KNHBIJT5RBDOXPOTHWRHH3XWCE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Police in schools don’t prevent gun violence. Stronger relationships do","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/police-in-schools-dont-prevent-gun-violence-stronger-relationships-do/MR3EGNU55JC23EFIYCMQCWDDUQ/"},{"_id":"FKKT3QWCYVGRDDSGN3NAQC2YDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429644},"type":"text","content":"“Thoughts and prayers” will never be enough to fulfill the void of a dead student, teacher or parent who fell victim to gun violence."},{"_id":"U2FQQJKWRFH33PMLIRDKFR3XGY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738179429645},"type":"text","content":"<i>Daniel Herrera, 17, is a senior at Dunwoody High School in DeKalb County.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"DeKalb County student: Trump has pledged to fix all problems riddling America but has demonstrated that he cares little for the safety of students."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"donald trump"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"7d54ee1c9646807bef09334a97b0814188456673a64024521407f4c3c557f12f"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Shooting at Apalachee High School","width":6192,"caption":"Community members and leaders came together during a community candlelight vigil at Jug Tavern Park on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder. Four people were killed after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MZRB3H2M54Q7KXJGUOBZXRJGFA.jpg","height":4128,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MZRB3H2M54Q7KXJGUOBZXRJGFA.jpg?auth=7d54ee1c9646807bef09334a97b0814188456673a64024521407f4c3c557f12f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/trumps-removal-of-gun-violence-prevention-office-could-harm-students/YZW4LNEKKJGYZLYUFSBTMVPWVE/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-30T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Daniel Herrera","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Trump’s removal of gun violence prevention office could harm students"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-30T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-30T10:00:03.575Z","_id":"YZW4LNEKKJGYZLYUFSBTMVPWVE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"7d54ee1c9646807bef09334a97b0814188456673a64024521407f4c3c557f12f"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Shooting at Apalachee High School","width":6192,"caption":"Community members and leaders came together during a community candlelight vigil at Jug Tavern Park on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder. Four people were killed after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MZRB3H2M54Q7KXJGUOBZXRJGFA.jpg","height":4128,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MZRB3H2M54Q7KXJGUOBZXRJGFA.jpg?auth=7d54ee1c9646807bef09334a97b0814188456673a64024521407f4c3c557f12f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"EC7AVXDABVCD5MVSUPD3WC5L4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580979},"type":"text","content":"As a new mother and a founding member of <a href=\"https://www.gakidsfirst.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Kids First</a>, a coalition dedicated to child safety and education resources, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges parents face in finding affordable, high-quality early education opportunities for their children."},{"_id":"XRAZAGCD65FRZNQVDOODZUFS7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580980},"type":"text","content":"Last year, Georgia’s legislators took an important step with a historic <a href=\"https://geears.org/news/2024-georgia-legislative-pre-k-reforms-return-the-state-to-national-leadership-in-preschool-access-quality/\" target=\"_blank\">$97 million</a> investment in our state’s pre-K program. This funding reduced class sizes and encouraged more schools and private providers to host pre-K programs. But while that investment was meaningful, it’s only a Band-Aid on the larger crisis of child care and early education access in Georgia."},{"_id":"TPMRVZKI3BFJ7ETA6WVYJVXO5U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580981},"type":"text","content":"So many parents I know don’t even bother applying for the pre-K lottery because they assume they’ll end up on the waitlist. This means the waitlist doesn’t truly reflect how many children need access but aren’t being served. Simply eliminating waitlists isn’t enough."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"e8a306b7780835cd689ed3fc657952ede666bde67e102b47fb169f81c17690e4"},"caption":"Bess Ghoddousi is an Atlanta native and parent. Contributed photo.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Bess Ghoddousi","width":735,"_id":"VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/-YU1mJystJpvtterbHTgsKsyCYU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/-YU1mJystJpvtterbHTgsKsyCYU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/-YU1mJystJpvtterbHTgsKsyCYU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/r6sg0Sa931xQENN3rHzfwekJXlA=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Bess Ghoddousi_736x414.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"KOO5BQMMPRAARL7B3A3X5JZWDI"},"created_date":"2025-01-23T19:46:23Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-23T19:46:23Z","height":413,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/VYZGQP3MLREFHPW2N2XZYUFIJI.jpg?auth=e8a306b7780835cd689ed3fc657952ede666bde67e102b47fb169f81c17690e4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"DVA3MNSXW5FJZKADPBGKK7JJ3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580983},"type":"text","content":"We need to increase pre-K capacity to encourage parents who’ve stopped participating to apply. I’ve heard from families who feel like the system is too overburdened to even try. By expanding capacity, we can rebuild trust and show that early childhood education is a priority. More spots mean more opportunities to prepare our children for kindergarten success."},{"_id":"US65LX3KPBB27IHCQQSB3SCHWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580984},"type":"text","content":"Too many Georgia families are struggling to afford child care and early learning opportunities. Without significant and sustained investment, we risk failing the youngest learners who are our future workforce, innovators and leaders. Research consistently demonstrates that investing in early childhood education yields profound benefits."},{"_id":"PM4756TS3BCVRKWIBLRKP4D5II","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580985},"type":"text","content":"Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman found that <a href=\"https://heckmanequation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/HeckmanMoonPintoSavelyevYavitz_RateofReturnPerryPreschool_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">every $1 invested in early education returns $7 in future benefits</a>, including better health outcomes, reduced crime rates, and higher earning potential for participants. Programs like Georgia’s pre-K don’t just transform individual lives — they strengthen our communities and our economy."},{"_id":"H3K3T3CYFBHIHITBMCWP4VJIEY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FO25I36LUVGGZHCWUFNP52H65Y"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Lt. Gov. Burt Jones: Georgia workers need access to affordable and quality child care","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-lt-gov-proposes-tax-credit-changes-for-childcare-in-georgia/5PIMEWLU5BARRCQLWDOX3U6UOQ/"},{"_id":"T4PSWACXT5B2ZFIVMQO5KOQPFQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580987},"type":"text","content":"Child care availability is also a pressing economic issue. A recent <a href=\"https://www.metroatlantachamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/opportunities-lost-report-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students revealed that inadequate child care access costs Georgia’s economy $1.75 billion annually in lost productivity and $105 million in lost tax revenue."},{"_id":"2JDPPATYZNAX7EUCRTDIPYPXHU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580988},"type":"text","content":"When families can’t access reliable and affordable care, parents are forced to reduce work hours or leave the workforce altogether. This hurts businesses, disrupts household incomes and dampens our state’s economic growth."},{"_id":"QBAU2THANZBRZKOWUYKTLUQAL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580989},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s pre-K program has been a national model for decades, but it’s time to reimagine what is possible. Expanding the program to include 3-year-olds would be a transformative step forward."},{"_id":"THHVXYHZY5HABDDIKO2WT6JLSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580990},"type":"text","content":"Research shows that earlier access to structured, high-quality learning environments sets children up for long-term success. Yet, without a dedicated and sustainable funding source, we’ll continue to rely on temporary measures that fall short of meeting the needs of Georgia families."},{"_id":"ZZIMVVW2SJFRXBM7K2SBGKX2EY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580991},"type":"text","content":"This legislative session, I urge our leaders to prioritize early education by identifying a long-term revenue source for Georgia pre-K."},{"_id":"GHUVVMEYURHO3JWZGQSM5I5UA4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580992},"type":"text","content":"One day, I hope we can offer every 3- and 4-year-old in our state the opportunity to thrive in a high-quality program. This is one of the smartest investments we can make — not just for our children, but for the future prosperity of Georgia."},{"_id":"E3FOZ4QDBJFR3ON775F3VLSVQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580993},"type":"text","content":"The time to act is now. Let’s redouble our commitment to early childhood education and give Georgia’s youngest learners the strong start they deserve."},{"_id":"X4FBGJAYA5GOZFF724BMQ7JUQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737997580994},"type":"text","content":"<i>Bess Ghoddousi is an Atlanta resident and founding member of Georgia Kids First, a coalition dedicated to child safety and education resources.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Without reliable and affordable child care, parents are forced to reduce work hours or leave the workforce altogether, author says."},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"0228c99ab728c0964754b2990191034d57c07c54eb30c166da7fb25c09009fdd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"State leaders seek to bolster\rGeorgia's pre-K program","width":5911,"caption":"Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, and Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, hold a press conference announcing their plans to bolster pre-K. at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IVVYHL5C6CO5KZUUT3YVA72RIM.jpg","height":3941,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IVVYHL5C6CO5KZUUT3YVA72RIM.jpg?auth=0228c99ab728c0964754b2990191034d57c07c54eb30c166da7fb25c09009fdd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/expanding-pre-k-access-will-help-georgia-families-and-the-economy/GEERECCZFZHE5DUK5VLKEINC7A/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-28T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Bess Ghoddousi","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Expanding pre-K access will help Georgia families and the state’s economy"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-28T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-28T10:00:14.354Z","_id":"GEERECCZFZHE5DUK5VLKEINC7A","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"0228c99ab728c0964754b2990191034d57c07c54eb30c166da7fb25c09009fdd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"State leaders seek to bolster\rGeorgia's pre-K program","width":5911,"caption":"Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, and Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, hold a press conference announcing their plans to bolster pre-K. at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Olivia Bowdoin for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IVVYHL5C6CO5KZUUT3YVA72RIM.jpg","height":3941,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IVVYHL5C6CO5KZUUT3YVA72RIM.jpg?auth=0228c99ab728c0964754b2990191034d57c07c54eb30c166da7fb25c09009fdd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"4H6R2TTXUBEPFB72GRCZCIR5D4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Want to solve our <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-state-university-to-help-train-and-retain-metro-atlanta-teachers/OL7E7X6XJFARNKIDG5EPTMQN74/\" target=\"_blank\">teacher shortage</a>, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-businesses-civic-groups-and-state-lawmakers-can-all-help-improve-school-attendance-rates/UTCURJLHB5DYFHHHCYPFHQMAZA/\" target=\"_blank\">chronic student absenteeism</a> and strengthen our democracy? Let’s transform our public schools into true training grounds for future citizens."},{"_id":"2FZY4KGW3VCXTESHQHVBUBHJTY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"At a moment in history when authoritarianism appears to be on the rise around the globe, we all should be thinking of ways to strengthen our own democracy here at home. Reimagining our public schools offers an opportunity to reinvigorate our civic involvement and engage students in ways that will positively impact our society for generations to come."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"d4143d0e48bab47892fc4fa83532ef602126f4ae9f01fd8034a9790b7eddd2c6"},"caption":"Brian Westlake is a teacher with over 20 years of experience. He is the past president of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators and a former board member for the Georgia Association of Educators. Contributed photo.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Brian Westlake","width":2369,"_id":"HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/vaDZpWZNk31G1lj5m-F-EX7DqyQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/vaDZpWZNk31G1lj5m-F-EX7DqyQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/vaDZpWZNk31G1lj5m-F-EX7DqyQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/Ey8-KQeAamLVrizu9ECZQl9D2yM=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Westlake headshot_2370x1333.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"4UQJE36GSBGNHAGNMME35IOLPM"},"created_date":"2025-01-18T20:42:18Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-18T20:42:18Z","height":1332,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/HN5B7CK36RH7ZBW6ELNY7ULONU.jpg?auth=d4143d0e48bab47892fc4fa83532ef602126f4ae9f01fd8034a9790b7eddd2c6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"42JTOSRTRVFARIWIPOL7MKXK54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Most public schools teach students about the theory and mechanics of government in ways that are divorced from the realities of practicing democratic principles in a diverse society. Rather than organizing schools as model institutions that expose students to the real-life challenges and value of democracy, most districts operate using a hierarchy that more closely resembles a corporation."},{"_id":"UQ2FQD7MRRFXNI2PS2V3OKA3MY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The very institutions entrusted with teaching our young people how to be responsible and engaged democratic citizens are more often managed in ways that resemble autocracies. This fact is hardly lost on the millions of classroom teachers who have recently left or are considering <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/the-new-class-first-time-teachers-apply-lessons-learned-to-next-steps/SFF7ZLAZMBD4VN2AKXRIK2BCKA/\" target=\"_blank\">leaving the teaching profession</a>. "},{"_id":"MVAAQOQVGFGWLNCHEF3K5Z3ARM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Those who study what has become a national teacher exodus are all too familiar with the often-cited claim that recent classroom experience and teacher voice rarely influence operational decisions in our nation’s public schools. These feelings are a direct result of toxic work environments that fail to treat teachers as professionals and offer few, if any, real opportunities for teachers — or students — to influence how our schools operate."},{"_id":"DKLLZIVDTVHJNF64RK4AFQRRKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Acting democratically, much like reading, is a learned skill that must be taught and continually practiced to master. Unfortunately, most schools, like many other workplaces, concentrate power in steep, top-down hierarchies with very few checks and balances on managerial power. Though<b> </b>some administrators value the input of faculty and staff who might<b> </b>disagree with their own ideas or approaches, I have found this to be a rare exception to the rule."},{"_id":"MMCB4Q2NANEEHKJKAH7PZFGMVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In my experience, it has been far too common to witness abuses of power, bullying and intimidation in coercive attempts to silence those who disagree with an administrative policy or initiative — even when those expressing dissent are explicitly communicating concerns for student interests. It is difficult for teachers to teach students how to be engaged democratic citizens when teachers themselves don’t feel that they have a voice as professionals in their own workplace — our schools."},{"_id":"QWVEBAST3NGD3H6ZRFYEVMNLHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"This silencing of teachers’ voices has been the result of decades of failed policies focused on accountability primarily through the implementation of multiple-choice, standardized tests. This has resulted in a devaluing of the teaching profession and a narrowing of the curriculum to what is easily adapted to standardized assessments."},{"_id":"TNB26OQWOFBMHCLQPPUPFTN5FY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Unfortunately, many students miss out on a more enriching and holistic learning experience that includes access to the arts, robust technical education and more realistic project-based learning opportunities that foster more critical thinking and creative problem solving."},{"_id":"QAFK43GWDZEOZI2OEPBLLUNSAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It is no wonder that, as many teachers have lost their passion to teach in the current environment, so too have students lost their interest in attending such schools. Many school systems are currently dealing with chronic absenteeism and lack of enthusiasm among many students — particularly at the high school level."},{"_id":"OALLKPHMJRGHJDLNIKLTOXQDJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"This should be no surprise. Many<i><b> </b></i>public school leaders these days are risk-averse, uninspired bureaucrats who lack vision and appear more concerned with manipulating standardized metrics to create an appearance of success. "},{"_id":"WKK7OZXZQFHSLMH7NECZCSLHR4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Superintendents and principals forcing teachers to teach to standardized tests is the equivalent of chief executives buying back their stock to inflate share prices in the short term — it sacrifices the long-term fulfillment of our children’s academic potential to produce a short-term facade of competent leadership."},{"_id":"6IFBVJTHNFE4ZCF6AYEZQPN2WE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Rather than working collaboratively with teachers to create vibrant learning communities where students learn how to apply democratic principles to solve real-world problems, many students are taught in schools where teachers are forced to instruct in standardized, uninspiring ways in the misguided notion that boosting student test scores should take precedence over providing students with a well-rounded and engaging educational experience. "},{"_id":"3NXXBUJT2VDWPNSFLXZLSTYY2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"This approach has led to both a teacher exodus from the profession and more and more students feeling school is not for them."},{"_id":"IHRH7W6UCJGFPMLARQ5H6ABLCI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Things don’t have to be this way. "},{"_id":"RAI77XKJHZA5FJGJN5RDRK7TXY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Organizations including<b> </b>Teacher-Powered Schools and Educators for Excellence are reimagining schools that are more student-centered, operate with flatter hierarchies, employ more democratic decision making and recognize teachers as leaders without requiring them to leave the classroom. Perhaps unsurprisingly, such schools have lower rates of teacher turnover, which has been proved to positively affect student achievement."},{"_id":"KZGH2A4URBBIXBB2YMVS4U2C2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The path forward should be clear. We can address the growing teacher shortage, create more engaging classroom experiences and transform our schools into places where educators model democratic decision making for students on a daily basis. "},{"_id":"3PHMQV4O2ZEH3KSGIP4KEUQBBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Let’s start by elevating the voices of those who experience students as our children in their classrooms — and not data points on a spreadsheet."},{"_id":"ESHR2XMR65FMXPWZATKOXYFF3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>Brian Westlake is a teacher with over 20 years of experience. He is the past president of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators and a former board member for the Georgia Association of Educators.</i>"},{"_id":"EGNAMKBG5ZFUXOGS3F6TTG44X4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":""}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"gwinnett schools"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"0cda62e313b0a115f63fa093b734b3e558679a6f5509c23a8286b1dc23ed5097"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Gwinnett new teacher orientation","width":4442,"caption":"New hires learn and find inspiration from the speakers at the Gwinnett County new teacher orientation in Duluth on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (Katelyn Myrick/katelyn.myrick@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DDFK6B7FY7ORSVOBQTIRMRC3XQ.jpg","height":2961,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DDFK6B7FY7ORSVOBQTIRMRC3XQ.jpg?auth=0cda62e313b0a115f63fa093b734b3e558679a6f5509c23a8286b1dc23ed5097&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-leaders-must-find-ways-to-elevate-teacher-voices/C44Q7MVFBBF5LJBT4SXSWOJ2OU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-27T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Brian Westlake","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Schools can reduce teacher shortages by elevating their voices"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-27T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-27T10:00:10.692Z","_id":"C44Q7MVFBBF5LJBT4SXSWOJ2OU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"0cda62e313b0a115f63fa093b734b3e558679a6f5509c23a8286b1dc23ed5097"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Gwinnett new teacher orientation","width":4442,"caption":"New hires learn and find inspiration from the speakers at the Gwinnett County new teacher orientation in Duluth on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (Katelyn Myrick/katelyn.myrick@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DDFK6B7FY7ORSVOBQTIRMRC3XQ.jpg","height":2961,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DDFK6B7FY7ORSVOBQTIRMRC3XQ.jpg?auth=0cda62e313b0a115f63fa093b734b3e558679a6f5509c23a8286b1dc23ed5097&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"53TXKGJG5VCJRMOIJ32HOO7KWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417341266},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is publishing a series of guest columns this week from some educators, education experts and a student asking them what President Donald Trump and his administration should focus on during his term. This is the last of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"PFGH3644QZBMXOUO2B6WYDGBR4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417341267},"type":"text","content":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has asked me to share what I hope Donald Trump will do for education. The short answer: scrap the bureaucracy strangling American education."},{"_id":"P2JZJC5DPBFRDFBXHTBWR5I5DA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-15T19:33:11.601Z","start":323,"end":332,"text":"added \"increased\" here, per eric stirgus","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1737063963588},"type":"text","content":"The long answer begins with acknowledging an uncomfortable truth: The government doesn’t care about your kids. Let’s review the facts. The Department of Education’s budget has <a href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/annual-performance-reports/budget/us-department-of-education-budget-history\" target=\"_blank\">soared</a> to an all-time high, yet nationwide performance in English and math has <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183445544/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades\" target=\"_blank\">hit</a> its lowest point in decades. Since 2000, the number of teachers increased by 8% to match a 7% rise in student enrollment, yet administrative staff has <a href=\"https://www.educationnext.org/growth-administrative-staff-assistant-principals-far-outpaces-teacher-hiring/\" target=\"_blank\">nearly doubled</a>. Despite such a massive expansion in the number of administrators and affording them an average pay exceeding $100,000 a year, investigations continue to reveal a rampant culture of mismanagement. The department routinely <a href=\"https://www.highereddive.com/news/scathing-gao-reports-blame-education-department-leaders-fafsa-mess-hearing/727949/\" target=\"_blank\">ignores</a> the majority of calls they receive, leaving millions of students at a loss. The majority of department files are either lost or incomplete, with tens of millions (that we know of) mysteriously <a href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-17-266.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">disappearing</a> every year."},{"_id":"3CRPUQFR3ZAWTETCN6EM3S4F4A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"4KEDVAE7ARHPJHGIH6MCBNSTAM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"How Trump can improve American education","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/how-trump-can-improve-american-education/NVRH34P3ANHHRLC35V5QUHGJ6A/"},{"_id":"5FH2EHDGVJEKVA2X3W62BNZEIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":68,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963589},"type":"text","content":"When a growing number of students began failing the reading, writing and math requirements necessary for graduation, the Oregon Board of Education didn’t address the underlying causes. Instead, they just <a href=\"https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/10/oregon-again-says-students-dont-need-to-prove-mastery-of-reading-writing-or-math-to-graduate-citing-harm-to-students-of-color.html\" target=\"_blank\">scrapped the standards</a>. More than half of Oregon’s <a href=\"https://thehill.com/opinion/education/4288044-oregon-just-dropped-all-graduation-standards-failing-all-of-its-students-in-the-name-of-equity/\" target=\"_blank\">graduating classes</a> now lack proficiency in English and math. New York is outright <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-decision-move-migrants-tent-shelter-school-storm-draws-fire-rcna133236\" target=\"_blank\">kicking students out of school</a> to make space for migrants. Many more examples of state failures exist, but I’d run out of space before covering them all."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"8cc2d9a0ca390b1228646c1906c6362835c79406d4b7c6f6f50c3401bc9a08e1"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Si Kai Feng is an undergraduate student at Emory University. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Si Kai Feng","width":1408,"_id":"6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/RpZIQDtnsf0QUHWlybiCBdq3Qsk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/RpZIQDtnsf0QUHWlybiCBdq3Qsk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/RpZIQDtnsf0QUHWlybiCBdq3Qsk=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/9n_Z9EKADf6h5Rr75o97t0Cy_GI=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Si Kai Feng_1409x792.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1736963434460},"created_date":"2025-01-14T18:09:20Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-14T18:09:20Z","height":792,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/6OO4IKTDERAOPFEQKGLPQEJGJI.jpg?auth=8cc2d9a0ca390b1228646c1906c6362835c79406d4b7c6f6f50c3401bc9a08e1&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"JCSMSBEQMVBGHFCXKQNNTXCI6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-15T19:31:51.113Z","start":156,"end":158,"text":"added period and comma after Calif","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1737063963591},"type":"text","content":"Allow me to reiterate: the government doesn’t care about your kids. The foremost priority of our leaders — be it former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D.-Calif., or former U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R.-N.C., or any career politician from either party — is not the well-being of American children. It’s padding their stock portfolios. Your average bureaucrat making minimum wage isn’t fixated on student outcomes either; they’re busy finding the best spots in the office to slack off in."},{"_id":"SEZUIXWWV5EMJK2DOPLZSU6HW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":369,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963592},"type":"text","content":"The federal government is a sprawling bureaucratic superstructure comprising 438 agencies and <a href=\"https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-people-work-for-the-federal-government/\" target=\"_blank\">3 million employees</a>. It is a bloated machine that has plunged the nation into $36 trillion of debt and still continues to routinely <a href=\"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/watchdog-us-government-made-247-223000050.html?guccounter=1\" target=\"_self\">misplace</a> hundreds of billions of dollars every year. To this giant entity, your child will always be just another statistic to process, archive and forget. Their learning is, at best, a side benefit."},{"_id":"4GC36LSHHBAFHBU56JV2NF4RFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963593},"type":"text","content":"The American people voted for Trump in hopes that he will do what he does best: shake up the system."},{"_id":"I2YU4V6HSJD4BOHAPFS27ALUNM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"HWHCJB3EPRG4PFBF2QZYPAWCQ4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"A call to education action for the Trump administration","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/a-call-to-education-action-for-the-trump-administration/LSS5BMSJN5BLPLW27HZHKOSSK4/"},{"_id":"KVBGQKOW7RD65GHTTWGZHSSM7A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963594},"type":"text","content":"For Trump, fixing America’s educational crisis doesn’t entail more department programs, regulations and addendums. It means taking a step back and returning control to the people. Trust the teachers who know your kid’s name, not the faceless bureaucrat whose only interaction with your children is through a spreadsheet. Lower taxes so parents can choose private school if it’s necessary. <a href=\"https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/trump-wants-to-expand-private-school-choice-does-the-public-agree/2024/12\" target=\"_self\">Expand voucher programs</a> so hardworking students aren’t trapped in failing public schools. <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-school-choice-congress-019f50fb5ad7994434573c2244fd1b62\" target=\"_self\">Empower charter schools</a> to thrive so that for once, the Department of Education has real competition keeping it on its toes."},{"_id":"EGKJIDXCUNBSFJFAUZUHXAP2SU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963595},"type":"text","content":"What will make the second Trump administration so unique is how different it will be from the standard. No one knows exactly what the proposed Department of Government Efficiency has in store. No one knows what Trump’s precise plans for decentralization might entail. That’s good. For American education to reclaim its spot beneath the sun, we need innovation and we needed it yesterday. That requires a willingness to break from the old and experiment with radical ideas that may not even exist yet."},{"_id":"JPIJFGPLNRAAHMF25DKB3NMN5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963596},"type":"text","content":"My Republican friends and I are excited precisely because we do not know Trump’s exact plans for education. We don’t want a leader who will repeat the same talking points and policies that have failed us for the past four decades. We voted for a leader who will make the bold but necessary decision of replacing an outdated department with the innovation and passion of everyday American families."},{"_id":"B3B6DHDXSNFZ7MXWW326UV64TE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737063963597},"type":"text","content":"<i>Si Kai Feng is an Emory University student who restarted Emory College Republicans last year.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Emory University student hopes Trump will break from the old and experiment with radical ideas"},"description":{"basic":"For American education to reclaim its spot beneath the sun, we need innovation and we needed it yesterday."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"58705be2c20c0ae632a305254c53d9890cab591f7c911e3993e4857a66d7a3f7"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Donald Trump’s rally in Atlanta is an important test for his campaign","width":5190,"caption":"Former President Donald Trump reacts as he leaves the stage during a rally at the Georgia State University’s convocation center on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Z5YHH3PJWBSV7O4YSSDOGZIF6M.JPG","height":3591,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Z5YHH3PJWBSV7O4YSSDOGZIF6M.JPG?auth=58705be2c20c0ae632a305254c53d9890cab591f7c911e3993e4857a66d7a3f7&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/emory-student-hopes-trump-will-bring-more-local-control-to-education-policies/BLBD4VLJZZHUPGAFCQZTC2E7BU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-25T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Si Kai Feng","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Axing bureaucracy: The Trump promise to revive American education"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-25T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-25T10:00:09.996Z","_id":"BLBD4VLJZZHUPGAFCQZTC2E7BU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"58705be2c20c0ae632a305254c53d9890cab591f7c911e3993e4857a66d7a3f7"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Donald Trump’s rally in Atlanta is an important test for his campaign","width":5190,"caption":"Former President Donald Trump reacts as he leaves the stage during a rally at the Georgia State University’s convocation center on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Z5YHH3PJWBSV7O4YSSDOGZIF6M.JPG","height":3591,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Z5YHH3PJWBSV7O4YSSDOGZIF6M.JPG?auth=58705be2c20c0ae632a305254c53d9890cab591f7c911e3993e4857a66d7a3f7&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"R46EQOC57JDHTGYHZJCWX3E4PU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417498847},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is publishing a series of guest columns this week from some educators, education experts and a student asking them what President Donald Trump and his administration should focus on during his term. This is the fourth of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"7KGKI442ZJGV5DKQ2JCH32J35Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417498848},"type":"text","content":"Given that Donald Trump already spent four years in the White House, do we already know what to expect when it comes to education?"},{"_id":"HVMJWISJ6ZFEDOKOOVUGWNIWYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458539},"type":"text","content":"Not so much."},{"_id":"UD6HI4RG6ZEBBFHFZSJG7PWLAU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458540},"type":"text","content":"Three big things have changed since January 2021. Frustrations with higher education and lousy educational outcomes have boiled over. Red-state governors have racked up resounding wins on reading instruction, DEI and parental choice. And years of combating school closures, politicized classrooms and campus antisemitism have yielded a more robust, ambitious agenda."},{"_id":"3FCC2U6VOFCTLLWAG6HZO2ZTSE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458541},"type":"text","content":"These shifts point the way forward."},{"_id":"JL7FXDAJJVFNDM76XRF66EH5UA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"KPBM3DS5OFAQPMTMIISFZV5FMU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Six education priorities for a brighter future","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-the-path-to-a-brighter-education-future/DKH3PXPVBRACRJZOD7IAUSQPBI/"},{"_id":"N7FSE7TGCBDL7LASECM33J5W6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458542},"type":"text","content":"The elephant in the room is <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\" target=\"_blank\">Trump’s promise to abolish the U.S. Department of Education</a>. It’s a reasonable suggestion. The department’s 4,000 bureaucrats mostly manage a trillion-dollar loan portfolio and various federal funding streams, and all this can be done by other agencies with more expertise. For instance, student loans can be overseen by the Treasury Department and civil rights enforcement by the Department of Justice. Due to the Senate filibuster, however, abolition requires 60 votes. Republicans don’t have them. This means the department isn’t going anywhere. Trump’s team can make big strides in reducing the federal footprint, though, by trimming education spending and pruning regulations."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"33faa762305b2f1b3f0aeddd5461094703f4db2599f39e79f6e8649189d3369c"},"caption":"Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Contributed photo.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Frederick M. Hess","width":2494,"_id":"YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/iyfOlDIRvVKuezkfdNwaDg4VTN8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/iyfOlDIRvVKuezkfdNwaDg4VTN8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/iyfOlDIRvVKuezkfdNwaDg4VTN8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/5pSH_BFKF38YUnG3fGiNiKrdNeA=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Hess_Frederick Headshot_2494x1403.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"D42OZYH4AFAKDPNZGFOTCCYWDI"},"created_date":"2025-01-16T21:59:41Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-16T21:59:41Z","height":1402,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YPJCEPZAZND7RDCQQ5U6YG6GYE.jpg?auth=33faa762305b2f1b3f0aeddd5461094703f4db2599f39e79f6e8649189d3369c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"GV5V3YAHP5HILCWJGLBWAMTBMU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458544},"type":"text","content":"If the Department of Education isn’t disappearing anytime soon, what else should the Trump administration do? Here are a few ideas."},{"_id":"TQ26SJ4WMFGMVL5OPRPQSDTQK4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"5TPPEHKN5BFUJNG6DYGLVVFGGA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"A call to education action for the Trump administration","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/a-call-to-education-action-for-the-trump-administration/LSS5BMSJN5BLPLW27HZHKOSSK4/"},{"_id":"WEAGU3O47NAY7J5LVHSTZSMYGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458545},"type":"text","content":"<b>Enforce constitutional protections.</b> Biden’s Office of Civil Rights <a href=\"https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/title-ix-rulemaking-and-the-administrative-state/\" target=\"_blank\">trampled</a> the plain language of Title IX in service of transgender advocacy and <a href=\"https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-biden-harris-administration-has-failed-to-combat-campus-antisemitism\" target=\"_blank\">failed</a> to take campus antisemitism seriously. That must change. Federal officials are obliged to ensure that institutions aren’t demeaning racial or ethnic groups (such as in the case of DEI doctrines that caricature “whiteness”) and are <a href=\"https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2024/06/dont-trust-colleges-on-race-based-admission/\" target=\"_blank\">abiding</a> by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning race-conscious admissions. A crucial piece of this is reinvigorating free inquiry in higher education by withholding federal research funding from colleges and universities that allow <a href=\"https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/scholarly-associations-gone-wild-stop-publicly-funding-scholarly-groups-that-trade-academics-for-advocacy/\" target=\"_blank\">ideological dogmas</a> to stifle scholarship or silence discourse."},{"_id":"7KNEZMFJGBG7ZDHJCZSH6CLY3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":241,"comment":"-"}],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458546},"type":"text","content":"<b>Fix the federal student loan program.</b> Indeed, after former President Joe Biden’s illegal efforts to “cancel” loans, it’s not obvious that it’s still correct to describe it as a “lending” program. Rather, it’s now a program where many collegegoers borrow taxpayer funds, promise to pay the money back, and then don’t. The program needs to be downsized and restored to working order. House Republicans have developed the <a href=\"https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/1.11.24_h.r._6951_the_college_cost_reduction_act_fact_sheet_digital_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">College Cost Reduction Act</a>, which promises some basic accountability for colleges that pocket taxpayer-funded loans. That’s a great start."},{"_id":"CBKMSMZGNBHYHMVPJ5DLOOXXAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458547},"type":"text","content":"<b>Tackle higher education’s inflated costs and mediocre performance.</b> A good place to start is the accreditation system that protects a cozy status quo by impeding entry and mostly ignoring outcomes. This makes it tough for new colleges to get started and insulates bloated, low-performing institutions from competition. It’s time to encourage the creation of new accreditors more focused on cutting costs and boosting results. This can be done by state and federal officials operating within current law."},{"_id":"QDJS65XSBBE4DPTLAVKHUBAY3A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"JR5L25NQFNCCLB5HAC7UI3IB6A"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Mr. Trump, surprise your critics by doing 3 things to improve higher ed","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/mr-trump-surprise-your-critics-by-doing-3-things-to-improve-higher-ed/3ILSLBFJUNGTLFBXL5FXMMEUNI/"},{"_id":"MANGLJWPKBGXLO7ZEWVTG2EPUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458548},"type":"text","content":"<b>Help Americans more readily access the training they need to pursue rewarding, remunerative jobs.</b> Trump’s team should overhaul federal rules governing apprenticeships, make it possible to use Pell Grants at more providers (such as trade schools), and champion “skills-based” hiring, which emphasizes skills rather than credentials. Trump started on all this in his first term; it’s time to build on that work."},{"_id":"SLGWQSCTQFGDZNO4ELRUEMFGME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458549},"type":"text","content":"<b>Expand school choice without expanding Washington’s education footprint.</b> Trump can deliver the big win on choice that eluded him in his first term. This year’s reconciliation bill offers a chance for Republicans to include a tax credit based on the <a href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/120\" target=\"_blank\">Educational Choice for Children Act</a>, providing a substantial tax break to those who give to independent, state-based scholarship funds. This is a potentially historic opportunity to expand educational choice without involving federal officials in the design or oversight of choice programs."},{"_id":"PWRLVKXM7FCBDP7Z4D6AR3B3GA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":60,"comment":"–"},{"pos":156,"comment":"–"},{"pos":307,"comment":"–"}],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458550},"type":"text","content":"This to-do list has more to do with higher education than K-12 schooling. That’s not an accident. Washington doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have a large role in K-12, where it contributes just 10 cents on the dollar and its directives tend to morph into burdensome bureaucracy as they filter down to schools. On K-12, the most useful thing Trump could do would be to address the runaway regulations that slow state leaders and produce piles of paperwork that exhaust educators."},{"_id":"4VSIHTWDO5CVJC3FIV5FRGQ45M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":111,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458551},"type":"text","content":"If the Trump administration just targets dumb regulations, enforces the law, confronts our education challenges and insists that colleges behave responsibly, that would be a good four years. And a promising shift from the past four."},{"_id":"GDTNQXSIYFHABL6VITG6WXB3JY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"Q5W3P4GNH5FXDJUUZILRWQHKNQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia schools, colleges brace for immigration changes under Trump","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-schools-colleges-brace-for-immigration-changes-under-trump/GN6XWQSWCNGTZETDQMYXLC7ZWU/"},{"_id":"A2276CXNZNB7JGZSPCEOZ6N47Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737130458552},"type":"text","content":"<i>Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Trump should address runaway regulations that slow state leaders and produce piles of paperwork that exhaust educators."},"description":{"basic":"Given that Donald Trump already spent four years in the White House, do we already know what to expect when it comes to education? 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These trends underscore the urgency for comprehensive, strategic planning to address the issue holistically and avoid ad hoc solutions. Addressing this issue requires thoughtful, comprehensive planning — not piecemeal solutions. The “<a href=\"https://www.savesde.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Case to Save Spalding Drive</a>” is a community-driven response to the potential closure of a<b> </b>beloved neighborhood school. It emphasizes the importance of developing a comprehensive master plan to tackle declining enrollment holistically. Such a plan ensures decisions are made with a long-term vision rather than as reactive measures to immediate pressures. (The Fulton County school board is scheduled to take an initial vote Thursday on a staff recommendation to close Spalding Drive and Parklane elementary schools.)"},{"_id":"ZSFJJHYIRFEBBJSE46TAQV4D7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":118,"comment":"local "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-22T18:13:30.022Z","start":124,"end":130,"text":"noted out local, as AP considers it an irrelevant word","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-01-22T18:08:45.896Z","start":412,"end":413,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1737576612727},"type":"text","content":"School buses, after-school programs, extracurricular activities and family engagement opportunities are core parts of public schools, which<b> </b>truly are assets to our communities. They represent years and years of dedication by engaged teachers, leaders, parents and students. The unique position of Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs is that it not only serves as a strong academic institution, but also stands as an even stronger community. The children at this school<b> </b>feel secure and safe in their academic and social setting with teachers and staff they trust and know."},{"_id":"BXKQVAAMANBDJJMU66M3DHS5SA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SVYZSY2DQFAA5GASTZ37EII7TU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Fulton County faces tough choices as it considers closing elementary schools","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/fulton-county-faces-tough-choices-as-it-considers-school-closures/AREWZ47KSJFE7M5UV2IRVMEB6E/"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"d1106b59c0626196f90467d87e1048fb089801f302dc33ed3bd330a3719d8056"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Dr. Dhaval Desai, the author of “Burning Out on the Covid Front Lines: A Doctor’s Memoir of Fatherhood, Race and Perseverance in the Pandemic,” is the director of hospital medicine at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. 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There is a striking parallel between the<b> </b><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/after-a-year-questions-remain-on-atlanta-medical-centers-closure/XIHRFL256RFPXCT3ZZAVEUTRFU/\" target=\"_blank\">closure of hospitals in metro Atlanta</a> over the past five years and the potential closure of a neighborhood<b> </b>school. Hospital closures disrupted access to critical services, fragmented established patient-caregiver relationships and left communities without trusted support systems."},{"_id":"DKWLLTJ6OZBFLHPPQLNLR3FSUQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"RU7U7E7CUZETHG7LDMBDMAGEWA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"State is closing two charter schools, in Cherokee and Fulton counties","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/state-is-closing-two-charter-schools-in-cherokee-and-fulton-counties/FBPVUAUBRNGR5ONXDMQQCXP4SY/"},{"_id":"USGASPCDAFHLDMS7NZJZVUCM6Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612730},"type":"text","content":"Similarly, closing a school threatens to dismantle vital connections and stability that children and families rely on daily. Closing a school — like closing a hospital — alienates students (or patients) from the environments they know and trust for their education (or health care). Time and time again, these decisions are made without adequately considering the perspectives and efforts of front-line workers, instead<b> </b>focusing purely on financial metrics."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"cf61f71344cbc6b0da6a609c497aad8b7cdb06ddb693cefba47b2dcaa8ac452d"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Steven Guy is chair of the Save Spalding Committee, working to support and improve the local community. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Steven Guy","width":2944,"_id":"H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/inmYyYw9Rui8hxAQv8nudeSM7K8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/inmYyYw9Rui8hxAQv8nudeSM7K8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/inmYyYw9Rui8hxAQv8nudeSM7K8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/_YcEiseZzgebvRvllp02J1eGa2U=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Steven Guy - Headshot_2945x1656.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"DLDTPXHZINEOPBPGWRBH7NNONI"},"created_date":"2025-01-22T17:11:05Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-22T17:11:05Z","height":1656,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/H4BBFALE3BD7HH5LK3BY4PJQXY.jpg?auth=cf61f71344cbc6b0da6a609c497aad8b7cdb06ddb693cefba47b2dcaa8ac452d&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"JRQSK2P6KVFE5IDON4AHXBR2JQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612732},"type":"text","content":"The abrupt closure of a school and the redistribution of students, as if they were objects, does not prioritize the best outcomes for them academically or socially. Instead, it sends a disheartening message that public sectors, such as education and health care, which citizens depend on, are driven solely by financial considerations rather than quality and relationships."},{"_id":"GKLJ3QAXOZH6TIR26PAVGBUCYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612733},"type":"text","content":"The education workforce, much like the health care workforce, has been disrupted since COVID-19. Teacher and personnel staffing shortages are a national issue. Teachers and school administrators, like students, are not interchangeable objects that can be easily moved to another school with expectations of maintaining high job satisfaction and effectiveness. Closing their “work home” significantly impacts their tenure within Fulton County Schools and their long-term careers in education. Similarly, in health care, if one hospital closes, a physician or nurse cannot simply transfer to another facility and immediately operate at the same level of efficiency and care. It takes years to build and sustain successful employee cultures in any workplace, whether it’s a school or a hospital. The closure of a school will create a ripple effect, dismantling the culture of one school and disrupting the cultures of surrounding schools as they absorb new students and personnel. Although a new culture might eventually emerge, it will require significant time and investment to nurture and sustain."},{"_id":"LMYMJGYM4BESXF54K5G3NX55S4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"WVZPYAU3GVAWRPAABSB4J4XYDY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Six education priorities for a brighter future","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-the-path-to-a-brighter-education-future/DKH3PXPVBRACRJZOD7IAUSQPBI/"},{"_id":"QDWTCC7BWBDOTG4KWQMLEKI5L4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":313,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612734},"type":"text","content":"Regardless of political perspectives, as a community, we understand the importance of stable leadership, especially during times of significant decision-making such as potential school closures. Stable leadership provides the foresight and consistency necessary to navigate these challenges effectively, ensuring the impacts on students, teachers and communities are minimized. With a new president leading the country, the U.S. Department of Education faces challenges in terms of infrastructure and function. This national leadership transition has the potential to create significant disruption across societies. Why, then, would we compound this disruption by closing a public school, especially when larger infrastructure and organizational changes in education might<b> </b>already be on the horizon?"},{"_id":"UARWSUM2GZDGFBB5LKHHQGVKVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612735},"type":"text","content":"Closing Spalding Drive Elementary would not only dismantle a thriving academic institution but also disrupt a strong and supportive community. When stability and trust are paramount, preserving this vital asset is essential for the well-being of students, teachers and the community at large."},{"_id":"SQXOACE7DRADTET5VZTRMZIOVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612736},"type":"text","content":"Proper long-term planning of school consolidation is crucial, as outlined in the case to save Spalding Drive Elementary. This community-driven effort highlights the need to address the root causes of declining enrollment, ensure equitable access to quality education, and preserve the cultural and social fabric that schools such as<b> </b>Spalding Drive provide. By considering these factors in a comprehensive approach, Fulton County can create a sustainable strategy that benefits all stakeholders. Fulton County needs to approach school closures holistically and with a long-term vision, rather than addressing them piecemeal."},{"_id":"56Q7YB42RFF35FDHL7O3Z7SXBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":103,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612737},"type":"text","content":"A comprehensive plan that considers the broader impacts on communities, students and staff will ensure decisions are made in the best interest of all stakeholders and safeguard the integrity of our educational infrastructure."},{"_id":"Z4KDGMIBDFDCZLI7SKP3O76VVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737576612738},"type":"text","content":"<i>Dr. Dhaval Desai, the author of “</i><a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Out-COVID-Front-Lines/dp/1476691827\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Burning Out on the Covid Front Lines: A Doctor’s Memoir of Fatherhood, Race and Perseverance in the Pandemic,</i></a><i>” is director of hospital medicine at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Steven Guy is chair of the Save Spalding Committee, working to support and improve the local community and an executive at a leading global FinTech company.</i>"},{"_id":"ACUBAXB7IZDAHCU7QCT2W4VS4I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"LVOZJW3YFBFV5PW33JSW4SI7JA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Dhaval Desai: We must prioritize the well-being of health care workers","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-we-must-prioritize-the-well-being-of-health-care-workers/HPYV2HO6GRDZDN5PTYAR7YU2EM/"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Preserving community and education should be the main goal behind decisions, not saving money."},"description":{"basic":"Fulton County needs to approach school closures holistically and with a long-term vision, rather than addressing them piecemeal."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get 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This is the third of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"EYMJJQTPZFE7BOGOZTHY3STBAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528140},"type":"text","content":"As we examine the current landscape of higher education in America, it is essential to confront the unique challenges and opportunities facing historically Black colleges and universities. The Trump administration has the potential to bring about significant changes in education, particularly by strengthening support for HBCUs, which are critical drivers of social mobility, economic empowerment and tangible innovation."},{"_id":"WAHXFQ2KWNBPZNCOQ4Q3XZQZWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528141},"type":"text","content":"First, it is important to recognize the steps taken during the Trump administration’s first term to benefit HBCUs."},{"_id":"M3GNNB5PZ5AAXLOZQYA32FPBAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528142},"type":"text","content":"Initiatives such as increased federal funding and enhancements to the <a href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ope/historically-black-college-and-university-capital-financing-program\" target=\"_blank\">HBCU Capital Financing Program</a> mark important advancements in addressing the historical inequities that have long affected these institutions. 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Beyond their economic contributions, HBCUs have a storied legacy of driving technological advancements and producing tangible innovations that benefit society."},{"_id":"7FLIDQ3GCZFQBO7BH43UAJ3JJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528147},"type":"text","content":"By nurturing a diverse array of talent, HBCUs enhance the nation’s workforce, fostering breakthroughs in various sectors."},{"_id":"UPXVMJWJM5GB7MWCWGRA3VW2D4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528148},"type":"text","content":"To further empower HBCUs, I urge the Trump administration to create a dedicated federal funding program specifically designed to support these institutions. Such a program should focus on infrastructure development, faculty recruitment and retention, curriculum enhancement and student scholarships."},{"_id":"CSBTOP7FZRD55COJLKZRNG6LPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528149},"type":"text","content":"By providing consistent financial assistance, we can help close the funding gap that many HBCUs face, allowing them to deliver enriching educational experiences that develop the leaders and innovators of tomorrow."},{"_id":"VOWF53TJ4NEQXGIJJK7W3I3CWQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"AZCKA4GRHNBTRPZE3HCO2I7A5M"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Clark Atlanta professor: How we can do more to better support HBCUs","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/clark-atlanta-professor-how-we-can-do-more-to-better-support-hbcus/E2LHIOBCL5HPFJB5AMJ4LHHSOY/"},{"level":2,"_id":"EECBWNLDIJFFPMKFKKJAWREYGA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528150},"type":"header","content":"Research innovation"},{"_id":"JRZVHN55XRGPZGL54RMOY3KYKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528151},"type":"text","content":"Additionally, addressing the lack of support for research and entrepreneurial innovation at HBCUs is crucial. Despite their commitment to academic excellence, many of these institutions struggle to secure necessary funding for research initiatives."},{"_id":"S5JLBNEKEFBEDAMLBPRPKWE4ZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528152},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs have shown exceptional success in producing graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, awarding <a href=\"https://uncf.org/the-latest/the-impact-of-hbcus-on-diversity-in-stem-fields\" target=\"_blank\">40% of all bachelor’s degrees to African American students</a> in these disciplines."},{"_id":"BNMYFDCGDVBKPKTDYSRVPPLPPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528153},"type":"text","content":"This achievement highlights the need for specialized grant programs that encourage advanced research and innovation at these institutions. Investing in research initiatives will empower a new generation of African American scholars and innovators to make impactful contributions to society."},{"_id":"4DU43HZIZVCRHJ5MYZQKPSHNOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528154},"type":"text","content":"Supporting HBCUs goes beyond social equity; it represents a strategic investment in our shared future. HBCUs play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship and job creation, producing over 50% of African American professionals and public school teachers, as well as 70% of African American dentists and physicians."},{"_id":"ZYVIKA6OC5ALFG5VR34H7DZCAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528155},"type":"text","content":"By advocating for these institutions, we affirm the intellectual and practical contributions of African Americans, promoting a more just and cohesive society."},{"_id":"GPYZAHCGHZCYPMPYQMR2I4GZVQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"HZ4L5D34ZFE6FATCVFWBT3EFPE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Morehouse professor: Supporting HBCUs is vital to sustaining our democracy","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/morehouse-professor-supporting-hbcus-is-necessary-to-sustain-our-democracy/PHYBDH4S5RGL5CNIUVYD4DUO54/"},{"level":2,"_id":"E7VX7JAUTBCYXNEHAM76XDTCPU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528156},"type":"header","content":"Political party and race"},{"_id":"BMU6M465AZAOZKLPPTFWHUM5KU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528157},"type":"text","content":"In our current political climate, it is also essential to bridge the divide that often <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/14/g-s1-16261/young-black-voters-generation-democrats-conservative-trump-harris-gen-z-millennials\" target=\"_blank\">disconnects young Black individuals from the Republican Party</a>. We must cultivate environments that invite engagement and understanding rather than division."},{"_id":"VE2NROHV5JAPPKMYVBX2UF2ZBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528158},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs can serve as vital platforms for constructive dialogue, fostering spaces where diverse political viewpoints are embraced. By promoting education and collaboration, we can empower young, politically astute Black Republicans, Democrats and independents, helping them view their political identity as a viable and valuable choice aligned with their aspirations."},{"_id":"MT6UV6ESGZELHIXHMDIQFO26CU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528159},"type":"text","content":"As we confront the complexities of our time, it is crucial for the Trump administration to acknowledge the significant role that HBCUs play in shaping our society."},{"_id":"G7YSWMRU3NDXNPDRK3VCAM5VQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528160},"type":"text","content":"Building on the groundwork established during the previous term, we have a unique opportunity to enhance support for HBCUs through dedicated funding programs, expanded research initiatives and robust assistance for their development."},{"_id":"4N3K5MFPSNAB7BT5MBB3QHKXBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528161},"type":"text","content":"Now is the time to advocate for HBCUs, ensuring they receive the comprehensive support necessary for the advancement of our society and future generations."},{"_id":"FJPQDA7LWJDJXJ4RA3S4FW37BA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528162},"type":"text","content":"The trajectory of education in America depends on our commitment to providing opportunities for all. HBCUs serve as a unifying force, bringing together students from various backgrounds and fostering a sense of community and collaboration that transcends racial and socioeconomic divides, ultimately strengthening our nation."},{"_id":"7XEABXFSHVEXDPLNEUCQPH76GE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528163},"type":"text","content":"Together, we will continue to elevate HBCUs as pillars of educational excellence and tangible innovation, transforming them into powerful agents of change for a brighter future. Their role in promoting unity and understanding is essential as we work toward a more cohesive America."},{"_id":"M6OCLJ54AVGVLCSOURUGVI36LE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"3YV7DDWRJJCQ7JC3VH522AHRIA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Georgia’s HBCUs deserve more funding and attention","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-georgias-hbcus-deserve-more-funding-and-attention/Z6ANTB2MWVEIVGODSGVDVZ3K3M/"},{"_id":"JS2NC776CBB7ZGK54QLL4DFYBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417528164},"type":"text","content":"<i>George T. French Jr. is the president of Clark Atlanta University, the largest private HBCU in Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"How Trump can assist in elevating HBCUs as pillars of educational excellence and innovation."},"description":{"basic":"Clark Atlanta University's president urges the Trump administration to create a dedicated federal funding program specifically designed to support HBCUs."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get 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This is the second of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"HUT3ZWKGXVEF7N35TDH4SH7K6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384585},"type":"text","content":"As the United States aims to sustain its leadership in innovation and global competitiveness, the foundation of success lies in the strength of our education system. The Southern Regional Education Board has identified six key priorities that can drive meaningful change. Addressing these priorities will foster economic growth and create a brighter future for all Americans."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"841adbb8bdc9388859163623595d985f43d53b4c72369731450ac63b34d44c6e"},"caption":"Stephen Pruitt is president of the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit organization. Contributed photo.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Stephen Pruitt","width":1770,"_id":"KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/tyeU9zqrVs2U9zL_SDyhbYsWzWg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/tyeU9zqrVs2U9zL_SDyhbYsWzWg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/tyeU9zqrVs2U9zL_SDyhbYsWzWg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/nmqfNMzqTZbR9S4P7NQX-REbxgs=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png","version":0,"originalName":"Stephen Pruitt 2023 Headshot_1770x996.png","mime_type":"image/png","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"4DRN6ONCPNDEBDTRQPUJLEXVAQ"},"created_date":"2025-01-22T15:37:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-22T15:37:00Z","height":995,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/KCEQUNOWZFAMDBP7SQZAID7KE4.png?auth=841adbb8bdc9388859163623595d985f43d53b4c72369731450ac63b34d44c6e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2Q7CA4652BH5PK6LSLERWYFVZE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384587},"type":"text","content":"<b>Longitudinal literacy</b>"},{"_id":"T7POFOSWCBCG3IJDPGGX54PR24","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384588},"type":"text","content":"Literacy is the foundation of academic achievement and lifelong success. Yet, challenges in reading proficiency persist across all age groups. While achieving <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-education-officials-decide-which-test-scores-mean-kids-can-read/YUMECUNW6FHSRFCNI57NOUC3WE/\" target=\"_blank\">reading proficiency by third grade</a> is a key milestone, literacy efforts must extend beyond early childhood. Older students and adults with low literacy skills face barriers in education and the workforce."},{"_id":"A6I3WYOAQZDGRLG7GVTYQK57NM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"E7VIHMEYJRC55NE2GAEO3NB4CU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"What helps children become better readers? It can be hard to say","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-its-too-early-to-say-new-reading-development-approach-is-working/6M4KIH6UOZA5JKPGOVARJEDECE/"},{"_id":"O5Q2JGEWK5EPFLEIXFCDWTPJMA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384589},"type":"text","content":"By investing in reading, math, science and work ready literacy programs that span early childhood to adulthood, the U.S. can unlock the full potential of its workforce and citizens."},{"_id":"Q7JLKAO75RHULHBRFSC5MNY3BE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384590},"type":"text","content":"<b>Expanding career pathways and credentials</b>"},{"_id":"4PORTDPHBRE3BKE3QVG7E7TBIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384591},"type":"text","content":"The future of work demands a skilled and adaptable workforce. Developing clear career pathways that integrate academic and technical education is essential to preparing students for real-world demands. Collaboration among schools, postsecondary institutions, businesses and industry leaders is critical to ensure students graduate with the skills and credentials they need."},{"_id":"QIBJTT7RTBBQRKJQNLWAXY2SHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384592},"type":"text","content":"Gov. Brian Kemp’s leadership of the <a href=\"https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-12-12/gov-kemp-announces-sreb-commission-strengthen-high-demand-career\" target=\"_blank\">SREB Commission on Pathways and Credentials</a> highlights the importance of fostering high-skill, high-wage and high-demand careers. Work-based learning experiences, such as apprenticeships and internships, provide students with practical skills and informed career choices. Stackable credentials offer a flexible approach to lifelong learning, allowing individuals to gain new skills and remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy."},{"_id":"UNLFUS4OKVEWZIQXBXYR25AJUI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SCVSMNTRCRAAPDQ54VR3FHET4Q"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Here’s what Kemp’s budget proposal holds for Georgia’s schools","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-aims-to-increase-spending-on-georgias-schools/AH6THO6PNFACDIFAWSBFXBPB54/"},{"_id":"WVKXKBPEVRFOZMV3G5XNTXXX3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384593},"type":"text","content":"<b>Supporting the educator workforce</b>"},{"_id":"7SSG6F5Z3RGTVPDD4I422RJYDM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384594},"type":"text","content":"Educators are the backbone of the education system and play a pivotal role in shaping the economy. Addressing teacher shortages and improving retention are essential to ensuring every student has access to high-quality instruction. Considerable progress has been made in Georgia by Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly increasing teacher salaries by $10,000, making the profession more sustainable and attractive."},{"_id":"Q25DCLPPFFGGXCEXRCKVODNM2A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384595},"type":"text","content":"However, compensation alone is not enough. Comprehensive teacher induction programs, mentorship and professional development are critical for retaining and empowering educators. Investments in teacher preparation programs, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math and special education, will ensure a steady pipeline of qualified professionals. Recognizing and celebrating educators’ contributions will enhance job satisfaction and elevate the teaching profession."},{"_id":"TYK6EMNIPNDK3NIZM2YPXN7UYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384596},"type":"text","content":"<b>AI in education</b>"},{"_id":"PZDC5WIUDVBGPP42FY4TQ4YFZE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384597},"type":"text","content":"Artificial intelligence is transforming industries worldwide, and education is no exception. States should provide schools and institutions with <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-schools-wrestle-with-the-potential-and-pitfalls-of-chatgpt/DD5ASOIHIRFJFJYJ75XVUC6BSY/\" target=\"_blank\">clear guidelines to maximize AI’s potential while safeguarding against risks</a>."},{"_id":"3J2OYZH5WBDT7AKA7WEEHAVDYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384598},"type":"text","content":"AI can revolutionize classrooms by enabling students to learn at their own pace and freeing educators to focus on <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/your-professor-is-also-getting-help-from-ai/H5ZTSZISLFBHTAQM2IY5YRKPZE/\" target=\"_blank\">teaching</a> and mentoring while streamlining tasks like grading and lesson planning. Teachers need support and professional development to effectively incorporate AI as a collaborative tool for students."},{"_id":"BNYSC4XLAVFQ5PEPGWJIG4DBOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384599},"type":"text","content":"Ethical considerations — including data privacy, algorithmic bias and equitable access — are vital to ensure AI benefits all students without deepening existing inequalities. Transparency in AI systems will be essential for building trust among educators, students and families."},{"_id":"JBZIGHX2BBA5VELMLQRRIYVRKU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"Z7D3UEUNAVEVDMO5KR35HAWBPI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Mr. Trump, surprise your critics by doing 3 things to improve higher ed","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/mr-trump-surprise-your-critics-by-doing-3-things-to-improve-higher-ed/3ILSLBFJUNGTLFBXL5FXMMEUNI/"},{"_id":"CQ6UEABXJFE5BEOCVJVQKUE5FM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384600},"type":"text","content":"<b>Ensuring student success in postsecondary education</b>"},{"_id":"JNCUXGQATBEV3NBBUN4Y22DJUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384601},"type":"text","content":"Education after high school, or postsecondary education, remains a critical pathway to economic mobility, but significant barriers persist. States and institutions must prioritize strategies that improve access, retention and attainment. Strengthening connections between K-12 education, postsecondary institutions and the workforce is key to aligning curricula with labor market demands."},{"_id":"VEL37SSIY5CGFN33IPWORZUOE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384602},"type":"text","content":"Affordability is crucial to expanding access. Increasing financial aid and reducing student debt will enable more Americans to pursue higher education. Additionally, targeted support for underrepresented populations, such as first-generation and adult learners, will create greater opportunities for success in the workforce and contribute to a robust economy."},{"_id":"QYIQPXBZJFG43GN73REKVPZQEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384603},"type":"text","content":"<b>Crisis recovery</b>"},{"_id":"LONFA7OCENHDXLYTMRAXKNWNHQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384604},"type":"text","content":"A safe learning environment is fundamental to a conducive learning environment. Recovery after crises, including natural disasters and other tragedies, requires more than a short-term recovery phase. The SREB Crisis Recovery Network is building a network of 650 specially trained counselors across the South to provide ongoing support to schools in the wake of disaster. More national investment is necessary to ensure schools can recover effectively and provide the necessary support for students and staff."},{"_id":"HF6B6MD6E5A5PM6E2OTOP5YPLI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384605},"type":"text","content":"<b>A collaborative vision for the future</b>"},{"_id":"6VEQGFON6FGCPL6ACDVZ3LNHZ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384606},"type":"text","content":"Improving education requires a collaborative effort from policymakers, educators, families and community leaders at all levels ─ state, local and federal. Our commitment to these priorities will shape the lives of students and determine the trajectory of our economy. The time to act is now, and the rewards of these investments will resonate for generations to come."},{"_id":"2RNURH7AZNAAJK36Q4DWKTBP3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1737417384607},"type":"text","content":"<i>Stephen Pruitt is president of the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit organization.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Literacy support, expanding career pathways and the smart use of AI are keys to improving education, author says."},"description":{"basic":"As the United States aims to sustain its leadership in innovation and global competitiveness, the foundation of success lies in the strength of our education system."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"donald trump"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"af9d4882941b611d49e3509c42368a43d5282b09a83aee6b6a8a3ceee0f86b1c"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Savannah Labor Force Hyundai","width":6558,"caption":"Luke Castle and Bob Jones perform a diagnostic test on the engine of a car at Savannah Technical College on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AJC Photo/Katelyn Myrick)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/BXWB42VOH3JSSXX6AOCNWVRZDQ.jpg","height":4372,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BXWB42VOH3JSSXX6AOCNWVRZDQ.jpg?auth=af9d4882941b611d49e3509c42368a43d5282b09a83aee6b6a8a3ceee0f86b1c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-the-path-to-a-brighter-education-future/DKH3PXPVBRACRJZOD7IAUSQPBI/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-22T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Stephen Pruitt","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Six education priorities for a brighter future"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-22T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-22T15:37:35.586Z","_id":"DKH3PXPVBRACRJZOD7IAUSQPBI","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"af9d4882941b611d49e3509c42368a43d5282b09a83aee6b6a8a3ceee0f86b1c"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Katelyn Myrick","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Savannah Labor Force Hyundai","width":6558,"caption":"Luke Castle and Bob Jones perform a diagnostic test on the engine of a car at Savannah Technical College on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AJC Photo/Katelyn Myrick)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/BXWB42VOH3JSSXX6AOCNWVRZDQ.jpg","height":4372,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BXWB42VOH3JSSXX6AOCNWVRZDQ.jpg?auth=af9d4882941b611d49e3509c42368a43d5282b09a83aee6b6a8a3ceee0f86b1c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"U5DXIAODSJAIXHXTJ7AKQX24AA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"What does drinking coffee have to do with teaching reading?"},{"_id":"4OYTEEASOZHPLAKYOFCGTT47YI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Each is entangled with many interacting variables, making it hard to isolate a single cause (e.g., coffee, a teaching method) for a specific outcome (e.g., heart disease, reading proficiency)."},{"_id":"22T6XRN3UVEQXILEV46PFPRFXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"For example, according to one report, “Australian researchers found that drinking six or more coffees a day increases a person’s risk of heart disease by as much as 22 percent.” But the six-cup threshold can be difficult to measure. Some drink from mugs, others a demitasse. Some make it strong, some make it weak. Some order a small, some a large."},{"_id":"T4CLD47D6JF7VBPX6NPQQ3MIB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Some add sugar and cream or a sugary, fatty cream substitute. Some have a doughnut with their breakfast coffee as part of a generally unhealthy diet. Some smoke a cigarette with every cup and don’t exercise. At day’s end, some may consume alcohol or other inebriants to counteract the stimulation of caffeine, themselves associated with deadly health issues."},{"_id":"TFCHKGL3GJDT5BT7XESA4EC77U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"So, is the abundant coffee drinking the cause of heart disease, or is it one among many unhealthy habits that often come along with it, or all in collusion?"},{"_id":"IUKXVVJRMVCVDNKLOXHX2NDDEY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Which brings us to research about teaching reading. Specifically, we respond to a recent <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-state-lawmakers-should-pay-attention-to-the-work-in-three-georgia-school-districts-to-improve-student-literacy/O4JPALYYDFFNZEIJP3GFHL5FJA/\" target=\"_self\">Get Schooled essay</a> in which Claire Suggs celebrates the effects of “structured literacy” on children’s reading development. Suggs has been a reliable observer of schools for many years as a senior research consultant for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, among other positions."},{"_id":"V4PMSWOKCBBMJFA2T5K4UCB3ZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"But in her enthusiastic endorsement of the educational approach called the “Science of Reading,” she exhibits the same blinders as do those conducting coffee studies. When many factors of teaching reading are in play, it’s nearly impossible to single out any one as the indisputable cause of the outcome. And the outcome of most reading instruction has been stable for over 40 years now, in spite of the crisis rhetoric issued by Science of Reading advocates, whose insistence on their exclusive insights into how to teach reading has made their product an attractive brand to be sold."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"449c504107f085f9e7f3115048e257618b7f8e7a7b02a133f55d23ca68780d36"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"David Reinking is a retired professor at Clemson and the University of Georgia. He is an inductee in the Reading Hall of Fame, and former co-editor of Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Literacy Research. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"David Reinking","width":469,"_id":"YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/T58hQcepJBpIoIqRBEwr8li9QHE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/T58hQcepJBpIoIqRBEwr8li9QHE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/T58hQcepJBpIoIqRBEwr8li9QHE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/7Kg0oziycG_jt5y7ofcMMUAi15o=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"David Reinking jpg_470x264.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1737058125580},"created_date":"2025-01-16T16:39:10Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-16T16:39:10Z","height":264,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YZRDQ4NZ7RA7HOEW2FEMMLIOXI.jpg?auth=449c504107f085f9e7f3115048e257618b7f8e7a7b02a133f55d23ca68780d36&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"ZH6SVKZQLBBNDIPSBJYKRT2NEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In her report on three Georgia school districts’ institution of a Science of Reading emphasis, Suggs includes a testimonial from a principal who reported that “All of this long term is reducing high school dropout rates, that’s the longevity of the work we’re doing right now … the children are thriving, and parents are on board.” Actually there has been no “long term.” The intervention is too new. Promising great results in the future has sustained many a “reform” effort that has, in that great future, been replaced by another miracle cure, celebrated with its own promises of a better tomorrow."},{"_id":"2FPS5HG4I5DWJJXO3UT3BRD7JY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":239,"comment":"underly ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""},{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":323,"comment":"“","type":"insert","user":"","email":""},{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":335,"comment":"”","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Suggs reports that “Under the structured literacy approach, teachers provide explicit and systematic instruction in the five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.” These five principles underlay the Science of Reading, which adapted its “settled science” claim from the five pillars of reading identified by the National Reading Panel two decades ago."},{"_id":"Y5WEHJ4GUBBSHFLAD7SPEWVWIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Suggs accepts the claim of Science of Reading that they have triumphed in the Reading Wars: “After years of disagreement, consensus has grown among researchers that structured literacy is the most effective way to teach reading.” But the consensus exists only among true believers. In fact, this is a very contentious domain, with much disagreement remaining among researchers and practitioners as the Reading Wars rage on in yet another decade."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"c655900188c96247389aeb920c97ca72729cac8e02a6ce95e5c4d3f7afa6f2fb"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Peter Smagorinsky is a retired professor at the University of Georgia, an inductee in the Reading Hall of Fame and former co-editor of Research in the Teaching of English. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Con","type":"author","byline":"Con"}]},"subtitle":"Peter Smagorinsky","width":611,"_id":"3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/NueA_BoiPeMWMNJ0L8SEFp2msR0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/NueA_BoiPeMWMNJ0L8SEFp2msR0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/NueA_BoiPeMWMNJ0L8SEFp2msR0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/PQvUVAOAPCQBWEEBYjby4CjAA0M=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG","version":0,"originalName":"Peter Smagorinsky headshot_611x344.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1737058125584},"created_date":"2025-01-16T16:25:22Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-16T16:25:22Z","height":343,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3A6Y4L5YJ5C6JPPZFRVNNIOZ2M.JPG?auth=c655900188c96247389aeb920c97ca72729cac8e02a6ce95e5c4d3f7afa6f2fb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"IUYBL2DPWJCNPC4O52CTOHSRPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Few would deny knowing phonics, having a good vocabulary and comprehending a written text are central features of reading, along with “fluency,” generally referring to reading smoothly without hesitation."},{"_id":"JFII4HSULJDN3GTTABN5UTQTOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Simply on their own, this bundle of five features complicates the effort to make a causal claim, especially when different teachers provide different instructional emphases. Perhaps these areas of reading are taught more systematically and explicitly than others, even as it’s not possible to demarcate clearly between systematic and unsystematic, explicit and implicit. And, since much school learning is implicit and thus virtually impossible to identify to an outsider, ruling it out because it’s not clearly visible seems an oversight."},{"_id":"D2JZ5RUTIJE4JKI7Y3DBJAAK74","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":70,"comment":"that ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"To complicate matters further, Suggs reports that the three districts she studied accompanied structured literacy with a massive support apparatus:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"WJJ26JB4ING35H646VZRWFVQOA","type":"list","items":[{"_id":"YVWPKWW4PRHWXMTLICYRXQQONM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Increased professional development for teachers and administrators subsidized by a stipend."},{"_id":"VC65WQ7LLBEGRAFCPEJ2CKDNF4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Addition of a full-time instructional coach in every elementary school to help teachers stay the course."},{"_id":"WLPRTZ7445HDZNKAY3OIQNSRGU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Addition of a literacy expert in district office teams, aligned with the program’s priorities."}]},{"_id":"GH72DMM22ZB2XL2UU7S2M6BV7M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":12,"comment":"district-wide ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""},{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":233,"comment":" short term","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-16T22:05:47.288Z","replies":[],"start":26,"end":38,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}]},"type":"text","content":"Surely this districtwide emphasis has something to do with whatever Suggs and her colleagues found. We may well be simply witnessing a <a href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3969247/\" target=\"_self\">Hawthorne Effect</a>, where change and the scrutiny it involves, not the intervention itself, produces short-term, but transitory, gains. Those who invest a whole district’s resources in a great solution are also invested in its success, however, leading to wondrous claims of effectiveness that have no measurable support."},{"_id":"M5OYEX5Y45ERHHG4GIN3BAY4VE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Perhaps a longer period of investigation is merited, given the history of changes that produce an immediate burst of enthusiasm, and then fade in effectiveness. It’s happened before: The federal government invested billions in the massive national Reading First initiative, which included training teachers in the elements of “structured literacy,” including 90-180 minutes of systematic phonics instruction daily. The results were disappointing."},{"_id":"4XEBRSUMZBDG3DUKNRN4H5W2AA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":122,"comment":"district-wide ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It is far too early to conclude that the optimistic reactions Suggs reports are justified. Our concern is that a complex, districtwide initiative is being evaluated on the initial enthusiasm of people for whom change is welcome, with claims stretched to include future benefits. So far, there are no clear results other than testimonials of a set of upbeat stakeholders."},{"_id":"7MLH7Z7SARGQXEVKN7I77D3V2Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":133,"comment":"that ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Like coffee consumption, specific reading instructional strategies do not act alone, but are part of complex social systems. We hope our caution helps to inform the discussion about how Georgia schools invest their funds and instructional time in their children’s reading development."},{"_id":"GJXWMK65AZDC5PAUHDFAOJN6NE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":110,"comment":"<i>,</i>","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>Peter Smagorinsky is a retired professor at the University of Georgia, an inductee in the </i><a href=\"https://www.readinghalloffame.org/current-members\" target=\"_self\"><i>Reading Hall of Fame</i></a><i> and former co-editor of Research in the Teaching of English. David Reinking is a retired professor at Clemson and the University of Georgia. He is also an inductee in the Reading Hall of Fame and former co-editor of Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Literacy Research.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Educators say a longer period of investigation is merited before concluding structured literacy approach is a success."},"description":{"basic":"Educators say a longer period of investigation is merited before concluding structured literacy approach is a success."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"parenting"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"2eacf833af32b280fdadb07eef17c80ccaadad761da7bcf9e6f56fb7788a2fae"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Natrice Miller/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[]},"subtitle":"Mitchell-Kemp","width":3984,"caption":"Former Georgia Bulldogs football star Malcolm Mitchell (from left), Georgia first lady Marty Kemp and Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Chair Amy Jacobs reads Mitchell’s book, “A Magnificent Field Trip to the Governor’s Mansion,\" to pre-K students from Heards Ferry Elementary at the Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. 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It can be hard to say"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-21T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-21T11:21:16.278Z","_id":"6M4KIH6UOZA5JKPGOVARJEDECE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"2eacf833af32b280fdadb07eef17c80ccaadad761da7bcf9e6f56fb7788a2fae"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Natrice Miller/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[]},"subtitle":"Mitchell-Kemp","width":3984,"caption":"Former Georgia Bulldogs football star Malcolm Mitchell (from left), Georgia first lady Marty Kemp and Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Chair Amy Jacobs reads Mitchell’s book, “A Magnificent Field Trip to the Governor’s Mansion,\" to pre-K students from Heards Ferry Elementary at the Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Natrice Miller/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JXEFHU46FIRSMJRY3C6G5W2KTA.JPG","height":2656,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JXEFHU46FIRSMJRY3C6G5W2KTA.JPG?auth=2eacf833af32b280fdadb07eef17c80ccaadad761da7bcf9e6f56fb7788a2fae&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"USENAXPHF5CILMDNH7IR57LWFE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582092},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is publishing a series of guest columns this week from some educators, education experts and a student asking them what President Donald Trump and his administration should focus on during his term. This is the first of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"GAY6UEHUPFGHVC2FWSGX3U5I3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-14T22:04:19.451Z","start":10,"end":16,"text":"added first name to first reference","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1737130418190},"type":"text","content":"President Donald Trump:"},{"_id":"MBM4Y23ANFCQFDL2Z2GWULPJT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":92,"comment":"President "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582093},"type":"text","content":"The 2024 campaign was fierce and hard fought. This week, you have been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Now, the hard work truly begins."},{"_id":"ZVMR2UU5EBDARBNSXEUUNPZ5WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582094},"type":"text","content":"You have the opportunity to lead America forward with constructive actions that build confidence. Having served as president of a distinctive American college for 19 years, allow me to offer three proposals that will be broadly admired and reinforce American prosperity."},{"_id":"CUJTHSCTCZGJLKQ2CFMQGBDDMI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582095},"type":"text","content":"All are grounded on the understanding that American colleges and universities are among the best in the world. As engines of innovation and invention, they provide a competitive advantage, attracting top talent from across the globe. Higher education is a time-tested means by which individual students can achieve upward mobility and pursue the American dream. America cannot be great without a thriving system of colleges and universities."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"4b6071d447ec8dcd1250b80e882b70315c816d78e87d88cfd3d056954ed583d2"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Berry College President Steve Briggs. (Courtesy of Brant Sanderlin/Berry College)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Berry College","type":"author","byline":"Berry College"}]},"subtitle":"Steve Briggs","width":5568,"_id":"PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/DXSJRmKdRfIilrIuAW8TSOWD0kA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/DXSJRmKdRfIilrIuAW8TSOWD0kA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/DXSJRmKdRfIilrIuAW8TSOWD0kA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/daxzal1ZMWuP9hwoDUDuWPE7guY=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Berry College president Briggs at desk_5568x3132.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"AERBBHV6RVCSLP2IJG7TJPLFYM"},"created_date":"2025-01-14T03:20:40Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-14T03:20:40Z","height":3132,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/PNWJJ2NOL5ERDFX6TDBFVWTL4U.jpg?auth=4b6071d447ec8dcd1250b80e882b70315c816d78e87d88cfd3d056954ed583d2&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"YASQRWTDF5GOJHQ35CM43IVLAU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582097},"type":"text","content":"The first proposal stimulates economic growth by expanding the number of low-income students able to afford a college education. Doubling the Pell Grant is a low-risk investment with a demonstrated record of return. Second, ratify the DREAM Act for undocumented students who earn a college degree or technical credential, allowing them a tangible means to demonstrate their character and worth. Third, reduce the burdensome number of federal regulations that inflate the cost of higher education and distract from the essential work of educating students."},{"_id":"ZS654ODTZNGUFNGS4R6566CAKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582098},"type":"text","content":"These actions make good economic sense consistent with your convictions. Each merits a few words of explanation."},{"_id":"YMOEECACFZFEPO63UJOINW57CA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":200,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582099},"type":"text","content":"First, double the Pell Grant. This year 7 million low-income students will use a federal Pell Grant to help pay for college. More than a third of all students, they come from every part of the nation — rural and urban, politically red and blue counties alike. Pell Grants are made to the student, not the college, upholding individual choice and responsibility."},{"_id":"VYYBDMDPVBDURF5YTLUU7ABQSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":209,"comment":"home ownership "},{"pos":246,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-14T22:03:13.675Z","start":224,"end":237,"text":"one word, per AJC style","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736962582100},"type":"text","content":"Both Republican and Democratic voters <a href=\"https://www.naicu.edu/news-events/news-from-naicu/2023/marist-poll-americans-overwhelmingly-support-doubling-the-pell-grant/#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2074%25%20of%20Americans%20support,support%20doubling%20the%20Pell%20Grant.\" target=\"_blank\">overwhelmingly support doubling the Pell Grant</a>. It reduces student debt. It increases the percentage of students completing degrees, leading to higher salaries, increased homeownership, better health outcomes and less dependence on government support. Pell Grants are a sound investment in America’s greatest natural resource, its young people."},{"_id":"JPWETQMJO5HWNFEQFE6FLTDM5Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582101},"type":"text","content":"Of course, colleges must be accountable for providing a first-rate education to students with Pell Grants. At my institution, Berry College, we track both graduation rates and debt for Pell eligible students to ensure these metrics are comparable to other students. Our Pell students receive additional scholarships from the college worth four times the average Pell Grant. We do more than our share."},{"_id":"SXCJMBP3GJAKZKJUJPGN4R7EAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582102},"type":"text","content":"Indeed, from our founding Berry College has partnered with disadvantaged students willing to invest in their own education. In our <a href=\"https://www.berry.edu/scholarships-and-aid/gate\" target=\"_blank\">Gate of Opportunity program</a>, Pell Grant students work on campus year-round to help fund their own education, gaining meaningful professional experience and graduating with little or no student debt."},{"_id":"PKIKWSG27FA4RKY3YCU7K25BSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":132,"comment":"ten "},{"pos":179,"comment":"Emergency Room "},{"pos":403,"comment":"advisor "},{"pos":487,"comment":"PhD "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582103},"type":"text","content":"How does this experience help students? It instills confidence, initiative and responsibility. What are these graduates doing after 10 years? Consider a few examples. Sarah is an emergency room physician with five years of service in the Navy. Noah is co-founder of a technology firm that specializes in the logistics of global trade. Kelly is a high school math teacher. Jordan is a capital investment adviser. Lydia is director of football operations at a major university. James is a Ph.D. cancer researcher studying aggressive brain tumors. These are American success stories."},{"_id":"VFFSFJVPXFC7RBW6M2PMM5R2UU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582104},"type":"text","content":"Second, break the logjam on the DREAM Act, legislation stalled in Congress since 2001 despite broad bipartisan support. You have expressed support for the Dreamers. Recent versions of the act provide undocumented high school graduates with a lawful pathway to permanent residence and U.S. citizenship based on their obtaining a college degree or trade certification. Taxpayers already have funded K-12 education for these Dreamers and should receive a return on their significant investment. The DREAM Act promotes talent development in a manner comparable to your own campaign proposal to <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/06/politics/green-cards-college-graduates-trump-cec/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">award green cards to foreign students earning diplomas</a> from U.S. colleges and universities."},{"_id":"VVK57U3P5JAERLVUOCVDMWFPME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582105},"type":"text","content":"Finally, I know that as a businessman you despise oppressive regulations. Private colleges and universities must comply with 273 laws, rules and regulations and conduct multiple audits annually. Accountability is necessary, but federal regulations expand year after year; they never diminish. Reducing the burden of these regulations would free up funds to support student success and curb the scope of federal bureaucracy. A win-win outcome."},{"_id":"LBOSNSX6WVASRCGSFXQNXQNLHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582106},"type":"text","content":"Other U.S. presidents have not been able to break through the congressional stalemate to achieve these popular goals. Act decisively, Mr. Trump. Astonish the critics."},{"_id":"LFQYEUBW5VF7VH23I6DTSRDF4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736962582107},"type":"text","content":"<i>Steve Briggs is the president of Berry College, located in Rome, Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"This week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution publishes guest columns from educators, experts, and a student on what President Trump and his administration should focus on."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"donald trump"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"66460f28d09f13b818f883f1a6d0a64cf67ca2b7352dfda272216b9c57226ff9"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Brant Sanderlin/Berry College","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Brant Sanderlin","type":"author","byline":"Brant Sanderlin"}]},"subtitle":"Anaiah Rucker","width":5394,"caption":"Berry College President Steve Briggs (left) congratulates Anaiah Rucker during the 2023 commencement ceremony. Rucker was 10 when she saved her sister from an oncoming truck, suffering serious injuries, including losing a leg. Rucker received national attention after ABC's \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" documented her story. After hearing Rucker's story, Berry College offered her a full scholarship. (Courtesy of Brant Sanderlin/Berry College)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DPKHKH3W2NBBZKTAVEGLTME2YM.jpg","height":3243,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DPKHKH3W2NBBZKTAVEGLTME2YM.jpg?auth=66460f28d09f13b818f883f1a6d0a64cf67ca2b7352dfda272216b9c57226ff9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/mr-trump-surprise-your-critics-by-doing-3-things-to-improve-higher-ed/3ILSLBFJUNGTLFBXL5FXMMEUNI/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-21T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Steve Briggs","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Mr. Trump, surprise your critics by doing 3 things to improve higher ed"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-21T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-21T19:42:52.171Z","_id":"3ILSLBFJUNGTLFBXL5FXMMEUNI","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"66460f28d09f13b818f883f1a6d0a64cf67ca2b7352dfda272216b9c57226ff9"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Brant Sanderlin/Berry College","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Brant Sanderlin","type":"author","byline":"Brant Sanderlin"}]},"subtitle":"Anaiah Rucker","width":5394,"caption":"Berry College President Steve Briggs (left) congratulates Anaiah Rucker during the 2023 commencement ceremony. Rucker was 10 when she saved her sister from an oncoming truck, suffering serious injuries, including losing a leg. Rucker received national attention after ABC's \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" documented her story. After hearing Rucker's story, Berry College offered her a full scholarship. (Courtesy of Brant Sanderlin/Berry College)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DPKHKH3W2NBBZKTAVEGLTME2YM.jpg","height":3243,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DPKHKH3W2NBBZKTAVEGLTME2YM.jpg?auth=66460f28d09f13b818f883f1a6d0a64cf67ca2b7352dfda272216b9c57226ff9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"NGEGQEEIYFBZ7EVLATAJKVIOPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":74,"comment":"three "},{"pos":377,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-15T17:49:43.822Z","start":80,"end":81,"text":"use figures for ratios, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736973095897},"type":"text","content":"The new year is a great time for a fresh start. <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/29/new-years-resolutions-who-makes-them-and-why/\">Pew Research reports</a> that 3 in 10 Americans report making at least one resolution this year. Couple that with the <a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html#:~:text=Mental%20and%20Behavioral%20Health%20Conditions%20by%20Age&text=Data%20table%20showing%20data%20for%20the%20chart%20figure.&text=Skipped%20data%20table.&text=10%25%20of%20children%20ages%203,and%2011%25%20of%20females\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating</a> that we are living in the era of 20% of teens often feeling anxiety, 40% of high schoolers reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year and 20% of the same population seriously considering suicide in the last year, and we have a great time to think of pivoting in a new parenting direction."},{"_id":"FCXBIN7ZWND7NAWWA5G3YNMP2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095898},"type":"text","content":"As a parent and mental health professional, I’m keenly aware of the gravity of these numbers and it raises<b> </b>the question: What New Year’s resolutions could we make regarding our parenting approach? I think it’s an opportune time to focus our parenting aims on fostering kindness in our children over boosting intelligence. Let me explain."},{"_id":"VJEWSIQGBZFWXHFB6NHKYTEF6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":54,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095899},"type":"text","content":"Forced to choose, most parents would publicly declare they would rather their children be kind than smart. This is the most socially acceptable answer, likely for fear that people would judge them for being insensitive individuals. However, most modern parents are answering “kind” with their words but “smart” with their energy, time and money."},{"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. Her professional background as a child and family therapist and passion for offering support to families gives her a uniquely insightful perspective on the intersection of mental health, relationships and education. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"related_content":{"derivative_of":[{"referent":{"id":"UB7DVBKF5BESRNAHQTHZ535EAI","type":"image"},"type":"reference"}]},"type":"image","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","link":"","takenOn":"2023-05-18T18:55:04Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/VeH6jQclLVwjVa2BR5VkQ9JnieQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"bethnew.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"CS5CO4RICBAKDC5JSW5XLISZGQ"},"last_updated_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:27Z","height":1908,"image_type":"photograph","owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","subtitle":"Beth Collums","width":2544,"_id":"FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI","created_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:08Z","alignment":"right","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg?auth=5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"YQ7Z74ZJUVFEDDCOI3AYEJHHKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-15T17:54:20.077Z","start":127,"end":130,"text":"added hyphen to multimillion-dollar companies","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736973095901},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"The “smart kid” industry has skyrocketed over the past<b> </b>decades. Tutoring companies have popped up in many a strip mall and are now <a href=\"https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/private-tutoring-market-report#:~:text=The%20global%20private%20tutoring%20market,6.8%25%20from%202023%20to%202030\">multimillion-dollar companies</a> with stakeholders and market share. They are franchised much like McDonald’s. Instead of a cheeseburger meal with fries, it’s multiplication worksheets with a side of STEM kits."},{"_id":"B5SQ7SGHFZAHPISOU6Q6IFPUIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095902},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Many parents seem peripherally aware of the eroding mental health of our youth but are still driven by achievement, test scores and college acceptances for fear their kids will lag behind the pack."},{"_id":"FGJVL3CZNVCWZEYEGAV2PBMBCQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-15T17:55:10.192Z","start":138,"end":141,"text":"added \"the\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736973095903},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"The cognitive approach of child raising is fairly new in the historical millennia of parenting. According to <a href=\"https://paultough.com/how-children-succeed/\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Tough</a>, it originated in the 1990s with a national report stating that many children were not arriving at kindergarten with enough cognitive stimulation from age 0-3 and therefore failing to be “ready to learn.” This reflected more of a sociological trend of single parenting, dually employed parents and, in general, fewer hours of time spent with unpaid caregivers. A slow evolution into what it looks like to be a “good parent” has ensued."},{"_id":"T5CHK4E47VBKLLVRKOY34HLJNU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095904},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Products assisting parents in “educating” their children skyrocketed into<b> </b>a <a href=\"https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/educational-toys-market-106324\">$66 billion industry in 2024</a> and is<b> </b>projected to grow to a whopping $126 billion by 2032. Baby Einstein, BrainPOP, KiwiCo, Little Passports and MindWare are but<b> </b>a few. We’ve all heard of them, and I’ve even clicked “buy now” with the dazzling promise of raising a savant."},{"_id":"L6MQ3U7QSRCF5AJ3M5PDZ3FU7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095905},"type":"text","content":"This market tops the massive youth sports industry by an incredible <a href=\"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/latest-global-youth-sports-market-153000303.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANclZ9WwNXHMas63MTFl88oBId8Mh3duL_GGZCxMzzv_pvjSldqri7II5RC95S3fGuFfa4ngRbDmliwPmlrwWrjqyUqXcYxLPTYNh_DEBEs1vT8C3yly6TiBqbghwK85hRqAglYAwXn2SHec9q7-QbbVwpdYbjXC0RDVD7TKvya_\">$20 billion</a>. It’s easy to frown on<b> </b>parents shelling out big bucks for youth sports, but clearly there’s a<b> </b>more ravenous desire for a math-lete."},{"_id":"VECCPYYIA5DBHLU2PV4YPQTSEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095906},"type":"text","content":"Overemphasizing the cognitive approach also plays a factor in driving many of our youth and teens down a road of anxiety and depression. With little emphasis on connection through relational, emotional and even spiritual well-being, parents’ limited energies are increasingly geared to the performative and external."},{"_id":"NXM35WK6ONFDVDUPPQOPCZIGOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095907},"type":"text","content":"No matter your preferred theory on the vast field of child psychology, this sole approach leads to an off-balance method of parenting."},{"_id":"UYKQZDHCJBFC7KC2N4PFKT4LVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":248,"comment":"even "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095908},"type":"text","content":"Let’s pivot this year instead to prize in our kids a posture of kindness and benevolence toward others. <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26249135/\">Sociological research</a> tells us time and again the health benefits of helping others and can even help bring relief from anxiety, depression and loneliness. Forcing kids into kindness isn’t effective, but creating habits of altruism within the home can be highlighted. We can put our time and money behind our new approach and donate blood, volunteer once a month at the food bank and help the elderly woman into<b> </b>the grocery store."},{"_id":"UKJR4XP2CZH3NHY7N745HB5LO4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095909},"type":"text","content":"Kids won’t listen to what we say if it’s not backed up by what we do with our time and money."},{"_id":"QFKFJI7TVZDFBIXGMMY5OW2JX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095910},"type":"text","content":"Judging by the statistics on the mental health of our children, are we ready to admit that what we’re doing as parents might need to change? Do we think good grades, good colleges and good jobs will make our children (or us) happy? Many have bought into the belief that if one got Sally’s brain loaded with enough of the right information at the right time, in the right school, she’d be set up for a life of success."},{"_id":"3475QCOHGRHKXHHIHQBDSN4R7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095911},"type":"text","content":"Redefining success for the modern parent is key."},{"_id":"FYTDYJBX3BHSTBYRCNYGHNH5QA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095912},"type":"text","content":"So how can we chip away at changing such an ingrained parenting approach? <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://academic.oup.com/policyandsociety/article/38/2/298/6407918?login=false__;!!JZyed81S!ngZGOgBgR0pta3WWszIn8jcxW7IYA-5hJHFaUIIcKcdxlPZl0Ak2Olb_YUgVE-Eh21pTK9pyvtGFLe33u6DN6A$\">Small steps</a> have proved to be the best ways to tackle comprehensive change. Identify one dream for your child that is outside of the external realm of academics and in the internal world of character development. Make a point with your kid to start just one conversation a day about opportunities for compassion, service or faith. Instead of focusing only<b> </b>on grade performance in your parent teacher conference this semester, inquire if Junior is helpful with peers and respectful to teachers."},{"_id":"7GSLAS2QNNDOTDSJUA4RW6BA54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095913},"type":"text","content":"And little by little, we’ll start to dream bigger dreams than IQ maximization, and we’ll begin to instill the value that<b> </b>who our children are on the inside is more important than what they accomplish on the outside."},{"_id":"LFPL3T74ZNE67I67OP6B26YOQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095914},"type":"text","content":"And my guess is, they might not even miss those STEM kits."},{"_id":"QVBVUEMZURHPRPZQI36BQFQ6I4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736973095915},"type":"text","content":"<i>Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer with a professional background in child and family therapy. She often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Many parents are aware of the eroding mental health of our youth but still focus on achievement, test fear their kids fall behind."},"description":{"basic":"Many parents are aware of the eroding mental health of our youth but still focus on achievement, test fear their kids fall behind."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"parenting"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"a66babd53f0b31d65d45a92d0490d11ac0b1f0c733e14dfe5e939c85f0b08c1a"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Jenni Girtman","type":"author"}]},"width":3000,"caption":"Kywanda Hammothe (right) captures the Peach Drop during the countdown to 2025. 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(Jenni Girtman for the AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6MDOFT6C3OELJXG3LEDERD74PM.jpg","height":2094,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/6MDOFT6C3OELJXG3LEDERD74PM.jpg?auth=a66babd53f0b31d65d45a92d0490d11ac0b1f0c733e14dfe5e939c85f0b08c1a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/2025-goal-for-parents-teaching-kids-kindness-instead-of-being-math-letes/JNML6ANHCFEORPUSH3VVNHYJBA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-17T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Beth Collums","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"2025 goal for parents: Teaching kids kindness instead of being math-letes"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-17T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-17T10:00:06.415Z","_id":"JNML6ANHCFEORPUSH3VVNHYJBA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"a66babd53f0b31d65d45a92d0490d11ac0b1f0c733e14dfe5e939c85f0b08c1a"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Jenni Girtman","type":"author"}]},"width":3000,"caption":"Kywanda Hammothe (right) captures the Peach Drop during the countdown to 2025. The new year is a great time for a fresh start. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6MDOFT6C3OELJXG3LEDERD74PM.jpg","height":2094,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/6MDOFT6C3OELJXG3LEDERD74PM.jpg?auth=a66babd53f0b31d65d45a92d0490d11ac0b1f0c733e14dfe5e939c85f0b08c1a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"2VC4DI4UBBAXXJC2TLCZUMANRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274123},"type":"text","content":"<i>“Reductions in state spending account for about 41% of increased tuition revenue since the Great Recession”- Bipartisan Policy Center, 12-15-24</i>"},{"_id":"HJ5OHVTOQFG6ZPJ4XJ6H2ZUVWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274124},"type":"text","content":"College tuition costs go up annually, in large part because states like ours are neglecting their responsibilities to make tuition to state schools more affordable. The tuition <a href=\"https://www.usg.edu/fiscal_affairs/assets/fiscal_affairs/documents/tuition_and_fees/Appendix_1A_-_Undergraduate_Tuition_-_Posting.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">this school year</a> for in-state students at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech was more than $10,000. And that does not include room, board and so on. Some private universities were even more. For example, Emory University’s tuition is more than $63,000 this school year."},{"_id":"HJ5OHVTOQFG6ZPJ4XJ6H2ZUVWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274124},"type":"text","content":"Many decades ago, I was accepted to Emory. But even then, I could not afford it. I went to the University of Georgia, Georgia College and Georgia State University for my degrees. So, I appreciate Georgia’s formerly affordable public higher education system and what it has done for me. And I am currently on the GSU Andrew Young School Alumni Council."},{"_id":"ACTSQ6E4MVA4TPTNFQHP2Z6JBY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"N3HRQWKV7VAR3KDI7GIFCGRYSU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Georgia and students will benefit if lawmakers expand need-based aid","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-achieve-atlanta-leader-urges-georgia-lawmakers-to-act-on-need-based-aid/ZN57NSYD5FCPJKFIUR3WIOBLAQ/"},{"_id":"5VD7EF4RDRBYFG2XWD47YYQJ3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274126},"type":"text","content":"Other than my freshman year, I worked my way through college at night, supporting my wife and three kids along the way. But that was in the good ol’ days. I doubt that I could have done that today with these tuition rates."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"b4d92f3cf5b3bcea0db6ff0c7fb48c97f54924133ae13c66a7b2e311421c0ee9"},"caption":"Jack Bernard is form Republican chair of Jasper County Commission","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy Photo","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy Photo"}]},"subtitle":"Jack Bernard","width":1339,"_id":"7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/j2IaTuid7EHcm5NS5BR8-Zys5gU=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"bernard1.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"UMHF2WFNAVGBTDKMSMPSTXRTWI"},"created_date":"2023-12-01T02:42:52Z","last_updated_date":"2023-12-01T02:42:52Z","height":1784,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg?auth=b4d92f3cf5b3bcea0db6ff0c7fb48c97f54924133ae13c66a7b2e311421c0ee9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"4ACUYFMKLZF5DNOPKGD2LLLQJY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274127},"type":"text","content":"Granted, there are numerous scholarship opportunities for Georgia residents, more than most other states. Still, that is a lot of money. And, once again, the $10,132 does not include room, board, books, supplies, as well as various college fees. That problem can be diminished by utilizing some of the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-starts-budget-season-with-165-billion-in-reserves/RVULGEGNJZDTTJTPARHOO5GADE/\" target=\"_blank\">state surplus</a>, which would be widely supported by voters, as outlined below. And there is a precedent."},{"_id":"GZYGEUQOPBDH5CBHMFN7GUSOLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274128},"type":"text","content":"Most of my life, I have lived in the South. But, as a corporate executive, I lived a lot of places — including California. Back in the ‘70s, in-state tuition there was free. Now, according to a Los Angeles Times <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-24/column-why-california-should-go-back-to-free-college-tuition-for-everyone\" target=\"_blank\">opinion column</a>, there is a push to once again waive in-state college tuition."},{"_id":"W7LACBD2WNADHBMSQY4AACQ7PY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274129},"type":"text","content":"Per a recent survey, about two-thirds of Californians agree that in-state college tuition <a href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-economic-well-being-december-2024/\" target=\"_blank\">should be free</a>. That includes 56% of white residents surveyed who, historically, are less supportive of such initiatives. Support was even higher for those polled who were at lower income levels."},{"_id":"63TVD2XZEFEQZGV625TD2IX5MM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"6MFH6BRUJJDHNDPDAVSX5H4ZHA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Emory student: Lawmakers must stop targeting schools and support them instead","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-ga-lawmakers-should-forgo-culture-war-posturing-on-education/EGGMT5I6WBAVHDMU4UH7ECQDTY/"},{"_id":"V6MZW7XIWJCCXJQLZNYJVRNXBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274130},"type":"text","content":"Approval of government funding of skilled job training programs was even higher. Democrats favored it overwhelmingly (90%) and even GOP voters (59%) wanted increased funding."},{"_id":"72NQWCXQRZHMXG327JJGZZR3UY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274131},"type":"text","content":"In 2018, the Georgia Planning and Budget Institute did a <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-support-for-gbpi-people-first-plan/\" target=\"_blank\">similar survey</a> of 625 Georgia residents. Over two-thirds of Georgians surveyed (72%) supported increased higher education funding in general.<i> </i>A startling 82% supported state funding for more “need-based financial aid”<i> </i>for college students. “Tuition free postsecondary technical training” was supported by 75% of those polled."},{"_id":"2W7XFJXBOZCARBGMDCZGHJCUHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":159,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274132},"type":"text","content":"There has not been a more recent survey of Georgia residents. But I would be willing to bet that current findings would be similar. Even the conservatives who I know believe that school tuition should not be an obstacle to getting a better education, preparing you for a more productive life."},{"_id":"URAGBGZHU5BRPHN2F726MDG7OQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274133},"type":"text","content":"Gov. Brian Kemp has stated repeatedly that “Georgia leads the nation as the best state for business.” He is also <a href=\"https://pro.stateaffairs.com/ga/politics/kemp-conservative-budget-surplus\" target=\"_blank\">very proud</a> that we have a record-breaking $16.5 billion surplus."},{"_id":"6SEKLNWIRRGOHIB3TZY4GWJABQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":40,"comment":"A"}],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274134},"type":"text","content":"As a former Georgia Planning and Budget analyst and local elected official, I believe that government is inherently inefficient. Therefore, I agree with Kemp’s desire to make our state agencies as effective as possible and practice fiscal restraint. And we are spending <a href=\"https://shef.sheeo.org/report-2/?report_page=enrollment-and-state-funding#education-appropriations\" target=\"_blank\">proportionally more</a> than many other states on higher education."},{"_id":"TNQKKQSJC5HFJBNPPJXDJGYKAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274135},"type":"text","content":"However, it is a fact that nationally “<a href=\"https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/state-funding-and-college-costs-reviewing-the-evidence/\" target=\"_blank\">changes in state funding are a significant factor in explaining rising costs</a>” for college tuition. And we are still only spending 18% of our state education budget on higher education, a clear driver of Georgia’s fabled economic growth."},{"_id":"LZYUIWBDTNHRPFUFPWXBWNWAHY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"HKLAWQO7Z5A5RBYN4QEHT7CZXI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Hiring search continues for new presidents at four Georgia HBCUs","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/hiring-search-continues-for-new-presidents-at-four-georgia-hbcus/GOJMHJRCYZGW5NDHEGQWV3GBPE/"},{"_id":"OFP2VFBU5ZBQVO4ARDQBQAQJOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":74,"comment":"a. "},{"pos":156,"comment":"and b. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736215274136},"type":"text","content":"In conclusion, Kemp has not attempted to use our $16.5 billion surplus to lower or eliminate college tuition, particularly for lower-income students, or to expand technical skill training and lower the cost for those who desire to acquire these skills versus going to college. It is up to us as taxpayers to let him know that Georgia should lead the way nationally in making technical skills training and college much more affordable, if not free."},{"_id":"43BWAMRJW5HFREKRM2LJG25S6Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736534165327},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"It is up to us as taxpayers to let Gov. Kemp know that Georgia should lead the way in making technical skills training and college much more affordable, if not free."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"49c073f52f3749f166ba901b725594ad0fe3009aced6bb82be5f5d9864b89494"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"052023 UGA GRADUATION PHOTOS","width":5605,"caption":"University of Georgia students of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences move their tassels as their degrees are conferred during the Spring Undergraduate Commencement at Sanford Stadium, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ECZMJBLL46XB7V445EALUZFVPA.JPG","height":3737,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ECZMJBLL46XB7V445EALUZFVPA.JPG?auth=49c073f52f3749f166ba901b725594ad0fe3009aced6bb82be5f5d9864b89494&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/georgia-should-do-more-to-make-college-more-affordable-if-not-free/BO4YAZVNO5FEPPJUK2XEOKZCWA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-14T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Jack Bernard","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Georgia should do more to make college more affordable, if not free"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-14T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-14T10:00:10.353Z","_id":"BO4YAZVNO5FEPPJUK2XEOKZCWA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"49c073f52f3749f166ba901b725594ad0fe3009aced6bb82be5f5d9864b89494"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"052023 UGA GRADUATION PHOTOS","width":5605,"caption":"University of Georgia students of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences move their tassels as their degrees are conferred during the Spring Undergraduate Commencement at Sanford Stadium, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ECZMJBLL46XB7V445EALUZFVPA.JPG","height":3737,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ECZMJBLL46XB7V445EALUZFVPA.JPG?auth=49c073f52f3749f166ba901b725594ad0fe3009aced6bb82be5f5d9864b89494&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"BGJZQJIHQRBZNLQAKIX43VU4YE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736483058594},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the final column in this series.</i>"},{"_id":"72HPZBP3J5HZ7BKSYSTN3T546M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":42,"comment":" next week"}],"comments":[],"_id":1736483058595},"type":"text","content":"When the Georgia General Assembly convenes, my team and I will work to share information with state legislators about our state’s public education system — and to answer their questions about the performance of our public schools."},{"_id":"O2MJ6EGXVZFBFAC53LCPKTHFDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696080},"type":"text","content":"I’ll be proud to share with them that — while there is certainly still work to be done to improve the opportunities we’re offering our K-12 students — we have seen many positive indicators of growth over the last year."},{"_id":"MGBB77NMKVHCPBQS7KBHUZ7IZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696082},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s class of 2024 recorded a historic-high <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-high-school-graduation-rates-2024-see-how-your-metro-atlanta-district-compares/6ZRWCIVQF5E53AJEPDD26D32CY/\" target=\"_blank\">graduation rate</a> of 85.4% — and beat the nation in <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgias-sat-scores-tick-down-still-beat-national-average/WSNJ3SYX6VEWFMMOCJ5EOV7XVY/\" target=\"_blank\">SAT</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/georgias-high-school-class-of-2024-outperformed-national-average-on-act/IRGWN37UCBF4VCMPYK2YIJXK6Y/\" target=\"_blank\">ACT</a> scores. The first year of assessments following the implementation of improved mathematics standards in the classroom showed students making significant leaps in math achievement. We’ve seen rising test results across grades levels and content areas as well as increased performance across all components of the <a href=\"https://ccrpi.gadoe.org/Reports/Views/Shared/_Layout.html\" target=\"_blank\">College and Career Ready Performance Index.</a> More than 39,000 educators have been trained in the science of reading through the Georgia Literacy Academy."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"ad4714ec1d663901136a73efc2985261d52e7f4a5f48dba38c1a63ef19ce0cdd"},"caption":"Richard Woods","source":{"system":"Methode","source_type":"other","source_id":"564a98c0-5571-11e8-a7c2-a30b667e4073","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","licensable":false,"display_date":"2018-05-13T04:00:00Z","credits":{},"subtitle":"Georgia superintendent candidates say schools need more money","width":1054,"first_publish_date":"2018-05-13T04:00:00Z","_id":"3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/X2wHK7WkLjT-U23NdOqT13ruT9c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/X2wHK7WkLjT-U23NdOqT13ruT9c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","takenOn":"2018-05-13T04:00:00Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/X2wHK7WkLjT-U23NdOqT13ruT9c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/_9ICHZPeh7rg_2SAG0maqwtV9GU=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p9/MyAJC/2018/05/13/Images/newsEngin.21969606_Superintendent-Richard-Woods.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"C2AAQPJONVEH7DT2EWSFPOGI3I","publicationStartDate":"2018-05-13T04:00:00Z"},"created_date":"2020-06-29T18:09:26Z","last_updated_date":"2020-06-29T18:09:26Z","publish_date":"2018-05-13T04:00:00Z","height":1536,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3Z6K47K6FKMJNAGVZBPOAP23X4.jpg?auth=ad4714ec1d663901136a73efc2985261d52e7f4a5f48dba38c1a63ef19ce0cdd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"MGBB77NMKVHCPBQS7KBHUZ7IZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696082},"type":"text","content":"As I meet with legislators, I will share these accomplishments along with <a href=\"https://gadoe.org/about/legislative-priorities/\">our suggestions to address</a> the many challenges and opportunities that still exist."},{"_id":"YL2Z4ZNDD5HZJD6V6LADU6MKVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":46,"comment":"S"},{"pos":53,"comment":"F"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696084},"type":"text","content":"One message I’ll be certain to share is this: safety first."},{"_id":"UVKOJD6NWBBLJNGVVDK2S5L5KI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":138,"comment":"number one "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696085},"type":"text","content":"Ensuring the safety of all our students, staff, parents and individuals who step onto any school campus and event will always be priority No. 1. These measures will include, but are not limited to, funding a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-superintendent-wants-alert-system-and-resource-officer-in-every-school/CPOIJPNSNRFAHEW2EDFUFH7MT4/\" target=\"_blank\">school resource officer and a crisis alert system</a> at every school."},{"_id":"YOCPLCALBJH5HALTDRTSVLLNP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":6,"comment":"ly"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696086},"type":"text","content":"Second, we will continue to invest in our teachers. Supporting our educator workforce has been a consistent priority for Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly have made historic investments in education, providing pay raises for teachers in the 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025 fiscal years for a total of $9,500. The Georgia Teacher of the Year now serves as an ex officio member of the State Board of Education and a voice for those who play the most critical role in the instruction of our students."},{"_id":"RPH7ZQEKE5BBVHSSZCV3LA4YZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696088},"type":"text","content":"I’m proud of all these efforts — but we cannot take our foot off the gas. If we want our students to succeed, we need the best and brightest teaching in our schools. I’m proposing several steps to continue treating our teachers as professionals and improving the work environment for educators."},{"_id":"ADU5LI5ZNZATLCJBYSVZ2BUZPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696089},"type":"text","content":"First, I ask that state legislators expand the teacher salary-step increases beyond 21 years of service. Now, there is no guarantee that a teacher will see any increase in pay for the final third of their career."},{"_id":"XR6SBFOBWBHZ5JOMRHWAO5RUOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":6,"comment":"ly"},{"pos":179,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696090},"type":"text","content":"Second, I will urge legislators to expand the Return to Work option — which allows retired educators to return to the classroom in specific, high-need subject areas (reading, math and special education) statewide without having to sit out of the classroom for an extended period of time."},{"_id":"67H4MKJFF5FW7A3SBVGE7PS7I4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696091},"type":"text","content":"Furthermore, I also ask that legislators remove the July 2026 sunset that would end the Return to Work option, which has helped school districts throughout the state place talented, experienced teachers in classrooms where they are most needed."},{"_id":"FAVCHC2UUNBWJKK3UZO4JQFKPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696092},"type":"text","content":"Third, legislators should set a minimum number of personal days for teachers and classified staff. State law does not now require any personal days for teachers or classified employees. This is out of alignment with other comparable careers — we should treat teachers and school employees as professionals and provide personal days."},{"_id":"C6VJXLOEUFAFHFOIDM7GQ6PLNQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696093},"type":"text","content":"There is nothing more important for the future prosperity of our state than ensuring a robust, well-rounded, excellent education for every child. The best way to provide a high-quality education is to place a high-quality educator in every classroom — and to do that, it’s essential that we continue to invest in our educators."},{"_id":"QVKOI27AOBAAXIIFAVIXQCPEJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696094},"type":"text","content":"I look forward to advocating for that outcome during the upcoming session."},{"_id":"QXBVKMTT6VHLRJTGCFKMUIEBWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734549696095},"type":"text","content":"<i>Richard Woods is Georgia’s State School Superintendent. He was a high school teacher for 14 years before serving in administrative roles at the district and state levels.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"State School Superintendent Richard Woods urges the 2025 Georgia General Assembly to continue treating teachers as professionals and improving their work environment."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"brian-kemp"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"social issues"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"26c06321c427d1be2913fdb299da6fc74996bc01538ca40d5ea36ae9c2030c2b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"Georgia state school chief Richard Woods at school visit","width":1600,"caption":"Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods says the key to continued progress requires supporting the educator workforce. (AJC File Photo)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/W4DRKA65RNA6PDVL3MCUVCJDWU.jpg","height":1066,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/W4DRKA65RNA6PDVL3MCUVCJDWU.jpg?auth=26c06321c427d1be2913fdb299da6fc74996bc01538ca40d5ea36ae9c2030c2b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/georgias-school-superintendent-wants-continued-investment-in-educators/CTXSHDSWKZHYFKPR4WRXXQNAJA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-10T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Richard Woods","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Georgia superintendent: To sustain progress in education, invest in educators"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-10T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-12T21:43:25.284Z","_id":"CTXSHDSWKZHYFKPR4WRXXQNAJA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"26c06321c427d1be2913fdb299da6fc74996bc01538ca40d5ea36ae9c2030c2b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"Georgia state school chief Richard Woods at school visit","width":1600,"caption":"Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods says the key to continued progress requires supporting the educator workforce. (AJC File Photo)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/W4DRKA65RNA6PDVL3MCUVCJDWU.jpg","height":1066,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/W4DRKA65RNA6PDVL3MCUVCJDWU.jpg?auth=26c06321c427d1be2913fdb299da6fc74996bc01538ca40d5ea36ae9c2030c2b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"L64KTIVNWRGRTJZ4C4NWIH33VI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734374116972},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"XL4NDOPOUNBOBEI3OVKDO7X2QM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214253},"type":"text","content":"Georgia state Sen. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/4985\" target=\"_blank\">Sonya Halpern</a>, D-Atlanta, forged a partnership between her office and the <a href=\"https://www.reinvestment.com/grants/hbcu-brilliance-initiative/\" target=\"_blank\">HBCU Brilliance Initiative</a>, which aims to enhance funding, resources, and opportunities for historically Black colleges and universities and empower them to continue to make substantive contributions in their respective communities. In 2023, Halpern introduced <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/235\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 235</a>, which aims to elevate and support Georgia’s 10 HBCUs. The bill, though, did not pass through the Legislature last year."},{"_id":"YGRBISLFKJAMPD3JXNTQINFB2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734374116974},"type":"text","content":"Our political milieu may be correlated with the <a href=\"https://www.highereddive.com/news/hbcus-enrollment-surge-why/710494/\" target=\"_blank\">present uptick in enrollment</a> for many HBCUs. To be sure, this increase in interest in attending HBCUs is welcomed with open arms. Georgia is home to 10 HBCUs and each, through producing stellar graduates and serving as additional state resources, make profound social, political and economic impact within the state and throughout the country."},{"_id":"AZ2OGJZC3JBOFD5I527GWVBC54","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"PM3QJRWIPJBWFODMP4O4Q4B7DE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia’s HBCUs have a $1.6 billion economic impact every year","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/georgias-hbcus-have-a-16-billion-economic-impact-every-year/3SKSFFUWZJBXVIETRHKX2VJFOU/"},{"_id":"M634XFMK4JEATGEOA25RYNLSE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734374116975},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs consistently produce social advantages incommensurate with its financial support and solvency. Nonetheless, their intellectual and professional output exceed these considerations. These laudable educational exploits notwithstanding, advocacy for HBCUs must be paramount to any legislative meditations on higher education in the state. Support of HBCUs is a practical and substantial gesture toward fortifying our democracy."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"1443c6927cd7a0f50dc370fc8ab6e59427646241267c7a70a05a98965abddac4"},"caption":"Illya E. Davis teaches philosophy at Morehouse College. Contributed photo.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Illya E. Davis","width":1876,"_id":"TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/EI0BvSop_WwYp-oPy0WGgZQjmo4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/EI0BvSop_WwYp-oPy0WGgZQjmo4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/EI0BvSop_WwYp-oPy0WGgZQjmo4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/1tv3-kRhzvMSoG-S6f5lJRDKfrU=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Illya Davis_1877x1056.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"MABVETT7UFEOJK6UQKJTKNQ2HU"},"created_date":"2024-12-21T03:00:12Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-21T03:00:12Z","height":1055,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/TUGPK46KFVBNDACL5YTQ7WO4BQ.jpg?auth=1443c6927cd7a0f50dc370fc8ab6e59427646241267c7a70a05a98965abddac4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"NFHYZKSMPJDIDAZP4KXNROSEJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734374116976},"type":"text","content":"Tangible results from legislative support for public HBCUs may take the form of earmarking funding for the development of their infrastructure and community enhancements, for example residential housing, campus research facilities and private economic amenities. Private HBCUs could receive financial assistance through <a href=\"https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/05/27/states-spent-268-billion-private-colleges-2020\" target=\"_blank\">capital matching grant programs</a>."},{"_id":"IH4OX3HUUFEKLGRXVW7VAFMBDI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214258},"type":"text","content":"Many Georgia HBCUs occupy valued land along with buildings that hold significance in the rich and comprehensive history of this state. When these factors are taken into account, there is immediate value in these institutions, and they garner higher credit ratings that translate into better financial health assessments for our HBCUs."},{"_id":"QFMDXBBITVHQXK4MWJLWVQYR2A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"LXYTHLIT3BCLDHAHBNNEJSXT5E"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Spelman College president: Here’s the case for investing more in HBCUs","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/spelman-college-president-heres-the-case-for-investing-more-in-hbcus/4OROXTJPSZCIXAZXWCNDBN2JMI/"},{"_id":"BRQE3IVTZJH4HLXIXV7LKO7Z34","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214259},"type":"text","content":"Moody’s market profile of a college or university <a href=\"https://www.barclaydamon.com/alerts/Predicting-Credit-Risk-of-Colleges-and-Universities--Brand-and-Reputation-Count-02-14-2018\" target=\"_blank\">are predictors</a> of their ability to successfully compete for students, faculty and financial support. Moody’s additional three categories of evaluation — operating performance, wealth and liquidity, and leverage, may also be sources for the Georgia Legislature to consider. What is of keen interest here is the recent inclusion by Moody’s methodology of reputation and operational factors. These two factors lie outside the financial purview of evaluation and influence and avail themselves of the rationale for state advocacy for HBCUs in similar ways the state of Georgia places great value on its other cherished historic reputable historic sites, such as the Etowah Indian Mounds, the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/martin-luther-king-historic-site-focuses-forces-that-shaped-the-dream/2B1BRwq7A5j9aA1YgMWYVP/\" target=\"_blank\">Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park</a>, and the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center."},{"_id":"YVSAQNVJJRBMZLK436OVYREZGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214260},"type":"text","content":"Georgia HBCUs enrich the historical legacies of the state. Legislators must be attentive to these institutions’ resplendent reputations as a requisite reflection for determining how to best advocate for these invaluable resources."},{"_id":"36WNSBNTWNE3TJ3M5XAZNZJXDQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214261},"type":"text","content":"Advocacy for institutional support and development of HBCUs is mutually beneficial to all Georgia citizens and should not be deemed mutually exclusive from the advocacy of Georgia’s public institutions of higher education. To the degree to which the diversity of educational modalities enriches the state’s primary and secondary schools, the diversity of colleges and universities is as necessary and rewarding to the citizens of the state."},{"_id":"2NQ5G7NZEZAKFA3K27RNNZHK74","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ABT3KQGFFVBZ5OGEAEJXFZDB4U"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Georgia’s HBCUs deserve more funding and attention","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-georgias-hbcus-deserve-more-funding-and-attention/Z6ANTB2MWVEIVGODSGVDVZ3K3M/"},{"_id":"HPUDRQELFREDXPEG7J6D4DQVPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214262},"type":"text","content":"Serious deliberations regarding fundamental advocacy for endorsing thriving HBCUs here in Georgia must receive pride of place in the legislators’ evaluations. Advocacy for HBCU empowerment is not a simple matter of political largesse through allocated funding, but one that demonstrates fidelity to an ongoing development of democratic principles that aver the virtues of the contributions these institutions of higher education make to this state and beyond."},{"_id":"7A3DKNTUXBFHNCQU5EPZ4O7LLI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214263},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs serve as beacons of productive educational thought, illuminating the intricate relationship between education and democracy. They explore every facet of democracy and education from the vantage point grounded in a distinctive history and rich legacy. An HBCU education is both a democratic and a moral imperative. These institutions promote ways of being in the world that embrace difference as a virtue; the difference as virtue is foundational to any democracy."},{"_id":"FFFKNYSAYJGVZMR3JLETZB7ZTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214264},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs are not mere institutions for the transmission of knowledge but are crucial elements of the democratic fabric of this nation. The impending legislative session should inform legislators to deliberate upon what assistance will be offered to embolden sustained promotion of HBCUs and how they should rely upon an interpretation of these institutions as democratic exemplars and laboratories for democratic living."},{"_id":"YPU6Q2D5TBCHHDSTM5PTMXFHHQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"JKOAVBENYBEW3PJ53HFEFJ5F74"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: HBCUs foster entrepreneurship and job creation and change lives","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-hbcus-foster-entrepreneurship-and-job-creation-and-change-lives/4Q4RCEY7FNHKBJ4EUH5RTZY5VY/"},{"_id":"3WO5RCD6OBDHBAQVY2FM3E42XE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734751214265},"type":"text","content":"<i>Illya E. Davis is a professor of philosophy at Morehouse College. He is the college’s director of Freshmen & Seniors’ Academic Success and director of its Accelerated Academic Program/Pre-Freshmen Summer Program.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"A Morehouse professor wants state lawmakers to provide additional support for residential housing and research facilities."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"hbcu"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"2c8d9caf4c047b1820a61be44d641c3d800a09ee5f599f117f9b95be140d1c45"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Morehouse Commencement\r","width":3300,"caption":"Graduates walk into the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday, May 19, 2024. 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The “Save Our Homes Act” will essentially cap the assessed value of your home to the rate of inflation, determined by the Department of Revenue. So, if you have seen your home assessment skyrocket by as much as 20% over the past few years, then your property taxes have been increasing, too. But the 2024 <a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/cpi/\" target=\"_blank\">rate of inflation</a> for the state has been around 2%, so instead of seeing that 20% increase, you would now only see a maximum of 2% increase, effectively lowering your property taxes thus, “saving our homes.”"},{"_id":"PXBTCICDJJCMZPMY5AX55PSCGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467204},"type":"text","content":"I am a homeowner in Newton County, and if my assessed property value of $300,000 increased by 10% to $330,000, then I would pay roughly $430 per month in school taxes. In 2025, under HB 581, and assuming the rate of inflation at 2%, then my assessed property value could only increase 2% to $306,000, where I would pay $400 per month. Thanks to HB 581, my savings would be around $30 per month in school taxes."},{"_id":"UIU3Y4GS2NHYDETX76RCPKDN3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736200754608},"type":"text","content":"It’s a good thing, but at what cost?"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"da37a3f56a56d12d1719c6c0c4e9a0035fecb3cffe45f1262730e2e8eeea629a"},"caption":"Trey Bailey is a member of the Newton County Board of Education. 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And while throwing money at a problem rarely solves it, removing funds when growth is occurring certainly does not help. With a statewide renewed focus on literacy and mathematics, the future is bright for the children in Georgia."},{"_id":"AGVPIJGF7VCQFJW4N3N2UXFHC4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":423,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467210},"type":"text","content":"But the majority of funding for these children’s schools comes directly from local property taxes. In Newton County, with the passing of HB 581, the estimated loss of revenue is nearly $4 million in the first year, $6.2 million the next year and continues to rise in future years. How can a school system lose that amount of money and continue the trajectory of growth in student achievement, continue to make schools safer and pay its teachers a reasonable professional wage?"},{"_id":"DI6QTX4FFZGRRGXXRZYAE5SRTY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467211},"type":"text","content":"In the last eight years, the purchase price of school buses has increased 46%, the cost of diesel fuel has increased 30% and facility construction costs and staff health insurance premiums have doubled. Add in initiatives that the community demands, such as increased school safety measures, and you have an incredibly costly school system to operate."},{"_id":"3IFGLWF2YJE2JNE52QXVZZ2IFA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":17,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467212},"type":"text","content":"Some have argued school systems have unnecessary spending and bloated budgets. But with personnel costs and salaries consuming 85%-90% of school system budgets, it’s hard for me to agree with overspending on our greatest assets, our teachers."},{"_id":"JYI7LGI24VDAFO2B44ZEQDWXBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467213},"type":"text","content":"So, with a shortfall of $4 million, where will the lost revenue come from?"},{"_id":"IELU24HNNRHZPCG3N6HQGBOSHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467214},"type":"text","content":"Many local governments have lowered their millage rates to try and offset the rise of property assessments to help alleviate the tax burden on homeowners. But there will be no way to continue lowering millage rates as operating costs continue to rise and funding continues to decline."},{"_id":"VFHWOPNFCNHGVKT6JXO5MUY7MQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":49,"comment":"non-homestead "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-07T16:03:13.797Z","start":62,"end":64,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736175467215},"type":"text","content":"Increasing millage rates will greatly affect the nonhomestead property owners and local businesses, while also increasing the taxes on the intended beneficiaries of HB 581. As they say, there is no such thing as a tax break, just a tax shift. This doesn’t sound like a win for anyone."},{"_id":"E3YS4MDLCNHJTF2JLVTROK2QWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":185,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-07T16:20:05.372Z","start":266,"end":268,"text":"sabrina approved use of \"damning\" for print","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736175467216},"type":"text","content":"If property assessments are capped, and if local boards keep their current millage rates, then the only way to balance school system budgets will be to reduce staff, increase class size and forego safety initiatives that our community has demanded. This will have a damning effect on student achievement."},{"_id":"3UBOMWDPMVB6ZAEMLXEUAUTG2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467217},"type":"text","content":"Is there a way out?"},{"_id":"R5P2PRHMXVE2FPUFXHD6MFB3MU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":78,"comment":" (QBE)"},{"pos":156,"comment":"that "},{"pos":276,"comment":"2024 "},{"pos":543,"comment":"local "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-07T16:04:18.013Z","start":77,"end":79,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-01-07T16:08:01.867Z","start":91,"end":93,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-01-07T16:14:10.429Z","start":291,"end":293,"text":"updated year","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736175467218},"type":"text","content":"There are potential solutions such as reevaluating the Quality Basic Education formula, which was created in 1985. Many education professionals would argue the 40-year-old formula is outdated and does not provide the necessary state funding for a “quality basic education” in 2025 with major advancements in educational technology and school safety concerns, along with their associated costs. Another potential solution could be for the legislators to use the enormous state “rainy-day fund” to offset the explosive health insurance premiums school boards are absorbing."},{"_id":"KDZJV6N6BNDQXP57TIKK5F2XZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":231,"comment":" that"}],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467220},"type":"text","content":"Thankfully in November, Georgia voters overwhelmingly approved House Resolution 1022 which allows local community governments to “opt-out” of HB 581 if the math doesn’t work in their community. By adding this resolution, it appears our state legislators do still believe in local control for public education, by shifting the decision to local boards along with the potential political fallout."},{"_id":"Z3CHRUTJ5NCBREJ74PGBQIMHUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467221},"type":"text","content":"As an elected official, my desire is to represent the will of the people. And when homeowners are begging for some tax relief, and our legislators enact such laws, I desperately want a tax break for the people. But the implications are perilous for children in public schools in my community. Thus, the quandary of HB 581."},{"_id":"MNTPRKY5PRH7VOCZ2YHT7PUECY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":134,"comment":"“"},{"pos":141,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467222},"type":"text","content":"Do we accept the legislation as-is and take the financial hit crippling our school systems, or do we set aside ideological purity and opt-out of HB 581 for the sake of the future of our community: the voiceless and voteless children who so desperately need someone to fight for them. This is not an easy decision."},{"_id":"3KLQCDYOBVECZG4E2T5U5XOX7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467223},"type":"text","content":"Homeowners, I ask for your thoughtful consideration: Is it is worth $30 a month in savings if the children and teachers in your community suffer?"},{"_id":"XFXYFIK5G5C4ZPY2XXEXF2KZRQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":99,"comment":","},{"pos":362,"comment":" re-elected"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-07T16:11:55.295Z","start":374,"end":376,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736175467224},"type":"text","content":"And local school board members, I beckon you to dig deep into the financial ramifications of HB 581 and to weigh heavily the potential impact this can have on the children in your community. Each local board must decide for themselves if it is right for them to opt-out. But if the math just doesn’t add up, please be brave. Could this impact your ability to get reelected? Maybe. But could it impact children for years to come? Certainly."},{"_id":"KKORL2GIA5BQLLXZ4MVN7J7AMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736175467225},"type":"text","content":"We must think of the kids first, for what good is it to save our homes, yet lose our children."},{"_id":"VJJNKKG3RBD5XF2HDG4ZMHQZOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-01-07T16:13:13.680Z","start":89,"end":91,"text":"placed name of podcast in quotation marks, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1736175467226},"type":"text","content":"<i>Trey Bailey is in his eighth year on the Board of Education in Newton County. He co-hosts </i><a href=\"https://www.thetownsquarepodcast.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>“The Town Square Podcast.”</i></a>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"21355ee5de779e276524f42a80a25d3206a43559e14ada1e5dbefd482463c4b0"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Proposed city of Mulberry","width":5280,"caption":"An aerial photograph shows the Hamilton Mill subdivision, a 2,200 home community nestled in the hills of Gwinnett County, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Dacula. 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They have outstanding, experienced teachers, culturally inclusive curricula and engaging extracurricular classes in a safe and affirming environment that fosters intellectual exploration and growth."},{"_id":"FDYFIVJPKZAMLNDFXLY7SO32IA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700515},"type":"text","content":"But I am profoundly troubled that many young learners across the state are not provided the same opportunities as my children."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"3ec34326f31731fd51280030afbaddac17caf59ea827da9e19a1b64cca19a30c"},"caption":"Fred A. Jones Jr. ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Fred Jones of SEF","width":500,"_id":"IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/Hv6EoMpLBMp4tMGUhE4ooI6iYvM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/Hv6EoMpLBMp4tMGUhE4ooI6iYvM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/Hv6EoMpLBMp4tMGUhE4ooI6iYvM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/302XToozRKwQmmT1OI3-fDD_kWo=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg","version":0,"originalName":"fredjonesnew.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"FFTGWLLNMZAHRAYGPH65ZJESJA"},"created_date":"2022-12-16T00:04:05Z","last_updated_date":"2022-12-16T00:04:05Z","height":500,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IZO4KO5X5BGTRC4RYTMVAUOO6M.jpeg?auth=3ec34326f31731fd51280030afbaddac17caf59ea827da9e19a1b64cca19a30c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"GPIGMQTS2VBADLGJFX2XFTBFL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700517},"type":"text","content":"This inequality for many children and families in our state weighs heavily on me. Still, I find hope knowing these challenges are not insurmountable. In fact, many practitioners, academics and researchers in education know how to create environments that generate academic excellence and healthy social and emotional development."},{"_id":"5GPXTEKKVFHPNNCNMFLYOBG5K4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700518},"type":"text","content":"In the approaching 2025 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers can make a real difference for many children and families across our state by taking two specific steps forward."},{"_id":"MMXB7KYOOVE3DJ32K3NM2ONT5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700519},"type":"text","content":"These are not partisan issues. They’re essential steps toward a better future for Georgia families and our state’s economy, and I’m encouraged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are interested in taking action."},{"_id":"P2JD3QOAFNEODASDPD54OIACUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700520},"type":"text","content":"<b>Step 1: Make sure every school has the resources to educate students well</b>"},{"_id":"SJF5BDVZRJG2XH64DXJMWZ2TFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700521},"type":"text","content":"Legislators should make long overdue improvements to the state’s school funding system. How Georgia distributes school funding hasn’t been fully updated in <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/school-funding-formula-back-on-the-minds-of-georgia-lawmakers/ZYLZUASEFVCHBLN3DA5A3XWA5M/\" target=\"_blank\">more than 30 years</a>, so the system fails to account for the costs it takes to meet the needs of every student in the public education system. The fact is, money matters."},{"_id":"ZL7YNOXEUZFWVANPQ22RLVTF54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700522},"type":"text","content":"Our students, teachers and communities are healthier and more vibrant when our local schools have the resources to help every student graduate ready to enter our state’s flagship university."},{"_id":"CYUDFXLJXZATHO6O4SCSA7TYMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700523},"type":"text","content":"We cannot ignore the reality that Georgia has more children living in poverty <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/state-of-education-funding-2023-opportunity-is-knocking/\">than 43 other states</a>, and families living in poverty are now the majority in about half of Georgia’s school districts."},{"_id":"ETYT4BQCWNA4DBGWJCFOQB6KOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700524},"type":"text","content":"The <a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/\">Southern Education Foundation</a>, as a member of the <a href=\"https://www.fundgeorgiasfuture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Fund Georgia’s Future</a> coalition, is urging state lawmakers in 2025 to add an “opportunity weight” to the school funding system — providing schools with additional funds for each student in low-income families. Most states already do, but our state is among the handful that do not."},{"_id":"RS2EPKOTCNCMHDKVHRCXPHAOCY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700525},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.fundgeorgiasfuture.com/take-action\">Fund Georgia’s Future</a> estimates that adding an opportunity weight would provide about $400 million a year for schools enrolling high rates of students living in low-income families."},{"_id":"F2MFMFPZ55DL5LUZIFHP5T4JBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700526},"type":"text","content":"What might this accomplish?"},{"_id":"NWVR2V52WNCBNGTXVQ73MC5CTY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1736268965715},"type":"text","content":"If states like Georgia <a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/what-we-do/milestogo2024/\">increased overall K-12 school funding to the national average</a>, it would enable schools to hire more teachers and counselors, update technology and facilities and provide tailored academic support to improve learning conditions for all."},{"_id":"WANRIAYURZDPJJZSAWSJCQVE3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700527},"type":"text","content":"A governor’s commission and recent school funding study committees have recommended these types of changes to our school finance system for many years, but lawmakers have failed to make substantive progress in implementing an opportunity weight."},{"_id":"GIFVA6VPY5HXLJHGMOBP6KQHMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700528},"type":"text","content":"We have waited long enough, and this step will help many thousands of children and families in our state."},{"_id":"MDQY6GACUBAY7O6Q5QSDQ7WHLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700529},"type":"text","content":"<b>Step 2: Make child care in Georgia more affordable. </b>Like most Georgia parents, I understand the benefits of high-quality early education. Expanding proven early childhood programs to reach more families would impact many lives across the state. The early learning ecosystem is the workforce for our workforce and helps stabilize the state’s infrastructure, allowing parents to fully contribute to the economy."},{"_id":"24LH4GQOA5GQFPUR5RHDF4QN4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700530},"type":"text","content":"However, the costs of child care continue to escalate. The average cost of infant care has become more expensive than average tuition for public four-year college in Georgia and 33 other states."},{"_id":"2JPE6TCBU5FF5DZM6LJ4PF63GA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700531},"type":"text","content":"Many child care centers across the United States could not operate without state child care subsidies. Georgia lawmakers need to <a href=\"https://geears.org/news/geears-commends-senate-study-committee-on-access-to-affordable-childcare/\">raise our state’s child care subsidy</a> — or reimbursement rate — to a level more comparable to other Southern states."},{"_id":"CSE4F5ZGNVE6XE6Q56LI6HDQQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700532},"type":"text","content":"This action, recently endorsed by the bipartisan state senate study committee on child care, will help centers serve more children, raise caregivers’ pay and lower costs for families — even allowing some parents to join the workforce."},{"_id":"TBC2ZKDFIJDOBA3OZB2TM5WR2Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700533},"type":"text","content":"Some lawmakers are also interested in passing a statewide plan to improve children’s reading skills by third grade. But focusing only on reading in early grades without expanding proven early childhood programs or addressing Georgia’s school funding system will not sustain such a goal."},{"_id":"WJ4PE77SMBBIJP53M6H4FOF3C4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700534},"type":"text","content":"Let’s all work together in 2025 on the issues in education that will make the greatest impact on our state — our quality of life, economy and families like yours and mine."},{"_id":"AONYNHUDSRCYRCG23EHGXYXYQQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734635700535},"type":"text","content":"<i>Fred A. Jones Jr. is the senior director of public policy and advocacy at the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation, an organization founded in 1867. He lives with his family in Augusta.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"A Southern Education Foundation education advocate says Georgia communities are healthier and more vibrant when local schools have the resources to help every student."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4bba2f92d8331f6a3d6bcd8a2dc3c71af028e9317e8ef5cb2f6843c24337cae4"},"credits":{"by":[{"affiliation":"KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM","name":"KENT D. 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(AJC File Photo)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WQG5YOE4AUGCFV7HG3PCCFDH4M.jpg","height":2456,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/WQG5YOE4AUGCFV7HG3PCCFDH4M.jpg?auth=4bba2f92d8331f6a3d6bcd8a2dc3c71af028e9317e8ef5cb2f6843c24337cae4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"MKZOOATUXBFPTNCSLLEZQIIL2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018063},"type":"text","content":"I began covering schools as a young reporter fresh out of graduate school. Now I am an old reporter with enough mileage to retire. After 42 years at this newspaper (and 46 in the news business), I’m writing my last education column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution."},{"_id":"LLPWOUEWWZC6ZN6PY6PLYSK3HU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018064},"type":"text","content":"Covering education has been a privilege and the most important work I’ve done. The changes I’ve witnessed — the rise of computers and the internet’s transformation of social and commercial interaction — have been mind-boggling."},{"_id":"34NAFGGJC5BPJLWGGWMN7CZKHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018065},"type":"text","content":"The dangers that students face, from school shootings to the pernicious effect of social media, have never been more frightening. At the same time, the students themselves never fail to dazzle me. They navigate a chaotic dangerous world with creativity and humor."},{"_id":"R7AH6EPTYJECZPMAZ6CAL57YTE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ZX6RC27TOFFXXMPUHPAP23GJOE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Downey: Rocky rollout of Georgia private school vouchers is just beginning of challenges","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-voucher-laws-dont-help-students-only-politicians/RPSYMV6O5FDCVORVN5B4BIG27Q/"},{"copyright":"2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution","auth":{"1":"1f53e2ddc57635735351abba0ee43c031350c7f5858082d815dc1d0fe92132e5"},"vanity_credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[]},"caption":"Education columnist Maureen Downey with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a panel organized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2023.","source":{"system":"AJC Freelancer","name":"AJC Freelancer","edit_url":"","source_type":"wires","source_id":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/AJC Live ASC 16.JPG","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["64adc98726ce486e7b0086c0"],"seo_keywords":["AJC Freelancer"]},"type":"image","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Wires","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/RB7wLwkUc1r4rDA95x9I0tLX37I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","comments":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"64adc98726ce486e7b0086c0","keywords":["AJC Freelancer","Agnes Scott College","Education Panel","US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/RB7wLwkUc1r4rDA95x9I0tLX37I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","takenOn":"2023-07-17T08:11:18Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/RB7wLwkUc1r4rDA95x9I0tLX37I=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/y2TJjS5j0gIbReEkUyZcWe9GsJo=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","version":3,"originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/AJC Live ASC 16.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"JQ5RPWKSDVBJRBGCP34QXEG6UQ","iptc_title":"Multimedia Journalist"},"last_updated_date":"2023-07-18T09:55:51Z","slug":"AAJC 071823 EDU CARDONA ","height":2496,"image_type":"photograph","owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{"street_address":"Agnes Scott College","locality":"Atlanta","region":"Ga"},"distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG","subtitle":"AJC Live Education Panel","width":3744,"_id":"7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU","created_date":"2023-07-17T21:24:42Z","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7VBTGTLFOUBUMFKEM2J774OWSU.JPG?auth=1f53e2ddc57635735351abba0ee43c031350c7f5858082d815dc1d0fe92132e5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"TVPE7AE7H5DMXOSQBZEXHDHWHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018066},"type":"text","content":"I am also impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of teachers, even when facing ridiculous obstacles. An example: Georgia tied teacher pay to student performance, despite research showing it’s nearly impossible to quantify teacher effectiveness based on student scores."},{"_id":"XERMQ2JWNFCATJA7VAMKFDQAOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735589108905},"type":"text","content":"Teachers also deal with unrealistic demands. We want schools to remedy every social ill, expecting teachers in high poverty areas to improve not only the fortunes of their students but also the entire community. And we assume teachers will accept this monumental task because they have a calling, not because we pay them well or heap respect and status on them. Yet, young people full of hope are still being drawn to the profession."},{"_id":"BZMS5OTGDFABXHJWDH6RRZHHAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018068},"type":"text","content":"Speaking of hope, I have little that we can count on the current General Assembly to protect, preserve and promote public education. Over the past few years, lawmakers have contributed to schools being unsafe for all children and unwelcoming to the most vulnerable."},{"_id":"7NMY64Z2SJF5NGPMCXPKQ6YYNM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018069},"type":"text","content":"The response of our state leaders to school shootings, including four months ago at <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/efforts-continue-to-help-georgia-high-school-after-september-school-shooting/7URX2JUC6RCH7C3PONX627OB4M/\" target=\"_blank\">Apalachee High School in Barrow County</a> where four people were killed, has focused on solutions that sidestep the main problem: America’s unchecked personal arsenals of guns. Rather than any common sense gun laws, we get more metal detectors, security cameras and lockdown drills."},{"_id":"NDM6NQBK2RDYFC7YHKOTNOOISU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"5ZIM2X366JDDBFOPSDSKVUGGT4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Downey: Early childhood education and its practitioners are essential to Georgia","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/early-childhood-education-and-its-practitioners-are-essential-to-georgia/MFA3UZ7YCZGQXF33O6RJYH2ZE4/"},{"_id":"KH36DVDUURGB7G6P2DZQX2PWTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018070},"type":"text","content":"Lawmakers won’t address the easy access that troubled teens have to lethal weapons including AR-15 style rifles, a weapon created for battlefields and now <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.cbsnews.com/news/ar-15-mass-shootings-60-minutes-2022-05-29/__;!!JZyed81S!kzD1676v196yO1NrmMIEqRDoYMZLOg7Yn97n_L-vdidhdWVXmGcISlMAXtg7KwqUDmSK6u_xcM_3TRe4Iq1d98Lc$\">commonly used in mass shootings</a> including Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas. In 2020, guns became the <a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/pdfs/mm7250-H.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">leading cause of death</a> among children, adolescents and teens, surpassing car crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."},{"_id":"JK2SB6H7DBDEPN2NHN46WNJXDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018071},"type":"text","content":"During the last several legislative sessions, parents of children grappling with gender identity have pleaded with Georgia lawmakers to reconsider transgender bans that poll well with conservative voters but stigmatize and traumatize children."},{"_id":"LDIPBGJ5B5BFJDU3ED65WGFOW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018072},"type":"text","content":"Parents testified about the bullying their kids already endure and the frightening reality that LGBTQ+ young people are<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/__;!!JZyed81S!kzD1676v196yO1NrmMIEqRDoYMZLOg7Yn97n_L-vdidhdWVXmGcISlMAXtg7KwqUDmSK6u_xcM_3TRe4Im_rQzPd$\"> more than four times as likely to attempt suicide </a>than their peers. Lawmakers just shrugged and continued to introduce anti-LGBTQ+ bills."},{"_id":"HWFBLPCHBBFQHC4MEUEGG5O24E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018073},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-senate-panel-adopts-recommendations-to-ban-trans-athletes-from-playing-girls-sports/A5GE35JTINF7PMKJYHSC3O7JOM/\">A state Senate panel is already holding hearings </a>on a new transgender sports ban, despite any evidence that transgender athletes are jeopardizing the competitive balance in Georgia high school sports. I will never understand how elected officials can callously sacrifice the well-being of children for political gain."},{"_id":"4DQOTUJIT5HR5F53ETQUXJCAEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018074},"type":"text","content":"I wish Georgia voters disavowed opportunistic candidates who accuse school librarians of stocking shelves with smut and teachers of promoting anti-American rhetoric. The state needs leaders who prioritize the health and safety of all kids and make decisions based on facts, not on political advantage. Too many legislators today embrace a canned GOP script that demeans public education and discounts its critical role as the centerpiece of our democracy."},{"_id":"J7WYDFO47ZCGJOW5G2LCNOLUYY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"XRLOPC7FQFAFRIRHHOQLLO57TQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Downey: All that glitters isn’t gold when it comes to education spending in Georgia","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-wont-attain-gold-standard-in-education-under-current-funding-formula/Q7TKS57XURDZHKY3DBXYLZLPKE/"},{"_id":"G47AWOEH4NFTRLEFRNI32ABKX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018075},"type":"text","content":"Former President Jimmy Carter, who <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/jimmy-carter/\" target=\"_blank\">died last week</a>, noted his first public office was as a county school board member. As president, Carter<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/department-education-organization-act-statement-signing-s-210-into-law__;!!JZyed81S!kzD1676v196yO1NrmMIEqRDoYMZLOg7Yn97n_L-vdidhdWVXmGcISlMAXtg7KwqUDmSK6u_xcM_3TRe4InsZRsJJ$\"> once said, </a>“I remain convinced that education is one of the noblest enterprises a person or a society can undertake.”"},{"_id":"XOB5FFGOMVC5HJ7KVOVJKMQUHE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735573018076},"type":"text","content":"I agree. It’s been an honor to write about schools, educators and students for all these years. Thanks for reading."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"In her final education column, Maureen Downey talks about who impressed her and who did not."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"2c8232e3d94de747c52ebdb933d942264b847e08b46a515627cca732873163f0"},"credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/63efff6b-3648-486d-a4c5-ff9156305707.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"todd.duncan@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/todd.duncan.395"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/tduncanajc"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"todd.duncan@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/todd.duncan.395"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/tduncanajc"}],"name":"Todd Duncan","description":"Todd C. 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In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Downey: My last words on education"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-06T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-06T10:00:08.718Z","_id":"6XYFQLWUGFEURFZTRGZHPXT2AU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"2c8232e3d94de747c52ebdb933d942264b847e08b46a515627cca732873163f0"},"credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/63efff6b-3648-486d-a4c5-ff9156305707.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"todd.duncan@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/todd.duncan.395"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/tduncanajc"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"todd.duncan@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/todd.duncan.395"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/tduncanajc"}],"name":"Todd Duncan","description":"Todd C. Duncan is the Senior Editor for Recruitment & Staff Development for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"todd-c-duncan","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Duncan","role":"Senior Editor for Recruitment & Staff Development","education":[],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Todd C. Duncan is the Senior Editor for Recruitment & Staff Development for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","expertise":"1,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/tduncanajc","personal_website":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxKN25-V2UsfGRlZmL6UGFw","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2024-03-22T00:14:02.253Z","bio_page":"ww,ajc.com/staff/todd-c-duncan/","byline":"Todd C. Duncan","email":"todd.duncan@ajc.com","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/63efff6b-3648-486d-a4c5-ff9156305707.png","longBio":"Todd C. Duncan has been an editor with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1993. 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(AJC 2021)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC","category":"staff"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DNKM7DDQ2FAQZHUH3SH4DJSIGA.jpg","height":2465,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DNKM7DDQ2FAQZHUH3SH4DJSIGA.jpg?auth=2c8232e3d94de747c52ebdb933d942264b847e08b46a515627cca732873163f0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"ZWTIONTV7RB65M3OERVF2NBMQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319110},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns</i>."},{"_id":"HJAXWAFY7ZGSBHRYHJTTLIOAFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":65,"comment":" in 2024"},{"pos":253,"comment":"apiece"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734365399311},"type":"text","content":"After years of debate, the General Assembly in 2024 finally voted <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-legislation-establishing-another-voucher-program-in-georgia/3FZ3LA3DZVFI3AVEK6BF6B66OU/\" target=\"_blank\">to create</a> a new private-choice program for K-12 students, the Promise Scholarship. The inaugural cohort in this program, beginning in fall 2025, will be able to use up to $6,500 per child on the nonpublic education of their choice, such as private school or home schooling."},{"_id":"3GSG5ZFSJ5EB5AUZOCNI2QCQVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319111},"type":"text","content":"Plenty of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/thousands-of-georgia-students-eligible-for-limited-number-of-promise-vouchers/T5UZS2X5SBENTBBOGEPGOMR524/\" target=\"_blank\">to-do items</a> remain on the list for private choice in Georgia, from fully funding the Promise Scholarship to relieving waiting lists for long-oversubscribed state tax-credit scholarships. But lawmakers also have the opportunity in 2025 to help local school systems compete for students. They can do that by loosening restrictions and providing incentives for local districts to offer students more public-school choices."},{"_id":"YVZIOZOPZFCQFFO7MFAGDB6XAM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"2RDXNPYAB5EXNBUONDLMJNUC2A"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"New Georgia lawmakers vow to listen, learn as first session approaches","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/new-georgia-lawmakers-vow-to-listen-learn-as-first-session-approaches/NXOSRSQEPBAW3HEKAHRZQO735E/"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"COPYRIGHT 2023 BILL ADLER","address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"43a219a6785591cd38da3ce7777ccb61ce9a09e56a866533b378f3796d216f7a"},"caption":"Kyle Wingfield","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Copyright 2023 BILL ADLER - ALL ","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"BILL ADLER","type":"author","byline":"BILL ADLER"}]},"subtitle":"Kyle Wingfield 2024","width":1500,"creditIPTC":"Copyright 2023 BILL ADLER - ALL ","_id":"6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/qBaG9S32k_fIjFAwAbilr7V9Jo8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/qBaG9S32k_fIjFAwAbilr7V9Jo8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","takenOn":"2023-01-13T16:14:42Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/qBaG9S32k_fIjFAwAbilr7V9Jo8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/82a6cO0BLFJsxh35jqptaNBhWP4=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"newkyle.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"I6FWMTXJTRFTDFA6MYY2TLAKAY","iptc_title":"PHOTOGRAPHER"},"created_date":"2024-04-19T17:32:58Z","last_updated_date":"2024-04-19T17:32:58Z","height":2100,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/6A6XSJXHA5DYHO5VGIFNWJZAJU.jpg?auth=43a219a6785591cd38da3ce7777ccb61ce9a09e56a866533b378f3796d216f7a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"6VU5NCIDH5DWLJFWPVA7HI5754","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319113},"type":"text","content":"Let’s start with Georgia’s public charter schools. These are publicly funded, tuition-free schools that can be authorized either by local school districts or the State Charter Schools Commission. Georgia has nearly 100 public charter schools, and they serve almost 65,000 students — with thousands more students stuck on waitlists."},{"_id":"43XTMG3XSRE2LB2UJQYACTFMOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319114},"type":"text","content":"Clearly, the demand exists for more high-quality charters. But these students on waiting lists are being let down by local authorizers. As of 2025, there will have been only one new local charter approved within the past five years and just three in the previous decade."},{"_id":"UNYMSXAKQVBC5AVZJED2LGWADM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SFIVR3EUKFBONDMFNLJBGGRMEY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Five ideas for the 2025 Georgia Legislature to improve public education","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-teacher-advocate-has-5-ways-for-georgia-to-improve-education/YYWQXELTMRDVBIQTZBDYA44TTU/"},{"_id":"GN3ZY66O4ZBXVPMB32FAL2P2MM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319115},"type":"text","content":"Many of those seeking to open charters end up getting approval from the state. But this longer process not only limits families’ choices but forces the state to pick up the full cost of operating these innovative schools."},{"_id":"B2Q7JIUF4RFETGBWPHUMMO3O4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734382140971},"type":"text","content":"What to do? Lawmakers could create new incentives for local districts to approve high-quality charter applications, and they could consider penalties for those that deny such applications."},{"_id":"3FOKEJXAABCS7MQQFY3NBUXE7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319116},"type":"text","content":"Another unfulfilled promise lies with the state. Lawmakers approved grants to help charters pay for their facilities rather than having to delve into their instructional budgets to make up the difference."},{"_id":"BUSNI3MEFBFUZAJXJVAT6ZMBZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734382140973},"type":"text","content":"But those grants have never been fully funded. That needs to change."},{"_id":"AJ4LI75U7BCO3HM2DRNUNSPM4Y","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"3LG6YHMEOVCLBF6FNFDWHKK3EI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia lawmakers ought to learn from kindergartners to share and cooperate","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-lawmakers-should-help-schools-share-resources/GG3OKN47JVAB7IMRSZK7KXEG4M/"},{"_id":"M7K6FKBGXJEBVHBGBKDHOESLRI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319117},"type":"text","content":"Beyond charters, there’s the possibility of making it easier for students to transfer between traditional public schools."},{"_id":"NSGZS3UWABHI3HJYU3SZRENEUI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319118},"type":"text","content":"While transfers within or outside one’s home-school district are already legal, the process can be cumbersome. Until recently, students seeking to attend a public school outside their district not only had to get permission from the “receiving” district but from the home district as well."},{"_id":"B57TS4W3PZAKVJ2AGKYVGDSDWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734382140976},"type":"text","content":"Georgia still lacks consistency and transparency around transfer requests, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-make-it-easier-for-students-to-transfer-between-public-schools/42UOKUIJLFFEDJ4BMVQMZZDJGQ/\" target=\"_blank\">as a study by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation found earlier this year</a>. At a minimum, lawmakers ought to require more thorough and consistent enforcement of Georgia’s transfer laws and more transparent reporting about how the laws are working."},{"_id":"GLQI5ZZZHRDOXH7YK6Z2W3GEWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319119},"type":"text","content":"Finally, for all the ever-changing trends and fads in education, one thing that stubbornly remains the same is the way we fund it."},{"_id":"UCO6MOHASBDVFM64Z2AQQPLZNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734382140978},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act, which created our current funding formula, turns 40 this year. That’s older than many of our school buildings, most of the technology within them and a majority of Georgia residents. The world has changed, and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/new-audit-could-reignite-debate-about-georgias-school-funding-formula/5ATU7X3MHZBAFK6JGT4NQ2OCME/\" target=\"_blank\">the Quality Basic Education Act should as well</a>."},{"_id":"73KMXCERMNGLFJYGC4WPSU5YB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319120},"type":"text","content":"QBE dollars are driven by program-centered aspects of education. States such as Tennessee and Mississippi have recently adopted student-centered formulas that are tied more closely to each student’s individual characteristics. This could include things like a student’s family income or whether English is her native language."},{"_id":"D4JA7PXMI5FTRJIX2CGW53K4CM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"4NFPZFBR5NHLJFMLYBUGTCUERI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"To restore faith in education, use trusted strategies to reach students","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-must-focus-data-and-outcomes-to-improve-public-education/73IWKSH4RZDH3PAUXO5VDTVJTU/"},{"_id":"DAC4WG72LNDADN7NCJEDEQQSRU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734382140980},"type":"text","content":"Rather than adding another layer to make up for QBE’s obsolescence, lawmakers could begin the hard work of revamping the entire formula to make it work better for all students based on all of their relevant characteristics."},{"_id":"MT5JWYSIPNENDID77UKY7GBIMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319121},"type":"text","content":"Getting K-12 education right is one of the most important things the General Assembly can do. In fact, that’s why lawmakers devote the largest chunk of <a href=\"https://opb.georgia.gov/budget-information/budget-documents/governors-budget-reports\" target=\"_blank\">the budget</a> — $13.25 billion out of the state’s $36.14 billion in general funds, or more than a third of the total — to K-12 education."},{"_id":"3Z4PPAD35RAYVIX5VXD6FREBBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319122},"type":"text","content":"But simply spending more money won’t guarantee success. The money needs to be spent wisely, with priorities informed by current best practices about student needs and sharpened by a healthy sense of competition."},{"_id":"H63WL2DMXRDPTDC5LCYCZIMFKQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319123},"type":"text","content":"Lawmakers can take great strides toward both goals in 2025."},{"_id":"AIE2RWVMW5EA5GZI7I75TC2WZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734303319124},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.georgiapolicy.org/people/kyle-wingfield-3/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Kyle Wingfield</i></a><i> is president and CEO of the </i><a href=\"https://www.georgiapolicy.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Georgia Public Policy Foundation</i></a><i>, a nonprofit research institute based in Atlanta.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"An education policy advocate says the Georgia Legislature should enable parents to choose their public school and ease the process of starting new charter schools."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"9f7f6e2fd8babed298f5de7c5a3e72c79e975fbdb970175b64110913eee7f902"},"credits":{"by":[{"affiliation":"taylor.carpenter@ajc.com","name":"TAYLOR CARPENTER / AJC","type":"author","byline":"TAYLOR CARPENTER / AJC","slug":"taylor-carpenter-ajc"}]},"subtitle":"Charter Funding","width":4896,"caption":"The head of a conservative think tank says the Georgia Legislature should loosen restrictions and provide incentives for local school districts to offer students more public-school choices. (TAYLOR CARPENTER/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MLSG77LVDDRCFEASEWWRREWVNI.jpg","height":3264,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MLSG77LVDDRCFEASEWWRREWVNI.jpg?auth=9f7f6e2fd8babed298f5de7c5a3e72c79e975fbdb970175b64110913eee7f902&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/lawmakers-ought-to-wide-parent-options-for-choice-among-public-schools/RMMQMBLE4ZBB7DHOEQZA37H2CM/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-03T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Kyle Wingfield","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Lawmakers ought to widen parent options for choice among public schools"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-03T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-03T16:15:17.966Z","_id":"RMMQMBLE4ZBB7DHOEQZA37H2CM","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"9f7f6e2fd8babed298f5de7c5a3e72c79e975fbdb970175b64110913eee7f902"},"credits":{"by":[{"affiliation":"taylor.carpenter@ajc.com","name":"TAYLOR CARPENTER / AJC","type":"author","byline":"TAYLOR CARPENTER / AJC","slug":"taylor-carpenter-ajc"}]},"subtitle":"Charter Funding","width":4896,"caption":"The head of a conservative think tank says the Georgia Legislature should loosen restrictions and provide incentives for local school districts to offer students more public-school choices. (TAYLOR CARPENTER/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MLSG77LVDDRCFEASEWWRREWVNI.jpg","height":3264,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MLSG77LVDDRCFEASEWWRREWVNI.jpg?auth=9f7f6e2fd8babed298f5de7c5a3e72c79e975fbdb970175b64110913eee7f902&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"M5E35PFYLRAA7DUBFGBHNQNAZA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213087},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"VS6BFXODSZCFDFYW6DCATO6JIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734125843439},"type":"text","content":"Education-related issues will be among the most important debated this year by the General Assembly. But new laws are often are considered without the voices of those most impacted."},{"_id":"GP553DU3V5HFXE737AUUAWGX6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213090},"type":"text","content":"Educators and students are in their classrooms when Legislature is meeting and are almost never consulted. We often hear that educating the state’s 1.74 million students is expensive and almost half the state budget. But this investment in our students and our future is necessary."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"7d4fbbe554b2956597ae9fe5347d3be937d1c48f0279a18795f43e743b4ab103"},"caption":"Lisa Morgan","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"Lisa Morgan, President, Georgia Association of Educators","width":280,"_id":"3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/3WDXemV5-PQcBAo3DrCfRKCm7OU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/3WDXemV5-PQcBAo3DrCfRKCm7OU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/3WDXemV5-PQcBAo3DrCfRKCm7OU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/y3SvcsLoJ0C3QNNsSAGkXPYWmFg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"lisamorgan.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"5CCNC64R4NBK5OKAC3WTA3VH4I"},"created_date":"2020-08-31T03:02:22Z","last_updated_date":"2020-08-31T03:02:22Z","height":394,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3YNB7PHTQBH2RIU767UBVGX7CY.jpg?auth=7d4fbbe554b2956597ae9fe5347d3be937d1c48f0279a18795f43e743b4ab103&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"XMIM4O2ORRF3DPU2FLXOFHAUSE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213091},"type":"text","content":"As usual and as has Gov. Brian Kemp proposed in his last several budgets, fully funding the Quality Basic Education formula is a priority. But simply providing the funding based on a formula older than all our public school students and a great many of their teachers is not enough."},{"_id":"2HDTD5SO6FBTFPGJ6RHF5KGSGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734125843443},"type":"text","content":"Here are five other ideas from the Georgia Association of Educators:"},{"_id":"RQO6IEVEIJH3FEKDG25DUIJQVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213093},"type":"text","content":"<b>Fund enough to lower class sizes to recommended levels</b>"},{"_id":"V3T3J4JOFZALRNRKA6D2O7YV6I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734125843445},"type":"text","content":"Now, only two Georgia systems are required to follow the class size maximums. Because of waivers and the General Assembly’s lack of appropriate funding, high school core classes in some schools have a student-teacher ratio of 35-1 even though <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/rules.sos.state.ga.us/gac/160-5-1__;!!JZyed81S!j4mBtuD-Ge64KqBMIS3up_CeSbi0oBJ-rkmzmi_vfKV0kttID6Z7VasyTGK7iDR5wBfkJRIeQ3zWTsXiKaR_DA$\" target=\"_blank\">state regulations sets a limit of 32 students.</a>"},{"_id":"MAWUOH5C4JBUTASUQQLL4NRGII","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213094},"type":"text","content":"Consider those class sizes from the perspective of students. If it takes a teacher 20 minutes to grade and provide feedback on a particular assignment, the time necessary for 24 students is eight hours. Add nine more students to the class and the task required a total of 11 hours."},{"_id":"LJFADSLJGZFQDGHZZMKOJK5AEI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":194,"comment":"feedback "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213095},"type":"text","content":"Educators face a choice of taking less time with each student’s work and provide less specific feedback or taking the necessary time from another task. Either way, students are impacted by less or delayed feedback, both of which may result in lost opportunities for student growth."},{"_id":"UXP66SWMTRAN3BQ2NQNLAKMKQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213096},"type":"text","content":"This is the reality of larger class sizes for our public schoolteachers — the proverbial rock and hard place. No matter which choice is ultimately made, students bear the impact of fewer opportunities."},{"_id":"2BOHQN72WNAIHFMFCF4CT2FQYI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213097},"type":"text","content":"<b>Increase funding for schools with more students in poverty.</b>"},{"_id":"7P2MEZFOUFFZLKSQTQGZL4X3PI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213098},"type":"text","content":"The correlation between economic status and graduation and academic achievement is undeniable. The lowest-performing schools in the state are also the poorest schools in the state. Georgia has one of the <a href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/09/acs-child-poverty.html#:~:text=Child%20poverty%20rates%20by%20state,%2C%20and%20Mississippi%20(23.2%25).\" target=\"_blank\">highest rates of child poverty</a> in the nation. Despite this, Georgia is one of only a handful of states that does not provide additional funding and resources to schools where students are experiencing poverty."},{"_id":"UWHEIQ6DPBC57MEC4PWGMINCZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213099},"type":"text","content":"Instead, under the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-legislation-establishing-another-voucher-program-in-georgia/3FZ3LA3DZVFI3AVEK6BF6B66OU/\" target=\"_blank\">recently enacted private school voucher program</a>, tax dollars will leave these districts and flow to wealthier districts, usually in the metro Atlanta area. Meanwhile, educators across the state are writing grants, seeking donations and, in some cases, spending their own money to try to meet the needs of students. From food pantries to clothes closets and from school supplies to college application fees, educators work to fulfill the needs of students."},{"_id":"HETY5OB5LNHE3HBNFGW3DREWHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":130,"comment":"a student who is"},{"pos":138,"comment":" a student who is"},{"pos":145,"comment":"are all students"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734125843452},"type":"text","content":"Some will say that these are not educational necessities. Teachers and students will tell you otherwise. A student who is hungry, cold or tired is a student who will be unable to learn until those needs are met."},{"_id":"UVFXXCCTDZGRJKPJDXEGWAPTSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213101},"type":"text","content":"<b>Improve funding and retirement benefits for bus drivers, cafeteria works and custodians.</b>"},{"_id":"AV2MPMRYMFDH7GEVXBLCDUYVPU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":" and custodians"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213103},"type":"text","content":"Among the lowest-paid public school staff are school bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria and maintenance workers. Yet we trust and depend on these educators to take care of our children. They transport our children safely, feed them and clean up after them."},{"_id":"DIAQFBSCAFHOJF4PZAKSKUWRK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213104},"type":"text","content":"Salaries in some school districts for these positions are about a dollar more than the minimum wage. In addition, the state provides a bare-bones retirement for these workers, which, until July 1 of this year, averaged $290 a month."},{"_id":"W2C6UJZ3EFF3NA5SNQB7SZENPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":285,"comment":"x"},{"pos":309,"comment":"="}],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213105},"type":"text","content":"The state’s 2024-2025 budget provides for a 50-cent increase in the formula used to determine retirement benefits for bus drivers, food service personnel and janitorial staff. To determine retirement benefits for these support professionals, the state uses a formula: years of service multiplied by $17 equals monthly benefit. For example, a bus driver working 30 years would receive retirement benefits of $510, up slightly from $495 a month before Senate Bill 105 eliminated the cap on benefits for these employees."},{"_id":"N63DSLWXTFD7HKLVNJWV4KG3YI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213107},"type":"text","content":"While this system was created under the assumption that these positions would be part time, they are now full time for most of these workers. Legislators need to continue to raise the multiplier to provide these educators a retirement with dignity and the means to survive their later years."},{"_id":"XCLMPT2HDVCGXDHWJ753BSIHFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213108},"type":"text","content":"<b>Address teacher shortage</b>"},{"_id":"FHKVBX4VDFBMZL2ZVQD2E3IQ4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213109},"type":"text","content":"Every year, college students who undertake a curriculum to become a schoolteacher drop out — sometimes late in their schooling — because of the financial impediments to becoming a teacher. Aspiring educators are required to “student teach” for a full school year and for many, the financial burden is simply too high."},{"_id":"RYGTRPLYCZEWPHCJBIV4IA4YBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213110},"type":"text","content":"Georgia should follow the example Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee and provide compensation for aspiring educators during the time they are in the classroom as “student teachers.”"},{"_id":"KO2PSNSIGBFP7P372NBKPHOIWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213112},"type":"text","content":"<b>Continue to increase teacher pay</b>"},{"_id":"6Y5HZ5ZUPVFFDNWVK76KZRCOX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":103,"comment":"GAE "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213113},"type":"text","content":"Despite Kemp’s pay raises for teachers — $7,000 since 2020, which the Georgia Association of Educators applauds — inflation has brought us to a place where Georgia teachers are making less than they were 15 years ago."},{"_id":"22KGZCKO3RHOREXPYCNYK27O5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213114},"type":"text","content":"If lawmakers are serious about ending the teacher shortage, they will continue to increase salaries and expand the state salary schedule for those with more than 20 years of service. Now, teachers with 21 years or more of service are ineligible for any further increases for the remainder of their career."},{"_id":"3UQELDJXK5DHXERUQRPSVSKHAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213115},"type":"text","content":"We must also look not at the average teacher salary — Georgia typically ranks high there — but at the beginning teacher salary. Average teacher salary is skewed by the number of educators who have remained in the profession. If we want to ensure that early career teachers make it to the 10-, 15- and 20-year levels, we must make their first five years less of a challenge."},{"_id":"FAS4U6APIVHE3GVUP2O5EAWQ6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213116},"type":"text","content":"We hope legislators look to these ideas with an open mind and enact legislation that benefits our public-school students, teachers and schools. We encourage everyone to review the recommendations from the<a href=\"https://cviog.uga.edu/_resources/documents/training/teacher-burnout-georgia.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> teacher burnout report </a>led by 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/new-georgia-doe-report-examines-roots-of-teacher-burnout/YFDOL54ITRCKHFKPSCXEQ4VYL4/\" target=\"_blank\">Cherie Bonder Goldman. </a>"},{"_id":"42FAAH35VFBKXJG3IISHHXWNBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734125843467},"type":"text","content":"The voices from the classroom have spoken and provided a road map. We need the decision makers to listen and act accordingly."},{"_id":"D7FDGNXJPVHEBF2DO6ZRNXLEYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734113213117},"type":"text","content":"<i>Lisa Morgan is a kindergarten teacher and president of the Georgia Association of Educators.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The president of the Georgia Association of Educators urges the 2025 General Assembly to heed the voices of teachers in their discussions and decisions."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"brian-kemp"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3e77f038a6b62456fabfe18f4e7dd948b681481e675a39982eb09799df883f3e"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Should teachers have to pay for classroom supplies?","width":1280,"caption":"The president of the Georgia Association of Educators offers five ideas for the General Assembly to improve teaching and learning conditions in Georgia's public schools. (AJC File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LG2M425YFD6CU76YCDYIOQ7SUU.jpg","height":720,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LG2M425YFD6CU76YCDYIOQ7SUU.jpg?auth=3e77f038a6b62456fabfe18f4e7dd948b681481e675a39982eb09799df883f3e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-teacher-advocate-has-5-ways-for-georgia-to-improve-education/YYWQXELTMRDVBIQTZBDYA44TTU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-01-02T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Lisa Morgan","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Five ideas for the 2025 Georgia Legislature to improve public education"},"first_publish_date":"2025-01-02T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T10:00:14.256Z","_id":"YYWQXELTMRDVBIQTZBDYA44TTU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"3e77f038a6b62456fabfe18f4e7dd948b681481e675a39982eb09799df883f3e"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Should teachers have to pay for classroom supplies?","width":1280,"caption":"The president of the Georgia Association of Educators offers five ideas for the General Assembly to improve teaching and learning conditions in Georgia's public schools. (AJC File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LG2M425YFD6CU76YCDYIOQ7SUU.jpg","height":720,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LG2M425YFD6CU76YCDYIOQ7SUU.jpg?auth=3e77f038a6b62456fabfe18f4e7dd948b681481e675a39982eb09799df883f3e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"FQLRVENXR5FCVMP6MCG2XVWV64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523780},"type":"text","content":"In late October 2014, as Jason Carter ran for governor, President Jimmy Carter made a <a href=\"https://www.walb.com/2023/02/23/did-you-know-jimmy-carter-took-classes-abac/\" target=\"_blank\">quickly organized stop at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College</a> in Tifton, where I was an English professor and faculty adviser to the College Democrats. The visit happened for many reasons: the former president support of education in underserved areas of our state, his family’s history with our college and the needs of his grandson’s campaign. However, it also happened because of the efforts of an enterprising student who showed remarkable initiative. President Carter’s death has left many Georgians reflecting on his long career of service to our state and nation. For me, the story of the president’s visit to our campus reminds me of how important it is to nurture the spirit of service exhibited by the student responsible for making that day happen. Here’s how it happened:"},{"_id":"M5SFGPPT5JDCRPM3OULP22KSIQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523781},"type":"text","content":"Midway through a typical Thursday, I was stopped outside a classroom building by Andrew E. Smith, the student president of the College Democrats group."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"60ceb86aa48c41f2796b8ee1d64bd0ae3bb8d0b04669efe5579dbeaeef8db865"},"caption":"Joseph F. Brown","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Handout","type":"author","byline":"Handout"}]},"subtitle":"Joseph F. Brown","width":1448,"_id":"HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/9vVCC36ewo96NIPTcJp-K5zn6mQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","owner":"jamie.riley@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/9vVCC36ewo96NIPTcJp-K5zn6mQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","takenOn":"2023-10-08T22:13:26Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/9vVCC36ewo96NIPTcJp-K5zn6mQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ND26T4koxqO2349KBKvZHFhQpOU=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg","version":0,"originalName":"Joseph F. Brown.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"4IONQR6BIZBZPBAZCLVVMAIVZM"},"created_date":"2024-12-30T19:37:36Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-30T19:37:36Z","alignment":"right","height":1930,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/HTV3WEJZFZFNVKWFXEG4RYIWPA.jpeg?auth=60ceb86aa48c41f2796b8ee1d64bd0ae3bb8d0b04669efe5579dbeaeef8db865&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"HF25GS6JYRDARCASIX7VEJZCBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523782},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"“Dr. Brown, I think I got Jimmy!” he said."},{"_id":"7NBEFFS3PVFHZHHWWP3X3WQA3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523783},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Andy, as we called him, was a senior and one of those students who you learn quickly to simply guide and get out of his way. He had known he was interested in a career in state Democratic politics since he was a child. He had spent the previous summer working with Jason Carter’s campaign. Andy had earned a reputation for being reliable. In April of that year, Andy organized a forum for Jason Carter to meet with students and local farmers. So, when Andy said that he “got Jimmy,” we all took it seriously. We began communicating with the college leadership about the visit."},{"_id":"7O4TC42HIRHUDOH3PIB6PEIAKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523784},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Four days later, Jimmy Carter walked into Tift Hall and greeted each of us. It had all the formalities of a presidential visit: there were logistics, Secret Service and even a receiving line. And there was that unmistakable, charismatic smile I had seen for years on television and in newspapers. He thanked us for having him, and we all chatted until it was time to walk to the nearby building for the event."},{"_id":"UX3QKJMJ5NAEDISRLQCFTFD5FU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523785},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"We arrived to a packed auditorium. It was clear that people were excited just to be with him. As I introduced the former president, I noticed that the crowd was absolutely beaming. They loved him, and he loved them back. For the next hour or so, he shared his experiences. He told the crowd the story of his beginnings in politics, of fighting the men on the school board who held up one finger to signify their opposition to school desegregation: “Not even one,” he said as he recounted their ugly battle cry. He shared his concerns about the runaway costs of a modern political campaign — even truer now, a decade later. And he told the crowd about his love for our college, where his father had taken peanut short courses to help their Plains farm prosper."},{"_id":"Z7JDI6KKIRFPBGONVJGWU2YYUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523786},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Later, I learned that Andy had spent the moments after the speech doing an interview for the local news, helping the campaign any way he could."},{"_id":"OHP6OXXTX5AMVBAANDEA3NZCK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523787},"type":"text","content":"Ten years later, I think about how selfless Jimmy Carter was in sharing his time with our students. He wanted to spend time with them and to show them that they mattered to him. Years later, former colleagues sent me a picture of Carter wearing an ABAC hat while doing work for his charity, Habitat for Humanity. He made our students feel as if they were a part of his story, and, through his visit, he had made it so that he was part of theirs."},{"_id":"WENRVALPBFHULFSV7XUYNYKY7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523788},"type":"text","content":"However, I also think about Andy and his gumption. Andy brought his ambition to campus, and, once there, we made sure he had the skills to pursue his passion. Isn’t that how education is supposed to work? Andy’s efforts were a budding attempt at the kind of service that defined President Carter’s career. When I look back on the event, I am proud to see that younger generations of students were inspired by President Carter’s example. Andy, who worked as a park ranger after graduation and now works for his alma mater, eventually completed his master’s degree in public administration. He plans to teach after he earns a doctoral degree."},{"_id":"EZ7DWV66SBBBFJ4ZMNUO4FGB7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523789},"type":"text","content":"Carter’s legacy was lifelong engagement and service. The care he showed his fellow man, from negotiating international peace treaties to building houses for his neighbors, provides a model for all. Andy’s initiative provides a model for how educators can embolden more students who show initiative. As we remember President Carter, let us commit to greater mentorship and connection with the young people in our classrooms and lives. In doing so, we can ensure that Jimmy Carter’s legacy lives on in successive generations of Georgians."},{"_id":"5NFK4C35KNE4RIHHLSGG7ESIM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1735570523790},"type":"text","content":"<i>Joseph F. Brown is the Director of the Colorado State University Academic Integrity Program and a former Associate Professor of English at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA. He is a proud graduate of Jonesboro High School and the University of Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"He wowed students in Tifton, telling stories of farming in rural Georgia and White House politics."},"description":{"basic":"He wowed students in Tifton, telling stories of farming in rural Georgia and White House politics."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"opinion"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"jimmy carter"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1a22fae6ec1ce3d9afeb0fd0d59791fd866ce10628381bdea8358dc35ca93a30"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Jimmy Carter ABAC 1","width":3408,"caption":"Former President Jimmy Carter, left, smiles during a 2014 visit to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 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Contributed photo.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/4JZTPRJJTBGDHC3VXGBT4NKLGY.jpg","height":2434,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/4JZTPRJJTBGDHC3VXGBT4NKLGY.jpg?auth=1a22fae6ec1ce3d9afeb0fd0d59791fd866ce10628381bdea8358dc35ca93a30&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JEIVPFRBH5EETJMJVSX2UESJZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"DADULWWOYZH47CEBHGAMBJRBM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"As a longtime education analyst and current director of policy and advocacy for <a href=\"https://www.brownspromise.org/\">Brown’s Promise</a>, I’m disappointed by how much one school’s success appears to come at the expense of another’s. Scores are compared, champions are named, and instead of asking whether a winner-take-all education system is healthy, policymakers are content to tsk-tsk “failing schools.”"},{"_id":"AY46RM5S2NBXPARPRXN3AMYCBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091982},"type":"text","content":"“Higher per-pupil spending on instruction didn’t always translate to higher student test scores,” reads <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/new-audit-could-reignite-debate-about-georgias-school-funding-formula/5ATU7X3MHZBAFK6JGT4NQ2OCME/\" target=\"_blank\">The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s summary</a> of a finding from the recent Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts report on education spending."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"b39e5d123e40cf0fc8aca6b857ae88d3b462d5ea019004e783e9d04bc11e2073"},"caption":"Stephen J. 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The text of the report, however, <a href=\"https://www.audits2.ga.gov/reports/summaries/school-system-spending/\" target=\"_blank\">offers more of an explanation: “</a>Higher per pupil spending does not always result in improved system performance <i>due to other contributing factors such as poverty.”</i>"},{"_id":"YVVUGBF6O5H6RJRIWF5HAFB56A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091985},"type":"text","content":"It is no coincidence that the audit’s designation for “worst performing” districts have over half of their students living in poverty (54%) compared to only 21% in the highest performing. It’s clear that the competition is rigged."},{"_id":"OTLIWHPKHJEAZD3WF4K266MXUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":233,"comment":"exasperated "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091986},"type":"text","content":"Johnny and Sally can hardly be expected to achieve at the same level if Sally’s parents pay for summer camps while Johnny is struggling with a toothache because his parents can’t afford the dentist. These differences are exacerbated when they impact the school. For instance, nationwide high-poverty schools have a much harder time holding onto good teachers than low-poverty ones. Teachers regularly leave the classroom or transfer to<a href=\"https://www.erstrategies.org/tap/teacher-turnover-trends-analysis/\" target=\"_blank\"> a district where fewer challenges exist.</a> The result is often students with greater needs being taught by the least-prepared educators."},{"_id":"YEDO7B7OXJCT7MROQLVYSPU2GM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091987},"type":"text","content":"If Georgia lawmakers want to address this issue, they need to embrace a popular concept in elementary classrooms that somehow goes ignored in education policy circles: working together. First, Georgia needs to join the rest of the nation and create a grant specifically for students in poverty. Without this funding, we are expecting some students to do the same with less. Unlike hyper-individualistic policies like vouchers that reward wealthy parents for leaving public schools, money to educate low-income students stays in the community for schools that serve every child."},{"_id":"3WSZ4GX4EVGBHPI6KQGTMP57YE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091988},"type":"text","content":"Next, sharing goes beyond our tax dollars; we need our school districts working together as well. The issue of school poverty is not uniform across the state. One district filled with middle- and upper-income families sits right next to another buckling under the weight of concentrated poverty (to name a few pairs: Fulton/Atlanta, Oconee/Clarke, Laurens/Dublin City)."},{"_id":"GCZTUXNLARCKFHNAWB4UDJABEY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091989},"type":"text","content":"Research shows deconcentrating poverty has large positive results for students and <a href=\"https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/publications/children-of-the-dream-why-school-integration-works\" target=\"_blank\">it’s not hard to see why</a>. In high-poverty schools, money that should be going to instruction is instead directed to meet basic human needs. When poverty is spread out, however, the intensity of these challenges lessens."},{"_id":"3M63VJ6HRJFQHFPL4TW3YMO4WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091990},"type":"text","content":"State lawmakers can incentivize regional cooperation so no one district is left on an island. These multi-district regions would have more power collectively to consider several options to help shoulder the burden of community poverty."},{"_id":"YDT24QX7FFENRGKHH4TKCNGEOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091991},"type":"text","content":"Magnet schools could provide a space where kids of every income bracket meet under a theme-specific education — Hartford, Connecticut, has <a href=\"https://www.environmentalsciencesmagnet.org/\" target=\"_blank\">an environmental science-themed school,</a> for example. District transportation departments could save time and money by working together so that county buses don’t have to drive around the city district carve-out. Central offices could coordinate plans to address chronic absenteeism for transient families. Regardless of the task, it benefits no one to section off kids and systems from one another based on arbitrary lines alone. This combination of resource equity and school integration is fleshed out in more detail in the <a href=\"https://www.brownspromise.org/policy-agenda\">Brown’s Promise State Policy Agenda</a>."},{"_id":"OBAVTRHEWJGLDKZSB5ZNNLFTIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":196,"comment":"cq"}],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091992},"type":"text","content":"The concept of cooperation between districts is nothing new. In 2006, the Nebraska Legislature changed state law so 11 districts in and around Omaha could share funding, institute an interdistrict transfer program and increase <a href=\"https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1050829\" target=\"_blank\">early childhood education options for low-income families.</a> Intuitively it makes sense as well. For our state to prosper, we will need all students to be able to read and calculate, not just a couple select districts where few poor kids live."},{"_id":"5EFZ6RLLPZE35HPAQJ3LSWUFQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091993},"type":"text","content":"As Georgia lawmakers return to the Gold Dome, let’s ask them to stop encouraging these high-stakes competitions and move to a system of cooperation meant for excellent schools for everyone. Because without these sorts of changes, we will all lose."},{"_id":"ZW3HWXVLI5DOXDMMR72PTTAN3M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091994},"type":"text","content":"<i>Stephen J. Owens is director of advocacy and policy for </i><a href=\"https://www.brownspromise.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Brown’s Promise.</i></a>"},{"_id":"XCHD5MR2VJBWBO6TBJVSY5QHZE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091995},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"T3RIFVEXNFBJXF6YUFYY4BDW5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733963091996},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1ba024250807eb55fd0475bb3c4255ada91534cd9ff22aff1822b010b1f60e3a"},"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"CBC stand alone","width":1200,"caption":"An education advocate urges the Georgia General Assembly to stop encouraging high-stakes competitions among the state's public schools and embrace a system of cooperation meant for excellent schools for all kids. (AJC File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YZDITXY7YNDBNPJP6A7EZIC5B4.jpg","height":1210,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YZDITXY7YNDBNPJP6A7EZIC5B4.jpg?auth=1ba024250807eb55fd0475bb3c4255ada91534cd9ff22aff1822b010b1f60e3a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-lawmakers-should-help-schools-share-resources/GG3OKN47JVAB7IMRSZK7KXEG4M/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-30T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Stephen J. Owens","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Georgia lawmakers ought to learn from kindergartners to share and cooperate"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-30T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-30T10:00:10.987Z","_id":"GG3OKN47JVAB7IMRSZK7KXEG4M","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"1ba024250807eb55fd0475bb3c4255ada91534cd9ff22aff1822b010b1f60e3a"},"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"CBC stand alone","width":1200,"caption":"An education advocate urges the Georgia General Assembly to stop encouraging high-stakes competitions among the state's public schools and embrace a system of cooperation meant for excellent schools for all kids. (AJC File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YZDITXY7YNDBNPJP6A7EZIC5B4.jpg","height":1210,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YZDITXY7YNDBNPJP6A7EZIC5B4.jpg?auth=1ba024250807eb55fd0475bb3c4255ada91534cd9ff22aff1822b010b1f60e3a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"4F6JIPZ5LZCDXDOVQENHTTR3E4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"ZOLJC3ZCIVHVHI4NXBJTCJAYRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"For some time, public support for K-12 education has been eroding. In a recent national survey, only 16% of adults expressed the belief that public education is <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/04/about-half-of-americans-say-public-k-12-education-is-going-in-the-wrong-direction/\" target=\"_blank\">headed in the right direction</a>. The top three reasons the public gave for its cynicism: schools not prioritizing core academic content, teachers injecting their personal views into classroom instruction, and schools lacking sufficient resources to promote student learning."},{"_id":"57LQV2I7RVEP3D4Z6WMQ2ZLGAU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383867},"type":"text","content":"While schools have labored under public skepticism and unrealistic expectations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, public education is not broken."},{"_id":"TXF4BFPLRZBBNHUR6THXVQASXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383868},"type":"text","content":"Far from it."},{"_id":"VBJHSULRWVDBPMVSXHVNUC56NI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383869},"type":"text","content":"For example, despite unprecedented pressures placed on schools by the pandemic, student achievement in Georgia increased on 16 of 20 statewide assessments administered in spring 2024. The graduating class of 2024 <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgias-sat-scores-tick-down-still-beat-national-average/WSNJ3SYX6VEWFMMOCJ5EOV7XVY/\" target=\"_blank\">beat the national average</a> for the seventh year in a row on the SAT college admissions exam."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"e1ddeaeb83f04bf7fc866ba15f81a5b878c5bee2b7385f5602830b456654edab"},"caption":"Dana Rickman","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Dana Rickman","width":1200,"_id":"DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/7mXYIsBrRqI9YO6lUPumnyCDAAQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/7mXYIsBrRqI9YO6lUPumnyCDAAQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/7mXYIsBrRqI9YO6lUPumnyCDAAQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ptlpM6-a8x_R9XRL5FKz9kYrFjg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"danarickman.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"YDPY7RGAEFE5LGVVAPBVO4GSKE"},"created_date":"2022-12-13T18:05:14Z","last_updated_date":"2022-12-13T18:05:14Z","height":1200,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DTBDZPNNBZAWXCZ55SF7NDKFCU.jpg?auth=e1ddeaeb83f04bf7fc866ba15f81a5b878c5bee2b7385f5602830b456654edab&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"NYYHSL4IZZCOZLC7MBKIZVY7JE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383871},"type":"text","content":"That said, public education in Georgia still has its fair share of challenges. For example, going into the current school year, Georgia’s students continue to experience pandemic-related academic and mental health challenges. Teachers and education leaders across Georgia need continued high-quality professional development to deepen their knowledge and skills as Georgia focuses on new curricula and innovative teaching approaches. Many school districts continue to struggle with teacher shortages."},{"_id":"OAEHBDNMGFAJDEC2C3MSGAV6VI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383872},"type":"text","content":"In the upcoming edition of our “Top Ten Issues to Watch” report, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education calls on state leaders to adopt a future-oriented vision for public education, a vision where today’s investments yield long-term dividends for individuals and the communities where they live. For state leaders, specifically members of the Georgia General Assembly, a new vision begins with a shift in mindset, focusing on the outcomes of investments, rather than their individual costs."},{"_id":"X5GEXFNNMJH3NJKHWZVHUHB42I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383873},"type":"text","content":"Foundational to shifting toward a future-oriented, outcome-focused mindset is determining what investments produce the greatest gains. To start, we recommend the Georgia General Assembly, working with education and civic leaders, evaluate programs and strategies to assess the quality, effectiveness and impact of public education and workforce investments."},{"_id":"3PH3WWAQ4RGYFLNRNZ6LAXWNEQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383874},"type":"text","content":"From there, the Georgia Partnership offers three recommendations for state leaders to shift their thinking toward a long-term investment strategy for public education."},{"_id":"6TUYASEVRVCHNGZOEZSTH2CU7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383875},"type":"text","content":"First, the Georgia General Assembly should revise the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/school-funding-formula-back-on-the-minds-of-georgia-lawmakers/ZYLZUASEFVCHBLN3DA5A3XWA5M/\" target=\"_blank\">K-12 funding formula</a>. Key considerations should be dedicated state funding to many of the high-impact strategies pursued during the pandemic, which address the effects of poverty on instruction, as well as an increase in counseling, school safety and physical and mental health supports."},{"_id":"UVJZQKZXOFDY7IAC6VJ2IUEBJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733873036978},"type":"text","content":"Examples include:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"VJ3P6EK53VE5RLXCWCI77JETCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383876},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"Y7MWPBTKOVBQ7LBTRNQOYHGP3A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383876},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Introducing a funding weight for low-income students and districts with high concentrations of students living in poverty."},{"_id":"RP7SNNJUT5AXFBPYIPCMOYN3LM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383877},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Boosting state funding for school counselors, psychologists and social workers by lowering the staff-to-student ratios for these positions."},{"_id":"SJ4RM72RYVCP5EOZODXDNN4MAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "},{"pos":67,"comment":"afterschool"}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383878},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Providing categorical funds to extend learning through after-school, summer and high-dosage tutoring strategies."}]},{"_id":"E6HW7IMTNZHPNJWH7IBFIE2CNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383879},"type":"text","content":"Second, the General Assembly must address several unknowns related to implementing the requirements of the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/HB/538\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Early Literacy Act</a>. With the recent loss of federal pandemic relief funds and subsequent financial gap in districts’ budgets, the Georgia Partnership recommends the following:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"AQAU4KFVIFHG7PNZZHDQJMWFBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383880},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"RGIDV6RB5VG3DGDH5QOB7OIYV4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383880},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"The General Assembly provides state funding to support district implementation of the new requirements related to curriculum, professional development and the hiring and training of reading coaches and interventionists."},{"_id":"BBUKMY6325CH5EN5F335BHOR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383881},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"The General Assembly provides resources for agency leaders to work with subject-matter experts and state nonprofits to support district and school leaders’ efforts to evaluate program effectiveness and use data to initiate changes in instructional delivery."}]},{"_id":"7ZKUKUR7BJAU3LDI22DG3HTNDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383882},"type":"text","content":"Finally, we recommend the General Assembly develop a comprehensive and well-funded strategy to strengthen Georgia’s pipeline of educators and education leaders. The Georgia Department of Education and many local districts have designed and executed initiatives to address different aspects of this challenge, but funding and reach are often limited. We recommend state leaders:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"WUQC5WGIM5CSLFP44UW5RJM6L4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383883},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"3MTSAK3UW5HYDCJSR7O6NHAABQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383883},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Restore professional development funding to 1.5% of the base teacher salary."},{"_id":"4RPLIV73IJBVZEJD3K3ZOK4JHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383884},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Conduct a comprehensive review of professional development needs and funding to ensure the state’s formula reflects the costs of quality educator training."},{"_id":"CAK6TKJJGBGZ3NVCL7LOPCSH2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383885},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Fund district pilots focused on advanced teacher roles and innovative staffing models."},{"_id":"HVF3B3AARZAV3FSRP5OW7CL6UM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383886},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Provide student loan forgiveness for new teachers entering hard-to-staff fields."}]},{"_id":"IKL54GP4GBCWPGLULKW53YZYVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383887},"type":"text","content":"Many of these suggestions will require new investments and adjustments in others. With nearly <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-starts-budget-season-with-165-billion-in-reserves/RVULGEGNJZDTTJTPARHOO5GADE/\" target=\"_blank\">$16.5 billion in reserves</a>, the General Assembly has plenty of cash on hand to adopt a long-term perspective on public education investments."},{"_id":"EPV6FNLSOFHSDBHHTWOQYFXPHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383888},"type":"text","content":"While Georgia does not lack the public resources to transform education and workforce strategies, we do lack the data to understand whether our investments meet our current needs and emerging challenges. By using Georgia’s resources to garner greater understanding of what works, state leaders can wisely invest these dollars in proven strategies while promoting innovation and prosperity for a higher proportion of state residents."},{"_id":"Y5TGDUDULBEHHHH3J4JATEBNAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733867383889},"type":"text","content":"<i>Dana Rickman is president of the </i><a href=\"https://gpee.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"6873d4ead4340cd04cd8e96f75a69ea0000b4b4aaf28d6cd9c80e795c136c4b0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com ","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Hyosub Shin","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"How one Atlanta school district is confronting Ga’s low literacy rates","width":8121,"caption":"The leader of an education advocacy group urges the 2025 Legislature to invest in reading interventions and programs. Here, Marietta teacher Jenny Brems instructs as her student finds a word during first grade phonics class at A.L. Burruss Elementary School. (Hyosub Shin/Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IEKBNRHUNTXLSAGBFNLIFYNZK4.jpg","height":5504,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IEKBNRHUNTXLSAGBFNLIFYNZK4.jpg?auth=6873d4ead4340cd04cd8e96f75a69ea0000b4b4aaf28d6cd9c80e795c136c4b0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-must-focus-data-and-outcomes-to-improve-public-education/73IWKSH4RZDH3PAUXO5VDTVJTU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-27T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Dana Rickman","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"To restore faith in education, use trusted strategies to reach students"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-27T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-27T10:00:10.753Z","_id":"73IWKSH4RZDH3PAUXO5VDTVJTU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"6873d4ead4340cd04cd8e96f75a69ea0000b4b4aaf28d6cd9c80e795c136c4b0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com ","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Hyosub Shin","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"How one Atlanta school district is confronting Ga’s low literacy rates","width":8121,"caption":"The leader of an education advocacy group urges the 2025 Legislature to invest in reading interventions and programs. Here, Marietta teacher Jenny Brems instructs as her student finds a word during first grade phonics class at A.L. Burruss Elementary School. (Hyosub Shin/Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IEKBNRHUNTXLSAGBFNLIFYNZK4.jpg","height":5504,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IEKBNRHUNTXLSAGBFNLIFYNZK4.jpg?auth=6873d4ead4340cd04cd8e96f75a69ea0000b4b4aaf28d6cd9c80e795c136c4b0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"MM3VDFDMAFHIPKYMRFZYUF5GKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"I4FCSVZEERADJDQPPYIZEGFK74","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In the wake of November’s nail-biting national elections, eyes are turning back home and toward Georgia’s upcoming 2025 legislative session."},{"_id":"JNTDI4AF45EVRKD7LFZQUPKSEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733850889709},"type":"text","content":"Though we are still around a month away, we can get some glimpses into legislators’ priorities moving into the new year."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"dcad4e2dabd8b72046064a10eb1eb830acd154c8ea0cac642e7ff9fd0fc3562a"},"caption":"Hunter Buchheit ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Hunter Buchheit","width":1284,"_id":"OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/AEkv8Bcol-mp1w8tS0nDSut9WL4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/AEkv8Bcol-mp1w8tS0nDSut9WL4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/AEkv8Bcol-mp1w8tS0nDSut9WL4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/sWkqZ_3rgZKdm2napm5FphCWtZI=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"hunterbuchheit.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"UWDTWJADDFC67HEFQEK7OMVIUE"},"created_date":"2024-12-10T17:18:17Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-10T17:18:17Z","height":1875,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OE4IB4CWHJBJJPQZCIH6VPZG34.jpg?auth=dcad4e2dabd8b72046064a10eb1eb830acd154c8ea0cac642e7ff9fd0fc3562a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2OY3OAUSMFH4NMDPCYZVAMVWWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809187},"type":"text","content":"Artificial intelligence is a groundbreaking development with capabilities we have only just begun to explore. The Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis’ recent <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/senate-press-office-document-library/2024/study-committees-2024/ai-final/ai-report-final-signed-no-appendix.pdf__;!!JZyed81S!h8j2dVtdeQV_238_CCjVABxivZIizX1tqvsn3jP_JEqG7fc9Qe5U8ffdeuePNihH4q1r_AmJdWRliG01WjKhD3UvFqaY$\">report</a> on AI demonstrates an awareness of the issues, and it’s a step forward in the necessary path to managing and monitoring AI. For the safety of their constituents, legislators are obligated to involve themselves in its regulation to ensure that progress is positive, not destructive."},{"_id":"4P3GCNQY3BAK5HMFDXAJ6BSOYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809188},"type":"text","content":"As far as serving Georgia’s people — more specifically, Georgia’s students — legislators finally seem to be coming around to the idea of revamping the Quality Basic Education <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/new-audit-could-reignite-debate-about-georgias-school-funding-formula/5ATU7X3MHZBAFK6JGT4NQ2OCME/\">formula</a> — the calculation the state uses to dole out funds to its school districts."},{"_id":"HBNJPCHVTZCP5MZJMUKQMUICUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809189},"type":"text","content":"For years, there have been <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/fairer-funding-fairer-schools/\">calls</a> for<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-wont-attain-gold-standard-in-education-under-current-funding-formula/Q7TKS57XURDZHKY3DBXYLZLPKE/\"> overhauling the 1985 formula</a>, which — in its current state — does not contain a “poverty weight” or extra funding for students living in notably impoverished districts. The southern half of Georgia — whose rural districts often have the highest percentage of families living in poverty — contains the state’s highest concentration of “funding gap” public schools, where the amount of money being spent per student is severely below required spending."},{"_id":"H47FALAQHVC23GHTOQSMR7HW6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":201,"comment":"GaDOE"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809190},"type":"text","content":"Released Dec. 2, the Georgia Department of Education’s <a href=\"https://lor2.gadoe.org/gadoe/file/d8dac397-a27a-47b1-be24-f58171f6f5c7/1/2025%20GaDOE%20Legislative%20Priorities%20-%2012-2.pdf\">legislative priorities</a> identify several other issue areas along with its proposed QBE modernization. One of these is school safety, which the DOE looks to improve by — along with dedicated safety funds — installing <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-superintendent-wants-alert-system-and-resource-officer-in-every-school/CPOIJPNSNRFAHEW2EDFUFH7MT4/\">school resource officers</a> in every Georgia public school."},{"_id":"2CRQ6E2U2FCU7CTN2KKWRSGWJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":47,"comment":"around "},{"pos":114,"comment":"SROs "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809191},"type":"text","content":"Already, Georgia officials seem to be skirting the issue of gun safety, opting to supply school resource officers rather than implement regulations to preempt access to dangerous assault weapons."},{"_id":"KP2FGRCEV5GDFGE7RETM35J6TQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809192},"type":"text","content":"In theory, SROs are the ideal solution to the safety issue — as trained officers, they can step in and swiftly disarm a gunman, or stop a dangerous fight, or prevent weapons from entering school premises. In practice, however, the effectiveness of SROs is <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/06/nx-s1-5101693/examining-the-effectiveness-of-armed-school-resource-officers#:~:text=We%20don't%20observe%20the%20cases%20where%20SROs%20were%20able,see%20that%20they%20reduce%20violence.\">unclear</a>."},{"_id":"NWOKIOZQWNAC5NIA2R64E24A3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809193},"type":"text","content":"Without an exact description of what their position entails, SROs aren’t confined to any particular protocol. Students going to schools with SROs tend to face staggeringly higher rates of disciplinary <a href=\"https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1179139\">action</a> than students who do not, and <a href=\"https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1192515\">research</a> points to SROs disproportionately targeting disabled and minority students."},{"_id":"Q626Z3N5SBAWNNJ4MBJ5EMCLWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809194},"type":"text","content":"By contrast, state Sen. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/28\">Emanuel Jones</a>, D-Decatur, the chair of the <a href=\"https://senatepress.net/chairman-of-the-senate-safe-firearm-storage-study-committee-sen-emanuel-jones-statement-on-apalachee-high-school-shooting.html\">Senate Safe Firearm Storage Study Committee,</a> proposed six <a href=\"https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/democratic-georgia-lawmaker-sets-goals-for-2025-intended-to-reduce-childrens-gun-injuries/\">recommendations</a> aimed at reducing the number of children killed by gunfire. These recommendations include a systematic approach to identifying “potentially dangerous” students and a buffer period before the purchase of an assault rifle. Not only are these proposals sensible, but they are also necessary. SROs are merely a bandage on the open wound of unattended mental health issues and unregulated firearms."},{"_id":"2T6OSBNQ2JHTBPNYZRTMDWV7TE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":215,"comment":"as "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809195},"type":"text","content":"Looking back at failed legislation proposed last session, there is a concerning trend of legislators targeting Georgia’s students and teachers. These failed bills should not be resurrected as some legislators want; the legislation threatens both students and staffs of schools."},{"_id":"KDNY4MVHIJD2PLWJW7PI3XGWLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809196},"type":"text","content":"For example, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/154\">Senate Bill 154</a> seeks to remove public school librarians’ exemption from criminal prosecution for distributing “harmful materials” to minors. The bill fell in line with legislators’ ongoing war against student access to information, this time targeting the professionals whose job it is to dispense content that broadens young people’s worldview."},{"_id":"CO7BZFZSCBGZ5FX564NUDQILAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809197},"type":"text","content":"Legislators even targeted students themselves. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/365\">Senate Bill 365</a> aimed to vastly expand parents’ access to students’ records including all materials they consulted from the school library, which would be especially concerning for LGBTQ+ students hailing from unsafe households. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/88\">Senate Bill 88</a> curtailed student access to sex education and hindered their ability to change their name or gender identity on school records."},{"_id":"OFT3YR6ILZAC7EXZZ6WCJIMSB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":8,"comment":"n"}],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809198},"type":"text","content":"And in a shortsighted attempt to ameliorate Georgia’s counselor shortage — with a student-to-counselor ratio of <a href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a988972b-1faa-4b5f-8b9e-a73b5ac44476/ratios-22-23-alpha.pdf\">396-1</a>, far above the American School Counselor Association’s recommended <a href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/about-school-counseling/school-counselor-roles-ratios\">250-1</a> ratio — legislators proposed <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/379\">Senate Bill 379</a>. The bill would have allowed noncertified volunteer clergy members to serve in place of trained professionals in school counseling roles. SB 379 raised constitutional issues about the separation of church and state, as well as fears that the counseling could cross into proselytizing."},{"_id":"4GG3K2L3HJCGTKH7EJZTDW57C4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809199},"type":"text","content":"Students don’t need more policing; they don’t need more restrictions on what they can read; they don’t need more barriers to self-expression; and they don’t need volunteers in lieu of counselors prepared to advise, assist and administer care."},{"_id":"W5YUBUATN5CIVCCENZRBJJS2LI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809200},"type":"text","content":"It’s safe to say — based on what we know so far — that we’re dealing with some good, proposed policies and some bad ones as well. Legislators need to forgo culture war posturing and partisan grievances, and prioritize the people they represent, including Georgia’s students."},{"_id":"MU6XVRUNZ5G73N25TQ4EPFW4BY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734036809201},"type":"text","content":"<i>Hunter Buchheit is a student journalist from Marietta who focuses on Georgia politics, student issues and LGBTQ+ rights. He attends Emory University and is pursuing a degree in history and English and creative writing.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"politics.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"5df567512651768fcf9b77cb1b07ceccc3cf05d87513b9d2247b84aaee667af5"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Olivia Bowdoin","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Georgia students walk out of class to honor Apalachee HS, demand gun reform","width":7008,"caption":"A college student says the 2025 Georgia General Assembly should not rely on more armed guards in schools to prevent school shootings but add more school counselors and mental health resources. 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This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"T52ICN4SBFAJJKQVFTZAJNASP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734915575502},"type":"text","content":"The best teacher in the world cannot reach students who are not in class. School attendance is a fundamental aspect of a child’s education, impacting not only academic achievement but also social development and future opportunities."},{"_id":"MWKXJKZ5HBAYXGYUHZM77BREAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733784002864},"type":"text","content":"While occasional absences may seem harmless, a growing body of research demonstrates the long-term consequences of missing school. 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This trend is particularly concerning in areas with lower-income families, where absenteeism rates tend to be higher."},{"_id":"WVBZM3FJ65C63JDRDMOI36LM7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733759401052},"type":"text","content":"Every school day offers new learning opportunities, from reinforcing basic skills to exploring advanced concepts. Missing school disrupts learning and can lead to gaps in understanding, particularly in cumulative subjects like math and language arts."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2022 Atlanta Journal Constitution","address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"896788b239845884c833b80a834f53bd8e7c7ec157bd90575cc86796eeec776e"},"caption":"Mike Looney. 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Conversely, students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate on time and have better career opportunities."},{"_id":"2QTUQRIFHZAOJFSAVG5FAVODYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733845926556},"type":"text","content":"School attendance, therefore, is not just about the present moment but an investment in a student’s future."},{"_id":"TUVUUKVOFVEGTLNYRMUIHMZ4DA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733759401055},"type":"text","content":"School attendance also plays a vital role in socialization. Schools are a space where children develop important life skills, such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving. Regular attendance allows students to build and maintain relationships with peers and teachers, fostering a sense of community and belonging and contributing significantly to emotional well-being and self-esteem."},{"_id":"WD2CJ7NCJVAA7ER37E3WH77WIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733759401056},"type":"text","content":"It is essential to understand the factors that contribute to school absenteeism and take proactive steps to address them."},{"_id":"VMD377A7WNBOPIAVJPNQH335CE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733845926559},"type":"text","content":"Fulton County Schools has made great strides in implementing programs that support students and families, such as improving access to transportation and expanding mental health services. Schools must provide a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages attendance. Addressing issues such as bullying, providing mental health resources and offering incentives for good attendance can all help create a positive school culture that fosters engagement and commitment to learning."},{"_id":"LG7VA75GB5DDVNADWZGAAHHG4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733759401057},"type":"text","content":"However, efforts by educators are not enough; family involvement is critical. When parents emphasize the importance of school, students are more likely to attend."},{"_id":"XXI3QQZNSFHJPIQ7OCXRE43MUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733845926561},"type":"text","content":"Community support is also crucial in reducing absenteeism."},{"_id":"RPGK272QUFCHBOUFXHBGMEX33U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733845926562},"type":"text","content":"Local organizations, businesses, and civic groups can collaborate with schools to provide resources, mentorship and programs that help families overcome barriers to regular attendance. For example, the state Legislature could increase programs that address transportation challenges or provide after-school care and make a significant difference in keeping students in school consistently."},{"_id":"73N73PW3HNHKROYXAYLZX4E2YY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733759401058},"type":"text","content":"School attendance is much more than a mere obligation; it is a vital component of a child’s academic, social and emotional development. 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The solution should be to ensure children and their parents have the freedom and opportunity to choose where to go to school based on their individual needs and circumstances."},{"_id":"55PS244IAFEPNKIHRVMHCZYOSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340659},"type":"text","content":"In recent political discourse, the words equity and diversity have been used to promote various educational objectives. These words are sometimes used to justify limiting parental choice and encouraging equality of outcome for all students. 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Fortunately, we are seeing progress with Gov. Brian Kemp’s 2025 fiscal year budget proposal. According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, this proposal provides $13.3 billion in funding for Georgia’s public schools, which is a $1.4 billion increase from last fiscal year. This increase in funding will go toward school security grants, improved pupil transportation and providing schools with necessary resources and safety measures."},{"_id":"ONI4JLNGBJHJXPXRG2CFREYBK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340662},"type":"text","content":"Every student has unique learning styles and skill sets, and parents know these best. According to <a href=\"https://www.edweek.org/leadership/does-parent-involvement-really-help-students-heres-what-the-research-says/2023/07\" target=\"_blank\">EdWeek.org</a>, studies show that an increase in parental involvement leads to improved academic outcomes. Parent involvement in education leads to better academic success by providing a support system built on a positive attitude toward learning, boosting their children’s motivation and self-esteem as they advance through the school system."},{"_id":"FVWSSVKIRFEM7IYTEORUFN3FEM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"K6ORLZJIDRFQDPWGM4OQGI6DRA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"A math problem? Thousands of Georgia students eligible for limited number of Promise vouchers","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/thousands-of-georgia-students-eligible-for-limited-number-of-promise-vouchers/T5UZS2X5SBENTBBOGEPGOMR524/"},{"_id":"EU424V57VFGZTEN62AHSQIFINE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340663},"type":"text","content":"Gov. Kemp understands this. When signing the Promise Scholarship Act into law, he said: “We know it’s not the government’s role to dictate to families what the best choice is for their child. … It is our job to support them in making that decision.” This new law <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-officials-approve-details-for-new-school-voucher-program/GR4BB36DZNDJRD3DGAD4UDH2SQ/\" target=\"_blank\">supports traditional public schools</a> by providing for teacher pay raises, increased school security and programs to help children read better."},{"_id":"OH3HZFKOIRADLNEM5FUN4NACKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733268581219},"type":"text","content":"Most importantly, it gives parents $6,500 in an education savings account to pay for private school tuition or home-school expenses. Parents having more resources to send their children to private schools encourages public schools to be more competitive by improving education and not being complacent."},{"_id":"PGOIAVVKIRBS7PRW5UVQ2PI6XA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340664},"type":"text","content":"Georgia is heading in the right direction with funding and school choice. To continue this momentum, the state Legislature’s priority this upcoming session should be to expand school choice programs. The first step would be to adopt a universal school choice program."},{"_id":"3CHEOB2EHBBKJAJTG5WOLHU7HA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733268581221},"type":"text","content":"That means expanding eligibility to students and families regardless of income. These steps would not only give parents more options but strengthen public schools. This would drive competition since public schools will need to continuously improve to keep students, not being complacent as a default option. This ultimately empowers parents."},{"_id":"C2QBKUPJMJHWFB5FC4PBJB7CRQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"LZCQUIGKNFB3RHOQEQSDNZABGU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Ga. officials again take down list of low-performing, voucher-eligible schools","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/state-again-revises-list-of-low-performing-georgia-schools/BOWYSDDLXBGOPICCUYN7AEPN64/"},{"_id":"JVZP7ZXXU5FSTPA4RQQU35PVAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340665},"type":"text","content":"There is no one-size-fits all when it comes to education. By offering a wider range of options, parents will be empowered to choose teaching methods and materials that align to individual strengths and learning styles. An investment in education is an investment for the future, one that supports students reaching their full potential."},{"_id":"5FG4A5P6AFD2PLI35H4MDTBGGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733268581223},"type":"text","content":"If we want a country that meets the needs of every child and parent, we need to expand school choice and have Georgia set an example of what education should be."},{"_id":"Y7N2YBBM5NEYJJ75RKA6YT7K44","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733247340666},"type":"text","content":"<i>Michael O’Leary is a University of Georgia student who is vice chair of the UGA </i><a href=\"https://www.ugarepublicans.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>College Republicans</i></a><i> chapter.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A University of Georgia student wants state lawmakers to expand eligibility for school choice programs to students and families regardless of income."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"395b3a3e524a70caff21ab17841c5523f2e67c256d3634a6505afe398c9cbd56"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Natrice Miller/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"NATRICE MILLER","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Kemp Voucher","width":5088,"caption":"Gov. Brian Kemp and legislators applaud after signing Senate Bill 233, known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, at Liberty Plaza on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. 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Brian Kemp and legislators applaud after signing Senate Bill 233, known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, at Liberty Plaza on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/4ZSAFBQAE7T74DA3SPF4AZFQRM.JPG","height":3392,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/4ZSAFBQAE7T74DA3SPF4AZFQRM.JPG?auth=395b3a3e524a70caff21ab17841c5523f2e67c256d3634a6505afe398c9cbd56&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"H7BDMGIA3ZHCNIMYMK5HJ5S3WE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734543344098},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"YMI4Q7EAYNFLPGKRNZ7IP6DEPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734543344099},"type":"text","content":"In Georgia, the pursuit of a college degree should be a pathway to opportunity and upward mobility. Yet, for many students in the state, that journey ends prematurely — not because they lack ability or ambition, but because they run out of money."},{"_id":"UR6QGHVV4ZBMHDA5UCMO3PK4WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204595},"type":"text","content":"Increased need-based completion grants could make all the difference in helping more Georgians graduate from college."},{"_id":"Y2FIJ44XNBCHXGNCABRVXX3FVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":381,"comment":"many "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-06T20:28:41.585Z","start":385,"end":387,"text":"slight tweak to avoid use of \"many\" so close together","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732723204596},"type":"text","content":"Need-based completion grants are specifically designed to help students who are in the final semesters of their degree programs but face financial hardship that would prevent them from crossing the graduation stage. These grants are distinct from traditional scholarships or loans because they address the “last-mile” cost of education — the often-overlooked financial burden that several students face in their final semesters or years of college. For many, this last hurdle is the difference between earning a degree and leaving college with nothing but debt."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"0c1b9d59783587c6a490f795b9ce3e88763b1df363a377d7d64825cf284ced16"},"caption":"Cheryl Watson-Harris. (Photo Courtesy of Achieve Atlanta.)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Cheryl Watson-Harris","width":1061,"_id":"C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/8lu__N_ozXJAEIEQkDLPC127s4E=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/8lu__N_ozXJAEIEQkDLPC127s4E=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/8lu__N_ozXJAEIEQkDLPC127s4E=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/TsFdfj88mYi1fcUcVAmVbORF_Wo=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png","version":0,"originalName":"Cheryl Watson-Harris_1062x597.png","mime_type":"image/png","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"7JQWGOALWZA5NEQHDYKNJZAX5Q"},"created_date":"2023-04-19T21:31:39Z","last_updated_date":"2023-04-19T21:31:39Z","height":597,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/C4VZOPJYD5FITIUHNOQ4DMNVYM.png?auth=0c1b9d59783587c6a490f795b9ce3e88763b1df363a377d7d64825cf284ced16&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2BFXQDRBCRB4NFAVPZB33F25OE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204598},"type":"text","content":"By providing this targeted support, completion grants not only help students finish their degrees, but also reduce the number of students who fall into the “some college, no degree” category — a group that is far too large in Georgia."},{"_id":"JJITYO4PYNFKFAQAVL77UFEJFQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204599},"type":"text","content":"According to the <a href=\"https://nscresearchcenter.org/some-college-no-credential/\">National Student Clearinghouse</a>, more than 750,000 Georgians under the age of 65 have some college credit but do not have a degree. Many of these students are unable to finish because they lack the financial resources to persist to the finish line."},{"level":4,"_id":"VV7QWNM4R5D53P5LRAYIFXWLYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204600},"type":"header","content":"The benefits of need-based aid are more than financial"},{"_id":"Q6QPKZPOXRF43FMENZBH27CYNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204601},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://achieveatlanta.org/\">Achieve Atlanta</a> helps Atlanta Public Schools students access, afford and earn postsecondary credentials. We do that through services including college advising in high schools, a need-based scholarship and coaching support while students are in college."},{"_id":"BLX6FG2AQ5CZNNQNFQQ6EP5LUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204602},"type":"text","content":"More than 6,500 APS students have utilized Achieve Atlanta Scholarship funds to pursue higher education since our founding in 2015. More than 1,840 Achieve Atlanta Scholars (college students receiving our scholarship funds and support services) have already earned degrees, and this number will continue to increase as students progress through college."},{"_id":"UEVD3GCFGZCRRGENY7GCVCH3UQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204603},"type":"text","content":"However, even with our support, some Achieve Atlanta Scholars struggle to afford college as they near graduation. In each Achieve Atlanta cohort between 15% and 20% of scholars are only one to two terms away from graduating when they use up their Achieve Atlanta Scholarship funding eligibility (which lasts four years). In spring 2020, we launched a completion grant program to provide up to $2,500 per term to Achieve Atlanta Scholars who were on track to graduate within two terms but had exhausted their scholarship eligibility."},{"_id":"OJZEFQHE2FEZ7JFP6YWHGC6QHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204604},"type":"text","content":"Since launching the program, we have awarded more than 450 students with grants of up to $2,500 per term. More than 80% of completion grant recipients go on to earn their degrees."},{"_id":"SVV2AA6POBC2LCSIEVVVVZUHG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204605},"type":"text","content":"For many students, the emotional and psychological toll of being so close to finishing but being unable to afford that final push is immense. Need-based financial aid offers not just financial relief, but also a renewed sense of hope, encouragement and improved mental well-being."},{"_id":"CVHK3JIHYRHRLD76ONVQQ6OHZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204606},"type":"text","content":"In surveys and focus groups for a<a href=\"https://gpl.gsu.edu/publications/achieve-atlantas-impact-on-college-students-a-mixed-methods-approach/\"> 2024 study conducted by Georgia State University’s Georgia Policy Labs</a>, Achieve Atlanta Scholars spoke directly about the benefits of the need-based Achieve Atlanta Scholarship. They pointed out the scholarship improved their college experience because they were less stressed about affording basic needs. With the scholarship, they can work fewer hours or afford a place to live that is more conducive to learning."},{"_id":"OHTMNBIAFNEW5CFKZML4NB4JKU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204607},"type":"text","content":"Scholars also mentioned that feeling less stress helped them perform better academically, and data confirms this: The study shows they earn 0.75 more credit hours than similar students during their first term, representing an 8% increase. Moreover, they earn those credits with a higher grade-point average than similar peers."},{"_id":"SZ2TPIUKRVHKJDJOH5OWY4RB5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":1,"comment":"["},{"pos":18,"comment":"]"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204608},"type":"text","content":"<i>“(The Scholarship) allowed me to have more financial security and stability that I may not have had otherwise. … It helped me to get through school without having to worry and stress about funding and where I was going to get money.” — Achieve Atlanta Scholar</i>"},{"_id":"PEVQN37ZHVHLXFJ6QX5REOXBOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204609},"type":"text","content":"Scholars felt reduced financial stress, which allows them to focus on academic pursuits. We believe that awarding more of Georgia’s students with need-based completion grants would result in similar patterns of reduced stress and more mental capacity to focus on completing their degrees."},{"level":4,"_id":"XPX4EDC6NZBIXLBH5AXP7ODAXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-06T20:33:03.491Z","start":58,"end":60,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732723204610},"type":"header","content":"Georgia’s College Completion Grant Program is a great start, but needs improvements"},{"_id":"EJFVN6DIK5HWBHZ6VTWJA5W2KQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204611},"type":"text","content":"Thanks to persistent advocacy, <a href=\"https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/scholarships-grants/gccg/eligibility/\">Georgia’s College Completion Grant Program</a> was created in 2022 and is currently funded at $10 million, providing need-based completion grants to a limited number of Georgia college students."},{"_id":"OQSAPV4MAJFBRE4XOYKPDT4F24","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204612},"type":"text","content":"Another piece of legislation would have helped more students. House Bill 1124 would have lowered the portion of credits students must have completed in order to qualify for the grant. It would have changed to 70% of credits completed, from 80%, for students enrolled in four-year programs, and to 45% from 80% for students enrolled in two-year programs. The bill would have also extended the sunset date for the completion grant program to 2027, allowing more time to understand the program’s impact. While the bill received a favorable vote in the Georgia House, unfortunately, it did not make it through the Senate."},{"_id":"ML4LFFJKCFDNZFRNU2ISCHD23E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204613},"type":"text","content":"During the 2025 legislative session, we urge policymakers to:"},{"_id":"GFMFRLNMOVCEPLCR26BOCTCESE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204615},"type":"text","content":"● Increase funding for the College Completion Grant Program to enable more students to access need-based completion grants."},{"_id":"MVINJOL3IFGDJOHCOQMGFWS62Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204616},"type":"text","content":"● Lower the credits-completed requirement to increase the number of students eligible for the grant."},{"_id":"3UD777KRYFGXJOI6BKHQQMXJJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204617},"type":"text","content":"● Extend the sunset date for this program to allow more time for the state to see the impact of these completion grants."},{"_id":"5XO25OH6YJAOXCEH2B3SEAJMDQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204618},"type":"text","content":"● Support other statewide efforts for need-based financial aid to assist Georgia’s students in earning their degrees."},{"_id":"Q3UTTV3NYZAADOXGIR3X2AEXEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204619},"type":"text","content":"By helping students finish their degrees, we empower them to achieve personal success and economic mobility. Just as importantly, we ensure that Georgia’s future workforce is competitive, skilled and diverse."},{"_id":"DS2BA7YA55HXFHKGUSRKCGTVCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204620},"type":"text","content":"It’s time for Georgia to take a more holistic approach to college completion by expanding access to need-based completion grants. By doing so, we will help thousands of students finish their degrees and invest in our state’s economic vitality — creating a stronger, more economically competitive, more equitable Georgia for all."},{"_id":"DGHR62OSB5HMVEJTTSYIVYNPGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":24,"comment":"president/executive director "}],"comments":[],"_id":1732723204621},"type":"text","content":"<i>Cheryl Watson-Harris is the president and executive director of Achieve Atlanta. 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Jacobs. “These early childhood educators are professionals who play a crucial role in building a strong foundation for children’s academic, physical and social growth. These Early Childhood Educators of the Year awards honor teachers who demonstrate excellence in caring for Georgia’s youngest learners in child care settings. Their dedication to providing high-quality care and early education is shaping the future of our children, communities and state.”"},{"_id":"4AJIQUZAFBESDM3W3SWJ6JWDZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":43,"comment":","},{"pos":126,"comment":"Preschool Category "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-18T18:25:57.583Z","start":33,"end":35,"text":"do not set off with commas, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1734544347253},"type":"text","content":"DECAL named Samantha Mullins from Our House Inc. in Atlanta the 2024-2025 Georgia Early Childhood Educator of the Year in the preschool category. 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With a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education leadership, Mullins believes she can make a difference in her community by promoting the importance of supporting young children through quality early education."},{"_id":"CNH74L3U7RFZHORHLJSUWKBOFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":121,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1734544347258},"type":"text","content":"The Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning awarded winners $3,000 for personal use, $2,000 for a classroom makeover and up to $2,500 for schools to cover travel costs and stipends for substitute teachers as the teacher fulfills their duties as Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year."},{"_id":"JCVO6YEG3NGGFCEPUMH34FL4JI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":129,"comment":"2 "},{"pos":137,"comment":"3 "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734544347259},"type":"text","content":"Candidates for the titles must have been employed as a lead teacher in the age group for which they were nominated at a licensed two- or three-star Quality Rated child care program that is in good standing with all programs administered by DECAL. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. 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(Courtesy)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/4FARXFTSYZEWBI63IM55ERNYUM.jpeg","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/4FARXFTSYZEWBI63IM55ERNYUM.jpeg?auth=3a611b8c60cef415f6e9500064787a4682a91c36dd9a54c9ca2056fc814771f4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"SQ5PKYFVT5FG7BJRB3KULHJWFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734467926972},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"DQKB2SKNH5CLLDCO5GEF6CBHRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734467926973},"type":"text","content":"Lawmakers fighting the culture wars have a bad reputation for crafting legislation that is a solution in search of a problem. Georgia has seen its fair share of that in recent years. The best example is the 2022 “<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-lawmakers-approve-divisive-concepts-transgender-sports-bills/B3VRB7VXMBGAFBLDFM6JLYSULE/\" target=\"_blank\">divisive concepts</a>” law."},{"_id":"LDVTRT3UMNGPZH2UT6IY74VCJY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141675},"type":"text","content":"While the law doesn’t apply to higher education writ large, it has harmed <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-commission-votes-to-remove-diversity-from-teacher-prep-rules/DOXA5DJ3M5BJRNG5LPEPIEAUUA/\" target=\"_blank\">teacher training</a>."},{"_id":"KRG6CCZP7ZCHLC5UX2OFHP4FF4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141676},"type":"text","content":"Such legislation has largely stuck to primary and secondary education. I think that is because of the constitutional independence of our university system. Seven-year terms for our <a href=\"https://www.usg.edu/regents/members\" target=\"_blank\">Board of Regents</a> and their appointment by the governor are supposed to provide a buffer from political interference and partisan domination."},{"_id":"5NHJA4VSRJEZXHYAJB5ABTCFVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":172,"comment":"?"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141677},"type":"text","content":"But as legislators keep rallying their “base” through lawmaking, members of the Board of Regents seemingly have felt the need to get ahead of — or is it to get in line with — lawmakers. We see this with the board erasing diversity as a priority across campuses. It did the same in November with banning “political tests” in admissions, as if that were a problem."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"University of North Georgia","address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"cf6f1374a487748934fd2c5032a60b6cca81e00829b009e0a2f789c08ddc04f8"},"caption":"Matthew Boedy","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Peggy Cozart","type":"author","byline":"Peggy Cozart"}]},"subtitle":"New Matthew Boedy, University of North Georgia","width":3133,"_id":"SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/n-11wZPyKyLUvUZNkXTq7lrTrrw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":["mathew boedy"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/n-11wZPyKyLUvUZNkXTq7lrTrrw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","takenOn":"2019-02-28T08:31:50Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/n-11wZPyKyLUvUZNkXTq7lrTrrw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/xS7AaEBEeRDR53szn5Z4C18plRw=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"boedy.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"7OT3GCVIGZCGPC2C3B3HJGLCB4","iptc_title":"UNG photographer"},"created_date":"2021-01-21T21:23:09Z","last_updated_date":"2023-11-28T00:03:52Z","height":4693,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SIUGJMZZRFBCPDE66VCCXP2EMA.jpg?auth=cf6f1374a487748934fd2c5032a60b6cca81e00829b009e0a2f789c08ddc04f8&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"B3QC6HIGZ5FYBEX4NIT4EYNNAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141678},"type":"text","content":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is asking stakeholders like me to propose a new law or policy that lawmakers might consider in its upcoming term."},{"_id":"U7MGTCWQX5FDNPQLYI2N3P6FRE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141679},"type":"text","content":"Last year <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/legislature-2024-higher-ed-is-georgias-lifeblood-support-it/HZ27UBSJBFGGZNJ5RY3IYJVHJ4/\" target=\"_blank\">I asked lawmakers to defend higher education</a> during what would become a tumultuous election season. This year I think they should practice the adage “first do no harm.” In other words: do nothing."},{"_id":"S2LZRDXTPBEKFMDOMRUCWXBUJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141680},"type":"text","content":"Don’t file any bill to propose any change to the university system. Don’t give another second to studying if the system should switch back to a quarter system. Don’t fret the relationship between the system and the technical colleges. Don’t question the role of faculty senates like Texas is doing. And don’t try to impose curriculum reform like Florida is doing."},{"_id":"4N6FCSS6JNFRTIFMQXII2F7WGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":75,"comment":"legislature "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T21:08:25.651Z","start":86,"end":88,"text":"uppercase when state name is dropped but reference is to specific legislature, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643141682},"type":"text","content":"This approach can be applied to the constitutional obligation of the state Legislature to pass a budget."},{"_id":"UXM2TQKW7RHUVFTA4J5JOZ4VMA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T21:00:02.138Z","start":130,"end":132,"text":"added \"of\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643141683},"type":"text","content":"Lawmakers might hear this session about a plan to implement “performance” budgeting within the university system. That is, instead of basing budgets on enrollment, some think it’s best to base investment in higher education on retention and completion rates."},{"_id":"NFP4AL7U55FXJMNOWWOBXWQ4C4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141684},"type":"text","content":"As attractive as more “accountability” for schools sounds, research has shown these types of budget policies don’t actually help students succeed. And sometimes these policies change schools for the worse."},{"_id":"TKBHERDXQBGIHBGWSKEMLDDTMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":183,"comment":" but"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141685},"type":"text","content":"Lawmakers, do your due diligence in hearings on the merits of the university system’s budget. But changing the budget design would not just be another example of looking for a problem — it could actually do harm."},{"_id":"J7K2CTFPAFHM3GUCXNCFQA674M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T21:01:39.822Z","start":95,"end":97,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643141686},"type":"text","content":"When debating the budget, please remember raises are always nice and needed. As a state employee, I thank the governor and lawmakers for recognizing the need for cost of living adjustments. I don’t know where my family would be without the $10,000 we have received in the last three years."},{"_id":"C6KYOPJPJNDLDBXKLLTAX7Q4GQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141687},"type":"text","content":"If indeed lawmakers leave higher education alone, I am hopeful the Board of Regents will get the message and know it doesn’t have to act in lawmakers’ stead and keep crafting policy as solutions in search of a problem."},{"_id":"V4T4BBL44VFDZCDB3P2AH2YDUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":258,"comment":" the letter Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a Birmingham jail"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T21:05:53.482Z","start":326,"end":328,"text":"slightly restructured sentence to get name of letter to land together","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643141688},"type":"text","content":"A recent example of that came in November when the board specified the law that mandates college students get instruction in Georgia and United States history and our constitutions by naming specific texts students must read such as the Federalist Papers and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Apparently the law wasn’t enough to give our students the civics they need."},{"_id":"GHDJXRMHXVARRLDPBVSCKNON2A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141689},"type":"text","content":"It is not coincidental that Mississippi and South Carolina lawmakers have filed bills in recent years with the Regents’ exact list."},{"_id":"AMS6GKWXOBDN3HSYHC5RQSUBRE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141690},"type":"text","content":"The worst example of the board’s policy in search of a problem was<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-board-of-regents-approves-changes-to-its-post-tenure-review-guidelines/KC4L3C4HKNGQ5HZIXDNP5PLP7I/\" target=\"_blank\"> the 2021 changes to faculty review </a>based on the myth of the deadwood professor. I believe the university system’s own data now shows those changes were not needed, one study showing a lower rate of poor performance in experienced faculty than before the changes. The changes got the system <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/faculty-group-censures-georgia-university-system-over-tenure-changes/PR4XL3HHYNHI3HLJV3HGMY7VPQ/\" target=\"_blank\">censured</a> by the nation’s professional standards organization for higher education, the American Association of University Professors, the group I represent. A simple fix has been on the table since the problem was created by the regents."},{"_id":"TGLJECGVQBEVLIT6RBI2XYHGYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643141691},"type":"text","content":"If my representatives at the Gold Dome want to improve our university system, this term stay on the sidelines and take pressure off leaders of the university system. Let them focus on an easy solution to an actual problem."},{"_id":"4ZPBGJRAPVFX3GVA4EQ36T4DVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733406431828},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://ung.edu/english/faculty-staff-bio/matthew-boedy.php\"><i>Matthew Boedy</i></a><i> is an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the</i><a href=\"https://ung.edu/\"><i> University of North Georgia</i></a><i> and conference president of the</i><a href=\"https://aaupgeorgia.wordpress.com/resources/contact-2/\"><i> Georgia chapter </i></a><i>of the </i><a href=\"https://aaupgeorgia.wordpress.com/\"><i>American Association of University Professors,</i></a><i> a national organization that represents the interests of college and university faculty members.</i>"},{"_id":"6T5I6RHZGNE5TICGRNRX3YKNSU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733406431829},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"A public college professor has a simple request for the Georgia General Assembly with regards to what it can do for higher education this year: Do nothing at all."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"politics.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"6461fcbfd815df69c4e89002dec5e4797ea2ea9eafc370f0a280f61194c9d42d"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Natrice Miller/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[]},"subtitle":"Sine Die","width":3984,"caption":"A professor on a public campus in Georgia believes the best thing the 2025 Legislature can do for colleges and universities is nothing. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2024)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ILZHCFUFFNURR2ADI4L7MOLVQA.JPG","height":2656,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ILZHCFUFFNURR2ADI4L7MOLVQA.JPG?auth=6461fcbfd815df69c4e89002dec5e4797ea2ea9eafc370f0a280f61194c9d42d&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-a-georgia-professor-wants-state-lawmakers-to-do-no-harm-this-session/XDYRB5S2OJBI7LWBN64FUUOEM4/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-18T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Matthew Boedy","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Professor’s advice to Georgia lawmakers: Do nothing this session on higher ed"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-18T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-18T10:00:14.043Z","_id":"XDYRB5S2OJBI7LWBN64FUUOEM4","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"6461fcbfd815df69c4e89002dec5e4797ea2ea9eafc370f0a280f61194c9d42d"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Natrice Miller/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[]},"subtitle":"Sine Die","width":3984,"caption":"A professor on a public campus in Georgia believes the best thing the 2025 Legislature can do for colleges and universities is nothing. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2024)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ILZHCFUFFNURR2ADI4L7MOLVQA.JPG","height":2656,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ILZHCFUFFNURR2ADI4L7MOLVQA.JPG?auth=6461fcbfd815df69c4e89002dec5e4797ea2ea9eafc370f0a280f61194c9d42d&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"CW7XK6PBLZANDB7MGPE3K6PSKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the first of these columns.</i>"},{"_id":"MKU2RJ34SRFOJFMSVTUYKC4HCQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The state of Georgia is <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-starts-budget-season-with-165-billion-in-reserves/RVULGEGNJZDTTJTPARHOO5GADE/\">sitting on a historic cash surplus</a>, amounting now to about $11 billion, along with a $5.5 billion rainy day fund. At the same time, our state government is underfunding Georgia’s struggling child care industry, which is essential to the healthy function of families and our economy. Directing just a fraction of Georgia’s surplus billions toward child care and early education would have lasting, positive reverberations through the futures of children, families and our society."},{"_id":"RNPYSK6HLVBG5E4YVMKRJAZV64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681060},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s child care landscape has long been in crisis. Even before COVID-19, wages for some of our state’s child care providers and early educators were low enough to qualify as poverty-level. During the pandemic, aid provided by the federal <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/american-rescue-plan/\">American Rescue Plan</a> kept many child care programs afloat. Since those funds lapsed a little over a year ago, conditions for this industry are worse than ever. According to research by Quality Care for Children, 15% of Georgia’s child care programs are at risk for closure."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"332be89f1440a82f05e2ce27b1f5c11adeb2bf3a5b497e4f43457c1e06b9ea6e"},"caption":"Mindy Binderman","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Mindy Binderman","width":4016,"_id":"FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/EfGFCJDNqMoVlGLQ5JppJmugmC8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/EfGFCJDNqMoVlGLQ5JppJmugmC8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/EfGFCJDNqMoVlGLQ5JppJmugmC8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/G7ga5LXx29kkMGCbcTt0ENS_wJc=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"MBinderman - Headshot.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"ID2HTCZGPRFXZHNXP7JT6BIK7Y"},"created_date":"2024-11-26T17:38:11Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-26T17:38:11Z","height":6016,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FX5IZZYLZJFYFLSCGRUER6ZMAM.jpg?auth=332be89f1440a82f05e2ce27b1f5c11adeb2bf3a5b497e4f43457c1e06b9ea6e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"AL5FRPL5TFHNHDYI7BPDSA6JLI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681063},"type":"text","content":"The families who rely upon high-quality child care to maintain their employment are also struggling. In a <a href=\"https://geears.org/wp-content/uploads/Hart-Parent-Survey-Executive-Summary.pdf\">poll of parents of young children</a> conducted by the <a href=\"https://geears.org/\">Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students</a>, eight in 10 respondents reported difficulty affording a basic need such as food, housing or child care. Forty-four percent indicated child care problems had compelled them or their partners to turn down a job and 36% said they’d had to leave the workforce entirely due to the challenges."},{"_id":"OWDOKTXZQJA3ZPVWFBOQJF7OAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681064},"type":"text","content":"Both providers and families need child care help — a thoughtful investment in early childhood care and education. Without it, we’ll continue down a path illuminated by research conducted by GEEARS and the Metro Atlanta Chamber that found child care challenges lead to an <a href=\"https://geears.org/wp-content/uploads/Policymakers-recs-reader-FINAL.pdf\">annual economic activity loss of $1.75 billion and an additional loss of $105 million in tax revenue</a>."},{"_id":"C7N5CZTABNHLVH2VR2HUKVLZMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":142,"comment":" (CAPS)"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T22:29:57.819Z","start":141,"end":143,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643681065},"type":"text","content":"And yet, in the last legislative session, Georgia’s government budgeted only $9.3 million additional dollars for Childcare and Parent Services, the subsidy program for families who satisfy our state’s stringent work and income eligibility requirements. (Georgia’s income eligibility is the lowest in the United States.) This inadequate amount means that only 15% of qualifying families receive the subsidies that allow parents to access care for their children, get to their jobs, support their families and contribute to the economy."},{"_id":"5ECQLMTMONH5NIZJSFJ67FIM2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681066},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s recent allocation of funds for child care pales in comparison to many other states, even though <a href=\"https://geears.org/wp-content/uploads/Child-Care-One-Pager.pdf\">the majority of Georgia voters support providing state funding</a> to help working families afford child care. In the last two years, Alabama has invested $30 million in its child care system. Florida: $69 million. Louisiana: $51 million. Maryland and Minnesota’s contributions are much larger, at $218 million and $750 million, respectively."},{"_id":"64TMNRXF55E3VN6KGWEBPJGWDI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681067},"type":"text","content":"Like these states, Georgia should increase CAPS funding to boost the number of children who can access child care. This measure would improve families’ ability to maintain employment and/or seek higher education, which in turn could help elevate their income — and tax bracket. The alleviation of child care-based stress can also <a href=\"https://geears.org/wp-content/uploads/Hart-Parent-Survey-Executive-Summary.pdf\">improve parents’ mental health</a> and help prevent child neglect and abuse."},{"_id":"M6Y55LHBYNHJFDU3JJ73G4XBZ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681068},"type":"text","content":"We must also support early educators by raising their untenable salaries and providing other retention-boosting incentives, such as free professional development opportunities. These measures would both stabilize the shaky field and raise educational quality for children, providing them with the academic foundation and social-emotional benefits that lead to smoother transitions to K-12 school and achievement of “reading to learn” by third grade, a crucial literacy milestone."},{"_id":"HOOXSWKE3RALLJKSTA5NZSCD3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":579,"comment":"legislature’s "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T22:33:48.988Z","start":592,"end":594,"text":"uppercase when referring to specific legislature, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643681069},"type":"text","content":"Luckily, a bipartisan septet of legislators has been delving into our state’s challenging child care landscape this fall. Established during the 2024 legislative session, the Georgia Senate <a href=\"https://www.senate.ga.gov/committees/en-US/2024StudyCommittees.aspx\">Study Committee on Access to Affordable Child Care</a> includes several parent legislators who know firsthand what it’s like to juggle work and the child care needs of young children. They’ve been hearing from different stakeholders, including GEEARS, on the impact of child care challenges and potential solutions. In the next couple weeks, the committee will release recommendations for the Legislature’s consideration come January."},{"_id":"YRHF6HVTOZCRHEE5HQBR67VTD4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681070},"type":"text","content":"With Georgia’s $11 billion surplus, we<i> </i>have an opportunity to strategically invest funds in child care, addressing both an urgent, current need and the futures of our youngest children, whose brain growth and development are at their most rapid and critical during these first years of life. The return on that investment will be profound, both societally and economically."},{"_id":"2QS4H4ZID5ALDMLOPBAJRGMSCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-05T22:34:36.268Z","start":180,"end":182,"text":"added first name on first and only reference to kemp","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732643681071},"type":"text","content":"In other words, an investment in our youngest Georgians and their families will benefit not just those families and not just their child care providers, but all of us. We urge Gov. Brian Kemp and the members of Georgia’s General Assembly to capitalize on the momentum of the Study Committee — they should expand their vision for our state’s surplus and act now to make child care a priority."},{"_id":"BPSICD2AYJHMVAOYHGESKJRWE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":51,"comment":":"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732643681072},"type":"text","content":"<i>Mindy Binderman is the executive director of GEEARS, the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"With 15% of Georgia’s child care programs at risk for closure, an advocate urges the Legislature to direct some of the state's budget surplus to help providers and families."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"politics.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4714c00617ce18f30e3c144196879801f45ab0cd09b1b0e277d56962517e12d0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Child care crisis: Industry facing closures","width":1600,"caption":"During the COVID-19 pandemic, aid provided by the American Rescue Plan Act kept many child care programs afloat. Since those funds lapsed a little over a year ago, conditions for this industry are worse than ever. According to research by Quality Care for Children, 15% of Georgia’s child care programs are at risk for closure. (Courtesy)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IND6UY75O5FKLLEW7KQ263VIOM.jpeg","height":900,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IND6UY75O5FKLLEW7KQ263VIOM.jpeg?auth=4714c00617ce18f30e3c144196879801f45ab0cd09b1b0e277d56962517e12d0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-should-direct-some-of-its-budget-surplus-to-help-child-care-providers-and-families/NFHGFWH4ONDJPJNANAUCCKUJQU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-17T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Mindy Binderman","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Invest Georgia’s ample budget surplus in child care and early education"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-17T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-17T10:00:14.549Z","_id":"NFHGFWH4ONDJPJNANAUCCKUJQU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"4714c00617ce18f30e3c144196879801f45ab0cd09b1b0e277d56962517e12d0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Child care crisis: Industry facing closures","width":1600,"caption":"During the COVID-19 pandemic, aid provided by the American Rescue Plan Act kept many child care programs afloat. Since those funds lapsed a little over a year ago, conditions for this industry are worse than ever. According to research by Quality Care for Children, 15% of Georgia’s child care programs are at risk for closure. (Courtesy)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IND6UY75O5FKLLEW7KQ263VIOM.jpeg","height":900,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IND6UY75O5FKLLEW7KQ263VIOM.jpeg?auth=4714c00617ce18f30e3c144196879801f45ab0cd09b1b0e277d56962517e12d0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JF2NCA2DXRHG3GADYDQUSIHW5Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678048},"type":"text","content":"School choice advocates blame the decisive defeats of major ballot referendums on vouchers in three states this year on the campaign spending and propaganda by opponents. Yet, even in deep red Kentucky and Nebraska, where overwhelming majorities of the electorate endorsed Donald Trump, voters broke with Republican orthodoxy and rebuffed vouchers."},{"_id":"MPF7OD4HSRATVCG2G2U2SGKFEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678049},"type":"text","content":"Maybe, voters in Kentucky, Nebraska and Colorado blocked public tax dollars flowing into private hands not because they were bamboozled, but because they saw the problems in existing vouchers programs and recognized the ultimate goal was the decimation of public education. A <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/arizona-budget-deficit-cuts-hobbs-legislature-f84e9144310146ceb0f58c742af53973\">$1.4 billion budget shortfall</a> in Arizona is blamed in part on the unchecked expansion of its <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/education-arizona-doug-ducey-school-vouchers-7c5d7eb0498e5e7234d7eeb726027506\">school voucher program</a>, which is expected to cost state <a href=\"https://grandcanyoninstitute.org/research/education/private-school-subsidies/cost-of-the-universal-esa-vouchers/\">taxpayers $429 million in fiscal year 2025.</a>"},{"_id":"N232E6EO4JCADHIFCTTSC5N6HE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678050},"type":"text","content":"The shaky rollout of Georgia’s newly enacted voucher program is also a demonstration of the inherent risks and the potential runaway costs."},{"_id":"VU45DS7S2RAXBC4Z2PVLT223NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":329,"comment":"on "},{"pos":420,"comment":"home-schooling "}],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678051},"type":"text","content":"Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican lawmakers didn’t risk trusting voters to decide before <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-legislation-establishing-another-voucher-program-in-georgia/3FZ3LA3DZVFI3AVEK6BF6B66OU/\" target=\"_blank\">pushing through their voucher bill </a>this spring, likely because two polls conducted early in the legislative session found the<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/ajc-poll-most-georgians-oppose-school-vouchers-support-medicaid-expansion/P77KOVQNLJF7NN7SKHFFPGMU2M/\" target=\"_blank\"> majority of Georgia voters</a> opposed using public money to pay private school tuition. As a result, the GOP leadership in Georgia avoided the word “vouchers.” Their<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-house-votes-for-wider-access-to-school-vouchers-amid-criticism/6UFBVHE6XBDV7NRAFDIZYDWEHI/\"> $6,500 vouchers t</a>o pay for private school or homeschooling expenses come disguised as the “Georgia Promise Scholarship.”"},{"_id":"XV3GOXUZX5HP5ISTXWLLTD276Q","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"WLIYDUWOTBAM5IHBHREFP3UMAM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"A math problem? Thousands of Georgia students eligible for limited number of Promise vouchers","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/thousands-of-georgia-students-eligible-for-limited-number-of-promise-vouchers/T5UZS2X5SBENTBBOGEPGOMR524/"},{"_id":"GASMDATIERBJREG7XDYXQGMJME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678052},"type":"text","content":"That wariness of Georgia voters <a href=\"https://gbpi.org/poll-k12-2024/\" target=\"_blank\">reflected in the polls </a>was warranted. While Senate Bill 233 was proposed to apply to students attending the lowest performing 25% of schools in Georgia, a wider interpretation appears to be in the works."},{"_id":"M7NDPBVYONHQZFYTJYNBMV3U34","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678053},"type":"text","content":"It’s hard to know for sure as the<a href=\"https://gosa.georgia.gov/\" target=\"_blank\"> Governor’s Office of Student Achievement </a>has twice in the last two weeks <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/state-again-revises-list-of-low-performing-georgia-schools/BOWYSDDLXBGOPICCUYN7AEPN64/\" target=\"_blank\">pulled back the list </a>of low-performing Georgia schools where kids next year would be eligible for vouchers, citing a need to review the calculations used in the selection process."},{"_id":"CHQLR3M2LVA6JAYOGMCH3EPRA4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-13T23:31:13.842Z","start":0,"end":5,"text":"This quote has been added.","user":"ERIC STIRGUS","email":"Eric.Stirgus@ajc.com"}],"_id":1734109678054},"type":"text","content":"“GOSA is conducting a very careful, thorough and conscientious analysis and validation process to ensure the ultimate list is accurate, and it will therefore be posted at a later date in the new year. We continue to work with stakeholders during this process,” said Joy Hawkins, GOSA <a href=\"https://gosa.georgia.gov/contacts/executive-director-joy-hawkins\">executive director </a>on Friday."},{"_id":"HWODTEUPHBCETGAMERAMVYSOUI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678055},"type":"text","content":"Those pulled lists of eligible schools qualified at least<b> </b>340,000 students enrolled<b> </b>in more than 500 schools for vouchers, although the law caps funding at a level sufficient to underwrite vouchers for approximately 21,000 children."},{"_id":"QR6KRF5JNBHZPLSWA6DCOBFYPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678056},"type":"text","content":"During the legislative debates, sponsors insisted the taxpayer-funded voucher would be limited to students in schools that performed in the lowest 25% on state metrics. However, eligibility now is based not only on the performance level of students’ current schools but of other schools in their attendance zone. This leaves the door open for elementary students at strong schools to receive scholarships if their future high school is underperforming."},{"_id":"B5K5LTEVEBEXBHEOPZISR3MGPY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678057},"type":"text","content":"And, oddly, while the <a href=\"https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB233/2023\" target=\"_blank\">legislation language </a>doesn’t exclude charter schools, those schools are somehow magically now exempted from losing any students to vouchers even if they, too, are performing below state metrics. It’s a surprising exemption given that some of the lowest performing schools in metro districts, including Atlanta Public Schools, carry charter status."},{"_id":"4SRNWXET5JBQHHOWFAON62OJBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678058},"type":"text","content":"A cynic might suggest there is something besides sloppiness and bad math in Georgia’s rocky voucher rollout. For example, how do we end up with an eligibility inventory of students that is 15 times the number budgeted for in the law? And why do low-performing charter schools win a “get out of jail free card” that prevents their students from qualifying for a voucher?"},{"_id":"ERRJVQQXSBFD5FMYRPYKL75HOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678060},"type":"text","content":"Politics figures into the answers to both questions. By instantly qualifying thousands more students for vouchers, proponents create a demand that can justify the same rapid and reckless expansion that left Arizona in a financial free fall. Charter schools already represent a form of school choice and tampering with them may have had political repercussions."},{"_id":"T4CX5FJJHNEUHHGV2N4YOYC4VE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678061},"type":"text","content":"That Georgia’s voucher program is rife with political maneuvers is no surprise given the rationale never included any real educational value. <a href=\"https://www.edweek.org/leadership/precious-little-evidence-that-vouchers-improve-achievement-recent-research-finds/2017/11\" target=\"_blank\">Well regarded studies </a>show <a href=\"https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20160634\" target=\"_blank\">statewide school vouchers</a> lead to some of the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-vouchers-by-any-other-name-are-still-failed-policy/ES5YX5VGGFH33FCYHSB7S22VUQ/\" target=\"_blank\">largest academic losses i</a>n the research record."},{"_id":"U7NN42DRNFHQFCRWFCLXNBTKYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678062},"type":"text","content":"Vouchers turned into a divisive political tactic under the manipulations of politicians eager to buoy their conservative credentials. The role that public schools long served as a community focal point and a place of common ground is no longer valued by those benefiting from an “us and them” political view."},{"_id":"T4CX5FJJHNEUHHGV2N4YOYC4VE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734109678063},"type":"text","content":"The broken promise within the Georgia Promise Scholarship is that these vouchers help children. They don’t. They help politicians."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The broken promise within the Georgia Promise Scholarship is that these new private school vouchers help children. They don’t. They help politicians."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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With Gov. Brian Kemp leading the way, the Georgia General Assembly has funded historic <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-to-sign-budget-with-raises-for-300000-workers-today/YHW6W5P3V5BCPPGFWT3DIVEUDE/\" target=\"_blank\">pay increases for our educators</a>, support staff and other personnel who prepare our children for a successful future."},{"_id":"BWKV4CEGA5AQXO6WQH5K223QQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1734003837128},"type":"text","content":"A key priority of the Senate Republican Caucus, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/233\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 233</a>, was signed into law establishing the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-officials-approve-details-for-new-school-voucher-program/GR4BB36DZNDJRD3DGAD4UDH2SQ/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Promise Scholarship</a>. This scholarship will allow families with students enrolled in low-preforming public schools to use a $6,500 scholarship for tuition to attend private schools and to cover other educational expenses. This monumental legislation took over a decade to pass, but it was a priority I was not willing to waver on."},{"_id":"I2LRG6JJZNA77LO6ZBAUN6SIBI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"7Z65NDEWYZD65GQFYF6NYGHUF4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"All that glitters isn’t gold when it comes to education spending in Georgia","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-georgia-wont-attain-gold-standard-in-education-under-current-funding-formula/Q7TKS57XURDZHKY3DBXYLZLPKE/"},{"_id":"GCC5GKMISFBVFNYW4IVJVMDZSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":271,"comment":"childcare "},{"pos":385,"comment":"childcare "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732790},"type":"text","content":"While these efforts support Georgia’s students, educators and parents, I realize there is more to be done, and I am looking ahead to next year’s session to continue this work. We must address an issue we can all agree on — the need to grow Georgia’s pool of teachers and child care workers. While workforce issues impact businesses across the board, there is a critical need among our child care centers and schools."},{"_id":"NB4QTWNMG5E6BL6L5JITJN4O6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":303,"comment":"childcare "},{"pos":432,"comment":"daycares "},{"pos":550,"comment":"childcare "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-11T20:26:15.897Z","start":450,"end":452,"text":"day care is also two words, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733961010443},"type":"text","content":"These are the places of impact where our youngest and most vulnerable are cared for and educated at the most pivotal moments in their lives. If we wish to remain the number one state in which to do business, we must prioritize innovative ways to grow our workforce, while also providing resources, like child care, for those who are willing and able to work. This includes keeping places of learning open and properly staffed, from day cares through high school. We must do more to ensure that Georgia’s workers have access to affordable and quality child care."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"Atlanta Journal-Constitution","address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"GA"},"auth":{"1":"f466b42caa79b19f5b6bd057eb097919ab71f842fdd0cd5ef57279d4d5639021"},"caption":"Lt. Gov. 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Families across Georgia face the important choice of whether to have one spouse cut back on working hours or leave the workforce altogether due to the high cost of child care. We should do more to ensure more Georgians — especially moms — have access to quality and affordable child care so they can stay in the workforce if that’s what they choose to do."},{"_id":"XNSULP5ASJGAXFIB3MUUGAWPFQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-11T20:38:50.036Z","start":54,"end":56,"text":"kept childcare as one word here since it is the committee's formal name","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733947732792},"type":"text","content":"To address this issue, I appointed and prioritized the <a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/other-committees/senate/2024/affordable-childcare\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare</a>. I want to thank Sen. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/835\" target=\"_blank\">Brian Strickland</a>, R–McDonough, each member of the committee, stakeholders and community members who were engaged with this effort. The study committee filed its final report, and I am proud to prioritize the following initiatives from the recommendations."},{"_id":"HLWRONQVRNC6RGIZDVJCGT6HFM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UHFKXLZKEFEITML35YFFHF6ZPY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia should invest to expand promising approaches to reading reforms","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-state-lawmakers-should-pay-attention-to-the-work-in-three-georgia-school-districts-to-improve-student-literacy/O4JPALYYDFFNZEIJP3GFHL5FJA/"},{"_id":"L3DDF4NNDRDHDECW73XW7DMUTE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732793},"type":"text","content":"First, I will propose an increase in the tax credit for child and dependent care expenses to 40% of taxable income (up from 30%)."},{"_id":"TXP2TRHG4NAEZLHWRRNYTL272Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732794},"type":"text","content":"Second, I will prioritize the creation of a Georgia Child Tax Credit of $250 per child under age 7, helping families with the youngest children offset the expenses they incur as their children reach school age."},{"_id":"F4XGJKXTXRGFNOGD77GAH5NXRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":94,"comment":"childcare "},{"pos":222,"comment":" non-employees"}],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732795},"type":"text","content":"Finally, I will propose expanding eligibility for Georgia’s tax credit for employer-sponsored child care and making the amount of that credit more generous. The proposal would allow such facilities to host more children of nonemployees and would allow the sponsor to claim up to 90% of the cost of operation as a credit (up from 75%). The proposal would also allow the credit to consume up to 75% of the sponsor’s income tax liability (up from 50%)."},{"_id":"JQDMSHV5KNC2NCRGF5BTAN3QQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":75,"comment":"childcare "},{"pos":130,"comment":"childcare "},{"pos":205,"comment":"daycare "},{"pos":249,"comment":"daycare "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732796},"type":"text","content":"These measures will help families who are struggling to afford the cost of child care and will encourage more businesses to offer child care as an employee benefit. Crucially, these efforts will also make day care more affordable and accessible for day care workers themselves, helping to address a critical shortage in that field."},{"_id":"DZRIC76RQJE2ZPJLSXTMJL3AIE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"PUOLOVQQ7BBDJD7YDBZHZO2T4A"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Lawmakers need history lesson on how federal intervention has helped schools","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-separating-responsibilities-for-education-could-limit-student-progress/5LPBIBBU2BHOFFTO7YOAJTOLMU/"},{"_id":"BH45LZVDX5DKTPNQRW7ZDAOOEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732797},"type":"text","content":"My priorities for the upcoming session are simple; supporting Georgia’s educators, businesses who employee them and parents who are entering or already in the workforce. In Georgia, we will continue to take a strong stand to empower parents, schools and employers. This will benefit our children and state for generations to come."},{"_id":"AXSOBTHV4BC7NFBAV3XTVAMSFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733947732798},"type":"text","content":"<i>Burt Jones is the lieutenant governor of Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: We must address an issue we can all agree on — the need to grow Georgia’s pool of teachers and child care workers."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"b2671a8b897a04ee7f9caa0eb4e9170252d5c5694c1f695c547093a20fb64f3d"},"credits":{"by":[]},"subtitle":"Georgia Childcare","width":3984,"caption":"Mary Thelma Norris, director of Friendship House Daycare in Dalton, Ga., plays with a few students on the playground. 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(Natrice Miller/AJC 2023)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KINRCONLLIZPBLAC4LZCFFZYLQ.JPG","height":2656,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/KINRCONLLIZPBLAC4LZCFFZYLQ.JPG?auth=b2671a8b897a04ee7f9caa0eb4e9170252d5c5694c1f695c547093a20fb64f3d&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"K4W43QGZJJH3DAX2LBHR576WLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979405},"type":"text","content":"A common refrain today is, “<a href=\"https://georgiacivics.org/commission\" target=\"_blank\">We need to teach civics in our schools</a>.” I can’t argue that point. Do we teach civics? Where and how?"},{"_id":"UDRGXW3IOJA6DOASF7WE2OOBZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":152,"comment":", who "},{"pos":233,"comment":"cq"},{"pos":269,"comment":"— "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979406},"type":"text","content":"I have strong feelings about this topic, but I needed to get some facts. So, I went to two trusted sources. Professor Mark Evans of Piedmont University is also vice chair of the Athens-Clarke County School District, and Chris Akridge is a government and civics teacher and baseball coach at Habersham Central High School."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3"},"caption":"Perry Rettig","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON","width":800,"_id":"YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","owner":"philip.kearney@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":["perry rettig"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","takenOn":"2012-08-03T09:30:35Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/9tnR25YqSqxRG1m6hXP9GBOFGOo=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"BSMHTRZWEVGUVA5KXV22QLPEFY"},"created_date":"2021-09-02T19:51:19Z","last_updated_date":"2021-09-02T19:51:19Z","height":1285,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"5FLIXDIEGVHSVIT4JAOFB2ILXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979408},"type":"text","content":"When you enter the classrooms of these men, you better be prepared to think and to be challenged. Their classrooms are not for passive learning. You will become an active and engaged learner — I guarantee you that."},{"_id":"IXXNI7GWYZBHFANVVBAVT4X5K4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979409},"type":"text","content":"A <a href=\"https://www.gapsc.com/Rules/Current/EducatorPreparation/505-3-.23.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">course in civics</a> is required for every student to graduate from high school in Georgia. In addition, civics lessons are embedded in the curriculum at both the elementary and middle school levels."},{"_id":"MEJIVGQODFA7NE4BRV4CYHPIVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979410},"type":"text","content":"While a formal course in civics is required, it is notable that the amount of civics instruction has been reduced since when we were children. The natural question is, “Why?”"},{"_id":"BGWSEXM3ENBAFPYUV76J6MQKLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979411},"type":"text","content":"It’s a matter of emphasis. Neither the length of the school day or the school year have increased since we were kids. What has increased? The demand for literacy, math and science education, of course. These skills are clearly core to a quality education. I would argue that civics is as well."},{"_id":"L2IBCYOQR5BA5CIBXNCSLAUWQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979412},"type":"text","content":"According to Evans, civics education must not be taught in isolation or simply as a stand-alone course. It must be embedded within a robust social studies curriculum where students learn not only of the nation’s history, but the history it inherited. The founding documents of our nascent nation must be studied in context as they were created very purposefully in reaction to their context with a vision to move forward."},{"_id":"F6NTPFEWYFAE5DLLS5HA6XSJPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979413},"type":"text","content":"Akridge enjoys a good degree of latitude in making high school government and civics lessons come alive. He begins by investigating our founding documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and our nation’s form of democracy relative to European democratic governments."},{"_id":"RUPXF7XEVBCUDFTTQWHL3CZZCI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979414},"type":"text","content":"Much focus is given to the notions of limited government and the rule of law as they were first established and then through the lens of our contemporary politics. Politicians are asking citizens to give them power to lead. Akridge helps the students make these abstract concepts concrete and relatable to the students’ lives."},{"_id":"VATEHCE33JHY5HDFQ5HFCAS63Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979415},"type":"text","content":"One way they do this is by learning how the judicial system works. The students actually play the parts in a jury trial each semester. The abstract elements become real, concrete. In the end, Akridge teaches the students not what to think, but how to think on their own as informed and active citizens."},{"_id":"ECDDGQNG4REHNNADALZW3KVCAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979416},"type":"text","content":"In particular, Akridge noted, “I spend a good portion of time having students debate the nature of humanity and the role that self-interest plays in our system of government — for those who are in power and want to maintain it, for those who want to gain power, and for the citizens who want to maintain or increase their power and freedoms.”"},{"_id":"ZMCROVMTIZAXRDX6GURWGDVM6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979417},"type":"text","content":"This is very deliberate, as Akridge explained, “I stress that this demonstrates the need for separation of powers, checks and balances, accountability, and transparency. This helps students think outside the ideological boxes that they’re accustomed to.”"},{"_id":"L3BYQVFJPBHFBOEUB3SJUXWKDU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979418},"type":"text","content":"Evans echoes many of these sentiments. He has seen an erosion of public discourse and of civics education over the past 20 years. He calls for the necessity to revisit the notions of John Adams and the virtues of the republic."},{"_id":"WOL6TYEIJZFUPI5M32RS7VWC3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":253,"comment":"youth’s "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979419},"type":"text","content":"According to Evans, too much of our pedagogical focus is on the national level of politics, which determines our broad democratic principles. More time is needed focusing on the local level where the principles are concrete and relatable to our youths’ lived experiences. Lessons are hands-on and messy — just like democracy itself."},{"_id":"F2OE2N4GTFACTBMAWK6NFJMTWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979420},"type":"text","content":"He mentioned a civics teacher in Athens who takes his students to school board meetings, city commission meetings and then takes the students to register to vote. In these ways, civics comes to life, and students partake in making our community and nation a more perfect union. Civics education is not static, it is dynamic and vibrant. Democracy is active and engaging, just as its citizens must be."},{"_id":"4O67Y5TMENGP7IHOEFGUEJNU4Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979421},"type":"text","content":"Civics education must not focus on preparing the students to take a test. Civics education must prepare our students to be active and engaged citizens. This curricular focus demands time and practice. Students need to practice democracy and the requisite freedoms of democracy."},{"_id":"GJ2WZE6XSRE3XLE4NPZUKX456E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733510979422},"type":"text","content":"<i>Perry Rettig is a Piedmont University professor of education. Rettig is in his 41st year as an educator, which has included stints as a public schoolteacher and principal.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"A college professor says civics is more than teaching facts about government; it is inspiring students to participate in government including at the local level."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"a9365999ff1ae97a8677ad9cfa199161f5ba4c2b18c25c5177933a89275f45fb"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Ben Gray","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Ben@bengray.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Early Vote","width":2000,"caption":"A college professor says the goal of effective civics education is to help students understand the importance of participating in our democracy including voting. Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IJWIED3MR2GDUJC4VHIHWLZFAY.jpg","height":1414,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IJWIED3MR2GDUJC4VHIHWLZFAY.jpg?auth=a9365999ff1ae97a8677ad9cfa199161f5ba4c2b18c25c5177933a89275f45fb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-civics-education-is-about-inspiring-students-to-participate-in-government/WG4ATQJCGNHTNJJ6PFCAHBE5FA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-10T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Perry Rettig","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"The test of a strong civics education: Creating active and engaged citizens"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-10T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-10T10:00:00.793Z","_id":"WG4ATQJCGNHTNJJ6PFCAHBE5FA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"a9365999ff1ae97a8677ad9cfa199161f5ba4c2b18c25c5177933a89275f45fb"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Ben Gray","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Ben@bengray.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Early Vote","width":2000,"caption":"A college professor says the goal of effective civics education is to help students understand the importance of participating in our democracy including voting. Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IJWIED3MR2GDUJC4VHIHWLZFAY.jpg","height":1414,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IJWIED3MR2GDUJC4VHIHWLZFAY.jpg?auth=a9365999ff1ae97a8677ad9cfa199161f5ba4c2b18c25c5177933a89275f45fb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"KUJU7AIU7RFNZHJ4OO5GW7MY4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582155},"type":"text","content":"What makes the Georgia Gold Dome shimmer is its pure gold leaf — no fillers, no dilution, no watered-down components. The same can’t be said about the political debates under the dome, where the arguments often build on murky assertions and thin evidence."},{"_id":"HVXUS6XXAZBDREUCFNFF35FRYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582156},"type":"text","content":"That’s especially true in education matters where emotion and anecdote now prevail over fact and reality. Given that tendency, it’s wise to be wary of a possible state Senate effort to address school spending as a result of a <a href=\"https://www.audits.ga.gov/ReportSearch/download/31860?_gl=1*j4mi20*_ga*MTYxMDM1NDExNy4xNzMzMTg2ODQ2*_ga_8Z4RV13R5J*MTczMzE4Njg0Ni4xLjAuMTczMzE4Njg0Ni4wLjAuMA..*_ga_65FL79Y113*MTczMzE4Njg0Ni4xLjAuMTczMzE4Njg0Ni42MC4wLjA.&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TheMorningJolt&utm_content=11896036\" target=\"_blank\">performance audit</a> released last week."},{"_id":"34BBBM35HVFYTBPOKMFQV2HATE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-06T13:48:21.547Z","start":140,"end":142,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733432582157},"type":"text","content":"Seven state blue-ribbon commissions <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/school-funding-formula-back-on-the-minds-of-georgia-lawmakers/ZYLZUASEFVCHBLN3DA5A3XWA5M/\" target=\"_blank\">have pondered</a> Georgia’s outdated 1985 Quality Basic Education funding formula over the last three decades, but all backed away from major revisions."},{"_id":"2ELA426ZXBB35DUV3FJUL5ME2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582158},"type":"text","content":"Why is it so difficult to design a fair and effective school funding formula? The main reason is you can’t set a budget, whether for Georgia’s 181 school districts or a family road trip to Florida, until you establish the priorities. Georgia has never been clear on its education priorities."},{"_id":"SJHGB5OL55EG7DJ2XINWETE7AY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":300,"comment":"assist "}],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582159},"type":"text","content":"The state also often imposes new priorities without a commensurate rise in funding to pay for them. The belief most students ought to continue their education beyond high school is a recent cultural shift, and schools are working hard to make it happen, despite no new funding for more counselors to help students navigate the thorny college application process."},{"_id":"XLI4JS4HVBBIRBPUZ2JNSVWQCI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-06T13:50:29.216Z","start":236,"end":238,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733432582160},"type":"text","content":"The General Assembly is urging an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities for Georgia high school students without acknowledging these programs demand resources and strategies to recruit employers. Lawmakers hold out Germany as a model, but German apprenticeships track students as early as fourth grade and funnel them into a regulated and heavily unionized labor market. Even European countries with long-standing vocational-tech options now struggle to keep their programs relevant in the face of artificial intelligence, automation and ever-evolving workforce needs."},{"_id":"E2ZECSFVFZGYHCLLTIINYDLTVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582161},"type":"text","content":"Preparing Georgia students for an unpredictable future should be a main focus of our Legislature. Instead the Legislature has politicized education and used schools as a kickball in games of partisanship."},{"_id":"Y5WSYS2CABB4THDQBHZGPTUYYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582162},"type":"text","content":"Consider the declaration last week by House Speaker Jon Burns that <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/house-speaker-jon-burns-wants-to-ban-transgender-girls-from-womens-sports/EKWNVSG7EVCG3MXDDSR33MZJGQ/\" target=\"_blank\">ensuring transgender female athletes can’t play girls’ sports</a> is crucial for the General Assembly, saying “… nothing more important to me than ensuring the opportunity for girls across the state to compete on a level playing field is not hindered.” Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has also said this a priority."},{"_id":"4DESC5HPHBFVNOD4JVCJA4J4QQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":54,"comment":"transgender public-school student "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-06T13:59:04.121Z","start":87,"end":89,"text":"slightly restructured sentence","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733432582163},"type":"text","content":"Georgia lawmakers haven’t cited a single example of a transgender student in a public school<b> </b>tilting anyone’s playing field. At the same time, they ignore the <a href=\"https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/694-children-living-in-poverty#detailed/2/any/false/1095,2048,574,1729,37,871,870,573,869,36/any/8890,8891\" target=\"_blank\">426,470 Georgia children living in poverty. </a>Georgia is one of only six states where poverty is not among the student conditions that merit additional funding to schools. You might think those kids would be the focus of Burns and his colleagues rather than a fictive transgender softball player."},{"_id":"LI5TYIM52BDCBIXOFGXSB3Z7OQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582164},"type":"text","content":"As with most of the South, Georgia has long underfunded its schools, especially in comparison with Northern states that have invested much more in students and have consistent higher performance as a result. Top-achieving Massachusetts spends $20,133 per pupil, while Georgia spends $14,660. A <a href=\"https://edlawcenter.org/research/making-the-grade-2023/\" target=\"_blank\">2023 Education Law Center review</a> that evaluated states on funding effort awarded Georgia a grade of D."},{"_id":"FCOPS2H3LJAOPG43VX5BIGWHCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582165},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s funding formula sets the bar at basic. Former Gov. Sonny Perdue charged his 2004 school funding task force with lifting education in Georgia from basic to excellent. Several years and 75 public hearings later, Perdue’s Investing in Educational Excellence Commission disbanded without recommending a new<b> </b>funding formula due to the high costs of ‘‘excellent.”"},{"_id":"KRS3YW2ANZGGXCWQJIUHG6WZGY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582166},"type":"text","content":"In 2015, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/governor-proposes-changes-school-funding-teachers-say-they-being-ignored/ud1mB3lXfF5aVi51q99CoL/\" target=\"_blank\">a committee appointed by then-Gov. Nathan Deal </a>also sidestepped its mission to figure out how much was necessary to educate Georgia students for college and career readiness. It ended up rerouting some existing education dollars rather than calling for additional spending."},{"_id":"N37OPBFFXRGHVL276GRDROTDYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582167},"type":"text","content":"Georgia has never funded its schools to meet the high bar of excellence. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/governor-proposes-changes-school-funding-teachers-say-they-being-ignored/ud1mB3lXfF5aVi51q99CoL/\" target=\"_blank\">At a hearing in 2011,</a> a state official stunned me and other audience members with an honest and true assessment of the limits of Georgia’s funding formula. “We are not going to come up with a formula that reaches for excellence,” said then-House Budget Office director John Brown. “We are not putting an orchestra in every school.<b> </b>We are going to create a formula so that every<b> </b>school system has enough money to get the basic job done.”"},{"_id":"AVLVN6QDFRDPNC6MW4GHNK7V5Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733432582168},"type":"text","content":"As long as the General Assembly maintains funding at a basic level, Georgia will never attain the gold-standard in education."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"As long as the Legislature keeps school funding at a basic level and continues to politicize education, Georgia will never attain the gold-standard in education."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Maureen Downey"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"bc878cc9628e355a4c8a3d306cd7543291b5f2a88a4b8a84d5e69b314f793390"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Three big stories worth checking out","width":2304,"caption":"The shimmering face of the Georgia State Capitol Gold Dome is due to its pure gold leaf — no fillers, no dilution. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. 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Unfortunately, columnist Maureen Downey says the same can’t be said about the murky assertions that typify debate under the dome. (AJC 2020)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QZZ5FFAAYW7T6NHDDFMEXK3TGI.jpg","height":1728,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QZZ5FFAAYW7T6NHDDFMEXK3TGI.jpg?auth=bc878cc9628e355a4c8a3d306cd7543291b5f2a88a4b8a84d5e69b314f793390&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"UOKNAVYHZBHT3IG23P4RDV6FG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-02T23:51:01.577Z","start":178,"end":180,"text":"hyphenated school-to-prison when used before the word pipeline (down in the story) like it was in headline","user":"Sharon D. McMillar","email":"SharonD.McMillar@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733174561061},"type":"text","content":"Former Gov. Zell Miller is most often remembered for the monumental HOPE Scholarship that sent more Georgia students to college at a minimal cost. A report on the school-to-prison pipeline released Tuesday contends Miller also sent more teens to prison as a result of changes to the juvenile justice system<b> </b>that remain in place today."},{"_id":"T7VCQKCKYRATXOUISTY2P6THWM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561062},"type":"text","content":"The Southern Poverty Law Center report, “<a href=\"https://www.splcenter.org/georgia-juvenile-justice-system-reform\" target=\"_blank\">Only Young Once: Dismantling Georgia’s Punitive Youth Incarceration System</a>,” cites Miller’s depiction of young super predators in his 1994 State of the State address. “These are not the Cleaver kids soaping up some windows,” said Miller,<b> </b>referencing the<b> </b>1950′s and early 1960′s<b> </b>sitcom “Leave It to Beaver.” “These are middle school kids conspiring to hurt their teacher, teenagers shooting people and committing rapes, young thugs terrorizing whole neighborhoods — and then showing no remorse when they get caught.”"},{"_id":"3U6MFS5ICVEJ7CUMMLFXBQU2BE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-12-02T23:19:45.215Z","start":207,"end":238,"text":"Added the word more to sentence: \"Black youth are than twice as likely to be charged with an offense compared to ...\"","user":"Sharon D. McMillar","email":"SharonD.McMillar@ajc.com"}],"_id":1733174561063},"type":"text","content":"Fueled by such rhetoric, the <a href=\"https://djj.georgia.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice </a>now focuses less on the rehabilitation of young offenders, especially those of color, and more on punishing them, according to the report. Black youth are more than twice as likely to be charged with an offense compared to white counterparts and more than three times as likely to be charged as an adult."},{"_id":"VYHE56QTIZG2RD37BLBDLYP7NY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561064},"type":"text","content":"The report chronicles the expansion over the decades of school zero-tolerance policies to minor infractions. According to the report: “Today, several Georgia school districts suspend students on the first offense of vaping, for example, with repeated offenses resulting in suspensions of up to 10 days. Across the state, there were 22,209 vape-related school disciplinary actions in the 2022-23 school year, an 18.6% increase from the previous year, while middle and high school students reported vaping slightly less during that same period.”"},{"_id":"IFNTNQS2GVDMZO47Q4XZCFTLFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561065},"type":"text","content":"The report warns that criminalizing kids rather than getting them help doesn’t make Georgia safer, and points to the state’s own recidivism data. “According to the latest data available, one in four youth released from DJJ custody will reoffend within the year, with over one in three (35.1%) reoffending within three years of release. Of note, the three-year recidivism rate was nearly as high for youth arrested for misdemeanors (34.3%) as youth arrested for felonies (35.9%), implying that the legal system failed to be rehabilitative no matter the offense level,” states the SPLC report."},{"_id":"P2DGLNEXYFHGRD6OYBK7ZIG64E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561066},"type":"text","content":"The SPLC offers several reform recommendations that will face resistance in a state Legislature anxious not to appear soft on crime."},{"_id":"L2CMDTIGNNGBNJQOJ3SMIZHT4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174717375},"type":"text","content":"Among them:"},{"_id":"W4BD3YU6SJGVFKALM5FTDPZ6W4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561067},"type":"text","content":"1. Georgia should raise the minimum age of youth incarceration and prosecution to at least 14 and stop charging and prosecuting 17-year-olds as adults. It should not jail teens in adult facilities."},{"_id":"BK55EVFB45D3ZH2TQG3WMOM2X4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561068},"type":"text","content":"2. Georgia schools should enforce fair and consistent due process hearings and end the use of zero-tolerance policies."},{"_id":"G6B5DGR2MVAFRBSJK24O4HDUQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561069},"type":"text","content":"3. Georgia should not impose jail on children for nonviolent offenses, especially technical violations and minor drug offenses."},{"_id":"LKJJOTYUPZGE7HB3KRQN7JAAWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1733174561070},"type":"text","content":"4. The state must offer more opportunities for diversion and more community-based alternatives to incarceration."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"eaeb60690be5d7d54c2559d7373e8c6e25f13d2262d1c5131ee008314b105269"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Dreamstime","type":"author","byline":"Dreamstime"}]},"subtitle":"Two sisters file lawsuit against Kentucky school district","width":1600,"caption":"The report, “Only Young Once: Dismantling Georgia’s Punitive Youth Incarceration System,” released Tuesday says Georgia is too intent on punishing young offenders and does too little to rehabilitate them. The report urges changes to laws on young offenders.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/EFXXM23I2JB6XMD5DJGLVZFXQA.JPG","height":1108,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/EFXXM23I2JB6XMD5DJGLVZFXQA.JPG?auth=eaeb60690be5d7d54c2559d7373e8c6e25f13d2262d1c5131ee008314b105269&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/new-report-georgia-laws-on-crime-contribute-to-school-to-prison-pipeline/UYQHRV3GVFCKRIRDHNVJNTFLOE/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-03T14:36:56.409Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. 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The report urges changes to laws on young offenders.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/EFXXM23I2JB6XMD5DJGLVZFXQA.JPG","height":1108,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/EFXXM23I2JB6XMD5DJGLVZFXQA.JPG?auth=eaeb60690be5d7d54c2559d7373e8c6e25f13d2262d1c5131ee008314b105269&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"6QFMVMO6IFA3LBJNYMKT3AMRAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530814},"type":"text","content":"“We are seeing our kids grow in their reading … kids are coming to us from kindergarten after having the science of reading so much more fluently than our kids ever had before.”"},{"_id":"ZJUW25HM4BFGBPZEZPPAQCDJYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530815},"type":"text","content":"This was the response from a first grade teacher in <a href=\"https://www.marietta-city.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Marietta City Schools </a>when I asked about the impact of the reforms in reading instruction she and her colleagues across the district began implementing in 2021. Educators in the <a href=\"https://www.fultonschools.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Fulton County School District </a>and <a href=\"https://www.grady.k12.ga.us/\" target=\"_blank\">Grady County Schools</a>, who are also changing how they teach reading, made similar comments."},{"_id":"AEEKVOR2BNA27PKAK6UEFVOHNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530816},"type":"text","content":"My colleagues and I at the <a href=\"https://gpee.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education</a> recently completed a case study, “<a href=\"https://gpee.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CARES-Impact-Case-Study-Literacy_Final_v3.pdf?mc_cid=83eca91dc9&mc_eid=cbd17f7dc5\" target=\"_blank\">Rewriting How Reading is Taught</a>,” to understand how these three districts are transforming reading instruction. Learning from their experiences is particularly important following the passage of the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-school-safety-literacy-bills/VLPQHBHA4FH63JIWDLRKWBYDIU/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Early Literacy Act in 2023</a>, which requires districts across the state to make similar changes in reading instruction."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"948ef9ab5efffec249a70f98b86824eb80d97ec15e42e060c67e92b8e298283e"},"caption":"Claire Suggs is an education policy expert who has worked with several leading organizations in Georgia to improve public education. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Con","type":"author","byline":"Con"}]},"subtitle":"Claire Suggs","width":320,"_id":"STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/Ix-sKWKJGsiB6gj_tJXCkXx-ZN4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/Ix-sKWKJGsiB6gj_tJXCkXx-ZN4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/Ix-sKWKJGsiB6gj_tJXCkXx-ZN4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/Y-zWMyhl7_3Ejd65noSKqTnVH5w=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Claire Suggs Headshot_320x180.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"ETVSDVLRPBESFMWAWXNTCOHROY"},"created_date":"2024-11-26T13:34:08Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-26T13:34:08Z","height":180,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/STGAPVYRVJEGBHN5TI5WFW44KI.jpg?auth=948ef9ab5efffec249a70f98b86824eb80d97ec15e42e060c67e92b8e298283e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"GTA7XCG7G5CIPOREGWIZLSWRJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530817},"type":"text","content":"Leaders in these three districts recognized that too many of their students were not becoming skilled readers, which created barriers to their success in other subject areas and life after graduation. Each leader turned to structured literacy, an approach to reading instruction that is grounded in a body of research often called the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/solutions-how-schools-are-using-science-of-reading-to-help-students/KYN5QIYNGZCJFDK5BRKC2635DA/\" target=\"_blank\">science of reading</a>. After years of disagreement, consensus has grown among researchers that <a href=\"https://www.structuredliteracy.com/\" target=\"_blank\">structured literacy</a> is the most effective way to teach reading."},{"_id":"BRRFE4TBYBBTZEPOBYVK2Q2BCI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530818},"type":"text","content":"Under the structured literacy approach, teachers provide explicit and systematic instruction in the five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension."},{"_id":"MYNOUPNYMNACDMZATE6HEZPCDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530819},"type":"text","content":"For many educators, this approach is very different from how they were trained to teach reading, which often lacked emphasis on phonemic awareness and phonics. Mastering structured literacy and using it in their classrooms is a significant change."},{"_id":"YJM7QPHS7VCZPGAW7PSDQWZHMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530820},"type":"text","content":"For this case study, we visited each participating district and talked to classroom teachers, instructional coaches, principals, district leaders and other educators. Despite their differences in location, size and student demographics, we found that leaders in each district designed a comprehensive plan for reform that shared key components. These include new instructional resources, such as classroom curriculum, that align with structured literacy. They also assess students’ reading progress frequently so teachers can identify students who need extra help and those ready to move ahead and match their instructional strategies to each student."},{"_id":"5FCQ4P2PUFCY5ECAEJRQMBJOE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530821},"type":"text","content":"Perhaps most importantly, these districts equipped classroom teachers with what they needed to become better reading teachers: focused training and professional development. Each district provided intensive training to teachers in early grades as well as to instructional coaches, principals, district leaders and other educators. The training combined in-person sessions with online sessions educators completed on their own time. Recognizing the investment of personal time, the districts provided stipends when teachers completed the training."},{"_id":"S22DHUMPZZG3FMYVUS6HPJQNVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530822},"type":"text","content":"The districts also placed full-time instructional coaches in each elementary school. Coaches support teachers during training, ensuring they don’t fall behind and helping them understand content. They assist teachers in applying what they are learning in the training to their instructional practice by modeling new reading strategies, helping plan when and how to use the strategies and providing feedback when teachers try them in the classroom."},{"_id":"A4ALNFXVDJDJ5HNMXD55YYSD4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":218,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530823},"type":"text","content":"To support both teachers and coaches, each district also added literacy experts to their central office teams. These experts provide training and support to coaches, offer additional help to teachers who are struggling and assist principals in all the elements of reading reform in their schools."},{"_id":"3NAOFJU6BVAUJBDIRTDKEFWROQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-26T23:51:45.944Z","start":311,"end":313,"text":"added COVID-19 on first reference to pandemic","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732566530824},"type":"text","content":"Leaders in Fulton, Grady and Marietta readily acknowledge their work is not done. Transforming reading instruction and helping all students become skilled readers isn’t a quick or easy undertaking. Nor is it inexpensive. The leaders of each district, who were focused on improving reading instruction before the COVID-19 pandemic, used federal pandemic relief funds as well as other grants to design and implement their comprehensive reading reform plans. They would have pursued reading reform without federal relief funds, but reform would have looked very different, and progress would have been significantly slower. Federal relief funds expired in September."},{"_id":"HYM7JKS55VD67G7WRL2WD7JZK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530825},"type":"text","content":"With the 2025 legislative session quickly approaching, state policymakers and education leaders have an opportunity to provide additional resources to districts across the state so they too can take a comprehensive approach to reading reform."},{"_id":"SHEYYOAIOFBTTKHBB7AWR4RFDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":128,"comment":"long-term "}],"comments":[],"_id":1732657310111},"type":"text","content":"A principal in Fulton County captured the value of doing so when reflecting on the changes underway in her school, “All of this long term is reducing high school dropout rates, that’s the longevity of the work we’re doing right now … the children are thriving, and parents are on board.”"},{"_id":"5IY2T6FOEJGOLELDTCXCOTHUCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732566530826},"type":"text","content":"<i>Claire Suggs is a senior research consultant for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: The effort to improve literacy by school leaders in Fulton and Grady counties and Marietta is working. State lawmakers should pay attention."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"fulton schools"},{"text":"marietta"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"246115dd806f9097c745e99e7ed3cd602aa628a17848155e05b7d36a79828e07"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-SCHOOLS-LITERACY-1-AT","width":3000,"caption":"First grade students Destinee Walker (center) and Camila Sandoval (second from left) listen as their teacher explains the \"science of reading,\" which emphasizes phonics, at Dunleith Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Marietta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IQNBST26ZULIZ2CVANB5RTXNHM.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IQNBST26ZULIZ2CVANB5RTXNHM.jpg?auth=246115dd806f9097c745e99e7ed3cd602aa628a17848155e05b7d36a79828e07&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-state-lawmakers-should-pay-attention-to-the-work-in-three-georgia-school-districts-to-improve-student-literacy/O4JPALYYDFFNZEIJP3GFHL5FJA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-03T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Claire Suggs","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Georgia should invest to expand promising approaches to reading reforms"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-03T10:00:00.378Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-03T10:00:00.378Z","_id":"O4JPALYYDFFNZEIJP3GFHL5FJA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"246115dd806f9097c745e99e7ed3cd602aa628a17848155e05b7d36a79828e07"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-SCHOOLS-LITERACY-1-AT","width":3000,"caption":"First grade students Destinee Walker (center) and Camila Sandoval (second from left) listen as their teacher explains the \"science of reading,\" which emphasizes phonics, at Dunleith Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Marietta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IQNBST26ZULIZ2CVANB5RTXNHM.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IQNBST26ZULIZ2CVANB5RTXNHM.jpg?auth=246115dd806f9097c745e99e7ed3cd602aa628a17848155e05b7d36a79828e07&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"64BF7GPVIRCA3JBO47BJ65MUIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403020},"type":"text","content":"President-elect Donald Trump wants to reduce federal involvement in schools and return education to the states."},{"_id":"D67IUTRFQZCC7LLDV6X5O26VTQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403021},"type":"text","content":"Are the states ready? Even more critical, are they able?"},{"_id":"IGIQQWJAHNBHVGZV6NQVFNMVEQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403022},"type":"text","content":"The working assumption is that states, freed from the shackles of federal oversight, are better positioned to figure out how to alleviate post COVID-19 achievement declines or counter the increasing social media chokehold on children’s attention. State education agencies and local lawmakers are closer to the schools, and thus have a better grasp of the needs."},{"_id":"CTJJP4OIIJESRBAOP6VN23VWHA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":175,"comment":"Sen. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403023},"type":"text","content":"Whether Trump’s plan leads to the demise of the<b> </b>federal education agency or more of a restructuring remains to be seen. But the proposal has Republican support including U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a vocal critic of what he calls an unnecessary bureaucracy. <a href=\"https://www.congress.gov/member/mike-rounds/R000605\" target=\"_blank\">Rounds introduced a bill </a>in late November that would <a href=\"https://www.rounds.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/returning_education_to_our_states_act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">distribute many of the duties elsewhere</a> including the departments of Health and Human Services, Interior and Treasury."},{"_id":"E2L6LU557RHP3M5MQAKNT2X34I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403024},"type":"text","content":"“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic department that causes more harm than good,” said Rounds in a statement introducing his bill on Nov. 21. “Local school boards and state departments of education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.”"},{"_id":"VKMOPU4E3VDEDE5BUWAOWL2WOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403025},"type":"text","content":"I’m not sure if such confidence is merited in Georgia, especially considering the General Assembly’s current zeal for <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-lax-oversight-in-voucher-plans-is-a-feature-not-a-design-flaw/2Q5W4BOU6FB7PDDEZK65T6XIGM/\" target=\"_blank\">redirecting public tax dollars to private schools</a>. The priorities of lawmakers are often swayed by what raises their political standing rather than student achievement."},{"_id":"3UIG2VVIGBCQNFR7OVOXO5EQXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":338,"comment":" NRA"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-26T22:13:40.622Z","start":342,"end":344,"text":"spell out on first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732645870844},"type":"text","content":"Consider the Legislature’s standard <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/i-wondered-where-first-2024-25-school-shooting-would-be-never-thought-here/IX7SMQODDVBGJCZ2LQVICADQ3E/\" target=\"_blank\">response to school shootings </a>is always hire more armed guards, despite <a href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/presence-armed-school-officials-and-fatal-and-nonfatal-gunshot\" target=\"_blank\">a U.S. Department of Justice report</a> finding no association between having an armed officer and deterrence of violence in school shootings. Somehow, lawmakers never mention retooling Georgia’s lax gun laws because that would irk the National Rifle Association."},{"_id":"SD5BY3XNFVBUNHSLHL6GJPYVCY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-26T22:14:25.649Z","start":249,"end":251,"text":"added \"then-\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732576403026},"type":"text","content":"People often forget federal activism grew out of historic inaction or indifference by states, especially in recognizing the needs and rights of low income and marginalized students. Among those programs was <a href=\"https://gadoe.org/federal-programs/title-1-part-a-academic-achievement-disadvantaged/\" target=\"_blank\">Title I</a>, enacted nearly 60 years ago under then-President Lyndon Johnson to provide federal aid to schools with high concentrations of students from low-income families."},{"_id":"6DCNF2HAJJH53JTSDWM2FAWTIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403027},"type":"text","content":"Johnson was worried about whether low-income kids finished high school,<a href=\"https://acsc.lib.udel.edu/items/show/43\" target=\"_blank\"> warning Congress at the time,</a> “One student out of every three now in fifth grade will drop out before finishing high school. Unemployment of young people with an eighth grade education or less is four times the national average.” To earn Title I funding, <a href=\"https://ccpr.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Paying-for-Progress_-Conditional-Grants-and-the-Desegregation-of-Southern-Schools.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">districts had to comply </a>with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, so the program spurred desegregation of Southern schools."},{"_id":"TLAAJPAJO5GOZAARPI45DAMGT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":88,"comment":" or IDEA"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-26T22:16:37.773Z","start":87,"end":88,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732576403028},"type":"text","content":"Federal influence broadened with the 1975 <a href=\"https://sites.ed.gov/idea/\">Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act</a>, which provided funding for special education services and imposed regulations to ensure the needs of students with disabilities were met. Before IDEA, public schools didn’t serve many children with serious disabilities. <a href=\"https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History\" target=\"_blank\">A 1972 Congressional review </a>found 1.75 million children with disabilities received no education, while 2.5 million received a substandard one. Today, an estimated 7.5 million students receive services under the IDEA Act."},{"_id":"W2JHWSLHQJHUBG2JJFLPRELA6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-26T22:19:02.663Z","start":8,"end":10,"text":"added \"then-President\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1732576403029},"type":"text","content":"In 2001, then-President George W. Bush used the threat of withholding federal aid as a prod in his <a href=\"https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04\" target=\"_blank\">No Child Left Behind Act,</a> imposing stringent new accountability requirements for the performance of all students. The reliance on test scores to reward and punish schools made No Child almost universally despised. Since then, the agency has maintained an active role in promoting school improvement, including the Obama administration’s <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/race-the-top-did-the-400-million-federal-grant-pay-off-for-georgia/AKPuPNlML9TAAmSe7omqiI/\" target=\"_blank\">Race to the Top grants</a> under which Georgia received $400 million."},{"_id":"5T6QJ7WBDRDVHHAHPEMIOZCWZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403030},"type":"text","content":"Has all that federal activism helped? Certainly, the U.S. Department of Education data sets are valuable in charting the progress of American students at a granular level. The agency oversees the complex student loan system, which is essential to higher education in America."},{"_id":"27YYGJOOXNAHRJFF67RC3RNEOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403031},"type":"text","content":"If the department’s vital responsibilities are sliced up, will the receiving federal agencies treat them as a priority? Anyone who has lived through a merger in corporate America can testify the absorbing company often proves a bad fit or treats its new divisions as afterthoughts."},{"_id":"2CXE7NONINC2XLMTWY74OEX6DA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":110,"comment":"President"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403032},"type":"text","content":"There may not be anyone in Treasury or Health and Human Services who views education with the importance that Johnson did <a href=\"https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-after-signing-bill-providing-funds-for-programs-under-the-elementary-and-secondary\" target=\"_blank\">when he signed Title I into law,</a> reminding his audience, “We have always believed that our people can stand on no higher ground than the school ground or can enter any more hopeful room than the classroom.”"},{"_id":"KYNATZRQBFFIFEUQBXAD7PWGYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732576403033},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"President-elect Donald Trump wants to reduce federal involvement in schools and return education to the states. Are the states ready? Even more critical, are they able?"},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1048,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"trump-transition"},{"text":"donald trump"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"17d192930f3b3a691231a3035e516b6dca8854d6d212bb0b2c29990759b43686"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Tierney L. Cross","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-DEPT-EDUCATION-COMMENTARY-GET","width":3000,"caption":"A Republican senator introduced a bill in late November that would dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and distribute its duties elsewhere, including to the departments of Health and Human Services, Interior and Treasury. (Tierney L. Cross, TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SWJ4C5QYAXQZE6YWIZY2Z2OSIU.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SWJ4C5QYAXQZE6YWIZY2Z2OSIU.jpg?auth=17d192930f3b3a691231a3035e516b6dca8854d6d212bb0b2c29990759b43686&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/opinion-separating-responsibilities-for-education-could-limit-student-progress/5LPBIBBU2BHOFFTO7YOAJTOLMU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-12-02T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Lawmakers need history lesson on how federal intervention has helped schools"},"first_publish_date":"2024-12-02T10:00:07.041Z","last_updated_date":"2024-12-02T10:00:07.041Z","_id":"5LPBIBBU2BHOFFTO7YOAJTOLMU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"17d192930f3b3a691231a3035e516b6dca8854d6d212bb0b2c29990759b43686"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Tierney L. Cross","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-DEPT-EDUCATION-COMMENTARY-GET","width":3000,"caption":"A Republican senator introduced a bill in late November that would dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and distribute its duties elsewhere, including to the departments of Health and Human Services, Interior and Treasury. (Tierney L. Cross, TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SWJ4C5QYAXQZE6YWIZY2Z2OSIU.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SWJ4C5QYAXQZE6YWIZY2Z2OSIU.jpg?auth=17d192930f3b3a691231a3035e516b6dca8854d6d212bb0b2c29990759b43686&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"YQWZAVO34VFFHCMCUBS7W5DXH4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026963},"type":"text","content":"When I began covering education in Georgia 28 years ago, most legislation focused on proven drivers of student success including teacher quality, relevant curriculum and adequate funding. State education reform commissions pondered such questions as middle school design, high school size and ideal pupil-teacher ratios."},{"_id":"HKNZ66KVW5BY3N62Q2DGYISQMI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026964},"type":"text","content":"Today, legislators talk more about school bathrooms, book bans and pronouns, issues that don’t bolster academic achievement but do rile up voters. The conversation has changed because the goal has changed. No longer are lawmakers committed to sustaining and improving public schools; they want to supplant and replace them with vouchers and other diversions of public dollars to private entities."},{"_id":"SUGAU77A3BCP5PZCDC2X242HJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026965},"type":"text","content":"This politicization of public education has not helped students in Georgia, but it has raised the profiles and vote counts for politicians including President-elect Donald Trump, who maintains schools now teach students “<a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-ten-principles-for-great-schools-leading-to-great-jobs\" target=\"_blank\">to hate their own country.”</a> As board chair of the <a href=\"https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/america-first-vs-america-last-k-12-education-reforms\">America First Policy Institute</a>, Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for education secretary, endorsed a<b> </b>more patriotic and positive approach to U.S. history."},{"_id":"HIK2RJDCCZHQLNMIE2YLCGRKBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026966},"type":"text","content":"Among his spurious education claims on the campaign trail, Trump said public schools were providing <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/trump-false-claims-schools-transgender-surgeries-rcna170217\" target=\"_blank\">gender-transition surgery</a> to students, which some voters apparently believed despite the reality that schools can’t even give kids aspirin without parental permission. Yet, Trump said, “Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation.”"},{"_id":"YYWFPRNJGRGSHAUDIJ2IXW4SYQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026967},"type":"text","content":"In the next four years, we can expect similar political theater and hyperbole to steal the spotlight from pressing concerns. At a time when the workplace favors STEM graduates, the Georgia Legislature devoted more committee hearings to keeping <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-lawmakers-approve-divisive-concepts-transgender-sports-bills/B3VRB7VXMBGAFBLDFM6JLYSULE/\" target=\"_blank\">transgender girls off school sports teams </a>than keeping skilled math teachers in classrooms."},{"_id":"MTLZ4LITVZAHLNPA4II6FRVFCY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026968},"type":"text","content":"No real evidence was ever offered at the hearings two years ago that transgender athletes in Georgia endangered the competitive balance in high school sports. Legislators relied on rare instances in other states to make their argument that Georgia needed to impose a preemptive ban."},{"_id":"XTU6MQ4KDZGM3JRYO3I7TJZBZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":197,"comment":"graduate"}],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026969},"type":"text","content":"On the other hand, we know for certain from <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-students-improve-exam-scores-after-overhaul-of-state-math-standards/YR4D6F7FLZHU3NSAD2SIWOTNX4/\" target=\"_blank\">Milestones scores</a> that 56% of students in Georgia test below proficient in algebra, a course that is linked to whether students attend and graduate from college. Algebra is also the gateway to higher level math courses that lead to higher earning potential. A year ago, the Program for International Student Assessment scores showed only 7% of American 15-year-olds were <a href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2022/mathematics/international-comparisons/\" target=\"_blank\">capable of math at advanced levels</a>."},{"_id":"GPCKICC3TBHHNOCIR7ZB7SXXCQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026970},"type":"text","content":"The Legislature also prioritized granting parents greater veto power over their children’s school reading lists, another solution in search of a problem. Many of the books under siege aren’t even on class reading lists; they are simply in the libraries. And those books aren’t being checked out in droves."},{"_id":"OL7HKIE42RB6LD3DS3BLIRJ4ZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026971},"type":"text","content":"In fact, many teachers have ceased to assign books to students, asking them instead to peruse excerpts, passages and poems. Why? Because kids are losing the reading muscle; they have no desire to get lost in a book when the wilds of TikTok await them. <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/opinion/college-university-students-reading.html\" target=\"_blank\">Even college professors </a>at elite campuses complain their students rebel at lengthy reading lists and easily give up when <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/\" target=\"_blank\">a book becomes taxing or complex.</a>"},{"_id":"HRYVREACFJA77HY2NL2R62S2XM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026972},"type":"text","content":"The real issue facing Georgia and other states is not what kids read, but whether they read at all and if there are any effective ways to stem the dramatic <a href=\"https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2024/federal-data-reading-pleasure-all-signs-show-slump\" target=\"_blank\">decline among America’s youth</a> in reading for pleasure. If not, we have to figure out how children who <a href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/512576/teens-spend-average-hours-social-media-per-day.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">now spend hours each day </a>watching videos can become competent writers and spellers without reading. (Some futurists argue artificial intelligence will do all their writing and spelling for them.)"},{"_id":"GEFLKLMBSJASFJ6JL6NNHD6YGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026973},"type":"text","content":"Elected officials understand there’s political gain in lashing out at schools as liberal boot camps. Their exaggerations and falsehoods have eroded public trust in schools, although Colorado voters this month rejected enshrining <a href=\"https://leg.colorado.gov/ballots/constitutional-right-school-choice\" target=\"_blank\">“a right to school choice</a>” in their state constitution, Kentuckians nixed <a href=\"https://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/Documents/HB2_GA.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a ballot initiative </a>that would have enabled tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts or vouchers and <a href=\"https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/11/05/nebraska-voters-reject-state-funding-for-students-attending-private-k-12-schools/\" target=\"_blank\">Nebraskans repealed </a>a $10 million school voucher program approved by their legislature."},{"_id":"OZHKFKZC5BHZRLN4FX72DMMJTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":289,"comment":"its "}],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026974},"type":"text","content":"I hope school leaders and teachers in Georgia can be heartened by the support they receive in their own communities and ignore the looming political pantomime. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/ajc-poll-georgia-voters-oppose-vouchers-mostly-trust-public-schools/V3NTLWZHRZAFPJ2Y5TJ4VS3RQI/\" target=\"_blank\">poll in January</a> found about three-quarters of Georgians expressed some confidence in the state’s K-12 public schools."},{"_id":"ATXMCDXACNAEFMNF7E5SALWEPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":270,"comment":"last "}],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026975},"type":"text","content":"The public’s faith in the federal government is not as enduring, according to the Pew Research Center. While 77% of Americans in 1964 said they <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024/\">trusted the federal government</a> to do what is right just about always or most of the time, the percentage declined in the past 16 years, dropping to 22% this year."},{"_id":"WLY2LJSUPFADFEM7BA6SZYXCZA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>Stay on top of the latest education news with our weekly newsletter. Sign up for it free </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/newsletters/subscribe-georgia-school-news/?utm_content=articleshare\"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i>"},{"_id":"AAJ53UBJLZBPNOMBYRA6IV7JOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026977},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"NYIR5Z2LPZCPBDV7GNKTGIIFMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026978},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"OUC4TCKG7BD2RFEFTV6XD5A3NE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026979},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"RZTLWXTXRZGDDASDSHED6MECOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732053026980},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Legislators talk more about school bathrooms, book bans and pronouns, issues that don’t bolster academic achievement but do rile up voters."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Second Trump term means more political attacks on public education"},"first_publish_date":"2024-11-25T10:00:07.165Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-25T13:22:32.484Z","_id":"R5IQ57IKA5BU7D5PGMOWFXYZAI"},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"ZOSFOL5OBZCXVJXDHRIZ2B3SUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386929},"type":"text","content":"In filling his cabinet, President-elect Donald Trump is giving greater weight to loyalty and wealth over experience and credentials. That is clear in his nominee for secretary of education."},{"_id":"SFSEYZDUMVAHBEGYWI53R4JUZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":131,"comment":"A longtime Trump ally and supporter, Linda McMahon, 76, is the co-founder and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment."}],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386930},"type":"text","content":"Linda McMahon, a longtime Trump ally and supporter, is the co-founder and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment. When Trump was the star of the NBC reality show “The Apprentice,” he made an appearance at the WWE’s WrestleMania in 2007. The 76-year-old Connecticut billionaire served as chief of Small Business Administration in Trump’s first administration, resigning in 2019 to help with his reelection campaign."},{"_id":"UUSGZ52ZDNHCTOUREAICOTL3MY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732128839750},"type":"text","content":"She also ran for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut<b> </b>in 2010 and 2012, losing both times."},{"_id":"Z2FTIJ4JHVEXDDZLFV2KLRH3IM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":411,"comment":"She ran for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, losing both times."}],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386931},"type":"text","content":"Her experience in setting and overseeing education policy is limited to 2009, when she was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by then-Gov. Jodi Rell, serving for a little over a year. McMahon incorrectly claimed in 2009 that she had a bachelor’s degree in education on a questionnaire for the post, according to news reports at the time. Her degree from East Carolina University is in French."},{"_id":"NXGAJ6Q5WBC33PZRZHR3BNZUBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386932},"type":"text","content":"McMahon’s nomination was met with a cordial but cautious statement from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten."},{"_id":"DCDCFPKFFVDJXGYTPDDBY65RNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386933},"type":"text","content":"“We will try to work with anyone who puts the aspirations of our students, families and communities first,” Weingarten said. “That means strengthening public education, not undermining it. Voters made it clear that’s what they wanted in November’s down-ballot elections. We look forward to learning more about Linda McMahon, and if she is confirmed we will reach out to her as we did with Betsy DeVos at the beginning of her tenure.” DeVos was Trump’s education secretary during his first term."},{"_id":"OQFHGSAZQJE6JPJGA6A7BG2VZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386934},"type":"text","content":"The reaction of the nation’s largest teaching union was not as restrained."},{"_id":"AQSHVRNPTRH4VHK64QA5OJX5TE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386935},"type":"text","content":"“By selecting Linda McMahon, Donald Trump is showing that he could not care less about our students’ futures,” said National Education Association President Becky Pringle. “The Senate must stand up for our students and reject Donald Trump’s unqualified nominee, Linda McMahon. Our students and our nation deserve so much better than Betsy DeVos 2.0.”"},{"_id":"X6U7UCS2QVADNIX5P6KFF365RU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1732124386936},"type":"text","content":"McMahon faces a complex challenge if confirmed as secretary of education. Trump says <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\" target=\"_blank\">shuttering the Department of Education</a> and returning education to the states are his main education goals. Yet he also wants McMahon to use the influence of her federal position and agency to expand school choice to every state."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Linda McMahon is another example of Trump valuing loyalty and wealth over experience and credentials."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Opinion","description":"Opinion articles from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"false","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","subnav_opinion":null,"TopicsBar2023":"/","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"site":{"site_url":"/opinion/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Opinion articles 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social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. 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The trend line is getting worse despite modest efforts to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-to-sign-budget-with-raises-for-300000-workers-today/YHW6W5P3V5BCPPGFWT3DIVEUDE/\" target=\"_blank\">increase educator salaries</a>. The problems are complex, interconnected and nuanced."},{"_id":"BPXIYIWP25H2BP7JXNQMP2JNWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146387},"type":"text","content":"Recently, I overheard a conversation between two community members. The young man complained the school was not teaching his 12-year-old boy cursive writing. The middle-aged woman asked why. He said, “Some people are saying it’s because they don’t want the kids to be able to read the Constitution.”"},{"_id":"TID7WLGAZJEB5ITFPOMNTJQCBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146388},"type":"text","content":"Such conspiracies are not helpful; they only serve to drive divisiveness. Schools today are spending more time than ever <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/atlanta-public-schools-seeks-to-achieve-equity-through-new-literacy-plan/PLF4SMQISZHODCJDG3H5EMMJHU/\" target=\"_blank\">teaching reading</a>. I think the fact of the quantity of reading content coverage, however, is the concern. That statement begs clarification."},{"_id":"RKWMD6QQZNHPBLXBUHDPZJDSXI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146389},"type":"text","content":"When you and I went to school, the curriculum was deep and rigorous. Teachers took us deep into the lessons and demanded mastery. The curriculum was an inch wide and a mile deep. In other words, we took fewer concepts, but we covered them in depth."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3"},"caption":"Perry Rettig","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[]},"subtitle":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON","width":800,"_id":"YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","owner":"philip.kearney@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":["perry rettig"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","takenOn":"2012-08-03T09:30:35Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/C-_jhAM11StLaUpKq_G-fF170Y0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/9tnR25YqSqxRG1m6hXP9GBOFGOo=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"BG7RPYU245E3BKDPSNHVB2ETYI"},"created_date":"2021-09-02T19:51:19Z","last_updated_date":"2021-09-02T19:51:19Z","height":1285,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"5YJDNAHVRRF5VI5GKZXNRUIMWE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146391},"type":"text","content":"I have to report to you that educational philosophy is under assault. Today’s curriculum, mandated by state bureaucrats, is a mile wide and an inch deep. Teachers and their students are stressed to cover every conceivable standard and objective with breakneck speed. Mastery learning is not even considered."},{"_id":"QZ72YUPXJJARTDFRO3YQELEP34","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":22,"comment":","},{"pos":46,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-11-14T20:34:03.830Z","start":23,"end":25,"text":"offset with em dashes instead of commas","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1731613146392},"type":"text","content":"The demand on teachers — and on their students — is to cover this huge breadth of topics in order to finish on time for the state examinations. Administrators are subsequently forced to enforce this pacing. It can be done, but at what cost?"},{"_id":"XU6OPDI33BHH7BSUQY52QQ7HIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":238,"comment":"higher order "},{"pos":282,"comment":"lower level "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146393},"type":"text","content":"There is a caveat, a hope, that through a spiraling curriculum process, teachers will revisit these concepts from time to time with their young charges. But as I listen to the teachers, it isn’t satisfactorily working. It focuses less on higher-order thinking skills and emphasizes lower-level skills."},{"_id":"X35NHA7BLJBC3PJQXVYBWRT6IQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146394},"type":"text","content":"So we have people far from the classroom demanding coverage of massive amounts of material. These demands force pedagogical or instructional practices to change. Teachers rush for superficial coverage and have no real time to dive deep with the necessary teaching strategies they know will work. Just cover all the material for the test."},{"_id":"2T7F3YNMEBGY3H537MQTEU77OE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146395},"type":"text","content":"The teaching strategy forces the teachers’ hands to one of depositing knowledge. It may have the tendency to focus on teacher-centered approaches and away from more learner or learning-centered practices. In education, we would say we may be moving from cognitive and constructivist approaches to behavioral approaches."},{"_id":"ZAAVLMSH3NHWRKE45EOKOD3HEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":11,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146396},"type":"text","content":"I am aware some administrators will take umbrage with these comments. They will say I’m being unfair, and that if I look at the curriculum the lessons are very interactive. That is actually true, but the time of interaction and the time needed for the depth of interaction is far, far, far too limited. It is so rushed the interaction is superficial. I see it, and the teachers will tell you that — if we choose to listen."},{"_id":"FDEIZWF3MVDRTB2A3MBA6RETJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146397},"type":"text","content":"Behavioral approaches focus quite often on the lecture approach where the teacher deposits knowledge into the learner. That model surely is antiquated. Brain research shows us people may only recall about 15% of what they hear beyond 24 hours."},{"_id":"JNVGA2MUF5F6HJDW4M5FKVE2LI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146398},"type":"text","content":"Interactive lessons — lessons where students wrestle with a topic and are challenged to think, not absorb — go in depth. Naturally, this takes time as the students construct meaning and understanding in such a constructivist approach. Today, teachers don’t have the luxury of time as they must cover myriad topics in order to be ready for the tests."},{"_id":"RJODJW4LARFU7PLSCSY5Z2D7U4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146399},"type":"text","content":"The stress is driving teachers away from the classroom, and it is causing angst for our children. Their mental health is suffering."},{"_id":"X3FOAKEI7NGQFAJEMYPOMMSIMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146400},"type":"text","content":"School district leaders find themselves in urgent need of hiring teachers. Their hands are forced, and they make emergency hires with people who have provisional licenses. These neophyte teachers haven’t had the full dose of teacher preparation at universities."},{"_id":"DUUQXWUXGVCDTJYIK2UJV5UEBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146401},"type":"text","content":"To mitigate these concerns, districts are purchasing scripted (or canned) curriculum from outside vendors and agencies. These curricula are highly structured, and I’ve actually been impressed with them. The teachers literally read from the script."},{"_id":"BCAEAI6WCFGITL6JY44KPCTPKM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":","},{"pos":296,"comment":"to "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146402},"type":"text","content":"But this is teacher-proofing the curriculum. It’s highly scientific and it leaves out the art of teaching. There is little to no professional autonomy or discretion. Even wise veteran teachers are treated the same, and our kids are missing out on the best of their teaching. The model guarantees us a solid floor, but it never opens the ceiling for the best learning."},{"_id":"VA3P5WFZAJEJTJLNO6S45RHCWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146403},"type":"text","content":"There you have it. This is as blunt as I can be. This past fall I was in 50 classrooms observing. This spring I will be in 50 more. Some leaders will not appreciate what I have said here. I’m actually trying to help them help our teachers — to give them the requisite freedom to recapture teaching excellence. Maybe we can, as a result, recruit and retain more professionals."},{"_id":"VSH2Q2RJJFDTFDBOVBAPOHWATM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146404},"type":"text","content":"My earnest hope is that school leaders, whether they are curriculum coordinators, school principals and superintendents, or school board members truly listen to those who are in the trenches with the curriculum and with the students. I’m referring, of course, to our teachers."},{"_id":"5Z4TEWA7OFFRJBRYHKL7X6IYNE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146405},"type":"text","content":"Our teachers, if we listen to them, are begging for a different focus in how we are teaching our kids. We need to listen — seriously listen. They know what they are talking about."},{"_id":"HUIGXIRLZNFDZDR4EOJFLINODQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731613146406},"type":"text","content":"<i>Perry Rettig is a Piedmont University professor of education. Rettig is in his 41st year as an educator, which has included stints as a public school teacher and principal.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A Piedmont University professor hopes education leaders listen more to teachers to ensure students better understand the content."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1048,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"15424f58a29c468dcfedc51742b7307d1147cdf8505da91da16f65bf333a0e15"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"02XX23 EDU PHONICS","width":8192,"caption":"First grade students use Chromebooks at Dunleith Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Marietta, Ga. 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It’s not fair to them or their students"},"first_publish_date":"2024-11-18T10:00:07.027Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-18T10:00:07.027Z","_id":"LG3EXYFUDBHLHAB2HGYYICAWIY","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"15424f58a29c468dcfedc51742b7307d1147cdf8505da91da16f65bf333a0e15"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"02XX23 EDU PHONICS","width":8192,"caption":"First grade students use Chromebooks at Dunleith Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Marietta, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/H4XML3XW24BZR3LWBSUTWUEJPQ.JPG","height":5464,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/H4XML3XW24BZR3LWBSUTWUEJPQ.JPG?auth=15424f58a29c468dcfedc51742b7307d1147cdf8505da91da16f65bf333a0e15&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"RX7QVGRDVJDSDF7ABSXTLHJAZ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226607},"type":"text","content":"My kids have come home crying lately. It’s been a tough couple of weeks in our house in terms of losses — all minor, but losses all the same."},{"_id":"4ZYMXYMFMRDLTJI4JNQL2KX35M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731103476482},"type":"text","content":"One lost a track race in grand fashion, sprinting ahead for most of the course, only to have her breakfast unexpectedly resurface on the final turn. Another child lost a student council race after facing his public speaking fears — and some technical difficulties — during his “what I’d do for the school” speech. Yet another tried out for his school basketball team and didn’t make the cut."},{"_id":"4MEYM7UEJZA55GNRF4YITABNWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226608},"type":"text","content":"But I couldn’t be prouder of them."},{"_id":"RS7CWWKHFRFHHKZFNKZYXWTKHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226609},"type":"text","content":"It’s not easy to sit back and watch your children lose. I’ve wanted to match their tears and fist-pounding with my own. After each loss they all came home feeling disgraced, humiliated and even angry. Deflated. “How could that have happened? I prepared, I worked, I tried my best; doesn’t that always equal success?”"},{"_id":"KLVRXYIDCFGNBFID6WI3SVHJLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226610},"type":"text","content":"Unfortunately, no."},{"_id":"CEZPM4HV3JDXDJMA7KMXNGGTKI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226611},"type":"text","content":"Understanding loss never seems logical, but winning somehow is always more easily explainable. As a therapist, I’ve seen it time and again: The lessons our kids acquire in losses far outweigh what they learn from winning, even when it’s painful. Or maybe because of it."},{"_id":"VMEJGGFU7NA3NMSILNFFXWCEKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226612},"type":"text","content":"Our scars always teach us more than our trophies."},{"_id":"OFPBI57U5NDZ3FXYLMLUJLBBYI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226613},"type":"text","content":"When the cultural awakening of mental health became a predominant thought in child-raising culture in America, there grew out of it an awareness of discomfort — emotional, physical, relational — and we were more able to aptly name and acknowledge it. Most of this was incredibly healthy progress. However, when we became adept at describing the downsides of negative emotions, for some it began a quest to eliminate these negative emotions altogether."},{"_id":"VWGW3R5RTVDP5FUN3SMCSAGOYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":161,"comment":"those "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226614},"type":"text","content":"Who wouldn’t want to aim for happiness, comfort, elation and joy? Many parents, teachers and caregivers have embarked on a mission to minimize the discomfort of the children they so dearly love by scratching out the loss column altogether."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1"},"caption":"Beth Collums","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"related_content":{"derivative_of":[{"referent":{"id":"UB7DVBKF5BESRNAHQTHZ535EAI","type":"image"},"type":"reference"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Beth Collums","width":2544,"_id":"FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","takenOn":"2023-05-18T18:55:04Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/VeH6jQclLVwjVa2BR5VkQ9JnieQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"bethnew.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"UMK5YDQKVRFJZLXMXLCDFWEKHM"},"created_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:08Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:27Z","height":1908,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg?auth=5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"A2TC5BZ47JDO3NILNP53TGH53I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226616},"type":"text","content":"Competitive games in PE turned into scarf-juggling. a B-plus on a report card has been inflated into an A-minus, and the participation ribbon has been declared the highest objective. “Everyone’s a winner” has been turned into a parenting mantra."},{"_id":"UIT47YPFHBCKRMEQW7RX76G36Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":63,"comment":"of which is "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226617},"type":"text","content":"But there can be downsides to this benevolent aim, the largest being that real life is riddled with losing. A parent’s job is to prepare children to enter the world independently. Creating a false reality of ease does them no favors when they quickly realize the real world doesn’t offer participation ribbons."},{"_id":"VI2KWND7ZNHZXH2JQA6T4VA23A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":187,"comment":"everyday "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226618},"type":"text","content":"The reality of the workforce, academics, relationships and politics can hold huge challenges and painful losses. A host of discomforts of which we’re not in control. Adults are bombarded every day with messaging and interactions that lead to sadness and disappointment. So how are we preparing our children for these inevitable disappointments of losing?"},{"_id":"P6DYHXUVEZGFHOYG5QHMQJVMR4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":451,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226619},"type":"text","content":"Creating an internal narrative of “who I am is more than how I perform” is key. If our kids’ identities are defined by whether they win or lose, a dangerous core of instability will result in a deflated ego or an inflated one, either of which is a recipe for volatility in relationships and emotions. There is always a healthy mourning period, a time of grief when you lose something big or small. If there is no emotion after losing, it likely means there was no perceived attachment or risk in the venture."},{"_id":"COJOCA3XSJCIDACKOW5UTBH6OY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226620},"type":"text","content":"It’s OK to feel sad, angry and frustrated when you lose. It means you had skin in the game."},{"_id":"GOYX2WZWANGCTFM65IDNI7HMBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":304,"comment":"her "},{"pos":510,"comment":"And, "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226621},"type":"text","content":"If one never loses, then one can never practice the skill of perseverance. Perseverance is not an emotion, so it won’t come and go on a whim. Rather, it is like a kite that can be flown only in the winds of adversity. Let Ava get upset when she loses the kids get upset when they lose, and then redirect them to keep moving forward. Figure out what happened, and then get to work: “Did you eat too much before the race, and that’s why you got queasy?” ... “Do you need to work more on your ball-handling?” ... ”Maybe there’s a different way to serve the school other than the student council?”"},{"_id":"CAR7U2FULNEHBGL5D7PJRXDRMU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226622},"type":"text","content":"It’s natural to question the fairness of the process and want to insult the winners. Psychological researchers tell us that human nature dictates that we’re all in an existential game of self-preservation. People want to feel justified, sometimes at the expense of the truth and others’ dignity. Parents can help their kids lose with dignity by putting up guardrails when they lose: no pouting for days, admit your loss with no excuses, no insulting opponents, no blaming, and no claiming it wasn’t a fair fight if it clearly was."},{"_id":"DUUEG2JVKZGI7B443MUDRNHV4U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226623},"type":"text","content":"Winning isn’t everything. Truth and human dignity trump success every time; from coffee-table Uno games to presidential elections. You’re not defined by your win column."},{"_id":"IBBUE2VKDFEVXGPC4EEU4BVLX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":41,"comment":"They take "}],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226624},"type":"text","content":"Striving and competing are scary things. It takes boldness and confidence to throw your hat in the ring. Parents, when was the last time you took a risk and failed in grand fashion in front of your peers? Adults can encourage good and healthy risk-taking by taking it themselves. No caring adult wants kids to lose and experience all the emotions that go with it. Our job as parents, teachers and caregivers is to help our youth see that they can do hard things, take healthy risks and live to tell the story after they lose big."},{"_id":"V4AGVARLYFDUNK55MMJ2SPTOVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226625},"type":"text","content":"Encourage kids to try difficult things — and when … not if … they fail? We can harken back not to the dusty box of trophies at mom’s house but to our own wounds, scars and searing losses that hopefully have taught us how to get back out there, bruised but moving forward."},{"_id":"JLNVPAYIW5AVDPIN4ZOX2IAYQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731091226626},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.beth-collums.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Beth Collums</i></a><i> is an Atlanta-based writer. With a professional background in child and family therapy, she often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: It's easy to watch kids try and succeed, but children can learn more from trying and losing as long as parents don't attempt to blunt the pain."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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therapy.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LNZVDLKMPD5EMILVY6K2PEZZVM.jpg","height":298,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LNZVDLKMPD5EMILVY6K2PEZZVM.jpg?auth=0b483be8b90d7b1dcafcf3a79a9503839f9c953625e8bad2ec38f5362007d5d4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"O64NVI4NDRAYVJMDFSXW6UHYVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238898},"type":"text","content":"A sweeping report two weeks ago by the Atlanta-based <a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Southern Education Foundation</a> on the stalled progress of Black students bears the title<a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/what-we-do/milestogo2024/\" target=\"_blank\"> “Miles to Go.”</a>"},{"_id":"B7XV5IUGKFAXBMWIUWABVV7G7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238899},"type":"text","content":"Last week’s election of Donald Trump may entail a slight alteration: “Many More Miles to Go.”"},{"_id":"U53ARSKGSFDQRAHKNOS4B3CWZE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238900},"type":"text","content":"Trump barely referenced education during his presidential campaign. His few comments didn’t allude to anything he would add to education, only what he’d take away. That list included dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, ridding schools of what he called “woke” teaching around “racial, sexual or political content” and diverting public school dollars to private schools."},{"_id":"ZE3QJ6GXYZEGXJ5TJ77S32FM3I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"KW4DALKJHBA6BB5KI65K5KBYSY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Inequities persist for Black students, report finds","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/analysis-finds-georgia-has-one-of-the-highest-school-segregation-rates/L3SAFMDWCVHCFA4R46Y44GEVPA/"},{"_id":"SWDG4KABL5ESLNFUNFDOJKKUFA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238901},"type":"text","content":"“I am not denying the gravity of this election. This is bad,” said <a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/people/raymond-c-pierce/\" target=\"_blank\">Raymond C. Pierce, </a>Southern Education Federation president and CEO who began his career as a civil rights attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas. “There is a culture of people who, when they see the Southern Education Foundation saying, ‘Let’s address these issues,” they don’t want to hear it. It is going to be hard. That doesn’t mean we give up.”"},{"_id":"UC3TS4DQDFHOXGKUG344MFFZUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":66,"comment":" SEF"},{"pos":169,"comment":", in the thrall of Trump"}],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238902},"type":"text","content":"In the thrall of Trump, it’s difficult to imagine the federation’s recommendations will find a receptive audience in Republican-led state legislatures, including Georgia. The central finding of the 53-page study is that Black students lag in key academic measures not because of achievement gaps of their own making but long-standing opportunity gaps that leave them with fewer chances to learn at elevated levels."},{"_id":"65ZYVFKPGZBDJKRELOEKRV7ENU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238903},"type":"text","content":"The roots of these opportunity deficits are deeply embedded structural inequities that start in pre-K and continue through the K-12 system. Those inequities include Black students attending schools with fewer resources, sitting in increasingly segregated classrooms, seeing few teachers who look like them and suffering harsher punishments, including expulsions and suspensions, than white students charged with the same offenses."},{"_id":"EEYNJLPJBJGT5PBVMDFCWOCU6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731426805153},"type":"text","content":"Seven Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee – posted expulsion rates for Black students higher than the national average, according to the report."},{"_id":"BNFPH3Q5RBGWDEAAAJXDRZGEQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238904},"type":"text","content":"In spite of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education that said segregated schools were unlawful, the Southern Education Federation’s report cites increasing segregation, blaming discriminatory practices in housing, banking and real estate. Those practices led to Black families living in underresourced neighborhoods where artificially reduced property values generate less local funding for schools."},{"_id":"I5DJF5PJBREUJPNKV7D2NUH5AY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731426805155},"type":"text","content":"Georgia is one of the top 10 states in terms of highest rates of school segregation, with 47% of Black children here attending schools in which more than 90% of students are people of color."},{"_id":"ZWBIEKYAJBHXHN5XTGVG24ZHYU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"4FBAPHWZNBFY7O2GHKWL35SQYM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Kamala Harris loss showed women the underbelly of America","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-harris-loss-showed-women-the-underbelly-of-america/TSOWNBZRB5DAZOI4M2LTBBFYDY/"},{"_id":"XFONPRCGB5DLZPOC6CKU3OXOBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":37,"comment":"SEF’s"}],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238905},"type":"text","content":"The report builds on the federation’s own research and numerous other studies that support its key contention that improving learning conditions and outcomes for Black students will enhance the education and futures of all children."},{"_id":"MSSZTVROUBFGND3ZANDB7RLFUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238906},"type":"text","content":"“Studies show finding ways to diversify the teacher workforce (is) better for all students,” said <a href=\"https://southerneducation.org/people/max-altman/\" target=\"_blank\">Max Altman</a>, the federation’s director of research and policy. “We show an increase in equity will increase outcomes for all students, improve workforce engagement and provide more trained professionals<b> </b>able to provide needed services in community. These are legitimately things good for everyone.”"},{"_id":"LBWATN2QJFAHFAUR3FE54XFSRI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"PB5R75RKVNCDBGXDOG34KMSJSU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"70 years after Brown v Board, Georgia’s promise of integration still elusive","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/the-legacy-of-brown-v-board-of-education-in-georgia/L3YPLWUQN5FP7GXDMCWDQVY5L4/"},{"_id":"ONDBIE32NFF6PERBLTVBXDSYDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238907},"type":"text","content":"That conclusion will likely be a tough sell amid grievance politics for white Americans who voted to turn back the page. They contend that racism is behind us and government efforts to widen opportunities for people of color instead shortchange them and their families."},{"_id":"ODHVTIOUEJBY3ALYLGFZBHF5JQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731084238908},"type":"text","content":"“This is not just in Georgia; it is not confined to below the Mason-Dixon Line,” Pierce said. “There is an immense backlash. There is a sentiment out there that the reasons students aren’t learning or are suffering disparities in their learning is their fault. People have no sense of how the decades of Jim Crow, the centuries of denying education and the derivatives and vestiges of the past, have any impact today. They ignore history; they ignore reality.”"},{"_id":"ZDDT3WVZFJEDTMCFZZZPK6LS5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1731342583342},"type":"text","content":"<i>Stay on top of the latest education news with our weekly newsletter. Sign up for it free </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/newsletters/subscribe-georgia-school-news/?utm_content=articleshare\"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Long-standing opportunity gaps have stalled the progress of Black students."},"description":{"basic":"A report calls for closing the opportunity gaps in education for Black students, but could Trump's plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education do the opposite?"},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1047,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"donald trump"},{"text":"elections-president"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"trump-transition"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"d44e7d27d4a525d6295a52ac7e344dc890b96c6593ad2d273662848e4809834e"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Teachers rally against bills that limit classroom discussions on race","width":5775,"caption":"Educators rally outside the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, February 12, 2022. 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In fact, I liked that my kids witnessed civic responsibility in action."},{"_id":"FJ7PSE4LO5EFDF64M6RHEM3WOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":89,"comment":"fueling"}],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488830},"type":"text","content":"I’m not sure I would have the same attitude in 2024, an election year rife with tensions that fuel concerns about children’s safety. Increasingly, public schools, including those in metro Atlanta, close for Election Day or shift to virtual instruction."},{"_id":"CCRDGMIBZVFOJMMRQ25KQG3ZKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488831},"type":"text","content":"A parent on Reddit posed a question that has also cropped up on local parenting forums: “Is anyone else concerned about sending their kids to school the day of or day after elections? I think it’s unlikely the results will be announced by then, but I’m just concerned that things could be crazy. 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In the midst of parent’s own agitation over the heated presidential contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, parents worry their kids are being affected by that uneasiness."},{"_id":"2OGIKO65ERCKBAUP7L7BOXECGE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"H73I67ZJPREADK2DIMCIZM3EWI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Follow live Election Day updates from the AJC","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/vance-closes-out-2024-campaign-visits-to-georgia-live-updates/VDYLODTHGFCOVPAQIW5R64Z7SA/"},{"_id":"NP3NMBQV7FENTBHNGRJWV4BERI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488833},"type":"text","content":"And that uneasiness is widespread."},{"_id":"FL3QIVIXQZB2PCKJ36TJLEAPCM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730829507156},"type":"text","content":"An <a href=\"https://apnorc.org/\">AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll</a> released Thursday found that seven out of 10 voters say they are anxious about the election. An <a href=\"https://apnorc.org/\">AP-NORC poll</a> conducted in mid-October showed 76% of voters are at least somewhat worried about violence aimed at overturning the election results, including 42% who said they are extremely or very concerned."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"8ca8bb7bbc89fd2b2c5a23020f617d8d4f7c19b8bab36ff61488d6b0ecd3b49b"},"caption":"While many private schools did not hold any Election Day events, the Davis Academy created a special program that helped its students understand and value their right to vote. 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Today, The New York Times has an investigation into alarming posts on the social media platform <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/07/technology/telegram-crime-terrorism.html\">Telegram</a> by right-wing groups encouraging violent responses if Trump loses."},{"_id":"KWBGGHEV7RCJVJIBGTTV24AIIQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"IM2VAFWFNRC25EMQ3VWKGL2K7Q"},"alignment":"right","type":"raw_html","content":"<CustomInfoBox id=\"JXWG5QQ7VVDSVP2UFUPV5NYYEA\" />"},{"_id":"ZWQFGMK5SJAB7AL52B7FXLZCEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730811933278},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Imhotep Academy, the private K-8 school in northwest Atlanta, is planning a staff workday Tuesday, so that means no classes for students. If the election results cause unsafe conditions, Imhotep has told parents it will consider closing the school for additional days."},{"_id":"6HB5XWDC6VD77O3WYZKR5O337A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488835},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"An elite New York City<b> </b>private school — Jerry Seinfeld’s children attended — added to the national discussion with an email to parents last week that it would excuse “emotionally distressed” students from class the day after the election and provide psychologists to help kids. The email promised: “No matter the election outcome, the school will create space to provide students with the support they may need.”"},{"_id":"DMPNQJ3OLNDUTAJED3A6GJF2DY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488836},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"The email from the <a href=\"https://www.ecfs.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Ethical Culture Fieldstone School</a> about what it described as “a high-stakes and emotional time for our community” earned both praise and condemnation. Falling in the latter category, Seinfeld told the Times that the school was encouraging students “to buckle. This is the lesson they are providing, for ungodly sums of money.”"},{"_id":"KZ5VHUTR5RE4FPSXM3NV6JSVOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488837},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"Among the 500-plus comments to the Times story was one from a Texas public school administrator who wrote: “We are concerned about everyone’s behavior Nov. 6. Spin that any way you want; people upset, celebrating, attacking the beliefs of others, trolling others on social media, telegraphing their opinions, lashing out, skipping school, you name it. Families will be up late into the evening watching election returns and will be tired the next morning. I’m anticipating it being a stressful day on multiple levels.”"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"bedeb9479adb04c31b92dfd905ca64df91fd98cd7fe1ef7571ebd98b9488964d"},"caption":"The Davis Academy held an Election Day program for its students. 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Photo Credit: Cristy Milrud.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Cristy Milrud","type":"author","byline":"Cristy Milrud"}]},"subtitle":"Davis Academy Election Day program for students","width":3479,"_id":"JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/LI0Mzicgo8bYAui-NMct6SF8czM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/LI0Mzicgo8bYAui-NMct6SF8czM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","takenOn":"2024-11-05T16:28:25Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/LI0Mzicgo8bYAui-NMct6SF8czM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/gf2XHdklgw3N3eaiJE-CZOpqBb0=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"davisvote2.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"TYCNOI4BWVEWJDIKLBNLFXSFPQ"},"created_date":"2024-11-05T18:38:24Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-05T18:38:24Z","height":2299,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JD4LDP7YDBCNXGQVVC6OG43H2Y.jpg?auth=bedeb9479adb04c31b92dfd905ca64df91fd98cd7fe1ef7571ebd98b9488964d&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"DQ2EFLYKKVG4BN25JQ73VUBVUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":349,"comment":"important "}],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488838},"type":"text","content":"The<a href=\"https://www.davisacademy.org/\" target=\"_blank\"> Davis Academy,</a> in the Dunwoody-Sandy Springs area, has created a daylong Election Day program Tuesday that avoids the stress by focusing students on the importance of voice and choice and reinforcing the Judaic beliefs in good citizenship and civic duty. Along with activities specific to grade levels, Davis will hold a mock election to decide school issues, such as whether to serve chocolate chip, sugar or oatmeal cookies at a school event next week."},{"_id":"QLTG42GOXZFW5EZMUAJ7YKPFPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488839},"type":"text","content":"Davis has been holding Election Day programs for many years, said Stacy Brown, the academy’s director of innovation and professional learning. The format threads election history, process and facts with fun activities, including identifying whether a quote came from a U.S. president or <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/a-class-on-taylor-swift-emory-students-are-ready-for-it/HE23SQQDR5A67PYPDMOTHZG7UE/\" target=\"_blank\">Taylor Swift</a>."},{"_id":"7PJUREDW7BDUFISCH6FAOLQBQU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730754488840},"type":"text","content":"At a meeting last week of 23 independent schools mostly in the metro region, Brown said Davis Academy turned out to be the only one planning to address the election with schoolwide activities. “We feel it’s not helpful to turn a blind eye because this is life; this is reality,” Brown said, “and we have to figure out how to peacefully live, work and vote alongside one another.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Tuesday's election seems to be making parents and schools worried."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1047,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"elections"},{"text":"donald trump"},{"text":"kamala-harris"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"6d13d47dfee48797a24f73f789772b13cc1c05209424cbf2858fbda2c5f5c1da"},"credits":{"by":[]},"subtitle":"Early voting","width":3000,"caption":"Many parents are anxious about Election Day and worry about how their children are faring. 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(Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SOOHKDSOTBBB4S7PL5RARKKOQA.jpg","height":2133,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SOOHKDSOTBBB4S7PL5RARKKOQA.jpg?auth=6d13d47dfee48797a24f73f789772b13cc1c05209424cbf2858fbda2c5f5c1da&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"EGWV4ZVTV5EEHNVRULN6WTBXEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509879},"type":"text","content":"When voters make their decision Tuesday in the presidential election, it’s unlikely they will be swayed by the education positions of either candidate. Not only did Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump give scant attention to school issues during their campaigns, it also wasn’t a priority of many voters either."},{"_id":"TDGUSMPHKBDILETV7ODKEOBHOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509880},"type":"text","content":"Only 10% of K-12 parents rated education as their top issue in a <a href=\"https://nationalparentsunion.org/2024/10/15/the-closing-argument-presidential-campaign-comes-down-to-key-economic-issues-for-parents-new-survey-shows/\" target=\"_blank\">new survey</a> by the <a href=\"https://nationalparentsunion.org/who-we-are/\" target=\"_blank\">National Parents Union</a>. Released in mid-October, the responses in the national survey about the issues and choices in the presidential race revealed a tight race between Harris and Trump. “It is neck-to-neck with only 4% of families undecided,” said <a href=\"https://nationalparentsunion.org/leadership/\" target=\"_blank\">Keri Rodrigues,</a> co-founder and president of the National Parents Union, a national network of parent advocacy organizations."},{"_id":"IVKLZJFE5BARTC7CMDZFZH7AQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509881},"type":"text","content":"At a panel Wednesday sponsored by the Progressive Policy Institute’s<a href=\"https://www.progressivepolicy.org/project/reinventing-americas-schools/\" target=\"_blank\"> Reinventing America’s Schools </a>project, Rodrigues said the economy emerged the top issue with most parents surveyed. That didn’t surprise fellow panelist <a href=\"https://www.senate.ga.gov/senators/en-US/member.aspx?Member=5014&Session=\" target=\"_blank\">Jason Esteves,</a> a former Atlanta Public Schools school board chair and middle school social studies teacher."},{"_id":"IF26VTY4ORGNTIFDHDTVSK34IU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"KUWKRYUMPJG5FKU7Z6FSEIWJNY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Harris and Trump have starkly different ideas about education policy","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/harris-and-trump-have-starkly-different-ideas-about-education-policies/JYKY7N4DH5AJNGDHLKL5MRTZFY/"},{"_id":"YKHX7UA43ZB6VOS4APLBYRTVBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":70,"comment":"the federal and state intrusion"}],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509882},"type":"text","content":"Now a Democratic <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/5014\" target=\"_blank\">state senator</a>, Esteves said parents are skeptical of federal and state intrusion into school matters, mentioning the culture war battles around book bans and gender identity that erupted in many states, including Georgia.<b> </b>Parents, especially in Georgia, don’t see the involvement of state or federal governments as helping to move schools forward, he said.<b> “</b>When parents look to federal and state governments, they want support rather than new regulations and dictates,” Esteves said."},{"_id":"JNL5IETAY5HW3EUD7QKIM2OXME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509883},"type":"text","content":"When parents talk about their chief concerns in education, Rodrigues said, “Their top priority and what they want to see is how the federal government will protect schools from violence, and that includes gun violence and bullying. And 70% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats said school safety is their top issue.”"},{"_id":"EKPEXTLC5ZCNNPTJNUP5IOXGMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509884},"type":"text","content":"Next up in importance to parents are assurances that teachers are well trained and schools are preparing and equipping students for future jobs, she said. Families also want more leeway in choosing schools for their kids other than their zoned school, Rodrigues said, explaining, “Parents don’t understand why there is a school that would be a great option and where there is probably a seat available and they don’t have a way to get their kid into it.”"},{"_id":"OW7WLO4JH5FELACM6AGNBDITXU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509885},"type":"text","content":"Even if candidates don’t treat education as a major talking point, Esteves said voters can do so. When political canvassers for the candidates knock on doors, he said, voters should ask about education dollars and where those leaders are planning to invest the money."},{"_id":"UXW4X2IAX5B4HOAY4HBARNOTL4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"TMMRV6R54NAK3BAEN3SDLD7MW4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Learn about the candidates on your ballot: Check out the AJC Voter Guide ","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-voter-guide/"},{"_id":"S57KRKWDQRFUHKF3T2X4PY6DAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509886},"type":"text","content":"“They should be asking whose agenda these candidates are pushing,’’ Esteves said. “If the candidates are spending more time talking about gender and the books our kids are reading and not enough on why our kids can’t read, there should be significant questions. There should also be significant questions on what that candidate is doing to ensure the safety of children in schools, and, if that candidate’s response is arming teachers, they should ask more questions.”"},{"_id":"JR4RHTNW6BGEZO2BYDXBKR734A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509887},"type":"text","content":"Also on the panel was the former Milwaukee school superintendent and longtime national school-choice activist <a href=\"https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/howard-l-fuller\" target=\"_blank\">Howard Fuller,</a> who supports Harris. He provided the liveliest and most volatile comments, agreeing that American parents have legitimate concerns about whether their children are safe in schools and learning anything. But Fuller said even those consequential questions around how to do our best for children pale in comparison to the most pressing question facing voters in this presidential contest: Whether democracy will survive and work."},{"_id":"Q7PBNTUOOZGDNNGPRA3T7UGRTA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730471509888},"type":"text","content":"“We have lots of people on panels, but while you are all on the panels, I am going to take actual people to the polls. That is the best way for people to exercise power,” he said. “This is moment we have to quit talking and actually get live bodies to vote.”"},{"_id":"6WF4LNIGDJCVJA3SXLLHP24WKA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"R3J2PM2S7FDJZNK6Z342PGOJR4"},"alignment":"center","type":"raw_html","content":"<CustomInfoBox id=\"JXWG5QQ7VVDSVP2UFUPV5NYYEA\" /> "}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Education was a not a pivotal issue for the 2024 presidential candidates or apparently for voters, either."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1047,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"atlanta public schools"},{"text":"elections"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4f73ca68e8529b07814f26756e4ce0fd4db6292fd6f1eb765b405d50d7518d0a"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Yong Kim and Tyger Williams","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-CAMPAIGN-GA-AD-SPENDING-PH","width":2600,"caption":"Former President Donald Trump (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris (right). 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. 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(Yong Kim and Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HQDW74YTDYD7YNG3LTPLIWV3SE.jpg","height":1600,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/HQDW74YTDYD7YNG3LTPLIWV3SE.jpg?auth=4f73ca68e8529b07814f26756e4ce0fd4db6292fd6f1eb765b405d50d7518d0a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"GOFAUTD6IREYVCQEWZLGQIBAVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170800},"type":"text","content":"In my forthcoming book, “Black, Not Historically Black: Towards the Pan-Black College and University,” I argue Black communities must focus more on legitimizing Black colleges than simply engaging in the conversation about their relevancy."},{"_id":"6LH3JZPP7NEQHPUB47HJNEIWTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":223,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1730147291582},"type":"text","content":"Too often, the question asked is, “Are HBCUs still relevant?” But the better question should be, “Do Black communities want to seriously support these institutions by sending their children there, becoming an active alumnus or working in them?” The former question places HBCUs in a defensive posture, constantly fighting for validation, while the latter puts the future and success in the hands of the very people whom they were designed for."},{"_id":"GOFAUTD6IREYVCQEWZLGQIBAVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170802},"type":"text","content":"Now, 7% of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/uatl/how-atlantas-black-college-students-find-community-in-predominately-white-instutions/5ZJCAYJVQRG4XPWHIPFL623LI4/\" target=\"_blank\">Black students</a> attend HBCUs, according to federal data. Yet, they produce 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, 50% of Black engineers and 35% of Black lawyers, <a href=\"https://uncf.org/programs/the-audacity-to-lead#:~:text=HBCUs%20maintain%20high%20academic%20standards,and%2035%25%20of%20Black%20lawyers.\" target=\"_blank\">according to the United Negro College Fund</a>. Still, they need our support. Research shows HBCUs remain <a href=\"https://blog.candid.org/post/5-things-to-know-about-philanthropy-to-hbcus/\" target=\"_blank\">underfunded</a> by states and philanthropical organizations."},{"_id":"WIPCCO3HNVDH7N4VCCBUUITYIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729879258935},"type":"text","content":"Legitimacy, in this context, goes beyond meeting the standards of mainstream academia. It requires a commitment and steadfast belief that Black colleges are first choice institutions and are foundational for the intellectual, economic and cultural development of Black communities. In an age when Black youth face overwhelming social and economic pressures, Black colleges should not only exist to be relevant in today’s discourse but also to be beacons of excellence — places where our children can find professors who will set them on paths to success, as they have done for generations."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"2fee744646be247db3c1000405b8eaf66c87530009c907b520c7c385a97f2817"},"caption":"Joseph L. Jones, the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy at Clark Atlanta University, stands in front of a statue of the center's namesake. ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Jarrod Grant","type":"author","byline":"Jarrod Grant"}]},"subtitle":"Joseph L. Jones","width":3024,"_id":"3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/2ZM-Vh9Z0rddREyJdDd7kpradVo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","owner":"ernie.suggs@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/2ZM-Vh9Z0rddREyJdDd7kpradVo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/2ZM-Vh9Z0rddREyJdDd7kpradVo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/YQ5zvki6ChW-P2wfAAAQsMMFwe8=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg","version":2,"originalName":"IMG_0579.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"66IO2ORJVFHDNKEAHH2S67X5NA"},"created_date":"2024-05-03T16:56:56Z","last_updated_date":"2024-05-03T18:04:21Z","height":4032,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3TYPQ2QWOZEVXJG2FOQRDTUP2A.jpeg?auth=2fee744646be247db3c1000405b8eaf66c87530009c907b520c7c385a97f2817&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"GASJRISGAJCA3D7SU7LNUHF4CA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":172,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1730147291585},"type":"text","content":"As a parent and educator, I have experienced the immense weight of college selection firsthand. For Black families, this decision is not just about geography, affordability or ranking; it’s about choosing an environment where students will find mentors, role models and opportunities uniquely tailored to their success. Black colleges, with their deep commitment to nurturing Black students, offer exactly that."},{"_id":"5I23JMC7HBAN5CLK2G7EM33NIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":261,"comment":"inspire "}],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170806},"type":"text","content":"I remember my own journey through HBCUs, where professors like Raphael Lewis and Mack H. Jones profoundly shaped my academic and professional life. These professors did more than deliver lectures, they invested in my future, challenging me to think critically, inspired me to become a scholar activist and pursue my goals without concern of the white gaze. This tradition of liberatory teaching, mentorship and personal investment is what makes Black colleges legitimate, not merely relevant."},{"_id":"3VPXOWDB2JA3XIB2HQYHITVHWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":289,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170807},"type":"text","content":"But why is legitimacy more important than relevance? Relevance is an ephemeral concept. Something is relevant today but may not be tomorrow. Legitimacy, on the other hand, speaks to the foundational role HBCUs play in shaping the minds, values and futures of Black students. It recognizes these institutions were never simply stopgaps or temporary solutions to racial segregation. Instead, they are integral to the future of Black education and, by extension, Black communities across the nation."},{"_id":"3T63UL5CE5G2LJFATHAGVZ7ZMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730215231035},"type":"text","content":"By focusing on legitimizing Black colleges, we assert that these institutions should not be compared to predominantly white institutions, PWIs, to justify their existence. They stand on their own merit as centers of academic excellence and community uplift."},{"_id":"236UAFUA6BDRZCCQNNHRPWVK2Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-29T20:55:48.013Z","start":627,"end":629,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1730213170808},"type":"text","content":"In the ongoing debate over whether HBCUs are still relevant, we lose sight of the real issue: our institutions have always been, and continue to be, legitimate spaces for Black intellectual growth. In a world that often undermines Black excellence, HBCUs continue to strive to be sanctuaries of safe space where students can be just a student and not a Black student. They are where Black students find the one professor who will guide them not just through their academic journey, but through life. My own daughter’s decision to attend Howard University was rooted in this understanding that she would not only receive a degree, but also find professors and peers who would inspire and challenge her."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"0916dc9c6a3d933ae1a805ccb20baf7a8c755165a4efb1fcf0a7c30d259277d7"},"caption":"“Black, Not Historically Black: Towards the Pan-Black College and University,” by Joseph L. Jones, is scheduled to be released in late November by Third World Press. ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Joseph L. Jones book cover","width":4803,"_id":"OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/FfVv9H5ZOlyHRKFY_ba-dz59zWI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/FfVv9H5ZOlyHRKFY_ba-dz59zWI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/FfVv9H5ZOlyHRKFY_ba-dz59zWI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/UnDc752zy64j1-y2LonJqtc1QVQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"BNHB_Front Cover_4804x2702.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"D7WMKTESENFBTGMJXV4PXAVOTY"},"created_date":"2024-10-29T19:42:39Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-29T19:42:39Z","height":2702,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OZW6MPXYZVHA5HREUAO5QRMUMQ.jpg?auth=0916dc9c6a3d933ae1a805ccb20baf7a8c755165a4efb1fcf0a7c30d259277d7&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"7RVXDLH5GVGJNCQHY2QNSDPL3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170809},"type":"text","content":"Therefore, Black communities can legitimize Black colleges by enrolling their children, working at them, creating pathways between HBCUs for undergraduate and graduate studies and actively supporting alumni engagement and giving. In supporting Black colleges, we are choosing legitimacy over the fleeting notion of relevance. We are choosing to invest in institutions that have consistently uplifted Black students and communities and will continue to do so for generations to come."},{"_id":"ABFV6M5C5ZG4BPSPJXR5SLW37Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730147291591},"type":"text","content":"In conclusion, as we look toward the future of Black education, we must prioritize legitimizing HBCUs over validating their relevance. By doing so, we ensure these institutions remain powerful engines of social and economic mobility for Black students. In “Black, Not Historically Black,” I make the case that sending our children to Black colleges is about far more than seeking relevancy, it is about securing their success and in turn, the success of our communities."},{"_id":"2E6RRAJ3SJDTPJYY2X4SKTJ4ZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1730213170811},"type":"text","content":"<i>Joseph L. Jones is an associate professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University and executive director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: By focusing on the legitimacy of Black colleges instead of relevance, they can remain powerful engines of social and economic mobility for Black students."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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Some weren’t happy when I advised against getting their news from the free weekly community paper that showed up in their driveway, which was more apt to cover fun runs than school funding."},{"_id":"LJLGKY642JAQ7AQLYNQQ755EWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-28T12:34:22.249Z","start":180,"end":182,"text":"added \"ages\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1729805433427},"type":"text","content":"Today, I would likely reconsider my reservations about the weekly paper, given where young people now seek out their news. <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/17/more-americans-regularly-get-news-on-tiktok-especially-young-adults/\">A new Pew Research Center analysis </a>finds 39% of Americans ages 18 to 29 regularly get their news on TikTok."},{"_id":"GA543KPQGZGHBOK3AWAIMVJS5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433428},"type":"text","content":"And that percentage is likely to increase. “Since 2020, no social media platform we’ve studied has seen faster growth in the share of Americans who regularly turn to it for news,” said the Pew analysis. A Pew study last year found teens ages 13 to 17 are devoted TikTok adherents with 58% of them using the platform daily and 17% almost constantly."},{"_id":"T3AMEG6RJVEVHPXOCGAVKIE6GQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433429},"type":"text","content":"How accurate is the information that kids pick up from TikTok?"},{"_id":"733XMD4ZPFAVBL7SY7FS4MAKQU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729819155882},"type":"text","content":"My favorite summation of TikTok’s veracity comes from a <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Niall_Osullivan5/publication/359111889_The_unintentional_spread_of_misinformation_on_%27TikTok%27_A_paediatric_urological_perspective/links/636d142637878b3e879c8378/The-unintentional-spread-of-misinformation-on-TikTok-A-paediatric-urological-perspective.pdf\">2022 medical journal study </a>out of Ireland concluding that while TikTok could be a resource for health information, “It currently is a pit of misinformation with the potential to cause harm to the user.”"},{"_id":"QG3TTVOM3FEFXKQFTS3SQ5CAOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433430},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/health-information-tiktok\">A University of Chicago study</a> published in March delved into health misinformation on TikTok. Nearly half the videos reviewed by the researchers contained nonfactual information typically offered by nonmedical influencers. The researchers worried that TikTok users could not discern what’s high-quality and factual and what’s bogus and potentially harmful. An example cited: TikTok’s viral advice to relieve congestion by shoving whole <a href=\"https://health.clevelandclinic.org/putting-garlic-in-nose-to-clear-sinuses\" target=\"_blank\">cloves of garlic</a> up your nose, which can damage nasal tissue or clog nasal passages."},{"_id":"P62RY7HZFZFVRI4EKMN7EGLVKM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433431},"type":"text","content":"TikTok has already proven that kids and teens can easily be enticed into dangerous and even deadly behaviors, from the “<a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36173026/\" target=\"_blank\">Benadryl challenge</a>” where kids overdosed on the allergy drug to produce hallucinations to the “<a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/01/1179347910/one-mom-takes-on-youtube-over-deadly-social-media-blackout-challenge\">blackout challenge</a>” where they held their breath until they passed out. Both challenges caused deaths."},{"_id":"B22PEFCFKFFX5FFELFOQKPZORY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433432},"type":"text","content":"It’s not surprising that schools are now being asked to help kids evaluate what they hear and see on TikTok and other social media platforms. A survey released last week by the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit, found 94% of teens agree schools should be required to teach media literacy."},{"_id":"LH6O7Y6H6FBOVPHIIUJTCDC6ZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433433},"type":"text","content":"Despite such strong support, only 39% of teens surveyed reported having any media literacy instruction during the 2023-24 school year. The News Literacy Project is encouraging more schools to teach media literacy, something now only mandated in Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey."},{"_id":"2JXVZTAMTFAPHPD24MCAD37AFA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729805433434},"type":"text","content":"Among other findings of the News Literacy Project survey:"},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"MX6CPBZCIRHFRCQH3HSUW4KC54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"-- While teens on social media aren’t necessarily inclined to believe every conspiracy theory, an overwhelming majority of those who report seeing a conspiracy theory on social media (81%) say they are inclined to believe one or more of them."},{"_id":"TW2HNIQBM5FDLHQZJY7C77BM2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"-- Eight in 10 teens on social media see posts that spread or promote conspiracy theories, but the frequency of their exposure varies. Twenty percent of teens who use social media report seeing these posts in their feeds daily, 31% report seeing them weekly and 29% report seeing them less than once a week."},{"_id":"DBAAQXYTLJARXKJJW3BKWC35SE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"-- Many of the conspiracy theories teens report are far more than harmless superstitions. They include narratives such as the Earth being flat, the 2020 election being rigged or stolen and COVID-19 vaccines being dangerous."},{"_id":"XYUXKBACC5GAPH2RFKKQDYRX2M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"-- When it comes to news habits, only 15% of teens actively seek out news to stay informed. Most teens say they either keep up with news without really trying (50%) or don’t keep up with news (36%)."}],"citation":{"type":"text","content":""},"subtype":"blockquote","_id":"6UZTMXJAM5ARJHSFLBFUQKNVEI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"X256YN6FSJGTFPUSYY2VDMHKYQ"},"type":"quote"},{"_id":"6CRQZTLA5FGL5GSGDILOH4PE3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729820719948},"type":"text","content":"If we don’t teach students how to ascertain fact from fiction on their preferred source of news, we may end up with a generation of young people with garlic up their noses."},{"_id":"3DPCNEDIGRCVNDZM46B2QM35QM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729819155892},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Too many get misinformation from frivolous sources, and too few seek out reliable news."},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Only three states mandate media literacy in school. 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This senseless act of violence left one young life lost and several others injured, casting a pall over what should have been a joyous celebration of community and tradition."},{"_id":"CZTKDTA5CJEUHIQXYPNRXTQHVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017512},"type":"text","content":"The loss of 19-year-old De’Marion Tayshawn Daniels is heartbreaking; the pain of this loss touches us all, and the ripple effects will likely extend far beyond the immediate tragedy. As an alumnus who experienced the profound impact of 9/11 while on campus more than two decades ago, I fear this incident may similarly redefine the homecoming experience for my beloved ASU community."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"46a9585a4c312f446a0366d1c8b0a3a410db448ca50a8a00b158086e6d8592cf"},"caption":"A. Zachary Faison Jr. is president & CEO of Edward Waters University.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed photo","type":"author","byline":"Contributed photo"}]},"subtitle":"A. Zachary Faison Jr.","width":1198,"_id":"EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/JLS7sfc06mt6SN0WIvVeyZxcWzo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/JLS7sfc06mt6SN0WIvVeyZxcWzo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/JLS7sfc06mt6SN0WIvVeyZxcWzo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/1DLl_theGvr4xJnnjebJo9d34W0=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Edward Waters president_1199x674.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"FZHRV7QQDJCVVK2LTSUVMVOD3U"},"created_date":"2024-10-25T18:37:40Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-25T18:37:40Z","height":674,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/EXL2ACZZ2NH3PGQQYWZIPY7KDQ.jpg?auth=46a9585a4c312f446a0366d1c8b0a3a410db448ca50a8a00b158086e6d8592cf&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"SRKHJP2QZBHSXDYY2QXQ6NWFOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017514},"type":"text","content":"Relatedly, however, this tragic event underscores the critical importance of robust campus safety measures, especially for HBCUs like ours that are often positioned as pillars of refuge and promise in communities often facing significant socioeconomic challenges. As university presidents, we are entrusted with the safety of our institutional ecosystem, which at HBCUs include inextricable responsibilities to both internal and external stakeholders."},{"_id":"6ASHYB2ESFDJFK23XL77DWMIHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729885358744},"type":"text","content":"This responsibility became visceral for us at Edward Waters University <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/jacksonville-shooting-black-colleges-hbcu-bomb-threats-6aa28d01fe5086b1dfdf5df2e72c2e35\" target=\"_blank\">last August</a> when we made international headlines as the original target of a racially motivated mass shooting in our own New Town community, which sits in the heart of Jacksonville’s Black urban core."},{"_id":"N7Y4MJZUMRCSVM7HFWJMGBUXWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":295,"comment":"F"},{"pos":302,"comment":"Y"}],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017515},"type":"text","content":"In the aftermath, we have made significant strides in enhancing our security infrastructure, thanks in large part to crucial campus fortification funding from the Florida Legislature. In addition to a <a href=\"https://www.volunteerflorida.org/jacksonville-incident/\" target=\"_blank\">$1 million grant</a> received from Volunteer Florida, the recent <a href=\"https://www.flgov.com/2024/06/12/governor-ron-desantis-signs-fiscal-year-2024-2025-focus-on-floridas-future-budget/\" target=\"_blank\">state legislative budget</a> for the fiscal year 2024-2025 allocated $5 million to further strengthen campus security infrastructure on the Edward Waters campus."},{"_id":"S4EHG66TU5G7RCO2LJFJNVCMVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017516},"type":"text","content":"As a native Georgian and a two-time graduate of the University System of Georgia who still maintains a permanent residence in southwest Georgia, I urge local, state and federal elected officials to provide similar funding and support to Albany State University and the other HBCUs in the state. The safety of our students is not just an HBCU issue; it is a societal imperative. By working together and providing necessary resources, we can create environments where our young people can thrive without fear."},{"_id":"MH5TQVOQCZHD5KAT4OLCX4WRLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017517},"type":"text","content":"As we grapple with this tragedy, it is crucial that we come together as a community. To the ASU family, I extend my deepest condolences and unwavering support. As an alumnus, I share in your grief and stand ready to assist in any way possible."},{"_id":"NK47XUE5PZGDND7GMLO54KOQKM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017518},"type":"text","content":"To my fellow HBCU leaders, let this incident renew our commitment to campus safety. We must continue to advocate for the resources necessary to protect our collective campus communities. Our institutions are beacons of hope, inspiration and opportunity. We must ensure their legacies for incubating world-class learning, growth and development remain intact for future generations."},{"_id":"HW3N5S5ZAFE73HGOF5FNOKFJAQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017519},"type":"text","content":"As we move forward, let us honor the memory of those affected by this tragedy by redoubling our efforts to create safe, inclusive and empowering educational spaces. At Edward Waters University, we are grateful for the tremendous support we’ve received, which has allowed us to implement crucial safety measures and support student success."},{"_id":"67BTLLHDCZHPXJ5X53DDMCOSR4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729885358750},"type":"text","content":"However, the recent events at our sister HBCU in Albany underscore that our work is far from over. We must remain vigilant and continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our campuses."},{"_id":"2NGK6INM6JGDJKIUBZ7BDNCH7M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017520},"type":"text","content":"Our students deserve nothing less than our full commitment to their safety and success. Together, we can work toward a future where such tragedies are prevented, and our campuses remain the anchors of sanctuary and citadels of enlightenment they were meant to be."},{"_id":"UWDHS5YUDFAYNDYYAZN6EU4BGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729882017521},"type":"text","content":"<i>A. Zachary Faison Jr. is president & CEO of Edward Waters University. 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Oct. 20, 2024.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YVU4Y3SOPBHXLBKNOIDUK3PIPU.png","height":913,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YVU4Y3SOPBHXLBKNOIDUK3PIPU.png?auth=e8e0c7f1dd4290f66aacc036061d2d462b74043e415ed1d4741eacbe8145c8f3&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"IK5LUCYFTZEOXE3PJCHPCJP6JU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488669},"type":"text","content":"This year’s passage of the voucher bill, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-house-votes-for-wider-access-to-school-vouchers-amid-criticism/6UFBVHE6XBDV7NRAFDIZYDWEHI/\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 233,</a> is allowing public funds to go to private schools at the expense of our poorest children, and I hope lawmakers will reconsider the law as it exists now to help our students more effectively."},{"_id":"B7GIY3Y4SZDRJPYXL7X3BEUJWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488670},"type":"text","content":"SB 233 states, “The education savings authority … shall include rules and regulations prioritizing the selection of economically disadvantaged students over noneconomically disadvantaged students.” However, the voucher will likely be inaccessible to students living in poverty because the student cannot receive any other scholarship defined by these terms in conjunction with the voucher and parents assume responsibility for transportation to and from the participating private school."},{"_id":"HXDK24IPVJGLPDM2RFFCWVVXTE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488672},"type":"text","content":"Anticipating this, the law has a plan for families who are wealthy. If the funds allocated for the program are not exhausted by low- and middle-income families — those families not exceeding 400% of the federal poverty level, or $124,800 per year for a family of four — any family in the attendance zone of a “failing” school can use the funds."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"de89f1291fea11eecd0b54ab274797484f1ce57c19fe0d0fed67563dc4ae0ac7"},"caption":" Becky Sayler","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Becky Sayler","width":3456,"_id":"QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/uXF5_cGzm43Ut2aRxXR9ibNziag=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","owner":"cassidy.alexander@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/uXF5_cGzm43Ut2aRxXR9ibNziag=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/uXF5_cGzm43Ut2aRxXR9ibNziag=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/DB7RwYXGqOCYo7WmfiKxmOC82ss=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg","version":2,"originalName":"becky sayler.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"JAMKSZ6Q5BC73AV2A7KGA5EHNY"},"created_date":"2022-05-24T23:11:17Z","last_updated_date":"2024-02-01T22:41:25Z","height":4378,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QUAMBWFUEZG5BFTR3QRWTLWZ3Q.jpg?auth=de89f1291fea11eecd0b54ab274797484f1ce57c19fe0d0fed67563dc4ae0ac7&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"UUVJWGGSSZESXD2BBKMMPL24IA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":147,"comment":"IEP"}],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488673},"type":"text","content":"The voucher will also likely be inaccessible to students who need special education. The accepting private schools do not have to follow or create Individualized Education Programs or 504 Plans. Additionally, students using the “Georgia Special Needs Scholarship” cannot use these voucher funds."},{"_id":"2QWLQ55DGFC73LUJPYGMG73TWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488674},"type":"text","content":"Though this voucher is framed as giving power to parents, all of the power rests in the participating private schools. The accepting private school will not be required “to alter such school’s or provider’s creed, practices, admission policies, employment policies or curricula in order to receive account funds under the program.”"},{"_id":"IMSKA23YBBEKRP2UL54NWPR2T4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488675},"type":"text","content":"This is a notable allowance since half of private schools in Cobb County are religious in nature. It’s also troubling that the accepting private school doesn’t have to be accredited yet — SB 233 says schools can be “in the process” — and the teachers at the schools do not have to be certified. Finally, all power rests with these private schools since they do not have to participate in the program or accept students with vouchers."},{"_id":"3X7HDSR47RAQFNMWQJ33LU2LIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488676},"type":"text","content":"Accountability is also lacking. Private schools participating in the program are required to administer either a nationally norm-referenced test or a statewide assessment and are required to keep graduation rates of students in the program. These requirements are only for students participating in the voucher program, and these tests and rates would not necessarily have to be calculated schoolwide."},{"_id":"HMMRKDOJNJCN7JIZQ3XM7C7G6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488677},"type":"text","content":"There are no consequences listed, regardless of the outcome. It is structurally impossible for any of these participating private schools to get on a “failing schools” list, even if their data would place them there. In fact, the law specifies that the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement shall include a list of only public schools that performed in the lowest 25% of all public schools based on the cumulative individual school ratings."},{"_id":"H7DSADUUOBBNZENHATPPFMXP5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488678},"type":"text","content":"Our state can choose to invest in all students by adding an opportunity weight/poverty weight to the Quality Basic Education formula by expanding pre-K and by supporting the dyslexia initiatives with enough funds to follow through on the mandates. Instead, the state is funneling money to a small number of students and accepting as fact that 25% of our schools are “failing” by their definition."},{"_id":"JODURDBQM5ABLIBUK7F5Y4YEWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488679},"type":"text","content":"I hope lawmakers work instead in the best interest of the children of Georgia."},{"_id":"63ZS4RCIQFF3TJAVYJ65FEPQDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729537488680},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.cobbk12.org/page/385/becky-sayler\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Becky Sayler</i></a><i> </i>i<i>s a member of the Cobb County School District Board of Education. These views represent her own and not those of the board.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A Cobb school board member says Georgia’s new voucher bill lacks accountability, empowers private schools and not parents and benefits few public-school students."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"cobb schools"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"c2828c3d4f58dd2e19f0bf9e6ba3f522e427f76fb84d1c421cfa7a0b9823baf0"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"NATRICE MILLER","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Kemp Voucher","width":4771,"caption":"Sen. Greg Dolezal, R- Cumming, holds up his camera to take a selfie with legislators while waiting for Gov. Brian Kemp to arrive to sign Senate Bill 233 known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act at Liberty Plaza on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/A6QYU6UQFZ7K5GIYVHZMVFBVMU.JPG","height":3191,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/A6QYU6UQFZ7K5GIYVHZMVFBVMU.JPG?auth=c2828c3d4f58dd2e19f0bf9e6ba3f522e427f76fb84d1c421cfa7a0b9823baf0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/cobb-board-member-new-voucher-bill-empowers-private-schools-not-parents/UIOSO24K6VHJVGNZDV4M4QRFII/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-10-23T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Becky Sayler","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Cobb board member: New voucher bill empowers private schools, not parents"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-23T09:00:07.008Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-23T09:00:07.008Z","_id":"UIOSO24K6VHJVGNZDV4M4QRFII","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"c2828c3d4f58dd2e19f0bf9e6ba3f522e427f76fb84d1c421cfa7a0b9823baf0"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"NATRICE MILLER","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Kemp Voucher","width":4771,"caption":"Sen. 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Our 19-year-old son Jackson had been in a car accident in Florida.<b> </b>The details were murky, but when I tried to call Jackson, he didn’t answer his phone. Jackson’s twin brother, Chase, and I immediately drove to Tallahassee,<b> </b>Florida,<b> </b>from our home in Marietta, anxiety mounting with every mile we drove."},{"_id":"NYEYS6ZF6BGPHLD7VWN4L5BYW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660805},"type":"text","content":"We arrived at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where we were told that Jackson was on life support. We held on to any shred of hope we could grasp, but there was nothing left that could be done."},{"_id":"G3YFGODHGJCPHMRYVV7TDR2OVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729265933589},"type":"text","content":"On Feb. 13, Jackson <a href=\"https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/vsu-student-killed-in-car-wreck/article_b5a86efc-aca9-11ed-a842-8b10cd9b8008.html\" target=\"_blank\">passed away</a> from the injuries he sustained in the accident. It all felt surreal."},{"_id":"W3KPNA5W3ZHURJ3A4FUJUETTV4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660806},"type":"text","content":"In the days after Jackson’s death, there was an investigation into the accident. Jackson was a passenger in the vehicle. Everyone had been wearing seat belts, and the driver had been driving under the speed limit because of a rainstorm. However, the car’s tires had virtually no tread, which caused the vehicle to hydroplane into an 18-wheeler."},{"_id":"NPUIEFUQXRHX5CJVY2Q6ASVJNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660807},"type":"text","content":"When someone you love dies, you question why and wonder where to go next. Jackson has four other siblings, and together we grieved and tried to make sense of everything. We found some solace in the fact that Jackson’s organs saved the lives of three people, but we felt there was more to be done."},{"_id":"LDCLYBV55FC5FFL5MCQVU55RRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":195,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660808},"type":"text","content":"Tire safety became a topic discussed among our family and friends. We constantly reminded people to check their tires and gave many of our relatives air pumps for Christmas last year. We noticed tire safety was a message that seemed to be missing from a lot of the driver safety narratives."},{"_id":"2KZCMTJ3GBGHRMZOGOPXG5TJX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729265933593},"type":"text","content":"We’ve all seen the campaigns about the importance of wearing a seat belt, not drinking and driving and not texting and driving. Tire safety and maintenance haven’t received the same attention."},{"_id":"ZUEBGE2CBRCDJI2K2RPH7ODWD4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":311,"comment":"already "}],"comments":[],"_id":1729284933036},"type":"text","content":"As a family, we knew we wanted to create a foundation to honor Jackson’s memory, and tire safety felt like a place where we could do some good. We created the <a href=\"https://www.roadreadyfoundation.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Road Ready Foundation</a>, a nonprofit organization dedicated to tire safety. We decided to focus on drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 because they are statistically more likely to be involved in an accident due to a lack of experience with driving."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"cb90140bf85ca72baada431e626009e3daaaedc003ac667d5b717a0f850e70eb"},"caption":"Alex Bebiak is the founder of the Road Ready Foundation, a nonprofit focused on educating drivers of all ages about the importance of tire safety. He started the organization after his son died in a car accident in 2023. The car’s tires had virtually no tread, which caused the car to hydroplane into an 18-wheeler. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Alex Bebiak","width":2010,"_id":"3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/PIuwMsQJSJ7viByb24pFiDJbS6c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/PIuwMsQJSJ7viByb24pFiDJbS6c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/PIuwMsQJSJ7viByb24pFiDJbS6c=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/QbkFOG-INHXL5v4OSraj6NGDxlQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg","version":0,"originalName":"Alex Bebiak_2011x1131.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"XV22YCE6K5DGRITO4QASHD2XYU"},"created_date":"2024-10-18T20:42:18Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-18T20:42:18Z","height":1131,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3YDNDYHPLJD2NDYU7VCE4ELMCM.jpeg?auth=cb90140bf85ca72baada431e626009e3daaaedc003ac667d5b717a0f850e70eb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"L6MCZQ3I2BD3RAU7YPEOGCBDTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":41,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1729265933595},"type":"text","content":"Surveys by Michelin North America showed many teen drivers had <a href=\"https://michelinmedia.com/pages/blog/detail/article/c/a728/\" target=\"_blank\">never checked their tires</a>, and they didn’t know how. The Road Ready Foundation’s programs make tire maintenance approachable using the three “I’s”: inspect the tread, inflate and check tire pressure and identify damage or wear."},{"_id":"2ZEHE3ZRMFEXLEYQ35K3NADGPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660812},"type":"text","content":"Once you look into the statistics on tire safety, the numbers are shocking. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tires are the cause of 35% of vehicle fault accidents. Tires with insufficient tread require more distance to come to a stop, and that distance is even more pronounced in the rain or snow."},{"_id":"Z22AKHXRLRAV5NOZWMAYXJRDXM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660813},"type":"text","content":"It became more evident as we launched our initial programs that even adults weren’t fully aware of the difference tires can make. When we make appearances at automotive-focused events like <a href=\"https://www.caffeineandoctane.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Caffeine and Octane</a> in Kennesaw, we still find that people admit to driving on unsafe tires."},{"_id":"KYZHPHQ5X5FDDO5S3YC4TFLUTA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660810},"type":"text","content":"When we launched the nonprofit, we started from square one. We researched tire safety and the statistics around it. We started contacting tire installation groups, tire manufacturers and government entities that represent tire manufacturers and safety. We told them Jackson’s story, and the response has been more than we could have imagined. Through this outreach, the Road Ready Foundation has forged partnerships with Airmoto, State Farm, AAA and Tire Discounters (which recently acquired local chain Butler Tires &<b> </b>Wheels)."},{"_id":"RHLCPAZBDJCBXG3K4P22YBAHIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660811},"type":"text","content":"Butler Tires & Wheels and Tire Discounters encourage all teen drivers and parents to take advantage of their free tire safety inspections during the week of Oct. 20-26. They will check air pressure, tread depth and tire age."},{"_id":"2ZEHE3ZRMFEXLEYQ35K3NADGPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660812},"type":"text","content":"AAA is hosting the <a href=\"https://www.awesomealpharetta.com/event/just-drive-teen-driver-safety-event/\" target=\"_blank\">Just Drive teen driver safety event</a> on Oct. 26 at the Fulton County Innovation Academy. The Road Ready Foundation will be there to share the message about tire safety with teens and their parents. We’ll be handing out key chains with a tread depth measurement tool and will have a display about tire maintenance."},{"_id":"ZXCBTUW6CZHSFDX7BGCDRU3ABU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729265157585},"type":"text","content":"It’s not easy to share the story of our family’s tragedy, but if we can save a life through our educational initiatives, we prevent other families from experiencing the same heartache."},{"_id":"TPJT3UZIPVFIBGM6EGABETEGLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729261660815},"type":"text","content":"<i>Alex Bebiak is the founder of the Road Ready Foundation, a nonprofit focused on educating drivers of all ages about the importance of tire safety.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Many teen drivers had never checked their tires, and they didn’t know how. 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In a message to parents Friday afternoon, Bartow communications coordinator Alisha Evans said the district was working with experts to figure out if any information was accessed or compromised."},{"_id":"L2PDEUW4XVFGRMAFGINQLOTCEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729549149001},"type":"text","content":"If any sensitive personal information was accessed, Evans said, “We will notify the affected individuals, as required by law.”"},{"_id":"WWBLXMPWCRBKBJVT54VTYVHLXI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729549149002},"type":"text","content":"“Data privacy and security are of the utmost importance to us,” said Evans. “We are diligently working to restore full internet functionality to students and staff.”"},{"_id":"FQCBTRZEVNHLPGF3SLBAD3PE2Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729549149003},"type":"text","content":"The network was back up Monday but staff described service as spotty in some instances."},{"_id":"AMHFMEXJFFCTBMSUL7TSHT6ITU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729549149004},"type":"text","content":"Schools are increasingly the target of sophisticated cyberattacks dubbed “ransomware.” Criminals hack into their computer networks and demand a ransom to return hijacked private student data. In November, Henry County Schools <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/prolonged-internet-outage-forces-henry-county-schools-to-return-to-basics/DB5H634NBRERDNMPOUUYTEGKAE/\">restricted internet access</a> because of “suspicious activity” on its internal network, later confirmed to be a ransomware attack from a criminal operation operating outside the United States."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The district was working with experts to figure out if any information was accessed or compromised."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"bartow county"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"crime-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"fc53950f9514e90a27589b616865af078f9c0e62eba52fda982861d026d173c4"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"robert.andres@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Bob Andres","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Forsyth, elementary school, computer, kids, internet, brookwood elementary school, children, students","width":2667,"caption":"The Bartow County School System had a weeklong outage owing to an attempt by outsiders to infiltrate its computer network and files. 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At last week’s hearing on why Georgia teachers flee classrooms, state senators managed to shut their eyes to the equivalent of a dozen Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey pachyderms dancing the conga."},{"_id":"GPTJVIVD5VCCVA2G4QK4PU65PA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550241},"type":"text","content":"In the nearly two-hour hearing, elected officials discussed the probable causes behind the growing disillusionment of Georgia educators, including low starting salaries, worsening student behavior, COVID-19 challenges, no planning time, too few subs and limited career ladders."},{"_id":"4ZKGBQ6RTFC5VG4K43U7ZUDRUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550242},"type":"text","content":"Here is what legislators never mentioned and state education staff never referenced in a clear reluctance to tug at anyone’s blinders: Since 2021, teachers in Georgia have been criminalized, portrayed as evil doers in orchestrated and venal political attacks decrying public education as indoctrination and educators as foot soldiers in a war against conservative values."},{"_id":"EZ6XFBW6JZCRXLGOVWAQ4QAWFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550243},"type":"text","content":"In that time, the Georgia General Assembly passed laws that conveyed mistrust in teachers and constrained how and what they taught. The laws streamline the process for <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/as-fears-over-political-attacks-rise-diverse-books-disappear-from-shelves/IUZFO2DDSRFCPIC4XHXLFRMKJ4/\" target=\"_blank\">yanking books </a>from school libraries, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-georgia-bill-would-chill-classroom-discussions-of-race-racism/OFBOUZLWDRHHRJE2EYFNNEHMQY/\" target=\"_blank\">restrict classroom conversations </a>about race and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-lawmakers-pass-parents-bill-of-rights-advocated-by-kemp/HN4WLWDRHJGBVOMAFGV2HNWRBM/\" target=\"_blank\">promote parental rights.</a>"},{"_id":"W2KVONJCGRBWJGPTQRCK3ZNPTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":97,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550244},"type":"text","content":"No wonder <a href=\"https://www.pageinc.org/\" target=\"_blank\">a recent survey of teachers</a> by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators found 47% of respondents reported they are burned out. Burnout is the main reason teachers gave for leaving, followed by student behaviors and salary. Forty-five percent of teachers said they had trouble covering their living expenses all or most of the time, and 66% took on student loan debt."},{"_id":"TNU3O5OUFJHK5DAIIZMF6A5Q6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550245},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://vimeo.com/showcase/9076408?video=927251815\" target=\"_blank\">At the joint hearing</a> of the Senate Higher Education and Education and Youth committees, PAGE consultant and education policy expert <a href=\"https://www.pagelegislative.org/about-us\" target=\"_blank\">Claire Suggs</a> said more than half the responding teachers were very unlikely or unlikely to recommend the profession to young people. “Over half of teachers reported that their workload is not manageable most of the time or all the time. Our teachers in the K-5 group were most likely to say that their workload was not manageable,” said Suggs."},{"_id":"THG6UYT5CBF6FEYGJRFP4XOWAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550246},"type":"text","content":"Data presented at the hearing show an uptick in enrollment in Georgia teacher prep programs, but the graduates aren’t staying in the classroom long, especially math and science teachers lured to higher paying careers and teachers of color who often wind up in higher poverty schools with more pressures and demands."},{"_id":"EBNUNX32DFF4RIZA2XVAWTL3AE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550247},"type":"text","content":"As with the rest of the country, most of Georgia’s teaching force — 67% — is white. Black teachers now account for 27% of the state’s teachers, while Hispanic teachers account for 3%, said <a href=\"https://gosa.georgia.gov/monica-flamini\" target=\"_blank\">Monica Flamini</a> of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement."},{"_id":"USDSNYGTUFDZFNCXPZH3X55BDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550248},"type":"text","content":"With an increasingly diverse student body, Georgia needs to bolster its recruitment and retention of Black and Hispanic teachers, she said. <a href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2017/9/13/21100898/this-top-rated-black-teacher-may-lose-her-job-over-one-test-are-high-standards-working/\" target=\"_blank\">Citing research </a>showing Black students who have a Black teacher in early elementary school are 13% more likely to graduate, Flamini told legislators, “This is a really stunning and important policy implication.”"},{"_id":"FIHXR4RJ4VEWZDIFD6QM6PVROA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550249},"type":"text","content":"Yet, Georgia has not only backed away from teaching diverse history; it’s also retreated from a visible commitment to recruit and hire a diverse workforce. Last year, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-students-go-back-to-school-in-a-time-of-political-polarization/X3ORY7UAJ5F5NCCONMTFBUEZ2A/#:~:text=In%20May%2C%20the%20Georgia%20Professional,colleges%20that%20train%20prospective%20teachers.\" target=\"_blank\">the Georgia Professional Standards Commission stripped the words “</a>diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” from the guidelines for recruiting and preparing public schoolteachers, in deference to the demonization of the terms by the governor and General Assembly."},{"_id":"A5FPBQ2O5NC4RFVTIKSJQRZTEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550250},"type":"text","content":"State Sen. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/33\" target=\"_blank\">Nan Orrock</a>, D-Atlanta, tried to point out the tap-dancing elephants in the room, questioning whether there has been fallout from the commission’s actions. “Could that have impacted our ability to recruit and retain teachers who would be a real benefit to student advancement? Are we going to blink at that and go on?”"},{"_id":"V7Q22VXQFBC6VONP4JZWE57V7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550251},"type":"text","content":"When her query was met with silence from her colleagues and state education experts, Orrock and Georgia got their answer."},{"_id":"F3M6MXEM45ALFO2SDFYQPPV5QI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729188550252},"type":"text","content":"Yes, we are going to blink at that and pretend we can’t see it."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: The state Senate is looking at why Georgia teachers are quitting, but seems unwilling to consider how culture war laws attacking schools has demoralized educators."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"social issues"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"d44e7d27d4a525d6295a52ac7e344dc890b96c6593ad2d273662848e4809834e"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Teachers rally against bills that limit classroom discussions on race","width":5775,"caption":"Educators rally outside the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, against proposed legislation that would limit what teachers may teach. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"If Georgia lawmakers want to know why teachers quit, a mirror could help"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-21T09:00:05.366Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-21T16:59:48.779Z","_id":"VVHTZYFIQFH45BRPOWMABGGSZY","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"d44e7d27d4a525d6295a52ac7e344dc890b96c6593ad2d273662848e4809834e"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Teachers rally against bills that limit classroom discussions on race","width":5775,"caption":"Educators rally outside the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, against proposed legislation that would limit what teachers may teach. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)","type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/K5MLYZZME25YQY6L655CZ6THBM.jpg","height":3842,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/K5MLYZZME25YQY6L655CZ6THBM.jpg?auth=d44e7d27d4a525d6295a52ac7e344dc890b96c6593ad2d273662848e4809834e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"M6KMFS3AZRGLNAJOSHPUVXMXBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824212},"type":"text","content":"Although the homework wars of past years seems to have subsided, the debate continues over whether kids benefit from after-school assignments."},{"_id":"OSRWWA5R7BDIJGTFB325AJ24Z4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824213},"type":"text","content":"Parents are divided on the value of homework. Some consider homework vital reinforcement and practice of what their kids learn in school, while others dismiss it as busy work that adds stress to family routines."},{"_id":"PXXNHC45YBBMVBFACIOP7WTLAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824214},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475224000951\">A new study out of Ireland</a> offers findings that could appease both factions."},{"_id":"O6D3NN35GNHXPEHAVTZJJYLUZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":351,"comment":" 4th"},{"pos":363,"comment":"8th "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824215},"type":"text","content":"Researchers at Maynooth University’s <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.maynoothuniversity.ie/hamilton__;!!JZyed81S!hecse8HrdIiWZC5_gJ8NArvGH3fktKVJFJuqplS97Wgc6n4FJ6rkxbITkGiOQjb3AWoNGwtIi3td49oj0XPxCeEUa8lzuCOkhWI$\">Hamilton Institute</a> and Department of Mathematics and Statistics in Ireland used a new artificial intelligence model to analyze data from the <a href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/timss/\">Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study</a>, often called TIMSS. An international assessment, TIMSS measures the mathematics and science achievement of students in fourth and eighth grades across around 70 participating countries, including the United States."},{"_id":"WIIFJ6O2V5AEJAIH6KHNTKDBX4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":39,"comment":"“"},{"pos":64,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-18T18:43:23.614Z","start":37,"end":39,"text":"no quotation marks around names of journals, magazines or newspapers, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1727718824216},"type":"text","content":"Published in the international journal <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/learning-and-instruction\">Learning and Instruction,</a> the study focused on 4,118 Irish eighth graders. It examined how their homework patterns affected their math and science performance."},{"_id":"OKVHKFICVJGF5G7ZVJFWL46VVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824217},"type":"text","content":"Among the key findings:"},{"_id":"LDH4CWXQERF55B5TYF763SMHSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824218},"type":"text","content":"<b>Frequency Over Duration</b>: The study highlights that the frequency of homework is more important than its duration. Daily homework assignments were found to be most effective for improving mathematics achievement, while science performance benefited most from homework assigned three to four times a week."},{"_id":"OO4SGKB6KJDFLFV5DKPEMHQF6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":158,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824219},"type":"text","content":"<b>Effectiveness of Shorter Assignments</b>: Short homework tasks, lasting up to 15 minutes, were shown to be just as effective as longer assignments. This suggests regular, concise homework can promote learning without overwhelming students with excessive work."},{"_id":"QAYATIIURJGG7DX5W6JCYT6IMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824220},"type":"text","content":"<b>Equity in Benefits</b>: Contrary to previous research, this study found that all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, experienced similar benefits from homework, indicating equitable advantages across diverse student populations. The researchers advocate for homework policies prioritizing regular, short-duration assignments to optimize student engagement and academic success without causing undue stress."},{"_id":"LAH24ABBX5CGVEDU3PRN7JZRHU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727718824221},"type":"text","content":"“Our study provides strong evidence that regular homework can significantly enhance student performance, especially when given little and often,” said author Nathan McJames in a statement about the study findings. “By avoiding very long homework assignments, this also allows students to balance schoolwork with other important activities outside of school.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The study found short, concise homework assignments are the best approach to reinforce learning."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1d8b0112330a97ab391e5f1e56ed6e904adbb55debf2d7eb233ef388fddb9041"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Georgia students’ private battle: Anxiety disorders in the classroom","width":3300,"caption":"Researchers are still trying to figure out whether homework actually helps and how much is most effective. 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(Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/XENBZJVLD2NJ2TFW3UNZM4XHJ4.JPG","height":2200,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/XENBZJVLD2NJ2TFW3UNZM4XHJ4.JPG?auth=1d8b0112330a97ab391e5f1e56ed6e904adbb55debf2d7eb233ef388fddb9041&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"6TUUEMRMYRGVXM7A7BQYBHSMG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729084219357},"type":"text","content":"The Georgia Department of Education released the ACT scores of the 2024 high school graduating class Wednesday showing students outpaced the national average. This is the eighth year in a row where Georgia teens exceeded the national average on the widely used college admissions exam."},{"_id":"RRG3Q3N7FRD4BKNXDPEJWNNZ54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729084219358},"type":"text","content":"The ACT, which assesses students for college readiness, covers four academic areas: English, mathematics, reading and scientific reasoning. The ACT uses a score range of 1 to 36, with the higher number being the top possible score. While students earn an individual score in each subject, their overall or composite score is an average of the four."},{"_id":"4MJ52NDT65APJODMF4NUQC2M2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729098079241},"type":"text","content":"Georgia students’ average composite score was 21.2, a slight drop from the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-act-scores-fall-but-remain-above-us-average/5FCMMJ3VYVEOVG5XJLSUV72NAI/\" target=\"_blank\">2023 average</a> of 21.3. The 2023 score was 0.3 points lower than for the class of 2022, but was nearly 2 points higher than the national average of 19.5. Teens in the class of 2024 were high school freshmen during the first full year of COVID-19 learning disruptions."},{"_id":"KSSER7K4DZGHDG6UTSI5XOF4TQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SDU4XR47RFDXBALBDRTCOYBZX4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"See how Georgia students scored on the SAT","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgias-sat-scores-tick-down-still-beat-national-average/WSNJ3SYX6VEWFMMOCJ5EOV7XVY/"},{"_id":"CKR52CGFHJHJDOYOD4XMCAM4MI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"YIRJTX5FS5FNZMJBGREDDQ37YY"},"type":"raw_html","content":"<iframe title=\"2024 ACT scores by district\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-dbuWC\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dbuWC/5/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"991\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\r\n<\/script>"},{"_id":"VM7EDNY55VBCTN3PPQZEEOBMZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729087932056},"type":"text","content":"This year’s average exceeds the state’s pre-pandemic average of 20.7. Georgia students posted their highest score in reading, 22.2."},{"_id":"D6YLNH7QKNBWXJT33LFZW642SQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729092887443},"type":"text","content":"Nationwide, <a href=\"https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2024-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State-Percent-Meeting-Benchmarks.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">an estimated 36% of 2024 high school graduates </a>— roughly <a href=\"https://leadershipblog.act.org/2024/10/graduating-class-data.html\" target=\"_blank\">1.4 million </a>— took the ACT. The participation rate among Georgia students was lower than the national average at 27%, according to a DOE spokeswoman."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"4451279769cada118b7c2a63795ab8a3615ccc57aa134fd91615b7ae8ecddfe6"},"caption":"Georgia's high school class of 2024 outperformed the national averages across the four academic component areas of the ACT college admissions test.","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Georgia Department of Education","type":"author","byline":"Georgia Department of Education"}]},"subtitle":"Georgia 2024 ACT scores compared to national","width":1099,"_id":"VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/ZLbc1CVMQWyniwhUcQ-HkRSZfiU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/ZLbc1CVMQWyniwhUcQ-HkRSZfiU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/ZLbc1CVMQWyniwhUcQ-HkRSZfiU=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/dx06XFqo4OmZ6WiHZuwAzphVbGw=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"actchart.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"B3H4KQ2LMVGAZPPB3WBWW3RDPY"},"created_date":"2024-10-16T13:42:47Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-16T13:42:47Z","height":236,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/VAAWENFTSJEENCUHVJBCQPAUPI.jpg?auth=4451279769cada118b7c2a63795ab8a3615ccc57aa134fd91615b7ae8ecddfe6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2XQ4NQCE6FGHPBYK5ZWAI75BIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729084219359},"type":"text","content":"Many Georgia students opt to take the SAT, a rival admissions test. According to the state, 52% of Georgia’s class of 2024 took the SAT at some point during their high school careers. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgias-sat-scores-tick-down-still-beat-national-average/WSNJ3SYX6VEWFMMOCJ5EOV7XVY/#:~:text=Georgia's%20mean%20score%20was%201030,national%20mean%20score%20of%20995.\" target=\"_blank\">The 2024 graduating cohort earned a mean score </a>of 1030 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT, 35 points higher than the national score of 995."},{"_id":"GWNK7FD3VBFO5JIPUGAVT6SHGA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729092887446},"type":"text","content":"Selective colleges prefer students with a composite ACT of 28 or higher. For example, many students admitted to the University of Georgia this year had an ACT score between 29 and 34, according to the <a href=\"https://www.admissions.uga.edu/blog/2024-freshman-admits/\" target=\"_blank\">2024 summary</a> of admitted students. At Georgia Tech, the <a href=\"https://admission.gatech.edu/admission-snapshot\" target=\"_blank\">average ACT score</a> of admitted students was 32."},{"_id":"U6VG6EL7AZF65E6RYG5MXZ5JI4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"OWK3YW2FY5BG5IF2K3X42SPEL4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia students improve exam scores after overhaul of state math standards","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-students-improve-exam-scores-after-overhaul-of-state-math-standards/YR4D6F7FLZHU3NSAD2SIWOTNX4/"},{"_id":"RFT7MQVQAFEGJCGE5SGDSZZ344","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"The ACT also assesses students for college readiness based on their test performances. Again, Georgia students outperformed the national averages."}],"comments":[],"_id":1729087054202},"type":"text","content":"Among the class of 2024 in Georgia, 63% met the readiness benchmark in English and 51% did so in reading. Math and science performances were not as strong. In math, only 39% of Georgia test takers met the benchmark, while 40% did so in science. Nationally, only 20% of students met the benchmarks in all four academic areas. In Georgia, 29% of students met all four."},{"_id":"RFT7MQVQAFEGJCGE5SGDSZZ344","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729087054202},"type":"text","content":"“The class of 2024 continues to make us proud here in Georgia — from beating the nation on both the SAT and ACT to achieving an all-time-high graduation rate for our state,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s encouraging to see that investing in academic recovery, despite the challenges of the last several years, has paid off for our students and their futures. I offer my congratulations to the class of 2024 and their teachers, parents, and communities who made this possible.”"},{"_id":"N54Q6P2GB5GLPPT7MYKB2754PQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"JUUU6WY54VC3FDUZXEYXXPSYII"},"type":"raw_html","content":"<iframe title=\"2024 ACT scores by school \" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-amWD5\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/amWD5/4/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"786\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\r\n<\/script>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"It’s the eighth year running the state’s students exceeded nationwide average on admissions test."},"description":{"basic":"Georgia's 2024 high school graduates bested the national average ACT score, marking the eighth straight year the state outperformed on the widely used college admissions test."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/news","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"News","description":"Atlanta Georgia News main page: Breaking News, Atlanta Weather Forecast, Crime, Politics, GA Schools, Local Articles - 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The average composite ACT score for its students was 23.3, which was about the statewide and national average. 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She said the district was in the process of figuring out what happened and she did not want to speculate whether the district was the victim of a ransomware attack."},{"_id":"HV4DMKAZRZEHHM5QELVBDPXS5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729203177503},"type":"text","content":"In such attacks, malicious software infiltrates the system, encrypts an organization’s or company’s data and demands a ransom payment to restore it. Schools and government agencies have become targets because their data often includes sensitive information about students and citizens, which increases the pressure to pay the ransom."},{"_id":"G5C4PQIOSRGWRER2XDHDSCRFHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729203177504},"type":"text","content":"Earlier this year, a cybercrime gang struck Fulton County government servers, taking down hundreds of phone lines and forcing county offices to devise offline workarounds. The county <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/massive-police-move-against-hacking-group-claiming-credit-for-fulton-county-attack/X662YKQKEFEDDJRSWHPTBRJZM4/\" target=\"_blank\">did not pay</a> the ransom. In November, Henry County Schools <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/prolonged-internet-outage-forces-henry-county-schools-to-return-to-basics/DB5H634NBRERDNMPOUUYTEGKAE/\" target=\"_blank\">restricted internet access</a> because of “suspicious activity” on its internal network, later confirmed to be a ransomware attack from a criminal operation operating outside the United States."},{"_id":"UMLZUGDLMFFSPF7OKTZ3E7NXZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1729203177505},"type":"text","content":"Comparitech, a cybersecurity company, <a href=\"https://www.k12dive.com/news/how-many-ransomware-attacks-schools-2023-comparitech/725753/\">documented 491 ransomware</a> attacks on K-12 schools and colleges since 2018, including 121 last year. The company said more than 6.7 million individual records were accessed in these attacks."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"District would not speculate about whether it could be ransomware attack."},"description":{"basic":"Email services are limited, but phones are operational and bus services and after-school activities are continuing as normal, Bartow officials say."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"511554bb95dd3168a11692a80c46fe6bd3b7afcf82f641809c84a4bf18e0d07f"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Konstantin Sutyagin/Dreamstime","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"OPED-DIGITALDIVIDE-EDITORIAL-DMT","width":2000,"caption":"Bartow County Schools is experiencing a systemwide internet outage this week. 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(Dreamstime/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5O66CEZNR2ANBPVCJDCO3THZVA.jpg","height":1237,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/5O66CEZNR2ANBPVCJDCO3THZVA.jpg?auth=511554bb95dd3168a11692a80c46fe6bd3b7afcf82f641809c84a4bf18e0d07f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"EKEF6ZYDV5GAVMTAD3GKVFGDCY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897838},"type":"text","content":"School choice continues to be popular with families, taxpayers and politicians as shown by the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-signs-legislation-establishing-another-voucher-program-in-georgia/3FZ3LA3DZVFI3AVEK6BF6B66OU/\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia Legislature’s approval </a>earlier this year of a school voucher program open to all students in lower-performing public schools."},{"_id":"2PZIF4IVJJGOTJN3C3K6GMR7QQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897839},"type":"text","content":"Since 2021, 15 states have created universal school choice programs that allow families to use state taxpayer funds to find the best educational settings for their K-12 children, including private schools. And for good reason: School choice policy is based on sound theory and supported by rigorous research."},{"_id":"67VSBWPO2NBUVBF7Q6YR3WFNJM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897840},"type":"text","content":"Though school choice has existed in the United States <a href=\"https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/vermont-town-tuitioning-program/\">since 1869</a> and has been supported by other <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15582159.2024.2375164\">public</a> <a href=\"https://lawliberty.org/a-prophet-of-school-choice/\">intellectuals</a>, many people consider Nobel laureate Milton Friedman to be the modern father of the school choice movement."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"9cd0412d82be18c3ebc853cb909ef05e0d87e028b9e5059b741b81885689b2e7"},"caption":"Matthew H. 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The competitive pressures of schools competing for enrollment would in theory improve the quality of education for all consumers."},{"_id":"4H7S44PVAZDNFHAZOW2R2UPOIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897842},"type":"text","content":"Friedman’s ideas have been echoed by economists like Stanford University’s Caroline Hoxby, who suggested that school choice could be a <a href=\"https://www.nber.org/system/files/chapters/c10091/c10091.pdf\">“tide that lifts all boats.”</a>"},{"_id":"WYAVA5U6EJA57CL7Q7N4BLS4AY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897843},"type":"text","content":"Empirical research supports Friedman’s theoretical claims. Randomized controlled trials (in which students are randomly assigned to a group that receives an opportunity for school choice or to a control group that does not receive the choice opportunity) are universally regarded as the gold standard of social science research. A meta-analysis (a research technique used to capture the weight of evidence) of <a href=\"https://sandera.ucsd.edu/publications/DISC%20PAPER%20Betts%20Tang%20Charter%20Lit%20Review%202018%2001.pdf\">gold standard public charter school research</a> concludes that charter schools produce achievement gains in both math and reading. A similar meta-analysis of <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09243453.2021.1906283\">gold standard private school choice research</a> concludes that these programs produce positive achievement effects on student learning as well."},{"_id":"3DBIJY2F5FBKJEL4BSOZPPXUGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897844},"type":"text","content":"The findings of this gold standard research stand in contrast to some of the negative findings of less rigorous studies on which <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/conservative-billionaires-use-money-and-influence-to-push-school-vouchers/5KVFZODOCRHURHN7UIOC2BFIVQ/\">critics of school choice have relied to make their case</a>. Two oft-cited recent studies, for example, include evaluations of <a href=\"https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED575666.pdf\">Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship Program</a> and the <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pam.22086\">Indiana Choice Scholarship Program</a>. The authors of the Ohio program readily admit that their models “are not ideal because there may still be unobserved differences EdChoice participants and nonparticipants.” Similarly, the authors of the Indiana study state, “Without a random-assignment of vouchers or a natural experiment such as a lottery, any assessment of the effects of Indiana’s voucher program is subject to selection bias.”"},{"_id":"MDD3PCL3WZDXVOM3EGGCOL6HVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897845},"type":"text","content":"The weight of evidence derived from the most believable estimates — that is, random assignment studies — concludes that school choice generates positive test score effects."},{"_id":"5IWZZ6UCPBG5ZPAXVO6LRU3O5U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897846},"type":"text","content":"One <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15582159.2013.837759\">systematic literature review</a> of “competitive effects” research on private school choice programs finds that these programs have a neutral to positive effect on the students who remain. When schools compete for enrollment, the quality of education often improves for all students."},{"_id":"56HBYXWDJNELLD2ESPRIZRTXKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897847},"type":"text","content":"School choice produces benefits beyond standardized test scores. Another <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-024-09874-1\">meta-analysis </a>finds that private schools produce positive effects on various civic outcomes, including political tolerance; political participation; civic knowledge and skills; and voluntarism and social capital. Other studies find that attending a parent-preferred school produces long-run benefits on <a href=\"https://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/04/03/jhr.57.3.1019-10535R1.abstract\">students’ health and labor market outcomes</a> while <a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/restud/article/90/1/65/6582595?login=true\">reducing criminality and teen motherhood</a>."},{"_id":"NQKIEW55MVGFPP37Z3GQC77L7A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897848},"type":"text","content":"These results are only possible if parents are sensitive to differences in school characteristics that are related to their children’s needs. The evidence resoundingly suggests that they are."},{"_id":"VQKCDMM54BCBLAZGKO2EYKCS7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897849},"type":"text","content":"Furthermore, school choice produces savings for taxpayers. Compared to district public schools, charter schools on average are funded about <a href=\"https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED612107.pdf\">$6,000 less per pupil</a>. Private school choice programs are funded at an even smaller fraction of public school per-pupil expenditures. <a href=\"https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED615938.pdf\">One study of 40 choice programs</a> estimated that they generated upward of $28.3 billion in taxpayer savings."},{"_id":"ISN7NR3D4BDF5AVT7RMZHJUN3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897850},"type":"text","content":"Given the weight of evidence in favor of school choice, it is no surprise that critics have had to resort to inventing new arguments. Critics such as Michigan State University voucher researcher <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/conservative-billionaires-use-money-and-influence-to-push-school-vouchers/5KVFZODOCRHURHN7UIOC2BFIVQ/\">Josh Cowen</a> have denigrated popular support for school choice as something conjured up by conservative billionaires pushing a right-wing agenda. He ignores the <a href=\"https://www.federationforchildren.org/school-choice-polling/\">tremendous support for school choice</a> among <a href=\"https://www.educationnext.org/2022-ednext-poll-interactive/\">Democrats, Black parents and Hispanic parents</a> and growing support among <a href=\"https://www.jewishexponent.com/a-supreme-win-for-school-choice/\">Jews</a>, <a href=\"https://muslimmatters.org/2022/06/24/why-american-muslims-celebrate-supreme-court-christian-private-schools/\">Muslims</a> and other religious groups."},{"_id":"RWKGXLDW5VDJTE22MJBJMF4OQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727455897851},"type":"text","content":"School choice is good for student learning, good for other important student outcomes and good for taxpayer savings. Universal school choice would be good for Georgia too."},{"_id":"HPS6BE4REBCQBF7JUU6XMCEVRQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727454209678},"type":"text","content":"<i>Matthew H. Lee is a clinical assistant professor of economics at Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are his alone and do not necessarily represent the views of KSU.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A researcher says there are good reasons to expand vouchers and other school choice programs in Georgia."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"brian-kemp"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3486562aff518cf8d059b857274c5a64fa56b2eba42ba93b31965efdfb155372"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Travis Long","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-NC-PRIVATE-SCHOOL-VOUCHERS-1-RA","width":2207,"caption":"An economics professor at Kennesaw State University urges expansion of school choice programs in Georgia. (Travis Long/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SUTF5366PLVJU2JJE3DTFBQ2KQ.jpg","height":1471,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SUTF5366PLVJU2JJE3DTFBQ2KQ.jpg?auth=3486562aff518cf8d059b857274c5a64fa56b2eba42ba93b31965efdfb155372&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/evidence-supports-expansion-of-vouchers-other-school-choice-plans/X4G2VD46RVEBBEHSH3IEM2QHWY/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-10-15T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Matthew H. Lee","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Research supports expansion of vouchers, other school choice plans"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-15T09:00:00.756Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-15T09:00:00.756Z","_id":"X4G2VD46RVEBBEHSH3IEM2QHWY","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"3486562aff518cf8d059b857274c5a64fa56b2eba42ba93b31965efdfb155372"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Travis Long","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-NC-PRIVATE-SCHOOL-VOUCHERS-1-RA","width":2207,"caption":"An economics professor at Kennesaw State University urges expansion of school choice programs in Georgia. (Travis Long/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SUTF5366PLVJU2JJE3DTFBQ2KQ.jpg","height":1471,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SUTF5366PLVJU2JJE3DTFBQ2KQ.jpg?auth=3486562aff518cf8d059b857274c5a64fa56b2eba42ba93b31965efdfb155372&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"FVKIISIZCBEE7OUQR2H3R3MUNQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":153,"comment":"that "},{"pos":456,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598396},"type":"text","content":"The recent tragedy at Apalachee High School has predictably heightened public anxieties and reignited discussions about school safety. There is no doubt incidents like these leave lasting impressions on communities and challenge beliefs about how best to protect spaces presumed safe for children. And while in-school violence is no longer new to the American experience, such incidents have regrettably become lumped into a category of national tragedies we all mourn but eventually move on from — until the next one."},{"_id":"TINDZI3BXRGPTJHUQ7SEFWOKKQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":142,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T12:59:09.002Z","start":177,"end":179,"text":"added coronavirus here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728420598397},"type":"text","content":"Although concerns about school safety persist, we must remain focused on our core work of educating children with an eye on the myriad issues public schools face. Since the coronavirus pandemic, an army of teachers has exited the profession over <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/the-new-class-first-time-teachers-apply-lessons-learned-to-next-steps/SFF7ZLAZMBD4VN2AKXRIK2BCKA/\" target=\"_blank\">issues ranging from inadequate compensation to challenging working conditions</a>. Problematic student behaviors and the hyper-partisan <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/education-school-choice-on-voters-minds-in-clayton-county/JFM2XKFC25CVRN2FGOZVARJRBY/\" target=\"_blank\">school choice debate</a> have also created real challenges to be addressed — leaving parents scrambling for alternatives and seeking pathways for retreat."},{"_id":"2CJNR7CU65DGXJ4ZBEJNSHTMQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598398},"type":"text","content":"Despite the many challenges facing our schools, I remain convinced of their impact and am excited about their future. It is not a blind faith, but a proud optimism rooted in what I know to be true about public schools and the people and communities that rely on them. Actually, they are to be lauded. Out of necessity, public schools have extended their purpose and utility. They have become leaders in the provision of mental health services, they have implemented reliable, sustainable and effective models for comprehensive support services — and they have done so while welcoming every student who arrives at their doors; migrants, non-English speakers, disabled students and the list goes on."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"ded99dbc92333bc1416bb5602d21cb62d459f2522404c2403f19572160b3d07a"},"caption":"Duke Bradley is the superintendent of the Newton County Schools. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Duke Bradley","width":1980,"_id":"YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/Lem6w1xx0BWn9zzMfGyzdkajIVI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/Lem6w1xx0BWn9zzMfGyzdkajIVI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/Lem6w1xx0BWn9zzMfGyzdkajIVI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ur_E16nYLvC2gbP_LrySDr3LIBI=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG","version":0,"originalName":"Bradley_Duke3_1980x1114.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"VN3KDBYQP5GLDM52IWUAOKWSEA"},"created_date":"2024-10-08T19:36:12Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-08T19:36:12Z","height":1114,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YBBGWKAQGZCVZHBMLEAODIKL6U.JPG?auth=ded99dbc92333bc1416bb5602d21cb62d459f2522404c2403f19572160b3d07a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"PPZKV4OCVBFJDJV3YG5WNX4CUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1728562870690},"type":"text","content":"Arguably, public schools are among the most resilient institutions we have, and their significance should be highlighted, not doubted. In fact, there are deeply compelling reasons to be optimistic about the future of public education."},{"_id":"6DWMPMZ6CNCOBFRIP6HHUZTLAQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728562870691},"type":"text","content":"Here are three:"},{"level":3,"_id":"NXUPNGTIEJFDBFDONZ5SYV2U2A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598401},"type":"header","content":"1. The emergence of a new and dynamic teacher corps"},{"_id":"M7OMR4SQEVFMPAECEH5H3YL64Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598402},"type":"text","content":"The profile of the traditional education professional is changing. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 30% of new teachers are entering the profession through alternative certification programs, and nearly 50% of new teachers report having prior experience in other fields. During a period marked by desperate searches for a dwindling supply of teachers, these shortages have forced school districts to think creatively about recruitment, welcoming new entrants into the profession from nontraditional backgrounds."},{"_id":"QHI2V5KNBVGWZD5YW2IY3YQWWE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"Amidst "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T13:04:05.455Z","start":6,"end":8,"text":"AP prefers amid","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728420598403},"type":"text","content":"Amid the unprecedented challenges of finding and keeping teacher talent, the evolving profile of the American teacher represents one of the most exciting opportunities for the future of education. Foreign service teachers and mid-career changers now dominate educator candidate pools — and in many instances, are viewed as high priority applicants. This rapidly changing teacher corps provides only a glimpse into the future of the educator workforce."},{"_id":"5WVQRBF24VH4FGLYNOK3URX7OY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":15,"comment":"that "},{"pos":218,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T13:05:12.188Z","start":222,"end":224,"text":"moved placement of comma","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728420598404},"type":"text","content":"The reality is the individuals teaching our students today — and the pathways they’ve taken to get there — are markedly different from those who have taken traditional routes. They do not fit the conventional archetype and, despite their relative inexperience, have shown themselves willing to embrace the pedagogies often taught in degree programs or fast track certification outlets."},{"_id":"SW3H66QC5RHJPONTZQIDIGNIPY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":85,"comment":"non-traditionally "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T13:06:17.447Z","start":102,"end":104,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728420598405},"type":"text","content":"The fortunate convergence of traditionally prepared teachers and those who have been nontraditionally trained have the potential of diversifying the teacher workforce while enabling fresh perspectives to enter into classrooms. If nothing else, the wide-ranging experiences of “new age” teachers can have the effect of sparking innovation within classrooms and ultimately enhance the student experience."},{"level":3,"_id":"WDI5HJYHKNC4XKWHOGKGIHYCJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598406},"type":"header","content":"2. A more expansive, reimagined school experience"},{"_id":"FWP5GUISNNDWZLSNKRWLPLTOVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598407},"type":"text","content":"The modern school design, particularly at the secondary level, is unto itself a reason for optimism about the future of public education. In recent years, school districts have begun to reimagine curriculum and design new pathways to help students make meaningful connections with the world beyond the classroom. Signaling an elevated focus on curriculum relevance and student engagement, the possibilities for students are now more expansive than they once were."},{"_id":"LBBJKWJHNFGYDKCP5EZNAZCIZA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598408},"type":"text","content":"Today, partnerships between school districts and the business community are relatively common, mostly because they help to ensure career exposure aligned with contemporary workforce demands."},{"_id":"MMC7MUWBLZH4JDI5AS5QSRLJUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":40,"comment":"standalone "},{"pos":387,"comment":", CTAE,"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T13:07:39.622Z","start":50,"end":52,"text":"hyphenate, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2024-10-10T13:08:15.125Z","start":397,"end":399,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728562870700},"type":"text","content":"Right here in Georgia, the emergence of stand-alone Career Academies — offshoots from traditional school settings — help to illustrate how education is rapidly becoming a bridge to workforce entry. These academies represent a significant departure from the manner in which career and technical education was once presented to students. Modern Career, Technical and Agricultural Education programming is now more robust and provides flexible learning models that enable greater pathways for opportunity and student engagement."},{"_id":"PEA2H3VV6FDLJMAQJUDKLGMYSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":563,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598409},"type":"text","content":"Even the underlying beliefs about why alternatives to traditional schooling is necessary has evolved. There is now a clear recognition that students are better off when schools are structured in ways that allow students to pursue their natural interests and curiosities, or explore new ones. This is a shift from a time when determinations about a kid’s future were presumed based on early-grade test scores which ultimately informed their academic journey. The heightened focus on <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/atlanta-public-schools-seeks-to-achieve-equity-through-new-literacy-plan/PLF4SMQISZHODCJDG3H5EMMJHU/\" target=\"_blank\">equity</a> within our public schools is to be credited for this, and as a consequence more students are benefiting from a school experience that better responds to their passions and interests."},{"level":3,"_id":"IAIMYMDL7NELBEL4HTEZTRARZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598410},"type":"header","content":"3. The resilience of students"},{"_id":"4GVRAAT2FVE3VIN64FM4ZOY6VU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":119,"comment":" that"}],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598411},"type":"text","content":"One final reason to be optimistic about the future of public education is that students themselves constantly remind us we should be. The remarkable resilience of students serve as the main idea of a story often untold, which is that in every school, there are <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/metro-atlanta-valedictorians-ready-for-life-after-high-school/WWZT2JIJ6RGIHBWJNEBVU54PD4/\" target=\"_blank\">young people who have overcome challenges to achieve their dreams</a>. From children with learning disabilities to those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to students forced into under-resourced schools, the tenacity and spirit of the American student to overcome difficult circumstances is undeniable."},{"_id":"AF6TQFV63REUXMMRW77FVY77AI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":688,"comment":"that "},{"pos":855,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598412},"type":"text","content":"Having spent the majority of my career teaching and leading in schools that would otherwise be considered as “challenging,” I have witnessed hundreds, if not thousands of students overcome personal adversities and rise to levels of extraordinary success. In fact, because there are so many examples, these stories are not even anomalies, they are objectively true examples that affirm the brilliance of the students who walk through the halls of public schools each and every day. Ironically, these students often come from households and communities that suffer from devastating conditions and disproportionately attend low performing schools. The irony here is that traditional metrics we use to evaluate the performance of schools often leads to infuriating judgments about students themselves, and their abilities. But my reality is different. I know the future of our schools will be just fine because I have seen what they produce."},{"level":3,"_id":"3ZTSOFZPWJFELARSSZ27SPZOMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598413},"type":"header","content":"A road map for the future"},{"_id":"QHBJFFOC4NFVRPVDP3XPRCUNOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":24,"comment":"that "},{"pos":172,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1728420598414},"type":"text","content":"With all the challenges we face in public education, again, we must remain hopeful. The resilience of our teacher corps, the evolving nature of the public-school experience and the unconquerable spirit of our students all serve as reliable guideposts for an optimistic future. The path forward will undoubtedly require difficult conversations and significant investments in our education systems. However, by embracing the opportunity to innovate, collaborate and ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, we can build a brighter future for public education."},{"_id":"4USCLILCLVDLFM4JXVERAIDBUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-10T13:14:02.453Z","start":0,"end":1,"text":"copy/pasted this tagline from cutline above","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728577899968},"type":"text","content":"<i>Duke Bradley is the superintendent of Newton County Schools.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Newton County's school superintendent says there are many things working in the favor public schools, such as its teachers and the resilience of the students."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"f6f9120f4b85c40a81f56d38a37acb42078b8b96d713361afb0ad1a695e0f216"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contriu","type":"author","byline":"Contriu"}]},"subtitle":"Jordy Sanchez","width":1467,"caption":"Newton College and Career Academy student Jordy Sanchez at his work-based learning job with IMMEC. Photo courtesy Newton County Schools.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5XTCU3AH7ZFX7MZLJJH3BTBYGM.jpeg","height":825,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/5XTCU3AH7ZFX7MZLJJH3BTBYGM.jpeg?auth=f6f9120f4b85c40a81f56d38a37acb42078b8b96d713361afb0ad1a695e0f216&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/why-i-remain-hopeful-about-the-future-of-public-education-you-should-too/PYLSPXP4VZCOPLK3UMPHQ47JSM/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-10-11T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Duke Bradley","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Why I remain hopeful about the future of public education. You should too"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-11T09:00:03.144Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-11T09:00:03.144Z","_id":"PYLSPXP4VZCOPLK3UMPHQ47JSM","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"f6f9120f4b85c40a81f56d38a37acb42078b8b96d713361afb0ad1a695e0f216"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contriu","type":"author","byline":"Contriu"}]},"subtitle":"Jordy Sanchez","width":1467,"caption":"Newton College and Career Academy student Jordy Sanchez at his work-based learning job with IMMEC. Photo courtesy Newton County Schools.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5XTCU3AH7ZFX7MZLJJH3BTBYGM.jpeg","height":825,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/5XTCU3AH7ZFX7MZLJJH3BTBYGM.jpeg?auth=f6f9120f4b85c40a81f56d38a37acb42078b8b96d713361afb0ad1a695e0f216&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"AVR7KV5NFBACPE7FQFT6D5OOO4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512080},"type":"text","content":"<i>We want to inform you that our school is currently on lockdown as a precautionary measure. All students and staff are safe inside the building and no one will be allowed to leave until the situation is resolved.</i>"},{"_id":"HXUTF4YW45EKLL2V4N7EE5QBPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":106,"comment":" 4th"}],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512081},"type":"text","content":"These were the words of the email I received from my son’s middle school in Winder on the morning of Sept. 4. My husband saw it first. He called me and I rushed to open the message, my heart in my throat."},{"_id":"FY4OJN6ZRVBQPE5TUFWRPRLAW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":175,"comment":"local "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-08T12:41:51.152Z","start":174,"end":176,"text":"avoid use as its redundant, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728334512082},"type":"text","content":"“What does this mean? What’s happening? Should I go to the school?” I asked, but I already knew what happened. I knew exactly what news I was searching for before I opened my community Facebook pages. It took me less than three gut-wrenching minutes from the time I opened that email to find out about the shooting at Apalachee High School."},{"_id":"CF2FMLGB7ZFCHFDHMMSYKNNFTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512083},"type":"text","content":"I didn’t know what to do with myself as I waited for updates, but I knew what I had scheduled for that day. So I dropped my daughter off at day care. Will it happen there next?"},{"_id":"3QDIPLTK3RHXRDO3NECAWZRZJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512084},"type":"text","content":"As I drove myself to class, I wondered will it happen here, too?"},{"_id":"T3ELZOQRBJDV3IECJYX64OAOPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512085},"type":"text","content":"I tried to make sense of the world. As I sat there, I asked myself, <i>What am I doing here? What are we doing here? Why are we talking about portfolios? Do they know what just happened? Why aren’t we talking about it</i>?"},{"_id":"ZIRU5QJ5E5DJNJNBRFCKWBT6LU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512086},"type":"text","content":"Of course, they knew what I knew. They knew at that very moment, children were trembling in fear on the football field of Apalachee High School as their frantic parents dropped everything to find them, hoping they were alive. Those children who will never be able to erase the memory of their teacher’s body sprawled out on the ground in the hall as they walked past with their hands in the air. They’ll never forget hearing the gunshots."},{"_id":"KTYMUMCZ55BK3M4HA534BNMOCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512087},"type":"text","content":"I sit in my classes next to my fellow English majors, many of whom will go on to become teachers, and I wonder, <i>Will it be you? Will it be your class? Will you have to hide your students in closets and barricade the door? Will you be forced to take a bullet</i>?"},{"_id":"IEWXMKIT4JFBLODXNQZLID4HYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512088},"type":"text","content":"I look at my professors, and I wonder: <i>Are you looking at us? Are you searching our faces, watching our demeanor, seeking any sign that might reveal danger lurking in the shadows?</i>"},{"_id":"ARBIXCP4JBFXXO4QX6Y3WGB56E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512089},"type":"text","content":"I’m looking at all of you. Seeking out the faces of strangers, searching for gun-shaped lumps under clothing. Will an extra smile sent your way keep us safe another day?"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"7663ecd32f1e35252d53c26681bf015fc64d664d71d04c6cf38231840fd170ea"},"caption":"Brooke Busbee is a Barrow County parent and an English major at the University of North Georgia. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Con","type":"author","byline":"Con"}]},"subtitle":"Brooke Busbee","width":3890,"_id":"MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/CTPILAjlenK4ViKtA1i-8shqowQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/CTPILAjlenK4ViKtA1i-8shqowQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/CTPILAjlenK4ViKtA1i-8shqowQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/MlZfb6oLTZ6yn14Ip1uyowWmGmw=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Brooke Busbee_3891x2189.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"ZCWUSMRUCVA3DJSJHDMZJGSW5Y"},"created_date":"2024-10-07T20:54:48Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-07T20:54:48Z","height":2188,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/MFDOWTMLTRCGJK5BPAW2MFNY6Y.jpg?auth=7663ecd32f1e35252d53c26681bf015fc64d664d71d04c6cf38231840fd170ea&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"QKHRFEURERGMTKLQSV657EDYJE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":140,"comment":" (SROs)"},{"pos":142,"comment":"Nevermind "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-08T12:29:01.498Z","start":139,"end":141,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728334512090},"type":"text","content":"But don’t talk about gun reform, America. It’s uncouth. What we need are more guns. Arm the teachers. Bring in more School Resource Officers. Never mind the research suggesting many school shooters are suicidal and <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=021621\">an armed officer’s presence in schools may actually act as an incentive</a> rather than a deterrent. That’s fake news. Send your thoughts and prayers, then move on with your life."},{"_id":"7LNTDVM4ZFE3JOOAHHJZXPZKUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512091},"type":"text","content":"Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods has since called for the state to spend more money to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-superintendent-wants-alert-system-and-resource-officer-in-every-school/CPOIJPNSNRFAHEW2EDFUFH7MT4/\" target=\"_blank\">guarantee SROs and wearable panic alert buttons</a>. He’s also calling for state-sponsored mental health care for students, a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/top-georgia-republican-endorses-gun-safety-proposals-after-apalachee-school-shooting/W4L3BTA3NFAR3DP3XPVSHZQCMY/\" target=\"_blank\">sentiment shared</a> by Georgia’s House Speaker <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/73\" target=\"_blank\">Jon Burns</a>."},{"_id":"LTIKYXFF6RD7RLT72WQNFVJNCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512092},"type":"text","content":"What hasn’t been proposed are changes to the gun laws that were <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/gov-kemp-to-sign-bill-allowing-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-a-license/KO7EQUS3IVGWNDISVAKBGOMZOA/\" target=\"_blank\">loosened</a> in Georgia in 2022."},{"_id":"LQWYPYTA3RDUVCA4AYRUJD4Q4M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":46,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512093},"type":"text","content":"Is it the guns? Or is it our souls? I propose it’s both. We have since learned the short life of the Apalachee High School shooter — the child, the accused killer — played out in much the same way as all school shooters. We have so many to choose from here in the United States."},{"_id":"4HXGW6RWINDBVK6LTGC7ISGCMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":121,"comment":"– "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-08T12:40:41.617Z","start":122,"end":124,"text":"replaced hyphen with em dash","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1728334512094},"type":"text","content":"A broken home, a lack of love, bullying. An abusive father, a drug-addicted mother. An <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/colt-gray-charged-with-4-counts-of-murder-in-georgia-high-school-shooting/5CPMJRIFDVBV7BZKZ5ZT2V6W5Y/\" target=\"_blank\">AR-15 style rifle</a> to call his own — reportedly a Christmas present. The same gun that later took the lives of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/sports/high-school/apalachee-shooting-victim-ricky-aspinwall-loved-football-daddy-hugs/X4S6I5SM2NGO7K5EXK6XNV3HRQ/\" target=\"_blank\">Richard Aspinwall</a>, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/she-died-for-them-like-a-mom-would-a-family-and-community-mourn/TZSFSJ24MRD2TDZA4HHHP2HPTA/\" target=\"_blank\">Cristina Irimie</a>, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/hundreds-wore-red-to-the-funeral-of-student-killed-in-georgia-school-shooting/PK3BZ5ZW6RDAZJ5FXTLOSR26L4/\" target=\"_blank\">Mason Schermerhorn</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-news/last-apalachee-high-school-shooting-victim-laid-to-rest/MH2UIKJRNVHEJIQQO6FPSQLPUU/\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Angulo</a>. Their families and friends will never share a Christmas with them again."},{"_id":"Z4OOM3BRGFFLHN5REBSNHBNBP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512095},"type":"text","content":"The gun was certainly the problem — why do our children still have open access to guns — but is that all? A well-loved child doesn’t bring a gun to school and murder two students and two teachers, wounding several others."},{"_id":"JUOGKVK3FFCQBLDMH3JVSQSV64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512096},"type":"text","content":"And what of the other children? What about the teachers and school staff? What do we tell the survivors? Do we continue to say only that “Love Will Prevail?” It’s a beautiful thought, but how do we ensure it holds true?"},{"_id":"ISQBZHWFT5F2TGG2OQMORJ2SOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512097},"type":"text","content":"Don’t worry, we’re getting <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/security-technology-credited-with-helping-in-georgia-school-shooting/6T2ZB2NHUNGRHIK42GPVOU33VU/\" target=\"_blank\">panic buttons</a>. Press it as soon as the gunshots go off. Hide under your desk. Don’t make a sound. Text your parents you love them and keep your phones on silent. Don’t let the kid firing the bullets hear you."},{"_id":"BTGQM2N3YFFRZL5ENY3BSFV5NA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512098},"type":"text","content":"And what do we do to solve this crisis? Do we form a protest? What, exactly, should we protest? Certainly the gun laws, but will that produce any sort of change? Or will it kick cognitive dissonance into overdrive, causing the naysayers to dig in their heels?"},{"_id":"CA5FUSBGHNBE7IGIZFMQC2R5W4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512099},"type":"text","content":"And how does one form a protest to save our souls? We are not privy to the private conversations inside of others’ homes. We cannot know which argument, which instance of bullying, which act of neglect was one too many. We do not know at what point the killer is created."},{"_id":"WU4XJQNJANBEDGVZOV2BSXKVZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512100},"type":"text","content":"What we can do is consume information. We can read voraciously. We can speak and we can write. We can speak, and speak louder, until our voices are heard. We can write, and write more, until our words can’t be ignored."},{"_id":"RGGDCZIWKFFJPPOVKP3FGYA4KI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512101},"type":"text","content":"We can address within ourselves those faults we see in others. We can teach children the power of kindness and understanding, but we must first understand it ourselves."},{"_id":"6GV33ZVYCVFEBFFRUSC5YTZ5CY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512102},"type":"text","content":"What we can’t do is be quiet. We must never let our voices fade. Ask questions of adults. Ask questions of children. Learn what kind of homes they are in, and be a voice for them. We can’t save everyone, but we can save some."},{"_id":"G27RPV2UZRCTDDJSXKNIMO3PZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512103},"type":"text","content":"Too often people look to unseen others to solve life’s problems, but change starts from within. The people who grow to become school shooters are those who fall through the cracks in our society and are left forgotten. We need to keep filling the cracks. We can and must do that on all fronts."},{"_id":"JCSNTCL33ZACFLX7ZP3WAFYGAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512104},"type":"text","content":"Yes, urge for tighter gun control laws."},{"_id":"4MOTV4IDRNE5TLB2NRSWHH2EAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512105},"type":"text","content":"Yes, urge for widespread mental health care."},{"_id":"QZHWRSIJUZDX3BWF5HPFAOMELM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512106},"type":"text","content":"Yes, form a protest and fight peacefully for your beliefs."},{"_id":"7VXRFMRDWBDN5JT5F7JX5SXIIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512107},"type":"text","content":"But also, talk to your neighbors. Talk to your friends. Talk to your family. Search for red flags, and don’t remain silent when you find them."},{"_id":"L4HQHY3IBRDZ7DTSSWK3NP7UXI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512108},"type":"text","content":"Hold others accountable for their actions. Hold yourself accountable for your own."},{"_id":"I5TKHXRDTNFAJPE6H3DVJ5ONRM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512109},"type":"text","content":"And for the love of God, show kindness and compassion to children. We do not know what they go home to each day. Let them go to school armed with pencils and books, not hatred and AR-15s."},{"_id":"KRUC34FRHRHUBD72ZJO7E3E7WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512110},"type":"text","content":"It’s too late for the rest of us to leave this Earth without scars, but we shouldn’t take the children down with us."},{"_id":"BY5VPZHUINDZTEPIDQEGK3LTUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":44,"comment":"a senior "}],"comments":[],"_id":1728334512111},"type":"text","content":"<i>Brooke Busbee is a Barrow County parent and an English major at the University of North Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: The Apalachee High School shooting is a reminder that we must hold others accountable for their actions, but also hold ourselves accountable for our own."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"ga-school-shooting"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"088a2f12c80005415a5a81ae499bb6c915c143647060b72fb7452ab42bd30cdb"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Shooting coverage photos - Friday","width":4829,"caption":"Mourners comfort each other as they visit a makeshift memorial at the flagpole at Apalachee High School on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YG6BN7D33IOPVP4KT4FKRJG63M.jpg","height":3342,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YG6BN7D33IOPVP4KT4FKRJG63M.jpg?auth=088a2f12c80005415a5a81ae499bb6c915c143647060b72fb7452ab42bd30cdb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/to-restore-humanity-in-america-we-must-restore-it-in-ourselves/ZBUL4YT3WJDVBPEW4BCF5MBQII/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-10-10T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Brooke Busbee","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"To restore humanity in America, we must restore it in ourselves"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-10T09:00:02.544Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-10T09:00:02.544Z","_id":"ZBUL4YT3WJDVBPEW4BCF5MBQII","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"088a2f12c80005415a5a81ae499bb6c915c143647060b72fb7452ab42bd30cdb"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Shooting coverage photos - Friday","width":4829,"caption":"Mourners comfort each other as they visit a makeshift memorial at the flagpole at Apalachee High School on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YG6BN7D33IOPVP4KT4FKRJG63M.jpg","height":3342,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YG6BN7D33IOPVP4KT4FKRJG63M.jpg?auth=088a2f12c80005415a5a81ae499bb6c915c143647060b72fb7452ab42bd30cdb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JFM7TK6F6FCHFDBXLTQY7IGZ54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738000},"type":"text","content":"To understand how a second Trump term would affect education in Georgia, consider the major changes outlined in <a href=\"https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/commentary/project-2025\" target=\"_blank\">Project 2025,</a> a controversial blueprint for the next Republican presidential administration."},{"_id":"VRLVEXNXGZDCLBM23T7CUOWWDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":142,"comment":"the "},{"pos":190,"comment":"the "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738002},"type":"text","content":"While Donald Trump has distanced himself from the 900-page guide, it was written by many of his former aides and allies under the auspices of The Heritage Foundation. Trump has long praised The <a href=\"https://www.heritage.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Heritage Foundation,</a> <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/08/07/trump-heritage-project-2025-roberts/\" target=\"_blank\">saying at a 2022 dinner</a> that the foundation laid “the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.”"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"b4d92f3cf5b3bcea0db6ff0c7fb48c97f54924133ae13c66a7b2e311421c0ee9"},"caption":"Jack Bernard ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy Photo","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy Photo"}]},"subtitle":"Jack Bernard","width":1339,"_id":"7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/ZhLOuIO9MaLHYEfOnzjJKkRqPzE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/j2IaTuid7EHcm5NS5BR8-Zys5gU=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"bernard1.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1727821003194},"created_date":"2023-12-01T02:42:52Z","last_updated_date":"2023-12-01T02:42:52Z","height":1784,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7S6DCAJPZRHA5L5QAW4GBVI5YI.jpg?auth=b4d92f3cf5b3bcea0db6ff0c7fb48c97f54924133ae13c66a7b2e311421c0ee9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"BNY5WO4BTNEMJKBXCJLH6RTKEY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738004},"type":"text","content":"Trump’s vice-presidential pick <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/us/politics/jd-vance-project-2025.html\" target=\"_blank\">JD Vance has called The Heritage Foundation</a> “the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.” If elected, Trump and Vance will undoubtedly rely on Project 2025 as the basis for quickly reorganizing the federal government as we know it, to the detriment of Georgia’s taxpayers."},{"_id":"SIEWRQFHL5ESRLQIR46VJ4XE6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738005},"type":"text","content":"Under Project 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (page 330) would be abolished via a “Department of Education Reorganization Act,” which would “devolve the agency” and cut federal allocations to states by “$17 billion annually” (page 360)."},{"_id":"YR37GU6JR5FIDCR3VMY5VKG3OU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738006},"type":"text","content":"Under Project 2025, student aid is also slashed. For example, “no interest rate subsidies or loan forgiveness” (page 341). The document is unclear as to how this radical action will help further education in our country."},{"_id":"3HHWRECWHNFGFMOGZ4ND2OTC3M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738007},"type":"text","content":"Our well-established, decentralized public school system is the envy of much of the world. But Project 2025 states, “Schools serve parents, not the other way around … the best argument for universal school choice” (page 5).” This view is “nonnegotiable.”"},{"_id":"TMATVQTTQ5ANTAGALWPI23G4RA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738008},"type":"text","content":"Thus, our public education system would be undercut in favor of a stronger private sector presence, benefiting the wealthy and special interests, including a major increase in our tax money going to religiously affiliated schools."},{"_id":"KH4ZP4L4MJH7PJUJ5JUV5IAUYQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738009},"type":"text","content":"Under Gov. Brian Kemp and the GOP dominated General Assembly, this far right philosophy has already begun to impact every Georgian and will undercut our public schools. Under the recently signed <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-lax-oversight-in-voucher-plans-is-a-feature-not-a-design-flaw/2Q5W4BOU6FB7PDDEZK65T6XIGM/\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 233</a>, Georgians in poorly performing schools will receive $6,500 toward private school tuition."},{"_id":"FNDTXQV7KVDY5H2BSYW4SQK63Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":291,"comment":"upper-class "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738010},"type":"text","content":"But that amount is only a small fraction of what a quality private school costs. The only Georgians using this voucher would be those who are financially better off and could afford to pay private school without this state contribution. This new law ought to be described as welfare for the upper class."},{"_id":"Q3SNDOOZZFER3POERJ7RCQBSVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738011},"type":"text","content":"Furthermore,<a href=\"https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-1/#:~:text=First%20Amendment%20Fundamental%20Freedoms,for%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances.\" target=\"_blank\"> the First Amendment </a>of the U.S. Constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” An argument can be made that tax-funded vouchers going to religiously affiliated schools violates this clause."},{"_id":"4VGXLLVAXVCCPJLWRN24AIBS2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738012},"type":"text","content":"Public education is not designed to satisfy the political and social views of parents. The goal is to educate children in a nonpolitical, nonpartisan manner while achieving optimum results. Following the wishes of small groups of radicalized parents protesting public education at school board meetings is not objective and would result in extreme politicization of education to the detriment of our children."},{"_id":"WP32EQHMFNA2PGPBVF5GET7IWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738013},"type":"text","content":"To be clear, radical views from the right or left, based on emotion rather than fact, should not be taught in public schools."},{"_id":"DZB3YN55BJEUXKX2APALSOFBFA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":371,"comment":"."}],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738014},"type":"text","content":"Along these lines, Project 2025 falsely contends our public education system promotes “Marxist academics” (page 16). For example, Project 2025 brings up critical race theory, a frequent boogey man of the far right that is completely misunderstood due to erroneous statements on the right. In fact, critical race theory is only taught in a few law schools, not in the K-12 system. The American Bar Association has clearly stated this fact."},{"_id":"4AFOFYFX6ZF5BPYTOWU5RK6ZDI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738015},"type":"text","content":"When the MAGA conservatives writing Project 2025 state they don’t want “divisive concepts” in schools, they are really saying they don’t want a true and accurate history of Black people in America taught to their children. Divisive concepts is a term popularized and spread by the first Trump Administration."},{"_id":"GVTILLE5GZB3VPL2AZVQDTVRKM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738016},"type":"text","content":"Richard Woods, Georgia’s state schools superintendent,<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/school-chief-ap-african-american-studies-violates-divisive-concepts-law-really/OOKBGRTNOJGRVFHLOO2MPKBD5E/\" target=\"_blank\"> recently cited divisive concepts </a>as the basis for declining to recommend Advanced Placement African American Studies as a state-approved and funded course. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-politics-fueled-the-ap-african-american-studies-fiasco/TIOOW6ZJMRH6NINNIXPLHLW4OE/\" target=\"_blank\">After pushback by conservatives</a> like Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, Woods reluctantly backed off."},{"_id":"6GS4QQPP5JBP5FOQZJF4FE2D6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":150,"comment":"ourse "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738017},"type":"text","content":"But the very fact the highest education elected official in Georgia persisted in stating the state should not sanction an AP African American Studies course says a lot about the radical direction being pushed by Project 2025 and its adherents."},{"_id":"CWQKKBIAC5E7FHTPYJETP6YR54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727799738018},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A former Georgia Republican elected official warns Project 2025 would influence Donald Trump's education vision, and Georgia schools would 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href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/parents/index.html\"> public health advisory </a>from the U.S. Surgeon General depicts American parents under siege, with grim statistics to back him up."},{"_id":"EF24MSXFXZHYJBESKQPKBHDR74","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727453330949},"type":"text","content":"Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy cites <a href=\"https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/infographics/infographic-parents-other-adults\">a survey </a>where 41% of parents say they are so stressed most days that they can’t function, compared to only 20% of adults without children under 18. While COVID-19 added to the stress, Murthy notes parental anxiety was rising before the tumult and isolation caused by the pandemic."},{"_id":"VSW3PHZRBVAXHO6VMMCD4SATM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727453330950},"type":"text","content":"The advisory says: “In addition to the traditional challenges of parenting — protecting children from harm, worrying about finances, managing teenagers who are searching for independence — there are new stressors that previous generations didn’t have to consider. These include the complexity of managing social media, parents’ concerns about the youth mental health crisis, and an epidemic of loneliness that disproportionately affects young people and parents, just to name a few.”"},{"_id":"WHAWM2AHRZCBJOZK6SPIOQWJSU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727715853486},"type":"text","content":"Murthy calls for greater cultural respect for parenting and greater recognition of the critical role mothers and fathers play in society. But he also calls for policy changes, including:"},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"UWGBKKJ24RDCPHUCLNFNCBV32Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Bolster support for child care financial assistance programs such as child care subsidies, child income tax credits, universal preschool and early childhood education programs."},{"_id":"OT75VMGGAZAQHNLI2A2M4H4UEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Establish a national paid family and medical leave program and ensure all workers have paid sick time."},{"_id":"YKDWJN6ITNFTLG6LQ63EMHDUWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Create more spaces such as community parks and green spaces where parents, caregivers and families can interact and engage. Invest in programs, policies and places that cultivate social connection."},{"_id":"GSJSLHHZM5F4PGIHIRVERDU2AI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Ensure parents and caregivers have access to comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care."},{"_id":"3LOETLURHRHHNP5KOY5LAE4QMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Strengthen and establish school-based support programs."},{"_id":"7BH6KTANVJEPVKEXEFMDUJHWME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Screen parents and caregivers for mental health conditions. Universal screenings can be done in primary care settings, at prenatal and postpartum visits, and in urgent care settings and emergency departments."}],"citation":{"type":"text","content":""},"subtype":"blockquote","_id":"DUDGKWDBOJAAFKPLSB2JEYQSPE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FI4EVD7M4BGV7LAL7VL2ISW4SI"},"type":"quote"},{"_id":"Y2ML7MKQXZEANNW773BCFDCEPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":413,"comment":"-"}],"comments":[],"_id":1727453330959},"type":"text","content":"As a father, Murthy said raising his own two children has been joyful but also stressful. The advisory urges parents to find support and camaraderie where they can, through formal networks such as school-based groups but also in their neighborhoods. <a href=\"https://newsroom.thecignagroup.com/loneliness-epidemic-persists-post-pandemic-look\">In a 2021 survey commissioned by Cigna,</a> about 65% of parents and guardians, and 77% of single parents in particular, experienced loneliness, compared to 55% of nonparents."},{"_id":"5IKEGJZTPZBBJFPIM2GQGY7BCM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727453330960},"type":"text","content":"“Many parents and caregivers I’ve met say it’s not easy to ask for help when everyone is grappling with hectic schedules and when it feels as if other parents have it all figured out,” wrote Murthy in a <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/opinion/surgeon-general-stress-parents.html\">New York Times essay</a> last month. “As hard as it is, we must learn to view asking for help and accepting help as acts of strength, not weakness.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"U.S. surgeon general calls for greater cultural respect for parenting, critical role of mothers and fathers in our society"},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: More parents are dealing with the stress of managing how their children use social media, cope with their mental health and other issues."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1041,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"08b7d79200ca53037c91c66eb0820ba51169e8c7110de5dbd5a851f497933558"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Dreamstime","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"LIFE-HEALTH-WOMEN-SLEEP-DMT","width":3000,"caption":"The U.S. Surgeon General is drawing attention to a survey in which 41% of parents say they are so stressed most days that they can’t function. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Parents under siege from stress, lack of supports"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-03T09:00:03.944Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-03T09:00:03.944Z","_id":"A6DU2VZP6ZDGPKBAH5SU5FLC7Q","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"08b7d79200ca53037c91c66eb0820ba51169e8c7110de5dbd5a851f497933558"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Dreamstime","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"LIFE-HEALTH-WOMEN-SLEEP-DMT","width":3000,"caption":"The U.S. Surgeon General is drawing attention to a survey in which 41% of parents say they are so stressed most days that they can’t function. (Dreamstime/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SV4BYO4VIQEOFC4WQLYR3TEPGM.jpg","height":2000,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SV4BYO4VIQEOFC4WQLYR3TEPGM.jpg?auth=08b7d79200ca53037c91c66eb0820ba51169e8c7110de5dbd5a851f497933558&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"EIQZIL6EPRDWBHX4NL4HESQG4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":88,"comment":"Historically Black Colleges and Universities "},{"pos":141,"comment":"cq"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-01T20:01:46.587Z","start":132,"end":134,"text":"lowercase all words except Black, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1727292801420},"type":"text","content":"President Joe Biden recently announced an additional $1.3 billion in federal funding to historically Black colleges and universities, marking a critical investment in institutions that have been drivers of economic mobility and educational excellence for almost two centuries. The funds will undoubtedly help HBCUs continue to serve as engines of opportunity for underrepresented communities."},{"_id":"J7BDU36MYVHGRLOIPTBI7STBHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":32,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727316460805},"type":"text","content":"Given the transformative impact artificial intelligence is expected to play in all aspects of our lives, this support will also help position HBCUs to play a critical role in shaping the future of existing and emerging technologies in the United States and abroad. Ensuring that HBCUs are positioned to be part of this next digital revolution will ensure greater democratization of these technologies and bring more talent to the government, nonprofit and private sectors."},{"_id":"UVM7FDXP3NA2XF3SSMKIMO5NWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801421},"type":"text","content":"To date, HBCUs are graduating a growing number of engineers, scientists and technologists who can bring much-needed diversity and skills to AI development. Spelman College, a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/see-how-georgia-universities-measure-up-in-the-2025-college-rankings/VUE2NJXYQRDHXNOKWV7SH74TXE/\" target=\"_blank\">global leader</a> in the education of women of African descent, has 34% of students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math with 25% of students graduating in these and related subjects, including dual degree programs."},{"_id":"RTT3VPFFYZBRHITA4VKUR7U7AE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":37,"comment":"now "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727298270435},"type":"text","content":"It is widely known that AI companies lack diversity and suffer from the perpetuation of biases and inequalities in applications, which range from hiring to facial recognition algorithms. With their unique lived experiences and perspectives, HBCU students are ideally positioned to fill gaps in the tech workforce and, more importantly, bring their cultural competence to the design and implementation of AI applications."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"Copyright © 2023 Bita Honarvar, All Rights Reserved","address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"728ca685faa1b75e9978da3c17aeb531943c0d99babec1adccb7392b78151633"},"caption":"Helene Gayle","source":{"system":"AJC Freelancer","name":"AJC Freelancer","edit_url":"","source_type":"wires","source_id":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/aajc 121123 hope global summit 082.jpg","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["6570cf6f1603b729262f1b1d"],"seo_keywords":["AJC Freelancer"]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bita Honarvar","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Bita Honarvar","type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Wires","subtitle":"DR. Helene Gayle, president of Spelman","width":2367,"_id":"RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/FkfsQlBAxyOQ8K1edrtl1iA7Lho=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","iptc_source":"Bita Honarvar","comments":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6570cf6f1603b729262f1b1d","keywords":["AJC Freelancer"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/FkfsQlBAxyOQ8K1edrtl1iA7Lho=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","takenOn":"2023-12-12T04:56:26Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/FkfsQlBAxyOQ8K1edrtl1iA7Lho=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/RIoXJTx-kiQ7UM70VePTt4DHiqg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg","version":3,"originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/aajc 121123 hope global summit 082.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":1727399023231},"created_date":"2023-12-12T00:11:18Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-26T01:27:29Z","height":3557,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/RMLZUSLRWE5D7GTEMXPZ7KYYXA.jpg?auth=728ca685faa1b75e9978da3c17aeb531943c0d99babec1adccb7392b78151633&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"46D7XSUPXRGMZBV6I3S5OAZDLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":334,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801422},"type":"text","content":"HBCUs also produce graduates in other critical disciplines that intersect with the field, including law, communications and the social sciences. Lawyers are needed to navigate the ethical and legal frameworks of AI. Communications experts can aid in public understanding and trust of these technologies. Social scientists help ensure AI systems are developed with an understanding of their behavioral and societal impact. Together, these range of disciplines <a href=\"https://bigcloud.global/why-studying-humanities-and-arts-is-key-to-developing-artificial-intelligence/\" target=\"_blank\">can form a holistic approach to AI development</a> — one that is inclusive, and more accountable to the plethora of communities it serves."},{"_id":"KLQ4GIW5WNCZTCK7ATGMLCJJ7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":274,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801423},"type":"text","content":"Because AI is shaping every aspect of modern life — from <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6616181/\" target=\"_blank\">health care</a> and education to <a href=\"https://naacp.org/resources/artificial-intelligence-predictive-policing-issue-brief#:~:text=Predictive%20policing%20in%20artificial%20intelligence,efficiently%20placing%20law%20enforcement%20resources.\" target=\"_blank\">criminal justice</a> and <a href=\"https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/06/artificial-intelligence-national-security-crisis?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">national security</a> — the voices and perspectives of underrepresented communities are critical, especially in averting any organizational risks if AI systems misidentify or bring harms to impacted communities."},{"_id":"ERMNGM664JCL7PSSZE5S4PDOEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801424},"type":"text","content":"Moreover, the economic impact of HBCU participation in AI cannot be understated. HBCUs already <a href=\"https://uncf.org/hbcuimpactreport/2024\" target=\"_blank\">generate</a> $16.5 billion annually in economic impact, along with over 136,000 jobs. Expanding their role in AI will not only create new opportunities for graduates, but also contribute to the growth of the broader U.S. economy."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"16a895166895817b79a9f1a65d3f639409eccbca29d1eb9cfa9e659bbb650ecd"},"caption":"Nicol Turner Lee ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Nicol Turner Lee","width":376,"_id":"FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/UaEDpNnINMFvxmBJPFyoc-a0mJs=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/UaEDpNnINMFvxmBJPFyoc-a0mJs=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/UaEDpNnINMFvxmBJPFyoc-a0mJs=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/WSYe_rWiLCZA4PpxawfkhLlCI2Y=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Nicol Turner Lee_377x212.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1727399023235},"created_date":"2024-09-25T21:05:22Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-25T21:05:22Z","height":212,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FGVYWQOJMNDGBNYTGRXDBGVK4Q.jpg?auth=16a895166895817b79a9f1a65d3f639409eccbca29d1eb9cfa9e659bbb650ecd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2VD3BQ6EGBG7RJYC5RS5AJOMC4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801425},"type":"text","content":"To ensure HBCUs are critical stakeholders in the AI age, it is imperative they continue to receive the necessary funding from both the government and the private sector to be able to keep pace with historically better financed and advantaged predominantly white institutions."},{"_id":"JVOBJQN4Y5ECHEZ7LVBJNSFLJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801426},"type":"text","content":"Research ranking plays an important part in this process. The Carnegie Classification offers a framework for ranking universities based on their research activity as measured by the level of research support and the number of doctorates awarded each year."},{"_id":"NRUGUP4HWFH2NA4BZARTRIVTQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727298270443},"type":"text","content":"The highest “R1″ designation is conferred to universities with “very high research activity” due to their eligibility to receive a range of federal, philanthropic and other support to solidify distinguished faculty and student research programs. R2 rankings, of which only 11 of 133 HBCUs have, define institutions with “high research activity.” Whereas the funding threshold for both R1 and R2 designations are at $5 million in total research support, Carnegie recently <a href=\"https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/carnegie-classification/carnegie-2025-basic-classifications-faqs/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20changes%20to%20classifying%20research%3F,and%2070%20doctoral%20research%20degrees.\" target=\"_blank\">announced</a> that universities seeking R1 status must have $50 million in research expenditures and produce more than 70 doctorates per year."},{"_id":"YNHKOCPWIVFA3I6BE4PSNEBFDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727298270444},"type":"text","content":"To date, HBCUs <a href=\"https://www.bet.com/article/3d5ktm/black-colleges-endowment-gap#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20despite%20donations%20from,monies%2C%20an%20HBCU%20gets%20%241.\" target=\"_blank\">raise</a> $1 to every $100 dollars in endowment money when compared to predominantly white institutions. Criteria need to be reevaluated to ensure more HBCUs are able to obtain R1 research status to solidify their participation in, and contributions to, cutting-edge AI research."},{"_id":"NWJF6O7255CJREOAKOR4P4KXJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801427},"type":"text","content":"Second, the recruitment and retention of AI talent from HBCUs must be intentional and prioritized by the government and tech companies through internships, mentorship programs and research partnerships that specifically target HBCU students. For example, current programs like the <a href=\"https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2024/02/chips-america-announces-funding-opportunity-expand-us-semiconductor\" target=\"_blank\">CHIPS for America</a> initiative and partnerships with semiconductor companies are a great start to match and fulfill the needs of the growing workforce, but more widespread efforts will be required to ensure HBCU graduates have the same access to AI careers as those from predominantly white institutions."},{"_id":"RQGJXET4MJF3XMKE6AR3RRM5OE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801428},"type":"text","content":"Lastly, HBCU leadership must be proactive in creating cross-institutional collaborations and regional partnerships focused on AI. These programs can pool resources and expertise to provide students with the needed exposure to thrive in this field."},{"_id":"BYZST26LRFGUBPQ3MFEFS42CYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":320,"comment":" (AUC)"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-10-01T20:09:17.762Z","start":319,"end":321,"text":"removed acronym following first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1727316460819},"type":"text","content":"Earlier this year, Spelman, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Clark Atlanta University received a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/spelman-college-awarded-14-million-grant-to-grow-research-at-atlanta-hbcus/WQQNCKOCSZARBKLUGUPQSZK4WE/\" target=\"_blank\">$14 million grant</a> from the National Science Foundation to improve the coordination and management of research leadership among the respective colleges and universities in the Atlanta University Consortium. An additional $8.25 million investment from UnitedHealth Group in 2019 was used to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/million-atlanta-hbcus-seen-big-data-pipeline-investment/VF8PPi3ttLiig1CdmPQLOL/\" target=\"_blank\">establish the AUC Data Science Initiative</a>, which ensures students can contribute to this growing discipline."},{"_id":"7IAKVK7ZKVGGZJFYWIEC5CRLIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801429},"type":"text","content":"The Biden administration has made historic investments in HBCUs and it will be crucial for the federal government to continue to support these institutions. However, if the United States and the global AI ecosystems want to fully leverage the potential of HBCUs, they must first invest in their capacity to be leaders in this space. By elevating their research capacity, creating targeted recruitment strategies and fostering cross-institutional collaboration, HBCUs like Spelman will play a critical role in shaping the future of AI — one that is inclusive, innovative and equitable for all."},{"_id":"33W4BBBM65FUBMD6MTMEOR564A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":"cq"}],"comments":[],"_id":1727292801430},"type":"text","content":"<i>Helene Gayle, M.D., MPH, is the president of Spelman College. Nicol Turner Lee, Ph.D</i>.,<i> is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of the new book,</i> “<i>Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass</i>.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Because AI is shaping every aspect of modern life, the voices and perspectives of diverse groups are critical to avert AI bringing harm to impacted communities."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1040,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"hbcu"},{"text":"UATL"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"type":"reference"}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/harnessing-talent-within-hbcus-is-key-in-the-artificial-intelligence-age/GP44EARBOJETXDEQLBLG3GQDQ4/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-10-02T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Helene Gayle","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"},{"org":"","name":"Nicol Turner Lee","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Harnessing talent within HBCUs is key in the artificial intelligence age"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-02T09:00:01.942Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-02T14:41:30.056Z","_id":"GP44EARBOJETXDEQLBLG3GQDQ4"},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"A76JY3ZMARCSXJELHHBFDRMFPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204832},"type":"text","content":"Metro Atlanta is rightfully known for its rich diversity, but a closer look reveals a difficult truth: This is one of the most segregated regions in the United States."},{"_id":"AHVTMSDNYNEBHC5FGJ5Q6ZQMTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":70,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204833},"type":"text","content":"It may not be obvious when you go to a big department store, a concert or a restaurant. But when you drive through our neighborhoods, the segregation is plain as day. And the data confirm this. According to the Divergence Index, developed by the <a href=\"https://belonging.berkeley.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Othering and Belonging Institute</a> at the University of California, Berkeley, Atlanta is the <a href=\"https://belonging.berkeley.edu/most-least-segregated-metro-regions-2020\" target=\"_blank\">10th most segregated</a> metro region in the country."},{"_id":"UB3RRAK5GRGQVA7NBTH7ZGAWT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":311,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204834},"type":"text","content":"Certainly, we are not alone: Segregation is getting worse throughout the U.S. and nowhere is that seen more clearly than in our public schools. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling fostered a period of integration in U.S. public schools but, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/the-legacy-of-brown-v-board-of-education-in-georgia/L3YPLWUQN5FP7GXDMCWDQVY5L4/\" target=\"_blank\">70 years later</a>, much of that progress is lost. Research shows our schools are more segregated today than they were 30 years ago, reflecting the deepening divides in our neighborhoods."},{"_id":"XIISQST6FZBQ3E373M6CL6ID3M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":128,"comment":"that "},{"pos":309,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204835},"type":"text","content":"As a metro Atlanta resident, a former teacher and an education researcher, I’ve watched this resegregation unfold. I understand this is a crisis for our children and the impacts ripple far beyond the classroom. My focus now is on how we can turn things around, because the stakes are high: The evidence shows segregated schools hurt Black and Brown children, while integrated schools benefit all."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"ceae985b130357e26ae7ae42963fd72757a2c9dd7b906c0980d0ba16aa741f71"},"caption":"Terris Raiford Ross is managing director of the AIR Equity Initiative and leads its work in improving education and economic opportunity. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Terris Ross","width":304,"_id":"NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/3Hoxq8JKj38p19LWNWSOciaBnkY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/3Hoxq8JKj38p19LWNWSOciaBnkY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/3Hoxq8JKj38p19LWNWSOciaBnkY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/yHfFxsienXVfL0n6xHFBKAImS20=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Ross Terris 2023_304x171.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"VHSBGZHYFJGZDILGR6FYRBZOKM"},"created_date":"2024-09-27T12:36:52Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-27T12:36:52Z","height":171,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/NCL6UOYH35H7LMDTF62FQZLHF4.jpg?auth=ceae985b130357e26ae7ae42963fd72757a2c9dd7b906c0980d0ba16aa741f71&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"TAD253TNCZAB5BNHN7GLK52W3A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":136,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204836},"type":"text","content":"For instance, schools that have a student population that is more than 90% nonwhite tend to have fewer resources, more teacher shortages and higher student-to-school counselor ratios."},{"_id":"GDNDJEPE5JABZIDZF2YT3PPIHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-27T16:42:11.817Z","start":442,"end":444,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1727392926886},"type":"text","content":"But when schools are integrated, data show that students have higher test scores, are less likely to drop out and are more likely to attend college. In fact, when Black children are raised in integrated neighborhoods, they earn nearly $1,000 more a year as adults (and that jumps to $4,000 per year if they are raised in predominantly white neighborhoods). Integrated schools and classrooms also tend to foster more productivity and creativity, and better prepare students of all races and socioeconomic statuses to succeed in the 21st century."},{"_id":"2RI2RGPTXNC4XAJXUZD7HTEZ3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204837},"type":"text","content":"The issue is larger than education and to solve it we need action beyond the school system. We must involve many sectors of society, including transportation, the workforce, social services and housing. For instance, there is research that shows that housing integration efforts may be one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes and narrow achievement gaps."},{"_id":"PWQT6NZ3URHNZLSD6HADOIIGY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":235,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204838},"type":"text","content":"In short, if we want to improve our schools, we must also address the underlying segregation in our communities. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, we know there are proven strategies that work. Policymakers, practitioners and the public have the tools to integrate our schools and neighborhoods — but it will take bold action."},{"_id":"SVZI5PGS4VF6NBQPDLQD2MA7V4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":10,"comment":" (Oct. 1)"}],"comments":[],"_id":1727392926889},"type":"text","content":"On Tuesday, the American Institutes for Research, where I work, <a href=\"https://air.org/event/opportunities-reimagined-creating-educational-equity-atlanta-and-beyond\" target=\"_blank\">will host a wide-ranging conversation in Atlanta </a>about the importance of integration and promising approaches that are already making a difference. We chose Atlanta for this event because this city and this region have never been afraid to take bold action to foster innovative solutions to long-standing challenges."},{"_id":"QMCXWLTO6VH6JDBVHYOZN7PMUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204839},"type":"text","content":"The time to act is now. Atlanta has the potential to be a national model, showing how integrated communities and schools can pave the way for a better, more equitable future."},{"_id":"U6ZX26YVCVCGRKCXOEM6WNBSSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727389204840},"type":"text","content":"<i>Terris Raiford Ross of Peachtree Corners is managing director of the AIR Equity Initiative and leads its work in improving education and economic opportunity. A former teacher, she has previously served in key roles at Leadership for Educational Equity, the U.S. Department of Education, Henry County Public Schools and the Georgia Department of Education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Atlanta has the potential to be a national model to how integrated communities and schools can pave the way for a better, more equitable future."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1040,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"social issues"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"63b3f87a7689ab8fba148a27b731b45a90ed303ef68b5cb6ea5d8a8e1f08da6a"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"ASSOCIATED PRESS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"ORLIN WAGNER","type":"author","byline":"ORLIN WAGNER"}]},"subtitle":"The legacy of Brown v. Board of Education in Georgia","width":2000,"caption":"The Monroe School is the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kan. It was one of Topeka’s four historically segregated African American elementary schools. The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education that resulted in the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling to eliminate segregation in U.S. public schools. 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That’s a problem for everyone"},"first_publish_date":"2024-10-01T12:15:06.676Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-01T12:15:06.676Z","_id":"AFMIIXXDGFBINNIEKPILNYKWNU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"63b3f87a7689ab8fba148a27b731b45a90ed303ef68b5cb6ea5d8a8e1f08da6a"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"ASSOCIATED PRESS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"ORLIN WAGNER","type":"author","byline":"ORLIN WAGNER"}]},"subtitle":"The legacy of Brown v. Board of Education in Georgia","width":2000,"caption":"The Monroe School is the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kan. It was one of Topeka’s four historically segregated African American elementary schools. The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education that resulted in the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling to eliminate segregation in U.S. public schools. (Orlin Wagner/AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Q7S6J6OEHZFFJNM5U3ICQFBBGQ.jpg","height":1339,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Q7S6J6OEHZFFJNM5U3ICQFBBGQ.jpg?auth=63b3f87a7689ab8fba148a27b731b45a90ed303ef68b5cb6ea5d8a8e1f08da6a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"NPNLFY6D4BDOTKGCXXAKGYN7TY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045887},"type":"text","content":"We have all seen grieving parents clutching photos of sons killed during college hazing, grim-faced deputies leading handcuffed fraternity members to police cars and outraged university presidents announcing tighter policies on their Greek life systems."},{"_id":"3Z7YL6ALV5BP7HZKTKDDT7EVYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045888},"type":"text","content":"Yet, hazing persists, a long-standing tradition that neither student deaths nor threats of criminal liability have led frats to abandon."},{"_id":"XADATLAIJBA6NCCWMT3IW32QJY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045889},"type":"text","content":"The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/us-house-passes-bill-to-stop-hazing-on-college-campuses/ROFARWGPM5GEXJUTM7EGUHIC4I/\" target=\"_blank\">last week</a> that the parents of hazing victims hope will discourage the practice. The Stop Campus Hazing Act compels colleges to report hazing incidents across student organizations and develop comprehensive programs to prevent it. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for a vote."},{"_id":"CCKRQAJ3TBCRPOYFYIKNZ5LOFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":334,"comment":"cq"}],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045890},"type":"text","content":"Among those advocating for the Stop Campus Hazing Act are the parents of Max Gruver, 18, of Roswell, a Louisiana State University student who died in 2017 as a result of a Phi Delta Theta ritual that required pledges chug from a bottle of Diesel, a 190-proof liquor. Max’s cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration."},{"_id":"V6X3FRCXYBEPZKNSAFQ43Z35LM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045891},"type":"text","content":"Had Steve Gruver<b> </b>and his wife been aware of the disciplinary and hazing infractions against Phi Delta Theta, their son would not have been pledged there. Instead, when his parents talked to Max about where he might pledge, all the Gruvers knew from the LSU guide was Phi Delta Theta’s average grade-point average, good deeds and community activities."},{"_id":"6JOSF7SWVBAL5NNET7JJPTSFFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045892},"type":"text","content":"“This bill would put all the information out in a public place and give parents the opportunity to do more due diligence,” said Gruver in a telephone interview. “If we had known about all the violations, and that this frat was not a great group of guys, I know for a fact that would have saved my son’s life.”"},{"_id":"2DN3LETTUBGXDH6VZDSGWFG5JQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045893},"type":"text","content":"Max’s case and other hazing-related deaths in 2017 received widespread publicity and prompted promises by national Greek life leadership to reaffirm the ban on hazing and police their chapters."},{"_id":"UVAW6WKHARFLTCO6PKFXYTGZXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045894},"type":"text","content":"Yet, earlier this month, <a href=\"https://studentaffairs.virginia.edu/subsite/pace/suspended-and-terminated-student-organizations\" target=\"_blank\">the University of Virginia terminated Kappa Sigma</a> fraternity’s organizational agreement after a student was hospitalized last semester following an alleged hazing event at the chapter house. The student reportedly fell down a set of stairs and struck his head after drinking heavily."},{"_id":"YFEP6QX3EBHABPAO7XXLHIPPIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045895},"type":"text","content":"Kappa Sigma joins two other frats forced by UVA to close their doors in the last few months because of documented hazing in the last year. The three houses cannot seek reestablishment until 2028."},{"_id":"THAHDT25QJC5LMEZSTTGJ245KE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045896},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://studentaffairs.virginia.edu/subsite/pace/suspended-and-terminated-student-organizations\">In its investigation,</a> UVA Student Affairs office cited other hazing, including pouring hot sauce on the genitals of pledges. The report also stated, “New members were coerced or forced to engage in the heavy consumption of alcohol, which included the drunk pledge on duty consuming a large volume of alcohol in a relatively short period of time.” New members suffered injuries that included lacerations, scrapes, bruises and one member being hospitalized with life-threatening injuries."},{"_id":"JO4M3QXQDNFGPLYM2VNKI6BZUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727389165449},"type":"text","content":"According to the <a href=\"https://stophazing.org/issue/hazing-statistics/\">Stop Hazing organization</a>, the most common hazing behaviors involve alcohol consumption, such as drinking to the point of sickness or blackouts."},{"_id":"NC73NFOVXZGM5D7DMRSKAQFM54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727387471058},"type":"text","content":"I’m at that age where my friends’ children are getting married, so I attend wedding receptions with humorous and heartfelt toasts from the couple’s college pals. Those toasts often fondly recall campus escapades that involve alcohol and frat events. The anecdotes are presented as rites of passage or tests of mettle, survival stories not about staring down the barrel of a gun, but the bottom of a bottle of Jim Beam."},{"_id":"QCFJGL5WHZGLPPNAG3FZ7VWOMU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045899},"type":"text","content":"Whenever I write about the prominent role of alcohol in Greek life culture, I receive emails defending fraternities for the good they do on campuses and for the lifelong bonds and career connections they forge."},{"_id":"CJQZUV4Y6VDDHB3YPRUU7DQKZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045900},"type":"text","content":"Yes, their campus contributions extend beyond hosting booze-fueled bashes. However, the research is clear: Members of fraternities and sororities report higher levels of binge drinking than other college students, and those excesses can follow them into adulthood."},{"_id":"EHKKAPR7FVE6JNGCGVYXZUBYRM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":314,"comment":"Alcohol Use Disorder "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045901},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(17)30496-2/fulltext\">A 2018 study </a>that followed young people into their mid 30s found young men who lived in fraternity houses during college had the highest levels of binge drinking and marijuana use compared to peers who weren’t frat members or college students. At age 35, 45% of residential fraternity members reported symptoms of alcohol use disorder, <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20369243\">defined as a pattern of alcohol use</a> that involves problems controlling drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol or continuing to use it even when it causes problems. The study used data from the ongoing federally funded <a href=\"https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future\" target=\"_blank\">Monitoring the Future</a> project to track multiple cohorts of high school seniors."},{"_id":"6P5ZHP2AIJEGPJFFBSTZYBMMUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045903},"type":"text","content":"The Gruvers have already changed Louisiana law to raise hazing to a felony. Their efforts have not been as successful in Georgia where hazing remains a misdemeanor. “We can’t get the bill out of committee in the House and they’ve never let us testify in the House committee,” said Steve Gruver."},{"_id":"I3IW4FSGV5DJLJZ4AOR36K4YEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727385045904},"type":"text","content":"“They will tell you we have laws to handle this. I am here to tell you that we don’t,” he said. “If someone becomes wasted during hazing and the fraternity members carry him back, put him in a bunk bed and he rolls over, falls and dies from blunt force head trauma, guess who is not going to get prosecuted — anyone in that fraternity.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: The U.S. House passed federal anti-hazing legislation propelled by the grief-turned-activism of a Roswell couple who lost their son to hazing at LSU."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1040,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"crime-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"f275efc626b322ab2716f984b98bd23afa529bd780daf1e9339f9a983a49f0e6"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy"}]},"subtitle":"Steve and Rae Ann Gruver - AJC Cropped","width":669,"caption":"Steve (left) and Rae Ann Gruver testified in favor of an anti-hazing bill in the Louisiana House Criminal Justice Committee on March 21, 2018. 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Their son Max was a victim of hazing at Louisiana State University. He died Sept. 14, 2017. His photo sits on the table. (Courtesy)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/D3V75KBWCVD3XII56UWLZNMYYY.jpg","height":376,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/D3V75KBWCVD3XII56UWLZNMYYY.jpg?auth=f275efc626b322ab2716f984b98bd23afa529bd780daf1e9339f9a983a49f0e6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"RQ7B7SE4JRDJ3GTVWDB65LBYEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895115},"type":"text","content":"When <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=915034830671814&set=a.554456366729664\" target=\"_blank\">Gwinnett County Public Schools announced students </a>would not have to report to classrooms<b> </b>Thursday due to the potential risks from Hurricane Helene, it cited keeping students and the school community safe as the impetus."},{"_id":"K5D2K665K5B25M2IBWOAG6AC6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895116},"type":"text","content":"The district announcement also said, “Due to safety concerns, meals will not be delivered.” Explaining it was acting with “an abundance of caution,” the district said it made its “decisions to support the safety and well-being of our school community.”"},{"_id":"33STP2XMY5GBJEYQYJGZZC72TQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895117},"type":"text","content":"Then, the district concluded with: “All staff will report to their locations.”"},{"_id":"JOVCHN46TJAJHJBT5DW2SA4RYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895118},"type":"text","content":"Many Gwinnett teachers weren’t happy that conditions were deemed unsafe for sandwich deliveries, but not for them to drive to their empty school buildings."},{"_id":"LF7ZYGXXORBGPPMU4QJ232PMWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895119},"type":"text","content":"And they flocked to social media to make the point. Among the nearly 200 comments on the Gwinnett County Public Schools<a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=915034830671814&set=a.554456366729664\" target=\"_blank\"> Facebook post:</a>"},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"HCLNRVYLSFBHJJ3PV53W4W5ACQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“I learned a hard lesson today. Gwinnett County Public Schools does not consider me, a veteran Gwinnett educator of 26 dedicated years, as part of my school community. Shame.”"},{"_id":"H6PLNJFIDZDHRCR6JZRNGL5Y4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Nice to know teachers and support staff are valued so highly that out of an abundance of caution they are being asked to take the risk of traveling in to empty classrooms on Thursday. What are those teachers supposed to do with their own kids? I guess the safety of teacher’s kids isn’t any more of an issue than the safety of the teachers. Have you noticed? At this point teachers have significant experience working from home. They could stay home, stay safe, keep their own kids safe, and still do the work of providing digital education. What a supremely disappointing situation.”"},{"_id":"6OWCQCHOVZBPDPOMK4BRO52ASE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“If it ain’t safe for the kids to get on the bus, it ain’t safe for the teachers to drive to their school. Signed - Husband of a teacher.”"},{"_id":"Z6YCSTSSIRA3BE3SVMEF3L5F6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“They threw teachers to the lions during Covid, what else is new?”"},{"_id":"6HDSEL27E5H3NEGFACLNAUWJYI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“It is ridiculous to have staff report if it is unsafe for the students. Either it’s safe enough for everyone, or it’s not safe for anyone. Either decide it’s going to be safe after all and let the students go in, or decide it’s not safe, or not worth the risk, and let the staff stay home, too.”"}],"citation":{"type":"text","content":""},"subtype":"blockquote","_id":"FNF2ZIJ5YVF5DDU4YIOY2ZUZO4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"3Y2VH7XT2FFK5O7M7XBV25VEKQ"},"type":"quote"},{"_id":"QYCKVROHMJCZHCCBYRQ2P6FLLI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895121},"type":"text","content":"Many districts in metro Atlanta shut down Thursday, but there are exceptions including Fulton, Fayette, Douglas, Oconee, Clarke and Jackson. As always, there are critics who believe all districts should have remained open since <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/hurricane-helene-will-make-landfall-thursday-what-to-expect-in-georgia/X5PN2YBGDNCQFKXW562GA6KDUY/\" target=\"_blank\">the worst fallout</a> from Helene is predicted for Friday."},{"_id":"IUJYTRI5VFBFBLJFQTJ7POLZEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895122},"type":"text","content":"Thursday, thus far, seems just another rainy day in Georgia."},{"_id":"374MM2TULFFHHMUC6PWMZFP5JU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":66,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895123},"type":"text","content":"But anyone who lived through the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-snowmaggedon-2014-the-january-snow-storm-that-paralyzed-atlanta/KTEPKGS2RNHBTEOCIOFVSKNWFE/\" target=\"_blank\">2014 “Snowpocalypse”</a> understands weather challenges can develop quickly in Georgia. A decade ago, less than 3 inches of snow turned 30-minute commutes into 18-hour nightmares and stranded thousands of schoolchildren, some stuck on<b> </b>buses for hours without heat or food. At North Atlanta High School, 417 students slept on the floor of the media center and gym."},{"_id":"372BVPJSSJGGFKWTVGRCTKI43E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895124},"type":"text","content":"Since then, many district leaders have adopted a “better safe than sorry” approach when warned of severe weather."},{"_id":"T3ZYCLUZ4NFNTLM23J3KJYNH7M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895125},"type":"text","content":"But when districts make that “better safe” decision, it ought to include everyone, including their staffs."},{"_id":"7ZUI76JYA5B6TETOLZZI3SFUOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895126},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"NJGQ7INJRNC2HNFUUGMMZK5QLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727365895127},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"ON4C5WTDJFFHXCBKM6EUTMK6UI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549230},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"Z3FDXFJDJVHHJFZ4OZ7EQPOOPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549231},"type":"text","content":"."},{"_id":"CZ2FR3455ND3ZIM4TBQSVZCB5E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549232},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"DR5FMFLXJFDYZBHXR6R34H7DJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549233},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"PKJFUKP3CRFSHCRJKMKV5TAMPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549234},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"OOTRDK4TIFHKBKEHUB3WVZNE3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1727364549235},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"In citing safety of students and the community for closing schools and going to digital learning today, Gwinnett upset teachers by requiring them to still come into buildings."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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(Ben Gray for the AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OES2K2QQQGVDKJ225BQ7XBIUC4.jpg","height":1245,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OES2K2QQQGVDKJ225BQ7XBIUC4.jpg?auth=37f190b0c7162cb6ffc56ceed5b715f94a5473cc0e5d5b47227c76a5c8a541fe&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/gwinnett-irks-teachers-by-leaving-them-out-of-hurricane-helene-safety-fears/Z4L3VGTTUNBRPKGW54M2NN72YQ/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-09-26T16:17:30.796Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Gwinnett irks teachers by leaving them out of Hurricane Helene safety fears"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-26T16:17:30.796Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-28T02:10:01.977Z","_id":"Z4L3VGTTUNBRPKGW54M2NN72YQ","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"37f190b0c7162cb6ffc56ceed5b715f94a5473cc0e5d5b47227c76a5c8a541fe"},"credits":{"by":[{"affiliation":"Ben Gray","name":"Ben@bengray.com","type":"author","byline":"Ben@bengray.com","slug":"ben-bengray-com"}]},"subtitle":"Partnership to create jobs, 500K meals for struggling families","width":2000,"caption":"School buses didn't run today in Gwinnett, as the district opted for a digital learning day due to safety concerns over Hurricane Helene. But the district required teachers to come into buildings, setting off a lot of criticisms. (Ben Gray for the AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OES2K2QQQGVDKJ225BQ7XBIUC4.jpg","height":1245,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OES2K2QQQGVDKJ225BQ7XBIUC4.jpg?auth=37f190b0c7162cb6ffc56ceed5b715f94a5473cc0e5d5b47227c76a5c8a541fe&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"MBLGI3EQGVBN7CCZJ7F2255FPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244641},"type":"text","content":"As a high school student in both Cobb and Cherokee counties, <a href=\"https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/mekisha-telfer/\" target=\"_blank\">Mekisha Telfer</a> was never without a book in her hand, reading before and after class. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2014, Telfer moved to New York where she is now an editor at Roaring Brook Press, part of the <a href=\"https://us.macmillan.com/mackids/\" target=\"_blank\">Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.</a>"},{"_id":"TIPH4PRI55H3TA5F3AZ4G66A3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244642},"type":"text","content":"As an editor dedicated to books for kids and teens, Telfer said she seeks stories that speak to a range of readers, including “people who feel like outcasts in their community, who feel unseen. The power books have to reflect your experience can’t be beat.”"},{"_id":"JRFFAVDXQNAJPJTTJC7VGT4X3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244643},"type":"text","content":"That’s why book bans by school districts, including those that nourished her love of literature, saddens Telfer. If she could speak to those restricting access to books, Telfer said in a telephone interview, “I wish they would respect the young people in their lives and their community. Respect their critical thinking skills, their ability to choose for themselves and to know and understand right from wrong. If you are eliminating choice altogether, you haven’t won. An absence of knowledge is not winning.”"},{"_id":"2UR6PVF3END75JENPFPH4OZW6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244644},"type":"text","content":"We now live in a time where teachers empty their classroom libraries for fear of running afoul of well-organized political movements determined to whitewash history and squelch any ideas they don’t support. That is why the 2024 <a href=\"https://bannedbooksweek.org/\">Banned Books Week,</a> which kicked off Sunday, carries the theme of “Freed Between the Lines.”"},{"_id":"ZE3UVDHQ5NAL5CSXV673JRQ2A4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244645},"type":"text","content":"An annual event sponsored by <a href=\"https://bannedbooksweek.org/sponsor/ala/#:~:text=American%20Library%20Association%20%7C%20Banned%20Books%20Week\">organizations committed to free expression</a>, including the American Library Association, Banned Books Week holds greater relevance in a charged political environment where book challenges are surging. The ALA says the number of titles targeted for censorship <a href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">jumped 65% in 2023 compared to 2022,</a> reaching the highest levels <a href=\"https://www.ala.org/news/2024/03/american-library-association-reports-record-number-unique-book-titles\">in more than 20 years of tracking censorship attempts </a>in public and school libraries. The number has skyrocketed since 2020, when it was 223."},{"_id":"Q7Q7RQS6WZENLBSTNONDXQ2JPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244646},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://nwlc.org/resource/let-teachers-teach/\">A new report </a>from the National Women’s Law Center identifies a climate of fear in schools driven by legislation<b> </b>such as Georgia’s 2022 divisive concepts law that restrict what K-12 public schoolteachers can say about race, gender, sexuality and other conservative flashpoints."},{"_id":"EEKS64H5E5G63GWWH6QSFBUUS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244647},"type":"text","content":"The fear was so palpable that Georgia recently saw its state school superintendent <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/georgia-school-superintendent-nixes-ap-african-american-studies-course/PXLIFXTXOJFG3CZO6AUDMKLOP4/\" target=\"_blank\">refuse to sanction an AP African American Studies class</a> over what he considered possible divisive content in the framework. A statewide uproar led to a quick reversal."},{"_id":"NIINNFVIABEBFK5LYWGOZ4TRWM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244648},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Topos-NWLC-teacher-report.pdf\">In interviews </a>for the <a href=\"https://nwlc.org/\" target=\"_blank\">National Women’s Law Center</a> report, teachers describe limiting their instruction to avoid retaliation, termination or losing their teaching license. Teachers report relying more on “canned curricula” and “scripts” to avoid triggering conservative parents and policymakers."},{"_id":"I43MW2GKQND5BEKZTJTPIWSAZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244649},"type":"text","content":"While book challenges in the past originated from individual parents upset over a book their child was reading, the ALA says challenges emanate now from well-organized, conservative political movements that distribute book lists to their local chapters and members who file mass objections, even if their child isn’t reading the books or they have no kids in the schools."},{"_id":"UXNBJ44QB5BI3HVBDOZGUV6A2Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-20T22:02:40.407Z","start":180,"end":182,"text":"print team: watch run date for this story and update accordingly","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1726850244650},"type":"text","content":"That campaign of fear, surveillance and intimidation has had far-reaching impact on America’s classrooms. A preliminary count from the free speech organization PEN America released Monday finds that more than 10,000 books were banned in public schools during the 2023-2024 school year, triple the previous year’s tally of 3,362. Those tallies don’t reflect the shadow bans, the books quietly removed from class and library shelves by anxious educators seeking to stave off challenges and attacks."},{"_id":"I43MW2GKQND5BEKZTJTPIWSAZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244651},"type":"text","content":"The targeted books tend to be about people or characters of color and/or LGBTQ+ people. PEN America also saw a rise in the removal of books by and about women and girls, and/or that include depictions of rape or sexual abuse."},{"_id":"OQ5RASF3I5BF7GPUQKG25OJRRE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244652},"type":"text","content":"Former teacher turned writer<a href=\"https://www.emmakress.com/books\" target=\"_blank\"> Emma Kress </a>was shocked to recently learn her 2021 young adult novel “<a href=\"https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250833204/dangerousplay\" target=\"_blank\">Dangerous Play” </a>was among books with LGBTQ+ characters pulled by some Cobb school libraries in response to Georgia’s divisive concepts law."},{"_id":"HMLYCZC64REPZAH33WYQIRKTRU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244653},"type":"text","content":"An open records request by the watchdog group <a href=\"https://www.americanoversight.org/\">American Oversight</a> and reported <a href=\"https://cobbcountycourier.com/2024/07/divisive-concepts-law-at-work-lgbtq-books-pulled-from-cobb-schools-shakespeare-flagged-for-review/\" target=\"_blank\">by the Cobb Courier </a>revealed the preemptive removal last summer of at least 30 recently acquired books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, including “Dangerous Play.” A Cobb Schools spokeswoman said Thursday there was no administrative edict, saying it “is not on the list of books that have been removed from Cobb’s schools.”"},{"_id":"FOYBHT47A5ESBAHKG4LBANRI3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244654},"type":"text","content":"Edited by former Cobb student Telfer, “Dangerous Play” addresses the powerful female bonds that develop on sports teams and how those friendships often become the defining relationships of their teen years."},{"_id":"7DUMSVIO4FGYNMFXM5FVJBYBXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726850244655},"type":"text","content":"“Will everybody love my book and find the meaning? Of course not,” said Kress in a telephone interview from her home in upstate New York. “I wrote it for the teen that I was. I do think books are lifelines, but whether teens use books to escape and live in a happy rainbow cloud for a little bit or to dig deeply into some situation they are experiencing, books can show them how this one character made it through. Books are hopeful road maps.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: The number of books pulled from school and public libraries surged last year, leaving many children and teens unable to see their lives and experiences represented."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1040,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"cobb schools"},{"text":"cherokee county"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"bc6be205ef261770ad976d3c33ce49c8d9288b67a30d4b2174b8cf7b61afa2c9"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Jenni Girtman","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"banned book week opens with fired Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle as a speaker","width":3000,"caption":"MoveOn Political Action's Banned Bookmobile distributes free banned books at the kickoff of National Banned Book Week where Shereen Mendelson (left) and Isabella Lipham take a look at a few of the banned books that cannot be checked out at public school libraries on Oct. 1, 2023, at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur Square. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"As fears over political attacks rise, diverse books disappear from shelves "},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-23T10:00:01.774Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-23T10:00:01.774Z","_id":"IUZFO2DDSRFCPIC4XHXLFRMKJ4","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"bc6be205ef261770ad976d3c33ce49c8d9288b67a30d4b2174b8cf7b61afa2c9"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Jenni Girtman","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"banned book week opens with fired Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle as a speaker","width":3000,"caption":"MoveOn Political Action's Banned Bookmobile distributes free banned books at the kickoff of National Banned Book Week where Shereen Mendelson (left) and Isabella Lipham take a look at a few of the banned books that cannot be checked out at public school libraries on Oct. 1, 2023, at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur Square. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/O3FUUP5XTYPZEQ6F3UJ2XFN6OE.jpg","height":2143,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/O3FUUP5XTYPZEQ6F3UJ2XFN6OE.jpg?auth=bc6be205ef261770ad976d3c33ce49c8d9288b67a30d4b2174b8cf7b61afa2c9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"FLX3YCMM5BFOVAGGPRDA4UJHXM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211840},"type":"text","content":"On Sept. 4, <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/apalachee-high-school-shooting-georgia-09-04-24/index.html\">two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School.</a> Fortunately, the school’s school resource officer confronted the shooter, and he surrendered. This tragedy led to a statewide discussion on how to keep children safe in school."},{"_id":"QPFPDURSIZHCLPSARBTYXUSVDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211841},"type":"text","content":"Many politicians have come forward to say that every school should have an SRO. While it was amazing that this hero stepped in to prevent more lives from being lost, I believe there is a better way to protect schoolchildren."},{"_id":"377GMQAQGNCR7DATVYUY5LFWGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211842},"type":"text","content":"There is no doubt the Apalachee High School SRO ended this shooting, but this case is the exception, not the rule. Though SROs <a href=\"https://edworkingpapers.com/ai21-476\">decrease on-campus fighting and threats</a>, there is no reduction in other violent offenses. Thus, SROs will not reduce gun violence at schools they aim to protect. In fact, in shootings and attempted shootings at schools, the rate of deaths was <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=021621\">2.83 times greater</a> in those schools with an armed guard present."},{"_id":"ZJNFO5Q4I5BVTBKH6EZVMEGST4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516377421},"type":"text","content":"Schools with SROs see rises in <a href=\"https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/thinblueline_wp_apr27_2023_0.pdf\">suspensions, expulsions, police referrals and arrests increase. </a>Officers routinely address conduct that is not illegal nor requires law enforcement. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice states one duty for SROs is “<a href=\"https://djj.georgia.gov/school-resource-officer-sro\">Addressing students who are disruptive, inappropriately dressed, late, and/or absent</a>.” Atlanta Public Schools claim they “<a href=\"https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/domain/12071#:~:text=Will%20APS%20School%20Resource%20Officers,as%20local%2C%20sworn%20police%20officers.\">Diminish classroom time spent on discipline and behavioral disruptions.”</a>"},{"_id":"KXORX6TKOBDIHDPIRFR3KCY2O4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211845},"type":"text","content":"Essentially, if a student disturbs class, wears something inappropriate, or shows up late, teachers can call SROs rather than handling the issue on their own. And when they do show up, SROs come armed and ready to engage. Except, middle schoolers aren’t hardened criminals. They’re 12,"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"b929900ef727614ca8707ee44e1b15a4eb382f2757f8eaa80e00c0a6d67d9961"},"caption":"Ella Colker ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"UGA student Ella Colker","width":1243,"_id":"DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/lG-oCfeMP3KQJhkph5w1Qf30cXg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/lG-oCfeMP3KQJhkph5w1Qf30cXg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/lG-oCfeMP3KQJhkph5w1Qf30cXg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/yLutqGhq0Zg59YiXSLr56r4aZYA=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"ellacolker.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"3RBT5GVC4RCJ3HF5KHPFQYHQIQ"},"created_date":"2024-09-03T17:40:35Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-03T17:40:35Z","height":1658,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DP7H4Y33EVABNDNGIUGIUVNIII.jpg?auth=b929900ef727614ca8707ee44e1b15a4eb382f2757f8eaa80e00c0a6d67d9961&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"G354GWWBTNHNFIR7NXL7VVGAIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725385427151},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/thinblueline_wp_apr27_2023_0.pdf\">We also know that u</a><a href=\"https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/thinblueline_wp_apr27_2023_0.pdf\">nreasonable escalations and disciplinary actions disproportionately impact Black students, boys, and students with disabilities. </a>We are lucky that some instances of SRO brutality against these students <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/afternoonupdate/deputy-who-tossed-a-sc-high-school-student-wont-be-charged.html\">go viral online</a>, but most go unchecked."},{"_id":"4FBSD5YMUJAJ7EOY5EJQVZUPBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211848},"type":"text","content":"Negative interactions with SROs make school uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst. A suspension, expulsion or arrest potentially alters the trajectory of a student’s life. Colleges ask every student whether they have ever been suspended, expelled or arrested. So do some jobs. Exchanges with SROs also take a mental toll on kids. Being arrested or even assaulted is psychologically traumatizing."},{"_id":"R4NAPJZDGVDL3PRFMNMSENVPUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211849},"type":"text","content":"These increased punishments perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8277150/\">Students who experience severe disciplinary actions are more likely to end up incarcerated.</a> Because SROs increase suspensions, expulsions and arrests, and also disproportionately target students of color and disabled students, we are setting up our most vulnerable for failure."},{"_id":"27WDQFKTHFAK5GO7L4OKFY6Q3A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211850},"type":"text","content":"One reason SROs can’t handle simple situations is obvious: they receive minimal specialized training. <a href=\"https://statepolicies.nasbe.org/health/categories/social-emotional-climate/school-resource-officer-training/georgia#:~:text=State%20law%20requires%20SROs%20to,needs%20of%20the%20school%20environment.\">Georgia requires that SROs take a 40-hour course on their role and expectations.</a> While officers learn how to navigate typical interactions, their training falls short of managing biases or more nuanced situations."},{"_id":"I6WDWYRZPZGNZKJPGT6UAUSQTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211851},"type":"text","content":"In addition to SRO training, schools should reevaluate their priorities. About <a href=\"https://www.chconline.org/resourcelibrary/cops-and-no-counselors-how-the-lack-of-school-mental-health-staff-is-harming-students-downloadable/#:~:text=As%20this%20report%20reveals%2C%20millions,police%20but%20no%20school%20psychologists.\">14 million students in America attend schools with an SRO but not a nurse, counselor, social worker or psychologist.</a> Before we hire more SROs, we need well-paid professionals who can address children’s physical and mental health. <a href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a988972b-1faa-4b5f-8b9e-a73b5ac44476/ratios-22-23-alpha.pdf\">Georgia has a 396-1 student to counselor ratio, despite the American School Counselor Association’s 250-1 recommendation.</a> This is unacceptable."},{"_id":"OW52BAGNZZDWFG54EAIEVBHDHE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211852},"type":"text","content":"School districts should use money spent on hiring excessive SROs to fund programs that improve student well-being. We could invest in free lunch, after-school programs and classroom supplies to create a happier learning environment with better relationships between students and staff. In Chicago, research indicates that schools with the best student-staff and parent-staff relationships are also safest."},{"_id":"D6V4A7S7GZAGFO4CZX3WIEBNG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211853},"type":"text","content":"Next, every SRO should undergo training that ensures they treat students of all backgrounds fairly. We should track every interaction between SROs and students. If specific SROs restrain or arrest a disproportionate amount of Black students, the validity of each exchange should be scrutinized. They should also learn about disabilities and associated behaviors."},{"_id":"XR7PKEGFGFAWFE4KI7A3O5ESMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726546324367},"type":"text","content":"We must limit expectations. There should be guidelines for when it is appropriate to call SROs for assistance. Let students make mistakes like <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/2-police-officers-facing-disciplinary-actions-after-video-shows-arrest-of-5-year-old-boy/\">leaving school property</a>, <a href=\"https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/high-school-student-hits-teacher-with-paper-airplane-faces-1-month-in-jail/487215734/\">throwing paper airplanes</a> or a student with autism <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/child-autism-handcuffed-lawsuit-douglas-county-aclu/\">poking their classmate with a pencil</a> without ending up handcuffed and in the back of a cop car."},{"_id":"FVBMD3JBVRFAFPHZ2W2DCMO454","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726546324368},"type":"text","content":"In general, stop asking cops to intervene in nonviolent behavior. “Disorderly conduct” is just a fancy way of saying that a child is acting like a child. <a href=\"https://justicepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/educationunderarrest_fullreport.pdf\">Clayton County </a><a href=\"https://justicepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/educationunderarrest_fullreport.pdf\">approved a cooperative agreement </a>to instruct schools on handling “misdemeanor delinquent acts” with little or no SRO participation. By setting boundaries, Clayton saw a drop in fights and disorderly conduct."},{"_id":"G6Q4VYUFTVBTRCGP5RJJXIBWKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726516211856},"type":"text","content":"If we care about our kid’s safety, there are ways to help. These suggestions would make schools a better place for children to learn. Hiring more SROs would not. They aren’t even a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. They’re the metaphorical salt in that wound, exacerbating unsafety for everyone but especially minority and disabled students. The Apalachee High School shooting was a tragedy, and the way we move forward matters if we truly want schools to be safe for our children."},{"_id":"GQ54K6TECRCRVNSXRUGZPDULTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725384038284},"type":"text","content":"<i>Ella Colker is a political science and international affairs student at the University of Georgia and committee chair on campus services within the Student Government Association Senate.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A University of Georgia student says school resources officers create a less safe learning environment for many students."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get 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(Mike Stocker/Sun Sentinel/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WSZUW6XTAJNYTLQH7BQ53WO24Y.jpg","height":2004,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/WSZUW6XTAJNYTLQH7BQ53WO24Y.jpg?auth=27469ff06de108e33531a56c25987885b8dcbc68c172244e83ec1c98d9dd6dcf&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"WCM62VFXKFCDDCNAQ7KXD5J3FE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980174},"type":"text","content":"I am in my 24th year as an educator. As the daughter of two career educators, I have leaned on their knowledge and encouragement throughout my career. I want to dedicate this opinion piece to my mom, who passed away in May, because she is the one who taught me that most of my problems as a teacher could be solved by centering my heart on the student and engaging in empathy."},{"_id":"Z52BTYBCHBHEDC5CZC6ANLTDOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980175},"type":"text","content":"One thing that is unique about a school is that our job is to take students of all walks of life — all ethnic backgrounds and all economic statuses — and convince them to unify under one mascot — Lions, Jaguars, Dawgs, etc. We teach them our school chants, celebrate our school colors, share our school spirit. We celebrate what unifies us. We root for all our teams, whether we are part of them or not. 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There are always forces at work to separate and label our kids. Students are trying on different looks, joining different peer groups, developing different styles. They pick up labels and sometimes discard them — nerds, jocks, gamers, etc. But our job is to bring them all together."},{"_id":"XE2N5Y3LLFFZPDY7WF7HEW3RU4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980178},"type":"text","content":"We as Americans are like a public school. We all have our own identities, our own families, our own opinions and our own styles, but we are also one school and when it comes down to it, we have each other’s back. We ought to follow the community response model to a tornado, fire or hurricane, where everyone helps with a recovery to a crisis."},{"_id":"CC3XQGK6VFHSBGBUS7VK3UO4TI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980179},"type":"text","content":"I live in Jackson County, and Winder is 20 minutes away from my home. The school where I teach was rattled by news of the shooting at Apalachee High School. I went back to school the next day wanting to stay in my room with the door locked, keeping my kids inside and out of the halls. I comforted kids whose parents decided it was too scary and checked them out that Friday. I have a niece and nephews in public schools, cousins in public schools and my three kids are now attending public universities."},{"_id":"6P2GNZ3WEVAFNF5CT5SSM5NMQY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980180},"type":"text","content":"We are not treating this crisis the way we treat natural disasters. We are not seeing this crisis as one that demands our collective attention and action."},{"_id":"DMRI5KOOZRHZJM6P7S2CR6S2OM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726510257675},"type":"text","content":"Why?"},{"_id":"EOHGQ5BVPBB5BPIZFZPUXQPA2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980181},"type":"text","content":"Some of our leaders have managed to convince us that we are not one school, that we are not one team, that we are not one unified American people. Yet we are, in fact, united because none of us want these school shootings to continue."},{"_id":"35A2DXUYBZCZNEI34FLWGWLS4Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980182},"type":"text","content":"But we have to remember that if we want anything better for our futures, we have to respond to the crisis of school shootings with collective action. We cannot get stuck on what we cannot do. We have to come together to find solutions together."},{"_id":"HWS72KT7HJE7LGGM22FVBMFWLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726510257678},"type":"text","content":"The first step to coming together is being able to talk about it. We have to be able to listen to each other. False divisions have shut down our communication. When we can’t communicate, we cannot problem-solve together to bring an end to this crisis. We have to rally behind Team USA and empathize with one another."},{"_id":"55GL26337ZGPFNKOEE5HBDGFUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980183},"type":"text","content":"First, there are young men who are hurting, who have been failed by adults in their lives. If they are able to put their hands on a weapon, not only is there a possibility of violence, but their lives are effectively over. What might those lives have been if those young people had found help before getting their hands on weapons?"},{"_id":"FW3O56WP2BDYXCDEKODPN2SIYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980184},"type":"text","content":"There are innocent victims of school shootings whose families and communities will be devastated by their loss. There are students who will replay the trauma of this experience for the rest of their lives and who will run a higher risk of mental illness and addiction. There are teachers and staff who feel scared and powerless, and some who may choose to leave their chosen vocation because they can no longer justify the risk to their well-being."},{"_id":"46IMZUMD2ZCVZIKVSURQ7QWMIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980185},"type":"text","content":"While we are sitting in our grief following the latest school shooting in Winder, I have some questions for us to consider."},{"_id":"GBERTO3PPVEKXCYCSIREWE66QA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980186},"type":"text","content":"Should all schools be equipped with additional social workers and mental health professionals, in addition to counselors whose typical duties include scheduling and testing?"},{"_id":"SORI5UWZENDDNFLF337JDINF2A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980187},"type":"text","content":"Should adults have to pass background checks to buy weapons?"},{"_id":"UHGIP5NQRFEE3EAUJPYGMWTYEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980188},"type":"text","content":"Should gun owners be legally required to secure their weapons?"},{"_id":"6S6RBBK5NRGU5LVU3ICN7A46FQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980189},"type":"text","content":"Should gun owners who do not secure their weapons bear the full liability of anything that happens as a result?"},{"_id":"I54NBTPO2ZGUHBTGXMP46WIFG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980190},"type":"text","content":"Should gun owners be required to carry liability insurance?"},{"_id":"XTIIRILEP5FCZMUARFGTK6RPOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980191},"type":"text","content":"Should the police be required to temporarily take weapons away from someone who has threatened violence or who is suffering a mental health event?"},{"_id":"AK3FP5HKERB4THKHLUZHFA7YMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980192},"type":"text","content":"By all accounts, the response at Apalachee was swift and competent, but it only took seconds for one shooter to kill two students and two teachers and wound nine more. Should U.S. citizens be able to own weapons like the ones soldiers use in war? Should U.S. citizens have the right to purchase a weapon that can decimate even a bulletproof vest? Should young people like the alleged Apalachee shooter have access to these weapons?"},{"_id":"TOTWYOEQL5DLBG7DWRXNVIZHLU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980193},"type":"text","content":"While we may not have the same answers to all these questions, I know we can build consensus around our answers to most of them. We can stop school shootings. We can choose to see this as an issue that demands all hands on deck. We can declare that we can’t live like this anymore. But to do that, we must pick up our USA team banner, reject the divisive rhetoric of leaders who have pitted us against one another and come together around common sense solutions."},{"_id":"FHBXBLNZIBAXBMZX7XEAUIVOCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726507980194},"type":"text","content":"<i>Allison Webb teaches Spanish at East Forsyth High School in Gainesville.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A teacher urges that we treat school shootings as a crisis that demands our collective attention and action."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1039,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"bd91bc22f9391a7fbdcabe2615dd3b3011abc6f398e1d7d3afe9cc5ffc574589"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Funeral story for Apalachee High teacher, student PRINT\r","width":3300,"caption":"Dorin Irimie, husband of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed at Apalachee High School during a school shooting, mourns by her casket at her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford on Saturday, September 14, 2024. 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(Arvin Temkar / AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/NPIEE3C7GAAQGKHNA2WZSDFIUM.JPG","height":2200,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/NPIEE3C7GAAQGKHNA2WZSDFIUM.JPG?auth=bd91bc22f9391a7fbdcabe2615dd3b3011abc6f398e1d7d3afe9cc5ffc574589&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"ZDARSUETAVGUHOVBOFD3YT55CI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800818},"type":"text","content":"As with most school shooters, the 14-year-old charged in Barrow County didn’t have to steal a gun or buy it on the street. His father gave him an AR-15-style rifle during the holiday season last year. The high school freshman allegedly used it to kill two teachers and two classmates at Apalachee High School on Sept. 4."},{"_id":"MPJEXXKYTFASZAIM22BDPZBUTE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800819},"type":"text","content":"It’s not unusual for young killers to source their weapons from their parents. Data collected by the <a href=\"https://www.theviolenceproject.org/key-findings/\">Violence Prevention Project, </a>a nonpartisan, nonprofit research center, shows 80% of school shooters get their guns from family members, most often parents and grandparents."},{"_id":"YMWLDOCFJNFKXBP5SSP254VR3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800820},"type":"text","content":"What is unusual is that 54-year-old Colin Gray, the suspect’s father, is also under arrest, facing <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/father-of-apalachee-high-school-shooting-suspect-arrested-gbi-says/APJGHWONLVGRZBNY7WNBD4FS6E/\">four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children</a>."},{"_id":"U3LUFOM2GBBDZAW7DBSTNEII4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800821},"type":"text","content":"Gray’s arrest follows the conviction in April of Michigan couple <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-james-crumbley-d13192e4057ec00836e4ce99c17bd375\">James and Jennifer Crumbley, </a>who bought their son, who was 15 at the time, a 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol he then used to murder four classmates and wound seven others at his Michigan school three years ago. The semiautomatic weapon was an early Christmas gift."},{"_id":"J6WAIAH35FEPPIMIZKYRQWUVDQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800822},"type":"text","content":"Gun safety advocates hailed the Crumbley convictions, the first ever to hold parents criminally liable for a school shooting by their child. The former Florida judge who presided over the trial of the shooter in the 2018 <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/frozen-in-time-kamala-harris-tours-bloodstained-building-where-2018-parkland-massacre-happened/22LR6AW23FH53CG3MNCNRVUUBU/\">Parkland High School shooting</a> said at the time, “I think it sets a precedent that parents cannot be stupid anymore.”"},{"_id":"RH3HIWD7TRD5FO4HRCMZE6A5F4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800823},"type":"text","content":"Yes, they can."},{"_id":"FEP7HJ6MTNHUVJVYROKAN3EFKI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800824},"type":"text","content":"Gray gave his son a rifle last December, only a few months after police questioned the boy about threats to shoot up a school reported anonymously to the FBI by users of an online gaming chat room. When questioned in May 2023 by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on his front porch, his son, then 13, denied he made any threats. His father assured an investigator that his son did not have unsupervised access to his hunting rifles."},{"_id":"DR4MU6MVJFCTTLWIJPTISLADWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726248924990},"type":"text","content":"In a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1OSMi6nv0U\" target=\"_blank\">newly released video </a>of the interview, Gray admits he didn’t lock his weapons away from his son, saying, “We do a lot of shooting, We do a lot of deer hunting. He shot his first deer this year … He knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do and how to use them and not use them.”"},{"_id":"4R5O5MUYGZBL7MMG3EHL23JDS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800826},"type":"text","content":"The Apalachee High School shooting occurs at the intersection of two particular modern American failings — the deference of political leaders to the money and influence of the gun lobby and the unwillingness of parents to impose and enforce limits."},{"_id":"AOPLJN7DQJCI3CQEG6USFXQ35A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726162800828},"type":"text","content":"The political problem offers a simple fix. Stop electing people who say our guns make us safer. With the highest rate of civilian gun ownership per capita compared to any other peer country, the United States should be among the safest places in the world based on the political claims."},{"_id":"MKY4EQNCZRABLEWLP5BFSFD6TE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726173667349},"type":"text","content":"We are not. We are among the most at risk for gun violence, especially our children. <a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Firearms now kill more children </a>ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness."},{"_id":"ICAYRXKF65CVXKSICVNAK2EWXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726173667350},"type":"text","content":"The parent problem may be harder to remedy. Parents increasingly treat rules — whether around schoolwork, driving or underage drinking — as optional for their kids. I still see parents letting newly licensed teens drivers exceed Georgia’s strict passenger limits. I am always surprised how many parents shrug off traffic camera and parking tickets that arrive in the mail for their young drivers. The common rationales are, “Kids are only young once. Let them have some fun,” and “I was just as wild as a teenager.”"},{"_id":"AEAG7UWCFBHIBBU6CMHU6JXACI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726173667351},"type":"text","content":"In a case now in the news, a Michigan mother allowed her then-16-year-old to drive an even faster car after he exceeded 140 mph in the family’s Audi sports coupe. <a href=\"https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2024/08/22/elizabeth-puleo-tague-kiernan-flynn-mackrell-car-crash-charges-parents/74595263007/\" target=\"_blank\">The Detroit Free Press reported</a>: “According to police reports, his mom knew about his driving habits through a special safety app called Life360, and once texted him: ‘I have screenshots of you … doing 123 mph. … It scares me to my bone.’ But she didn’t take away his keys. Rather, she bought a faster and more powerful car and allegedly gave him access to it: a BMW X3 M series that can reach up to 177 mph.”"},{"_id":"M55D7NCQVFF25I66ZSX6NWGNGI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726173667352},"type":"text","content":"When teen Kiernan Tague lost control of that BMW in late 2023 driving 105 mph in a 25-mph zone, he hit a pole and killed his teenage passenger,<a href=\"https://www.grossepointenews.com/articles/flynn-michael-mackrell/\" target=\"_blank\"> Flynn MacKrell</a><b>, </b>police said.<b> </b>In the two weeks before the fatal crash, <a href=\"https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2024/08/22/elizabeth-puleo-tague-kiernan-flynn-mackrell-car-crash-charges-parents/74595263007/\" target=\"_blank\">the Free Press reported</a> that Life360 recorded 94 trips by Tague, nearly half them over 90 mph. The highest speed recorded was 153 mph."},{"_id":"SG7CND6AXJHWJMZS5E54KRFZ5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726232315134},"type":"text","content":"Upon now learning Tague’s mother was aware of her son’s past recklessness,<a href=\"https://abc7chicago.com/post/parents-car-crash-victim-push-teen-drivers-mom-held-accountable/15239641/\" target=\"_blank\"> MacKrell’s parents asked prosecutors </a>this summer to arrest her, along with her son, now 17, who faces a second-degree murder charge. They contend that Tague’s mother can be prosecuted because she knew her son was a danger and didn’t lock away the car keys, citing the Crumbley conviction as precedent for parental accountability."},{"_id":"4PBO5GAVONBWFOHXVT2IFY7U4Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726232315135},"type":"text","content":"After many school shootings, including at Heritage High School in Conyers a month after Columbine, the parents said they never worried about their household guns because they didn’t realize their child was capable of violence. As she recalled her son walking to the school bus the morning of the Heritage High shooting in 1999, the mother of shooter T.J. Solomon told the court, “I thought we had the perfect life.’’"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2024 Atlanta Journal Constitution","address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"1b52d9a62f9e0817d86e43878348778356ce71d7a38aca060b3fb8418126ae44"},"caption":"Mourners sign crosses at a vigil at Jug Tavern Park in Winder on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. A 14-year-old Apalachee High School student is accused of shooting and killing two fellow students and two teachers and injuring nine others at the Barrow County high school on Wednesday. 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She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. 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How have we reached this point where someone’s entire world being taken from them is not the “worse.”"},{"_id":"4UENWCJNOBAYTDYBM5YHYYTEYI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I think about all the victims, but, because my 13-year-old is about to turn 14 soon, those images the media shared of the two sweet boys and their birthday cakes are seared into my brain."},{"_id":"3SNUZJ5EDRFLTFEOVHK2RM2UOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I ask, “What do you want to do for your birthday?"},{"_id":"RRA6WHFRHRGSVKHA5QRDXKE74M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“I don’t know yet, Mom. I’ll let you know.”"},{"_id":"IS6SPT76QFC7LF5CGZBGQMXFUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"_id":"QLZD7JZF5FDYDBMDDQ7ONNT4VY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"An Amazon cart filled with gift ideas, a couple packages tucked away in the closet. Cupcakes already ordered. Half vanilla and half chocolate; just like he wants."},{"_id":"N6WORB2LGNDMJLHAVSYHPROU6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"b81dd2f77514292a5c6d900203b800f39d81ba1f73e1d335a311ab00c11c15be"},"caption":"Melissa Marten","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy photo","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy photo"}]},"subtitle":"Cobb parent Melissa Marten","width":1096,"_id":"IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/fVRrBt889DIpAHjf9jHudv2EPOI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/fVRrBt889DIpAHjf9jHudv2EPOI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/fVRrBt889DIpAHjf9jHudv2EPOI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/A1ap5BHsg8VL4IiNAGGjRidRhwM=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg","version":0,"originalName":"marten.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"46M3257CG5A5PAMB7KIYRF3CCU"},"created_date":"2024-09-11T22:26:46Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-11T22:26:46Z","height":1892,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/IT4BPP2LNNAMVM3AIFGICUUKX4.jpeg?auth=b81dd2f77514292a5c6d900203b800f39d81ba1f73e1d335a311ab00c11c15be&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"XCKJB4S2ORCKFO4UPKWM3L3DCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Chores left undone. “Can you please remember to feed the dog tonight? I have a meeting and won’t be home.” “OK, Mom. I will tonight when I get home from school.”"},{"_id":"RNEUQQLINBEN3OB4VHDBBZCC4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse</i>."},{"_id":"JFKFYCWTLFDNRLIT7SE35FRXT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"A bed unmade, wet towel still on the floor."},{"_id":"DFD7JFHXKRA7HPF5PLMVTYJPIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse</i>."},{"_id":"UECCC2ATONCIXMZQUHAFWZUSKU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Sweetie, this backpack is full of wrappers and crumbs.”"},{"_id":"DORFE3FPGZD33L47MV3O3KXRKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“It’s fine, Mom. I’ll clean it out this weekend.”"},{"_id":"7T6YB35MHNDV3MJKDADU2NJPYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"_id":"3FO7Y4L25NCHXNZCYMZM6VBRG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Do you have any pants that still fit? Maybe we should go through your closet.”"},{"_id":"UL3M72XKRRHEXMQ4PAUEDWKPGU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Yeah, OK. I’ll look. “Hey, can I get this shirt I saw online for my birthday?”"},{"_id":"UMZPX4MT55F7NICKWAYFAMWP5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"_id":"VDRVSM2EP5FLHHOX5MDR5MK7LA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Have a good day. I love you. See you when you get home from school.” “Mm-hmm. K. Love you.”"},{"_id":"ZEWIUQJWLJDSXNUR67K3INGYBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"_id":"7IBGQSKPNJD7HFBR5J53X55MO4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I go about my morning. To-do list, errands, appointments. … I glance at the TV in the corner. School shooting? “Oh no, not again. How bad is it? Where is it?” “Georgia?” “How close?”"},{"_id":"KGIZ4ENJTNDUHNACNZWFX2Y7JI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That day, it was close. An hour and 20 minutes away. I want you home. Now. I need to see you. I need to touch your face."},{"_id":"KYZWYEGMUNGDBMN5TJQW2DUMRA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It wasn’t here. Relief. It’s OK. Wait, “but it happened somewhere else.”"},{"_id":"IKSPENN7LBAOZLTJ35BECPNHHM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That means it’s not OK somewhere else."},{"_id":"TWGBM2XPNJG55D5FRKZHGVSUYI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Someone is not coming home."},{"_id":"7MPK3HFUI5E5TEP4ER73KTYJSE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Someone else won’t have their cheek kissed. Someone else’s mother won’t feel relief."},{"_id":"3BVFAMKW4RBPLEPDMNGQIEE6FU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>But it could have been worse.</i>"},{"_id":"PNP7GI4JRBD6PFXHOUHFXXGOBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i><b>Melissa Marten is a Cobb County parent.</b></i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A Cobb parent describes her sadness over police saying that it could have been worse than four dead at Apalachee High School."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1047,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"government and politics"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"b644395fd7034c4188aa0dd2c29124d4cc9fdb11a5e57b22fbed4745494b75f2"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"GoFundMe","type":"author","byline":"GoFundMe"}]},"subtitle":"christian angulo","width":1000,"caption":"Christian Angulo, 14, was one of four people killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Barrow County. 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I extend my deepest condolences for their losses and suffering. As a mother of five school-age children, I am overwhelmed with fear and anger."},{"_id":"COHE2TSWOBBH5KHWKSTLG57B6Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":81,"comment":"deaths "},{"pos":88,"comment":"people "},{"pos":189,"comment":"out of 50"}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447177},"type":"text","content":"In 2024 alone, <a href=\"https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2024/01\" target=\"_blank\">28 schools </a>have been affected by gun violence, leading to 12 dead and 45 injured. Georgia’s gun laws are among the most permissive in the country, with the state ranking 46th in terms of gun law strength, according to <a href=\"https://www.everytown.org/press/everytown-for-gun-safety-releases-2024-state-gun-law-rankings-georgia-ranks-46-in-the-nation-for-the-strength-of-its-gun-laws/\" target=\"_blank\">Everytown for Gun Safety</a>, a pro-gun control group."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"15ccabc506c3865b8f29257bbf80d537d560b9fe2574ecdf6fdf455e312b298c"},"caption":"Debra Shigley (Courtesy photo)","source":{"system":"photo center","edit_url":"","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"related_content":{"derivative_of":[{"referent":{"id":"PYXUVVYBXFETDP46MH5G4ZVUVM","type":"image"},"type":"reference"}]},"type":"image","version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Courtesy photo","type":"author"}],"by":[]},"subtitle":"Debra Shigley ","width":1044,"_id":"KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/KieoeFMb0q4maTJovCocGAH7i2w=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","owner":"greg.bluestein@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/KieoeFMb0q4maTJovCocGAH7i2w=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/KieoeFMb0q4maTJovCocGAH7i2w=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","ingestionMethod":"mobile","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/q6zXs6vbHreacS5DSMWgDAGtrFE=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg","version":2,"originalName":"file.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"JQJVOOT7URBJJMM3KAA74OUKGU"},"created_date":"2023-09-18T09:03:55Z","last_updated_date":"2023-09-18T09:04:36Z","height":783,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/KF3OJZNC7JGLNBSLLJWW76YORY.jpg?auth=15ccabc506c3865b8f29257bbf80d537d560b9fe2574ecdf6fdf455e312b298c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2XCKWPSE5VFUHGBXX4Q6UBEYXU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":12,"comment":"no "},{"pos":36,"comment":"is required"},{"pos":178,"comment":"bans"}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447178},"type":"text","content":"In Georgia, <a href=\"https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/state/georgia/\" target=\"_blank\">you don’t need a permit </a> to purchase a firearm or to carry a firearm openly or concealed. There are no restrictions on magazine capacity and no bans on assault weapon."},{"_id":"6VUQJIJYYVDI7GOVQFJ44ZMLBI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"GHET35SRXBG6NC3TEV4RL733WY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Key details about Georgia gun laws in light of the high school shooting in Barrow County","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/key-details-about-georgia-gun-laws-in-light-of-the-high-school-shooting-in-barrow-county/NCUZBGD6PRA2BJRKHGZGNHJR2I/"},{"_id":"FGIAZAPIGFD3XPLSGLDNZE4WCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726149681745},"type":"text","content":"Recent legislative efforts to address gun safety, such as bills for safe firearm storage, gun safety incentives, red flag laws and a potential state version of “Alyssa’s Law,” <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/some-republicans-in-georgia-say-theyre-open-to-changing-the-states-gun-laws/ZY3S7EA2EJC33MHRXBZU4OIYIU/\" target=\"_blank\">have been stalled or rejected </a>by the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature. (Named for 2018 Parkland school shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, <a href=\"https://makeourschoolssafe.org/alyssas-law/\" target=\"_blank\">Alyssa’s law </a>requires public elementary and secondary school buildings to be equipped with a silent panic alarm connected to local law enforcement.)"},{"_id":"BCZ2HLEH7JFMTLYUKOMJEN6DBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447179},"type":"text","content":"Our gun violence epidemic isn’t random and cannot be attributed to mental health issues alone. The problem is the guns. <a href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761\" target=\"_blank\">Guns are the leading cause of death</a> for U.S. and Georgia children and teens. Too many guns, in the wrong hands."},{"_id":"7XY3MKCXZ5EPDLU4JGWPABTEUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447180},"type":"text","content":"I’m not alone in this anger. Polling shows that <a href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/513623/majority-continues-favor-stricter-gun-laws.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">more than half the country </a>supports stricter gun laws. Yet, time and again, Republican lawmakers block bills and actions that could make our schools and communities safer."},{"_id":"SKA3AM3YQZDLLLTP4W2V3E3MVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447181},"type":"text","content":"In the spring of 2023, I received a message that too many parents can relate to. My son texted me at the end of the school day: “Mom, we are under a hard lockdown. The cops rushed the school with big guns.”"},{"_id":"MOAKKYNNRVE73GDGXZI4RWSLUI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726168410302},"type":"text","content":"My heart sank. The next moments were a blur. My hands shaking, I started texting my friends to see if anyone had information: “Has anyone heard anything? What’s going on?”"},{"_id":"UJHKRHZMPFAV3LOBFF2AA2WHYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447182},"type":"text","content":"Nobody had any answers, and fear was palpable."},{"_id":"6VTQKHIEOJA2NCXNKWQ2CHTMVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":71,"comment":"i"}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447183},"type":"text","content":"My son texted, “I’m scared.” I was struck with the terrifying thought: If this were the last message I could send him, what would I write back? I replied simply, “I love you.” Then, after a moment of reflection, I added, “If anything happens, trust your instincts.”"},{"_id":"MOB3LESVK5F5JCMKCKCGINHGVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726168410305},"type":"text","content":"But it shouldn’t be up to him to navigate such fear. It is our responsibility to protect our children."},{"_id":"PLFXCIGQXBAM5LTJ5XVMDXSBGY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":150,"comment":"our Atlanta suburb of "},{"pos":196,"comment":"think"}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447184},"type":"text","content":"I checked my phone for school emails but found nothing. Feeling both helpless and determined, I got in the car and drove to Hopewell Middle School in Milton. As I drove, I couldn’t help but wonder: How did we end up in a world where schools — some of the safest places on Earth — have become a site of such fear?"},{"_id":"DL7YPZHOUVED3AMP6U5BBU5O6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":215,"comment":"School "},{"pos":240,"comment":"next time "}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447185},"type":"text","content":"In the end, it turned out there was an air gun on school grounds, and the swift response from school officials and police resolved the situation without anyone being hurt. But as the tragic events at Apalachee High just days ago remind us, we might not be so fortunate the next time. Our children deserve more than just thoughts and prayers — they deserve concrete action."},{"_id":"EI67DPK5UFHMXEHPNPMVB4B7VQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447186},"type":"text","content":"We cannot continue to rely on instinct and training drills alone to protect our children from military-style weapons. It is our responsibility to ensure their safety through meaningful and effective measures."},{"_id":"E5Q56X6VJRCFBOK3IMXLZGD3AM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726149681754},"type":"text","content":"There is so much that lawmakers can do to ensure that last week’s shooting is the last. However, history has shown us that prayers for the families and calls for action lead only to inaction. Following the shooting in Winder, Gov. Brian Kemp immediately advised restraint and cautioned against making the issue of gun violence political by discussing policy."},{"_id":"2SYLJP3Q2BHYVNPHHGSOOA4LUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":84,"comment":"own "},{"pos":134,"comment":"our "}],"comments":[],"_id":1726168410310},"type":"text","content":"I contend that Kemp and his fellow Republicans are more focused on preserving their political futures than on protecting the lives of children."},{"_id":"2P5GVOXBPJASVJGZ6FICTP6EIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447188},"type":"text","content":"I never envisioned running for office myself. But as I witness communities devastated by gun violence and see lawmakers consistently refusing to act, I feel compelled to step up. I was joined by several parents last week at a news conference to demand action from our elected officials. We are united in our grief, our fear and our outrage. My message to moms like me is this: If our elected officials will not protect our children, then I will. But it should never have come to this. It should not be up to mothers to step in where elected officials fail to act."},{"_id":"TJQPF6KOMVBAPKJMZRIKSEU3CY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":257,"comment":"what "},{"pos":278,"comment":" is"}],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447189},"type":"text","content":"I often reflect on the words I told my son: “Trust your instincts.” It’s one of the most important lessons I’ve taught my children, and perhaps one they’ve taught me in return, as I’ve honed that “mother’s intuition” five times over. Deep down, we all know the right thing to do."},{"_id":"UPD5ONFMTRE6NNW2FCW3LG5C7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726078447190},"type":"text","content":"<i>Debra Shigley is a lawyer, former reporter, mother of five and candidate for Georgia House District 47.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A Milton mother says Georgia must stem the easy access to high-powered guns."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1039,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"coronavirus-schools-business"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"brian-kemp"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"49f8a3703111fa66565d4bdd528888871221f7df670a1ce48f71f60396cd96c8"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-THREATS-AT","width":3000,"caption":"Mourners gather at Apalachee High School on Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/XYQOIHRYISSOULHCBZQOV23DCE.jpg","height":2000,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/XYQOIHRYISSOULHCBZQOV23DCE.jpg?auth=49f8a3703111fa66565d4bdd528888871221f7df670a1ce48f71f60396cd96c8&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/mom-we-are-under-a-hard-lockdown/ZJODJNAUQNFW7MVXN4KTO3NYWY/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-09-13T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Debra Shigley","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"‘Mom, we are under a hard lockdown’"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-13T09:00:01.343Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-13T20:46:44.922Z","_id":"ZJODJNAUQNFW7MVXN4KTO3NYWY","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"49f8a3703111fa66565d4bdd528888871221f7df670a1ce48f71f60396cd96c8"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-THREATS-AT","width":3000,"caption":"Mourners gather at Apalachee High School on Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/XYQOIHRYISSOULHCBZQOV23DCE.jpg","height":2000,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/XYQOIHRYISSOULHCBZQOV23DCE.jpg?auth=49f8a3703111fa66565d4bdd528888871221f7df670a1ce48f71f60396cd96c8&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"3DW6CTMZHFH5PDTZ7DR5DVP4JY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":18,"comment":"cq"},{"pos":84,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008641},"type":"text","content":"As a past National PTA president, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact gun violence has on our communities, schools and families. The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. I’ve seen too many moments of silence, candlelight vigils and headlines filled with tragedy."},{"_id":"Y2BM62LXMZAUPC2DHJNBZ3D4G4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008642},"type":"text","content":"As a combat veteran who has fought for the rights and freedoms of this country, I fully support the Second Amendment. But I cannot stand by while assault weapons — designed for war zones — tear apart American streets and schools. It’s time to move beyond thoughts and prayers. It’s time for immediate and decisive action."},{"_id":"36ZLCJW7P5GLRD5KC77ZVNNSOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008643},"type":"text","content":"There’s an old saying: <i>“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your character; and watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”</i> Our destiny as parents, educators and community leaders should be clear: we must act to keep our children safe."},{"_id":"53KKIHQE6VH5DN2DJCLATLHIIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":123,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008644},"type":"text","content":"Yet, year after year, our thoughts and words have failed to save lives at schools like Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook and, most recently, Apalachee High School here in Georgia."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"7db291143508c6e8b571a97e5dc9f446675b3ac42d216c0595f598dedf4bf536"},"caption":"Otha Thornton \n________________________________________","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Otho E. Thornton Jr.","width":400,"_id":"O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/vdO2rMVCjM0xmssB-KddrW1yUbY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/vdO2rMVCjM0xmssB-KddrW1yUbY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/vdO2rMVCjM0xmssB-KddrW1yUbY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/79KO_9Btz5wLLOxkPw3jmJ36q-0=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"othothornton.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"OIMZ7T4OQJBFJOPII63AK6DMKQ"},"created_date":"2024-08-01T12:38:09Z","last_updated_date":"2024-08-01T12:38:09Z","height":400,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/O34TZ5FY2VGX5PXPIGAENY6UPM.jpg?auth=7db291143508c6e8b571a97e5dc9f446675b3ac42d216c0595f598dedf4bf536&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"R2OHVM5MKNCEFP7YBX666K7QWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008646},"type":"text","content":"For too long, we have sent our children off to school with a prayer on our lips, hoping they would return home safely. But hope without action is just a wish; our children deserve more than wishes. They deserve the safety and security that comes with responsible gun legislation at every level — local, state and national."},{"_id":"QB2FCPK44VFDJCBFKBLZXOYXSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":170,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008647},"type":"text","content":"As leaders in the PTA, we have always been on the front lines advocating for safe, nurturing school environments. I am calling on all PTA districts, councils, local units and leaders to use the tools and resolutions we’ve long established to demand change. We must address our school boards, county commissioners, city councils, state legislators and national lawmakers to pass sensible gun laws that prioritize the safety of our children and communities."},{"_id":"PZGU77KVTFFYVM3NBGN5CR2DVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008648},"type":"text","content":"The PTA has been a stalwart in advocating for child welfare for over a century, and we already have the blueprints in place. Our <a href=\"https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/safety/School-Safety\" target=\"_blank\">Gun Violence Prevention Blueprint</a>, accessible through PTA resources, provides a clear path forward. It’s time to engage every parent, teacher, administrator and student to rally for change."},{"_id":"SBTW2VP2F5GA5GQ5RMIS65I5YE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008649},"type":"text","content":"Our voices can no longer be whispers of grief; they must become shouts for action."},{"_id":"SF7QYNS2JJH2TB5H72L4I55ILU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":235,"comment":"that "},{"pos":299,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008650},"type":"text","content":"As a combat veteran, I understand the power and responsibility that comes with handling a firearm. In the military, we were trained to use weapons of war for defense and combat — never for casual use in civilian spaces. The reality is assault weapons have no place on our streets, in our communities or anywhere near our schools."},{"_id":"6AYLTASLKRE6VBFCP4Z3H6ZQ7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008651},"type":"text","content":"While I respect the Second Amendment and the rights it protects, no right is without its limits. We regulate who can drive a car and what medications can be sold. Why can’t we regulate weapons of war in the same way? Common-sense measures such as universal background checks, bans on assault weapons and red flag laws are not just possible; they are necessary."},{"_id":"HOCYLCDKLBGRRB24M3MIGWV254","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008652},"type":"text","content":"We cannot allow the false narrative that any regulation infringes upon our freedoms to stop us from taking action. As parents, educators and concerned citizens, our primary concern should be the safety and well-being of our children. And that requires decisive action from lawmakers at every level."},{"_id":"5DGTKNRELZEBNLLVEJVMIJ32SY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":311,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-11T18:19:24.024Z","start":297,"end":299,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1726067008653},"type":"text","content":"We stand at a pivotal moment in history. The decisions we make today will shape the future of our children. I call on each PTA member, each local unit and every parent to engage in this fight. Your role is crucial. Now is the time to set up meetings with your school boards and county commissioners, and demand they prioritize school safety and gun control measures. Attend city council meetings, write to your state legislators and reach out to your members of Congress. These are the actions that will turn the tide, and your participation is vital."},{"_id":"HTTF6MRCEVH2FHR3MIY5TIFAJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008654},"type":"text","content":"Our children deserve more than our thoughts. They deserve laws that protect them. They deserve leaders who are brave enough to stand up against gun violence and enact meaningful change. The time to act is now. We cannot afford to wait for another tragedy to spur us into action."},{"_id":"RJTQO73NJNA6LI56MQCBRIQABE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":279,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008655},"type":"text","content":"I’m not asking you to abandon your prayers. As a person of faith, I understand the importance of prayer. But let’s accompany our prayers with actions that reflect our deepest values, the protection of our most vulnerable. Let’s honor the memories of those we’ve lost by ensuring we do everything in our power to prevent future tragedies."},{"_id":"VI34LM5OHZAUHPCO3OFUI36OQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008656},"type":"text","content":"We have the power to change the narrative. We have the power to turn our grief into action, to turn our words into legislation and to turn our thoughts into meaningful outcomes. But it will take all of us, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders, to make it happen. Together, we can make a difference. Our collective action is our strength."},{"_id":"UW5WR6LF25FHXOWNCBMH6QJFZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008657},"type":"text","content":"The PTA has long been a champion for child safety. Let’s take this opportunity to reaffirm that commitment by demanding safer schools, stronger gun laws and a future where our children can learn without fear. The time for thoughts and prayers alone is over."},{"_id":"3C5QAIHYZJBF7P53WUTLF4GJ2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008658},"type":"text","content":"Now is the time for action and prayers."},{"_id":"NPJWQU7L2ZEVPIGLOSOQ6LL45M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008659},"type":"text","content":"<i>Georgia native Otha Thornton was the 53rd National PTA president.</i>"},{"_id":"Q3KHNY2YVFE3HA34R2AJ5QN36M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1726067008660},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A former National PTA president from Georgia calls on members to engage in the fight for common-sense gun regulations that will keep assault weapons off our streets."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1039,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"0f71ba1c90bf7f5537303dc042d3a7e3dfca4de8a0a3696fd438efbf38f0cbd6"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-TRUMP-WATCH-PARTY-GUNRANGE-1-AT","width":3000,"caption":"Mourners visit a makeshift memorial at the flagpole at Apalachee High School on Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. A 14-year-old Apalachee student is accused of shooting and killing two fellow students and two teachers, and injuring nine others at Apalachee High School. (Jason Getz/AJC)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YDZSW3GHUBPLBWBOTHFUQ77YGA.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YDZSW3GHUBPLBWBOTHFUQ77YGA.jpg?auth=0f71ba1c90bf7f5537303dc042d3a7e3dfca4de8a0a3696fd438efbf38f0cbd6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/our-voices-can-no-longer-be-whispers-of-grief-but-shouts-for-action-on-guns/ZAFC6RW3URFMLKOTB256R6CJAE/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-09-12T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Otha Thornton","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Our voices can no longer be whispers of grief, but shouts for action on guns"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-12T09:00:01.786Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-12T09:00:01.786Z","_id":"ZAFC6RW3URFMLKOTB256R6CJAE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"0f71ba1c90bf7f5537303dc042d3a7e3dfca4de8a0a3696fd438efbf38f0cbd6"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US-NEWS-GA-TRUMP-WATCH-PARTY-GUNRANGE-1-AT","width":3000,"caption":"Mourners visit a makeshift memorial at the flagpole at Apalachee High School on Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. A 14-year-old Apalachee student is accused of shooting and killing two fellow students and two teachers, and injuring nine others at Apalachee High School. (Jason Getz/AJC)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YDZSW3GHUBPLBWBOTHFUQ77YGA.jpg","height":2001,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YDZSW3GHUBPLBWBOTHFUQ77YGA.jpg?auth=0f71ba1c90bf7f5537303dc042d3a7e3dfca4de8a0a3696fd438efbf38f0cbd6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"OWQF5W2T3BGPLAGTIW2JENVCWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":196,"comment":"half staff "}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-10T20:15:43.971Z","start":206,"end":208,"text":"hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725977220195},"type":"text","content":"We find ourselves, yet again, in a moment of national loss at the hands of yet another school shooter. Given the persistent reality of this American nightmare, our flags are once again lowered to half-staff and we are reminded that given the rampant nature of mass shootings in this country, we rarely require the full height of a flagpole."},{"_id":"CMFA7YLSLVGATCALZJ3XWAEOJY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":137,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220196},"type":"text","content":"No other country on the face of the planet experiences, and dismisses as quickly, the carnage of lives lost, families eternally shattered and our collective acceptance of a moral bankruptcy that, seemingly, accepts the constant barrage of death at the hands of another mass shooter."},{"_id":"XKCHTN746FDT3BFVMFHIL7HQVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":200,"comment":"–"},{"pos":218,"comment":"–"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-10T20:18:06.266Z","start":200,"end":202,"text":"em dashes instead of hyphens","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725977220197},"type":"text","content":"While we, as a society, did not pull the gun trigger to cause this nightmare, we continue to fail to pull the metaphorical trigger on any real and meaningful policy changes that will certainly reduce — maybe eliminate — what is decidedly best described as American carnage."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"cb54f2fff71c191cca0ca65527461da60068f0303a097501a23fad2f2c00ea9a"},"caption":"T. Jameson Brewer. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"T. Jameson Brewer","width":320,"_id":"LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/yofy2AoiKmQMarjvy1Opx6uraYQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/yofy2AoiKmQMarjvy1Opx6uraYQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/yofy2AoiKmQMarjvy1Opx6uraYQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/HlXZaCQIfDyAzS4h0rkhKk7bBuM=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Brewer.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"4DJO2RQLWVDCNO2PKBML4DZFNQ"},"created_date":"2024-09-10T13:51:46Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-10T13:51:46Z","height":214,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LPXBJIYAUFCOPEX7LX5IV5GZ2Q.jpg?auth=cb54f2fff71c191cca0ca65527461da60068f0303a097501a23fad2f2c00ea9a&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"OKKZEUFF3RF2DIH2QQFW5WJ37E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":409,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220199},"type":"text","content":"Media personalities and politicians have, as usual, resorted to their predictable phrases of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/gov-kemp-is-wrong-now-is-the-time-to-talk-policy/7W7M2AVBDZCGZJ2YVEO2XVNXNU/\">“thoughts and prayers,” or claims that “now is not the time”</a> to discuss any efforts to ameliorate or prevent these tragedies from occurring again. In short order we will hear advocacy for tired education policies that are all grounded in the premise, and acceptance, that school shootings will continue to occur and reactive-educational policies are the solution."},{"_id":"ONOBVV426JDQ5BJTYTRLGC3BJY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":21,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220200},"type":"text","content":"There will be claims this shooter, like the rest of our nation’s shooters, suffered from mental health issues — but there will be no meaningful funding of mental health initiatives. And, there will certainly be no meaningful discussion of preventive policies such as red flag laws."},{"_id":"JTQPRHXPCBDAXGWNVIREMHC3R4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":207,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220201},"type":"text","content":"Teachers enter this profession of ours because they aspire to help children reach for, and realize, their highest potential. Despite this, there will be calls to arm teachers. Policymakers will soon suggest teachers <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/burt-jones-backs-paying-teachers-to-carry-guns-as-he-preps-for-2024-and-beyond/LUJ7KYIXKBFNJECCCECLHGOGOI/\" target=\"_blank\">carry a weapon</a> and potentially use it against one of their own students."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"cb1d43dfb5dafdc3709883f54294c448c7067419a22231532a77fb6eae1ee130"},"caption":"Westry Whitaker. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Westry Whitaker","width":788,"_id":"R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/YtoQtHu7oWV75TeuA8-WAmSm1A4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/YtoQtHu7oWV75TeuA8-WAmSm1A4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/YtoQtHu7oWV75TeuA8-WAmSm1A4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/XIa3lICdrqD0wQXVAy22JDRIshk=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"westry.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"7MRA6723HRHXNMARDJJG5FCMKE"},"created_date":"2024-09-10T16:11:20Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-10T16:11:20Z","height":788,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/R3CEVSVS3JADJIRFUD3ME6T3RQ.jpg?auth=cb1d43dfb5dafdc3709883f54294c448c7067419a22231532a77fb6eae1ee130&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"P7RHECJCPJGVXLIXNFLDTPFHJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-10T20:21:47.401Z","start":31,"end":32,"text":"spelled out on first reference, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725977220202},"type":"text","content":"And even though highly-trained New York Police Department officers <a href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/public_information/RAND_FirearmEvaluation.pdf\">only hit their intended target 18% of the time during a gunfight</a>, policymakers will not discuss what it will mean when a teacher misses 82% of the time. And, there will certainly be no meaningful discussion of preventive policies such as reinstating the <a href=\"https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/03/assault-weapon-ban-significantly-reduces-mass-shooting/\">assault weapons ban</a>."},{"_id":"TBBXH7SPNZHDZMMRZSRIG74WGY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220203},"type":"text","content":"There will be discussions of active shooter drills and increasing the regularity of them. This, despite the efficacy of the effort amounting to little more than the “duck and cover” facade of the Cold War era. There will be no discussion of the trauma this instills into children. And, there will certainly be no meaningful discussion of preventive policies such as <a href=\"https://www.everytown.org/solutions/background-checks/\">universal background checks</a>."},{"_id":"4EBHJOQ2ZFFWPAPWKTKGO4VX6E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220204},"type":"text","content":"There will be calls for “hardening” what is seen as a “soft” target such that we make our schools resemble airport and prison-style security screening. There will be no discussion of the cost, the hours upon hours it would take to process students through each day, nor the trauma it can convey to students and teachers. And, again, there will be no meaningful discussion of policy that situates the lives of children above the cheap desire to cosplay Rambo in the woods on the weekend with an AR-15."},{"_id":"JCK6XMQZLFEHRIJC3JDCLY2S64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220205},"type":"text","content":"All of these, and so many other shallow reaction-based policy discussions, will be the same as they always have and will bring the same amount of change, which is none. The policy discussions and political theater will wane as we move our flags back to full staff only to be reignited by what will certainly be the next catastrophe."},{"_id":"GZOVHKOOYBEDZKUI43CHQYXNZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":69,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220206},"type":"text","content":"Given what has been described here as our American carnage, the fact this carnage is often found in our public schools, and the ceaseless theater that is local and national education policy, we often ask our pre-service teacher candidates why they want to become teachers. With no exception, a deep desire to care for children and help facilitate their learning of content knowledge and, decidedly more importantly, to grow as individuals is paramount in the motivation."},{"_id":"G3KYWSG4GJBXROTKE6UNZHOJM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220207},"type":"text","content":"Our nation’s educators represent the very best of who we are. They accept low pay for hard work that requires long hours because they care for our nation’s future and its children. They are the ones we have entrusted with playing a pivotal role in facilitating the transfer of our democracy to the next generation. We can no longer ask them, and their students, to place their lives on the line because policymakers are unwilling to discuss preventive policies but, rather, seek to stack even more burden on teachers with reactive educational policies in a cheap veneer of protecting the gun lobby."},{"_id":"4QK3RWCKIVGPJP6ADRGWUWDJMA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-10T20:26:27.070Z","start":134,"end":136,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725977220208},"type":"text","content":"Teachers like <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/math-teacher-cristina-irimie-killed-in-georgia-school-shooting-had-a-gift-with-young-people/MW5M2MCVRJGNTL6KQZCDXT4E2E/\" target=\"_blank\">Cristina Irimie</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/sports/high-school/apalachee-shooting-victim-ricky-aspinwall-loved-football-daddy-hugs/X4S6I5SM2NGO7K5EXK6XNV3HRQ/\" target=\"_blank\">Richard Aspinwall</a> represented the very best of our profession. Not because they laid their lives down, but because they committed their lives to our students. Cristina was a graduate of the University of North Georgia, where we both teach. What follows at the end of this column is the original recommendation letter written by Westry Whitaker on behalf of Cristina as she entered the job market."},{"_id":"EE6IJJIDERFPNBOLPKESPCNA6I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220209},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/georgia-school-shooting-student-describes-gunshots/\">As a former student of hers noted this week</a>, Cristina operated from a deep commitment to her students and had a notable sense of humor. As the discussions of policy begin, let us keep the victims of last week’s shooting — Mason, Christian, Richard and Cristina — in mind and mourn our collective loss. Let us also have meaningful policy discussions that do not accept school shootings as a mainstay of American culture."},{"_id":"UCMPIYS54ZAOJBZVJSPR3F3Q3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220210},"type":"text","content":"Rather, let us seek to create policies that will end mass shootings by finding the political courage to not ask education policy to save our fellow citizens, or teachers to take bullets on behalf of students, or our students to take bullets on behalf of political cowardness. Instead, let’s consider balanced gun regulations that will reduce the carnage."},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"WCYXH44BKBDEPEKWXAKVIL3JQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"March 24, 2016"},{"_id":"2LHAWB6M7BEJFLUNWRMR463B6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Dear Sir or Madam,"},{"_id":"H6ZYPBMSVFHUFL3QFXWEBE7OOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Please allow this letter to support Ana-Cristina’s Irimie’s application for employment at your school. Cristina is a dedicated and passionate student that is driven by an honest desire to learn and a genuine concern for her future success as a teacher. She is vastly intelligent, thoughtful, reflective, and she is a diligent worker on both sides of the classroom. Cristina’s passion for teaching has been evident throughout her internship experience; her experience and knowledge of the content is inspiring; her devotion to improving her teaching in order to best serve her future students is represented through her thoughtfulness and her consideration of experience and different forms of knowledge."},{"_id":"BERAH6XJLVETLLUIMX2EDTRVOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I met Cristina in 2015 during the fall semester of her senior year. Because her content areas were science and math, Cristina and I did not meet until she became an intern placed under my supervision as part of her required student teaching experience. Cristina began the semester with a sense of purpose and a clearly recognizable desire to make the most of her time at Gainesville Middle School. Her focus toward this goal was among the most dedicated of all the interns I have worked with; Cristina demonstrated an impeccable desire to reflect upon her weaknesses in order to maximize her strengths in the classroom. She always listened and thought deeply and diligently about feedback and she consistently considered new techniques, methods, ideas and/or strategies that would allow her to become the best math or science teacher she could be. As the year continued, Cristina remained committed to this purpose and never waivered from her devotion to make the most from her experience. This reflective ability combines with her sense of humor, her ability to form relationships with students, and her extraordinary comfort with and knowledge of the content (for both science and math) to make me very confident that Cristina will be an excellent teacher."},{"_id":"UFMGZKSKIVEHBJ4AK4NBZRXJ4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Three of Cristina’s personal qualities stand out in my mind: chief among them is her confidence with and knowledge of the science and math content areas. Throughout my observations of her teaching, Cristina made a concerted effort to actively present the material with hands-on experiments and captivating games or relevant connections. Her personal feedback to students needing support was timely, attentive, and well focused on encouraging the student to think his or her way through the learning material. Next, Cristina’s desire to rise to the challenges of life, her coursework, her internship, the edTPA process, and her learning matches the dedication with which she approaches her teaching. She takes a great deal of pride in her work and her teaching. She approached her studies, her internship, and the overall academic experience from a position of integrity that is focused on fairness, ethical practices, and solid work. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that Cristina’s easy-going sense of humor allows her to understand and communicate effectively with middle school students. While Cristina is quite clear on the difference between “teacher” and “friend,” she never hesitates to offer a smile, a laugh, or a congratulatory gesture to a deserving student."},{"_id":"BBMAG5AZMZFCFNHJ5DOFKW3W5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In addition to my knowledge of her teaching, I have great confidence that these three traits will allow Cristina to make outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. Her deep intellectual creativity combines with her passion for teaching and her overall reflexivity in such a way that will motivate and inspire her future students. I encourage you to consider Ana-Cristina Irimie for employment at your school."},{"_id":"HRVHQJWUGRESBHFDHKXMR6XXVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"If you have any questions regarding this recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact me."},{"_id":"TMY6JWMW2ZBWVFCBWU22NEXXSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Sincerely, Westry A. Whitaker, Ed.D"}],"citation":{"type":"text","content":""},"subtype":"blockquote","_id":"UKTD64HWOVCGXP37STSREBPRZM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"7YPZD6OR2ZDLTI3XT7ABAGD3MQ"},"type":"quote"},{"_id":"4Y2N2Q5JYVDFRDGQZR6ZGG25PM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725977220212},"type":"text","content":"<i>T. Jameson Brewer and Westry Whitaker are associate professors at the University of North Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Two professors, one of whom taught slain Apalachee teacher Cristina Irimie, decry the political cowardice around stronger gun laws to protect schools."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1039,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"government and politics"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"natworld.ajc"},{"text":"ga-school-shooting"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"96a144007e64d9f000b42e7167fcb0d00cfe4b69e2bc98d1ca1614a92065bc80"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"shooting folo","width":3300,"caption":"A electronic billboard showing 14-year-old Apalachee High School students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, and teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall is seen at a vigil at Jug Tavern Park in Winder on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. A 14-year-old Apalachee High School student is accused of shooting and killing the four and injuring nine others at the Barrow County high school on Wednesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PAHWCO534PNPGMBBDN53CR67NI.JPG","height":2200,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/PAHWCO534PNPGMBBDN53CR67NI.JPG?auth=96a144007e64d9f000b42e7167fcb0d00cfe4b69e2bc98d1ca1614a92065bc80&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/in-our-political-cowardness-on-guns-teachers-left-to-take-bullets-for-kids/SEXG3WYSM5HM3GBXPJJJXRWKHY/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-09-11T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"T. Jameson Brewer","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"},{"org":"","name":"Westry Whitaker","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"In our political cowardness on guns, teachers left to take bullets for kids"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-11T09:00:00.534Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-11T09:00:00.534Z","_id":"SEXG3WYSM5HM3GBXPJJJXRWKHY","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"96a144007e64d9f000b42e7167fcb0d00cfe4b69e2bc98d1ca1614a92065bc80"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"shooting folo","width":3300,"caption":"A electronic billboard showing 14-year-old Apalachee High School students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, and teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall is seen at a vigil at Jug Tavern Park in Winder on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. A 14-year-old Apalachee High School student is accused of shooting and killing the four and injuring nine others at the Barrow County high school on Wednesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PAHWCO534PNPGMBBDN53CR67NI.JPG","height":2200,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/PAHWCO534PNPGMBBDN53CR67NI.JPG?auth=96a144007e64d9f000b42e7167fcb0d00cfe4b69e2bc98d1ca1614a92065bc80&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"6FMDVZHYMFA3HPWLIWO6DIIG3M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551166},"type":"text","content":"Since Columbine in 1999, there have been <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/\" target=\"_blank\">417 school shootings </a>resulting in the deaths of hundreds of students and staffs. Two more students and two teachers died when a 14-year-old entered <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/georgia-shooting-at-apalachee-high-school-key-things-to-know-today/EBLDIJNAFZAJ5MDHLIMJKEX45I/\" target=\"_blank\">Apalachee High School in Winder a</a>nd opened fire last week."},{"_id":"NRJHYAWZZ5CFTBYMC4EOJ223MQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551167},"type":"text","content":"Apalachee is an hour away from my high school in Dunwoody. During day of the shooting and the aftermath, my emotions were disoriented and chaotic and still are. I am left feeling that, even though I am only 17 years old, my life is in danger and I am not safe, even in school."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"76888d3b2814fd5db1106911b2f462d6131e3f1ad4466c58b31a27e1edb86a47"},"caption":"Daniel Herrera","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contr","type":"author","byline":"Contr"}]},"subtitle":"Dunwoody High School student Daniel Herrera","width":400,"_id":"F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/4KlyhWitN2MilIzhN5x17KXJ7gM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/Q2_XY2pS5-B05MOUTHAzp0lhKtg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg","version":2,"originalName":"danielh.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"YTXV3ZYMEJFP7G3WW4ITR5KFCI"},"created_date":"2024-07-23T19:45:00Z","last_updated_date":"2024-07-23T19:45:34Z","height":400,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/F73FAAJC5FFDHO7RHBXUOCUAJI.jpg?auth=76888d3b2814fd5db1106911b2f462d6131e3f1ad4466c58b31a27e1edb86a47&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"Z2XOYJN77JFR3DUE5DJTL4OU34","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551169},"type":"text","content":"This is a feeling not only felt by me but my peers. The consensus among us is that a dark cloud has risen over not only our Georgia high school, but across our daily lives."},{"_id":"C3LJVTASURCJNDTDWNZ47HSS2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551170},"type":"text","content":"I remember receiving the news report that there was another mass shooting at a school. When I found out it was Apalachee, I was distraught. I couldn’t fathom such an event happening this close to me and had an overwhelming fear that Dunwoody could be next."},{"_id":"UJOIT6A56FFP5O3VOQWHN5SMTU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551171},"type":"text","content":"No students should ever fear for their lives. Unfortunately, the issue of mass gun violence is not addressed enough. Even though we are the primary victims in school shootings, students are not given a strong enough voice to advocate for ourselves. With that lack of voice also comes a lack of care for our mental health and the irreparable damage gun violence does to our psyche."},{"_id":"JDZZ7BXO6NH3PA7Y67XSJYC55A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551172},"type":"text","content":"Gun violence, especially to children, is constant. Two years ago, a shooter <a href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting\" target=\"_blank\">claimed the lives of 21</a> in Uvalde, Texas. Six years ago, a shooter <a href=\"https://www.broward.org/Documents/MSD%20Overview%20Public%204-24-18.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">took the lives of 17</a> in Parkland, Florida. Nearly a dozen years ago, a shooter <a href=\"https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/who-we-are/about-us/our-history/\" target=\"_blank\">killed 26</a> at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut."},{"_id":"EA2XMGS4ING2ZMO64TT5WPKCIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551173},"type":"text","content":"It was 25 years ago that two shooters <a href=\"https://vault.fbi.gov/Columbine%20High%20School%20\" target=\"_blank\">murdered 13</a> and then killed themselves at Columbine High School, Colorado. That horrific shooting was supposed to spark change but has now become a faint memory as so many other deadly shootings have followed. They have now become normalized in our culture. Indeed, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, described school shootings as “<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/vance-calls-school-shootings-a-fact-of-life-at-arizona-rally/BY4PAD5MTNBXNPWSHL64PTDZ6U/\" target=\"_blank\">a fact of life</a>.”"},{"_id":"G3CV2R7VTNDEVCB3XUTAMPGA24","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551174},"type":"text","content":"Politicians offer no solutions to keep guns out schools but put the burden on students and teachers to lock doors and hide in coat rooms. Teachers should care about safety but shouldn’t have to consider that locking a door or properly carrying out a lockdown drill is a matter of life or death. Students should be able to walk to their classes in school and go to gym class or lunch without worrying about where the exits are."},{"_id":"TPDQCSC6PVBEBGLMQ4HQXPCUWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551175},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"The real people who should be worrying about this issue are our leaders that set Georgia gun policy and, unfortunately, they haven’t worried enough."},{"_id":"Q73TCJ3T7VE2BE5VQZIC5HA2TI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551176},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"It is inconceivable to me how weapons of war are allowed to enter our schools and classrooms and how they are allowed to murder innocent children. It is also inconceivable to me that since Columbine, actions to end gun violence have been swept under the rug with only the most minor changes made as deaths in these incidents become increasingly normalized."},{"_id":"JDEUUUHIEJC5PKWRGPNN2E2FIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551177},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"I can only hope as a young person that our generation will be the ones to end this violence so people, especially children, will be safe where they should be safe: in schools, churches, supermarkets and movie theaters. We will no doubt not be the last generation to experience this problem, so it is up to us to stop it."},{"_id":"GDKP5Z3ZGRG5BJOMCKXLIG7PTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725906551178},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"<i>Daniel Herrera, 17, is a senior at Dunwoody High School.</i>"},{"_id":"KAX6ZXHJRRCZBNJSM4DRX4IS3E","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"EJ4WYCULOBCIZIJFFBRVISNWS4"},"alignment":"right","type":"raw_html","content":"<CustomInfoBox id=\"RM2KL3L2GNFTVOV3CF5AHLCPSQ\" />"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"High schooler feels as primary victims of school shootings, students are not given a strong enough voice to advocate for themselves"},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A high school student in Dunwoody, Georgia says it's up to his generation to stop mass school shootings as elected officials have not solved the 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My baby brother, up until then a mostly silent pile of pudginess covered in peas, looked at my mother with a devilish grin and proceeded to mimic her daily attempts to impart basic table manners."},{"_id":"7GYO6XAY2ZF63MWDF7LCB3GLEI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725497903956},"type":"text","content":"Plopping his dimpled elbows on his high chair tray, he proclaimed, “No bows, no bows.”"},{"_id":"OYKMCIZMKND77G4HTX5WBPRECE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725472276022},"type":"text","content":"It was my brother’s first recognizable phrase and convinced me that children watch and learn from everyone and everything."},{"_id":"7SAKT7K4EJHS3NIDNRAUJZXSQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725487280808},"type":"text","content":"Of late, I’m not sure that’s a good thing in view of the coarsening of America, even the race for president. In 2016, Donald Trump ushered in a new age of political theater where mudslinging replaced statesmanship, and the appearance of opponents and their spouses became fair game.<b> </b>Vice President Kamala Harris is his current target. He’s attempted several derogatory nicknames for her, including “Laffin’ Kamala” and “Crazy Kamala.”<b> </b>He’s also dubbed her “Dumb as a Rock” Kamala Harris and often mispronounced her name as “Kamabla.”"},{"_id":"FUK4J6ERAVG5VLXMUSZJ3ZDTBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725494636009},"type":"text","content":"So I wasn’t surprised when Trump announced at a recent rally, “I’m a better-looking person than Kamala.” Nor were Americans taken aback when Trump questioned Harris’ heritage, saying, “I didn’t know she was Black, until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”"},{"_id":"MCM2L65NYJHGRMVXANB5UE7RSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725570650686},"type":"text","content":"His running mate,<b> </b>U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, just laughed off the resurfacing of his 2021 quip that “a bunch of childless cat ladies” would be the ruin of America. “Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I’ve got nothing against cats,” said Vance on a radio show in July."},{"_id":"WFU7MGUXERBL7IUSSBTHBLV7JI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-06T16:11:28.122Z","start":192,"end":194,"text":"she prefers to use her full name, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725487280813},"type":"text","content":"We may want to believe kids don’t pick up on the incivility, the insults and the innuendos. But <a href=\"https://www.whitman.edu/whitman-stories/whitman-magazine/magazine-archives/spring-2020/wont-someone-think-about-the-children\" target=\"_blank\">interviews with kids ages 5 to 11 </a>before and after the 2016 presidential contest between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Trump revealed they paid attention to political messages and the attitudes of their parents and their community."},{"_id":"7V3KVA5B6ZAN5IRXEH2JU6EZIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725554336506},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.learningforjustice.org/sites/default/files/general/Trump%20Effect%20Comments_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">In a 2016 survey </a>by the Southern Poverty Law Center of teachers about the “Trump effect” on their classrooms, a respondent said, “As we work to teach the negative impact of bullying, students are watching presidential hopefuls bully one another.”"},{"_id":"NIIGF5Q6R5DRDFVFI5N7ZBHUS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725472276024},"type":"text","content":"Children are also exposed to 24/7 news cycles dominated by politics. A Reddit forum devoted to <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Mommit/comments/164esew/unexpected_first_words/\" target=\"_blank\">unexpected first words </a>included this parent comment: “My fifth child’s first word was ‘Iowa.’ We don’t even live in Iowa. It was political primary season and all over the news.”"},{"_id":"GAW62N346NATXPM626YA4NROBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725472276025},"type":"text","content":"Increasingly, teachers face disrespect from students. In a<a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/whats-it-like-to-be-a-teacher-in-america-today/#:~:text=A%20majority%20of%20teachers%20(68,Physical%20violence%20is%20less%20common.\" target=\"_blank\"> Pew Research Center survey </a>released in April, 68% of teachers experienced verbal abuse from their students, such as being yelled at or verbally threatened."},{"_id":"RHVUIO2XGZDPNKH3MXY2KCFJLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":58,"comment":"-"}],"comments":[{"date":"2024-09-06T16:13:17.227Z","start":59,"end":61,"text":"used to instead of hyphen for consistency with age range noted above","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2024-09-06T16:14:30.227Z","start":153,"end":155,"text":"added coronavirus here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1725494636014},"type":"text","content":"In the<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.bgca.org/about-us/youth-right-now/__;!!JZyed81S!j9Dg2dnWPLiC-HJSKOrIp0NQ_zMsBXHyerNQVvK9dM84YF4H9diV-mdZD8Usw7rQkscE4548MLVhkhzO$\" target=\"_blank\"> 2024 Youth Right Now survey,</a> 32% of children ages 9 to 18 said they were bullied on school property in the past year. The blame has fallen on the coronavirus pandemic, and the loss of social skills from interrupted schooling and remote learning."},{"_id":"PZW2UTMNMBHCVOSOTWWZWQRM4I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":58,"comment":"that "}],"comments":[],"_id":1725554336510},"type":"text","content":"I wonder if kids are observing the rewards and admiration our leaders earn for bad behavior and bullying. Trump’s harsh and demeaning comments don’t spur censure from his audiences; the remarks spark applause for “telling it like it is” and “refusing to back down.” I expect to see that Tuesday night when Trump and Harris debate."},{"_id":"RXC3LH55AJCMZKF6D7INBORXPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725569243756},"type":"text","content":"Even social network sites designed to build community have turned into virtual shouting matches where neighbors snipe at one another over uncut lawns and unleashed dogs. On my local Nextdoor network, it gets ugly fast when the discussion turns to how to manage coyotes or whether outdoor cats are a menace."},{"_id":"7UDNMUBXMFCHRHZDZMOYGL7DOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725568639060},"type":"text","content":"What we need, perhaps, is a resurgence of the tenets of <a href=\"https://www.missmanners.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Miss Manners </a>who rues the decline of decorum in modern politics, noting, “Instead of civil conversation, discussion and debate, we have wholesale denunciations and personal insults.”"},{"_id":"QP42CU3BJ5CA7MZRUFQ4VA7WPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725554336512},"type":"text","content":"With young children watching and learning, we all could benefit by reminders to keep a civil tongue and our elbows off the table."},{"_id":"ORQKZI5STZG2JM4RCPUIXCANL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725494636019},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"},{"_id":"WFU7MGUXERBL7IUSSBTHBLV7JI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725487280813},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Schools report more bullying and verbal abuse. 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In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Nasty political discourse is sowing bad behavior in our children"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-09T09:00:01.466Z","last_updated_date":"2024-10-09T17:01:43.484Z","_id":"7E7VY2PBYBE6LGCWMMRMI2CWAU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"18f1cdb5bc67629d127fe85ca3c320c8f5a2903f541b2a048443d1a59e453bcb"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Twitter: 17M-plus tweets sent about the debate, most ever","width":4392,"caption":"Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. (John Locher/AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/T67E7LYJALEEUGCFQVRTFXDTSU.jpg","height":2853,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/T67E7LYJALEEUGCFQVRTFXDTSU.jpg?auth=18f1cdb5bc67629d127fe85ca3c320c8f5a2903f541b2a048443d1a59e453bcb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"WGVTEVQOCFGUBOY6HBZS6U2XSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024656},"type":"text","content":"A neighbor down the street recently told me she had an emergency and wouldn’t be able to walk her granddaughter home from school the next week. She asked me if I could do it. Understanding from my own experiences when I needed parenting help, I gave a reluctant yes. Her parting words to me after a quick pause, “Oh … and, what was your name?”"},{"_id":"5ZNWZBMHKRDCFMF7K3PXMQVHCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024657},"type":"text","content":"I was a part of her parenting village, and she didn’t even know my name."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2010","address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"94d69a76f883373172f9e4cf8337953499f081505e5cd142de6ad100a9de0a80"},"source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Alyson Duke","type":"author","byline":"Alyson Duke"}]},"subtitle":"DeKalb parent Beth Collums","width":600,"_id":"UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/gXd1cxTkIVdCCbNC4ReujpKH0pw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/gXd1cxTkIVdCCbNC4ReujpKH0pw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","takenOn":"2020-10-13T01:00:45Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/gXd1cxTkIVdCCbNC4ReujpKH0pw=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/gqs8LfeXtkNwRAEbfZ-rQotlojg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"bethcollums.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"NDFPGEDM6ZBEBNWROLVSS6BIIU"},"created_date":"2021-02-22T15:23:16Z","last_updated_date":"2021-02-22T15:23:16Z","height":847,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/UGXVD52RGFGN7LPTZEKOQ56SRQ.jpg?auth=94d69a76f883373172f9e4cf8337953499f081505e5cd142de6ad100a9de0a80&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"335CFMITUZAFVC3BCSBWNB7WOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024659},"type":"text","content":"The American Psychological Association has just released its latest data collection and summary on parental stress levels across the nation in their “<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/collective-trauma-recovery__;!!JZyed81S!lKCM6uF3mRS9-qq2UgamTGEcC6QNqZqnNfRonAJdgkY2WUb0NFpRcqYk5KSvTSUy-iSePe_SLmpHuSWOgvEsl8ai$\">Stress in America</a>” report. Scores of elevated stress levels as compared to nonparents were revealed in many areas of life. U.S. After the report’s release, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, America’s top doctor, made news by issuing an<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/parents/index.html__;!!JZyed81S!lKCM6uF3mRS9-qq2UgamTGEcC6QNqZqnNfRonAJdgkY2WUb0NFpRcqYk5KSvTSUy-iSePe_SLmpHuSWOgs-uFBps$\"> advisory</a> to call attention to the matter of parental stress."},{"_id":"EP76HOBTURHXZPN5H2L3222L4U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024660},"type":"text","content":"And what, might you ask, are most parents’ response to all of this recent, deeply mined data? Likely, as stated in the vernacular of the famed cultural anthropologist of the 1990s, Bart Simpson, it’s something like “Well, duh.”"},{"_id":"6G3AQPGNHBEMBBLFF4CG72FNRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024661},"type":"text","content":"Among the <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/infographics/infographic-parents-other-adults__;!!JZyed81S!lKCM6uF3mRS9-qq2UgamTGEcC6QNqZqnNfRonAJdgkY2WUb0NFpRcqYk5KSvTSUy-iSePe_SLmpHuSWOgo96VZ5F$\">marked responses</a> in the report were that parents were more likely than other adults without children under age 18 to report increases in certain stressors:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"MCQS7ITBXNGIFEMGOKB2OHDAGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"6XJFCGHRCJDITLRT6C7XRVBUQQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Feeling consumed by worries regarding money (66% to 39%)"},{"_id":"GOBHH7D4ZJC7ZFYD6DIRQA2JSI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Say no one understands how stressed out they are (62% to 42%)"},{"_id":"3F4REH6SPJAQ7CFLN7WETO6TBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Stress makes it hard for them to focus: (60% to 37%)"},{"_id":"TJSCOJM7GBBQVGP7OSVTZBIKLY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"When they are stressed, they can’t bring themselves to do anything (50% to 28%)"}]},{"_id":"TNUVUT55BZAXDBCHB6G62M6LJM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024666},"type":"text","content":"Despite the research not being all that surprising, it is concerning. What’s to be done about this chronic problem plaguing our nation’s parents? How do we address and come alongside and offer support to this group that is so integral to the health of our nation?"},{"_id":"APKSPDIHF5B5HK6UWJOFZYXYUU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024667},"type":"text","content":"Legislation on these areas is crucial and must be set as a priority in a country proclaiming it values families for a better tomorrow. But parents need help today."},{"_id":"TQJHTKVNGFERLMIZZXXC64U3ZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024668},"type":"text","content":"Most parents don’t have a live-in nanny, au pair or a nearby grandparent to help out. Most parents, I suspect, are like me and my neighbor down the street — head down, doing the job tirelessly yet often feeling alone. Less like we’re isolated in a tower on a hill, but more like we’re isolated in a foxhole popping our heads up occasionally to see others lobbing out juice boxes and homework reminders."},{"_id":"QZUILBPEIBACNPCEKULYJIGIVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024669},"type":"text","content":"In my time as a psychotherapist helping kids and parents finding paths to better healthier selves, offering parental fitness testing for the court system and diagnosing mental illness in children and adults, the health of children could often be boiled down to one concept: Apples don’t fall far from trees."},{"_id":"NTIUAKE5IZBWXJFTWVMMQ4Z2JM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024670},"type":"text","content":"If we want our children to be healthier, happier, less anxious and depressed, then we as adults have to take a long look in the mirror. If parents are stressed out, kids see it, feel it and hear it, even if we don’t intend on them to."},{"_id":"DCWHOI64AVHY7EBASAM7WE6UFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024671},"type":"text","content":"Is it any wonder that so many<b> </b>children and teens are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? It begs inquiry into the question, who’s affecting whom?"},{"_id":"22MMXRHRLRG5JAPKMDDC3INKXI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024672},"type":"text","content":"Parents in general are a self-sacrificial cohort by nature — from the single mom to the auntie to Bubbie raising her grandkids. We want the best for our children and are willing to go through hell or high water to achieve it. However, sacrificing our own mental health on the altar of our children’s happiness backfires every time. Our kids are watching, and whether we like it or not, they are learning our emotional cues and responses."},{"_id":"JV3MS4HQ3NAFZJR2LP4ZGGZMVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024673},"type":"text","content":"There are no hacks. No quick fixes, no five-step techniques that will stabilize our personal stress level or fix the social fabric of our parenting culture in 30 days or less. This is a pervasive issue that is deeply embedded into the way we live, work and raise our kids. The village is scattered and usually has to be fought for tooth and nail."},{"_id":"KCPP4WQEU5GIZG6YJ4Q4A4POIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024674},"type":"text","content":"But it’s still worth fighting for."},{"_id":"D7EQR44RC5DLLPLX5U44JQQ5YQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024675},"type":"text","content":"When I set out over 15 years ago on my journey of parenthood, I did not expect that road to be so isolating, difficult and exhausting. On more than one occasion, I’ve cried with my head in my hands in the bathroom and bit my nails to the nub. “Mommy messed up; do you forgive me?” is not a rare phrase in my home."},{"_id":"T5YTC2M6DRAC3CCKBEWEZSEV3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024676},"type":"text","content":"We’re all facing similar hurdles; some of us have it harder than others. So many of you parents are weathering a lonely and stressful season right now. I hear you and you’re not alone. On more than one occasion, I’ve wondered if I have what it takes and I’m guessing you have too."},{"_id":"HNSV7TNATFCYRPO357WI4S3SBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725475799488},"type":"text","content":"The answer? You do. I do. And more importantly, we do, together."},{"_id":"MYKFIVGQBNAVTNURDNDVDNFHJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024677},"type":"text","content":"Start to build a life that you want, little by little. Do something that eases your stress level in a healthy way. Exercise, eat healthy, get good sleep, all the basics. Talk to a professional if needed."},{"_id":"DUUPKS775ZDNHMCF6ZCVK6DUTI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024678},"type":"text","content":"And then, when you’re dropping your kid off at school, look across at the next parent over and tell them your name and start a conversation. Because goodness knows, we need each other and it helps to start with knowing each other’s names."},{"_id":"4JANV6NXKVCZJE4ZS6ZQQRRGGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725380024679},"type":"text","content":"<i>Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. With a professional background in child and family therapy, she often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: A mom says a neighbor asked her to walk her grandchild home from school, adding, \"By the way,\" what's your name?\" That, she says, points to a lack of vital community."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1038,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"social issues"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"cb0dec975095d2f628cfa3fda1cb83da3443bee7ff45d4d44b1fdf3fbdff0c0e"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Lannis Waters","type":"author","byline":"Lannis Waters","slug":"lannis-waters"}]},"subtitle":"Cobb school bus driver wins top award for safety","width":2048,"caption":"It's important that parents take time for themselves and get to know other parents in their neighborhood to create a support network, according to a child and family therapist with four children of her own. 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(Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KTPUUNRFKB2SL64ZIGOH3IWXDY.jpg","height":1222,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/KTPUUNRFKB2SL64ZIGOH3IWXDY.jpg?auth=cb0dec975095d2f628cfa3fda1cb83da3443bee7ff45d4d44b1fdf3fbdff0c0e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"DUBB2H5B5FEK3BFQOJE4VYWWRA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725477677062},"type":"text","content":"Just yesterday, I wondered where the first mass school shooting of the 2024-2025 school year would be. Now we know. In Georgia’s own Barrow County, where the Apalachee High School community was devastated by a shooting Wednesday morning that left two teachers and two students dead and at least nine more people injured."},{"_id":"ISSR7IKDZVHXDKE4R3SDY66G2Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073695},"type":"text","content":"The shooting suspect is a 14-year-old student who is in custody, according to authorities. The student’s name is Colt Gray. There is much we don’t know about the young shooter."},{"_id":"7GSCZZJN2VETZNIMOLSSV6E264","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073697},"type":"text","content":"Here’s what we do know. The sympathetic murmurs from state’s leaders should be met with deafening demands from parents that we stop making it so easy for armed assailants to get guns and target schools."},{"_id":"LENVBY2DSJGLBBQMEPPBPQGNEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073698},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"The position of Georgia leaders has been that the solution to guns in schools is more guns in schools. Research makes clear that more armed guards in school buildings don’t lessen deaths and injuries."},{"_id":"ODMAW7D5EJATHNTIBTCQX2LYVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073699},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"It’s worth noting that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/burt-jones-backs-paying-teachers-to-carry-guns-as-he-preps-for-2024-and-beyond/LUJ7KYIXKBFNJECCCECLHGOGOI/\" target=\"_blank\">was at a Barrow County elementary school last year</a> when he endorsed offering public schoolteachers a $10,000 annual stipend to take voluntary firearms courses and carry firearms in their classrooms."},{"_id":"HS4J4YH5UZHQ3K7PDOWO3YPHAA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"IW7AODP6XND75GXFPKCXOSB24Y"},"alignment":"right","type":"raw_html","content":"<CustomInfoBox id=\"RM2KL3L2GNFTVOV3CF5AHLCPSQ\" />"},{"_id":"GGLKK7UHONCIBAGPNMBVGDKERU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073700},"alignment":"left","type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.theviolenceproject.org/key-findings/\">The Violence Project </a>examined 133 school shootings and attempted school shootings between 1980 and 2019. The presence of an armed guard did not reduce the severity of injuries, it found. In fact, the study concluded, “armed guards were not associated with significant reduction in rates of injuries.” A 2021 study found that deaths were <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\">2.83 times greater in schools</a> with an armed guard present."},{"_id":"PBCMEPT5YNEFBIE3RNPCHKD2DI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073701},"type":"text","content":"School shooters often don’t expect to escape or fear return fire from police; they regard their actions as a suicide mission where they sacrifice innocent lives to make a point. School shootings remain an experience Americans relive repeatedly because of the 393 million<b> </b>guns in civilian hands."},{"_id":"HD2VVPTJVBHNBFQSU3MJ32IBZE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478858912},"type":"text","content":"From 1966 to 2019, <a href=\"https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/public-mass-shootings-database-amasses-details-half-century-us-mass-shootings\">77% of mass shooters </a>obtained weapons legally. Yet no one in leadership wants to talk about a proven deterrent: preventing guns from entering schools in the first place. In fact, Gov. Brian Kemp and state lawmakers pride themselves on making it easier to buy and carry firearms almost everywhere now in Georgia. <a href=\"https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting\" target=\"_blank\">The Gun Violence Archive </a>has documented 385 mass shootings nationwide thus far in 2024."},{"_id":"X2NSMRCUYNELTDEOHOOAGNUEDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073704},"type":"text","content":"Politicians contend, as did Tennessee Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett after the 2023 shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School that killed three students and three adults, that gun violence is <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/tennessee-rep-burchett-says-school-shootings-re-not-gonna-fix-rcna77185\" target=\"_blank\">a tragic reality</a> we must accept."},{"_id":"QHLULGZ4SREWXEEDTWUCK43OXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478858914},"type":"text","content":"“It’s a horrible, horrible situation,<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/31/republican-responses-nashville-school-shooting/\" target=\"_blank\">” he said. “</a>We’re not going to fix it. Criminals are going to be criminals.”"},{"_id":"YI4E2DJLINA6NI3QR5ZQOJ2PVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073705},"type":"text","content":"But why we do allow criminals to easily buy and own AR-15s, deadly weapons created for warfare that are now murdering our children? We contend our guns make us safe."},{"_id":"WOG2IY76DJFPPAX3EIZVE3NAOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478858916},"type":"text","content":"But we are not safe. And neither are our children. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among children and teens ages 1-19, according to the <a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</a>"},{"_id":"JEF76PJM6VEN7OGYIBERG4WV6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725493095959},"type":"text","content":"“So far this year more than 300 children have been treated in a Georgia emergency department for a firearm injury — that is at least one child a day. We cannot continue to accept this as normal. Children should be able to feel safe in their classrooms and parents have a right to expect them to return home safely,” said Dr. Nicola Chin, president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Dr. Sofia Chaudhary, chair of the group’s Committee on Injury, Violence and Poisoning Prevention, in a statement."},{"_id":"OGLZ46UAXRGJTLNAN2776D6HF4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073706},"type":"text","content":"Expect posturing from the governor about the importance of fortifying schools with more guns."},{"_id":"QFUAQKKIFZEMHE76XNJ5HWHDLU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1725478073707},"type":"text","content":"And, sadly, expect more school shootings."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Opinion: Expect more posturing from politicians about fortifying schools with guns. And expect more school shootings."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/news"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1038,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"higher education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"kids-parenting.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"ga-school-shooting"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"7294ec8fc45da6b12b0b6930c6e45c1512622abe16884d1ef18f7712fcd26b9e"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/dd680975-8e23-4fd8-b69a-7101ef326460.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"john.spink@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JohnSpinkAJC/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/johnjspink"},{"site":"youtube","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvtlUebyaE0Mw1UnEu8q-w"},{"site":"instagram","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"jspink1"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"john.spink@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JohnSpinkAJC/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/johnjspink"},{"site":"youtube","url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvtlUebyaE0Mw1UnEu8q-w"},{"site":"instagram","url":"jspink1"}],"name":"John Spink ","description":"John Spink is a multi-platform photojournalist with the breaking news team. 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In Georgia, the top question was” “Why do kids wet the bed?”"},{"_id":"DIWVGMJGZZDQFDDB22GRXW7NK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224161},"type":"text","content":"My challenge was not kids wetting the bed but refusing to go to bed or stay in bed, putting me in alliance with parents in Arkansas, where the top question on Google was: “How to get toddler to stay in bed?”"},{"_id":"RZU4KRLPMRADPM44ZCDP6A66QU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SRHIQTHXB5DRVAZAP2JAYDUK3I"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"America’s top doctor shares 4 tips for overwhelmed parents","url":"https://www.ajc.com/pulse/americas-top-doctor-shares-4-tips-for-overwhelmed-parents/W57TKUE6X5G6TBC6ZVBFXU2JGQ/"},{"_id":"5UG4YIORBRHM3JJ6HDIWMXUP6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224162},"type":"text","content":"I am not sure what to make of the bedtime-related question most frequently asked of Google in Montana: “How to put a kid to sleep in 40 seconds.”"},{"_id":"ME2GCKICIVDM7ICBRJZDGYYQKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224163},"type":"text","content":"It’s interesting to see the variety of perplexing questions that drive people to search the internet. In the state of Washington, the top question is, “Why do kids eat boogers?” Parents in neighboring California want to know, “Why are kids so loud?”"},{"_id":"FQWE2R3HIRAGBAXNSU2NOGN534","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224164},"type":"text","content":"Florida poses a tough question, one that engenders a lot of debate in the parenting forums: “How to help a child lose weight without making them feel bad?” Michigan also has a question that carries a heavy emotional weight: “Why is my kid so mean?”"},{"_id":"BGQU273WNFGBBJKTRZCYM5D6QU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224165},"type":"text","content":"Here are<a href=\"https://www.vocovision.com/blog/the-most-googled-parenting-questions-in-america/\" target=\"_blank\"> some of the other most popular parenting questions </a>that each state searches that emerged in the Google search data analysis by VocoVision, a virtual learning and teletherapy platform."},{"_id":"JCL4VFC2NBHUBBRXL6MB7ZTYLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224166},"type":"text","content":"<b>Colorado: </b>How to talk so little kids will listen"},{"_id":"2IMZJ7SEDZBFRJWFDBCB4DFJFQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224169},"type":"text","content":"<b>Hawaii: </b>When do boys stop growing?"},{"_id":"PW62HKIUM5C4ZOXO3YRU66DCAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224170},"type":"text","content":"<b>Illinois: </b>How to teach a kid to ride a bike"},{"_id":"FSDX7KR5SJFEPNXWIPZSTDUD6M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224171},"type":"text","content":"<b>Indiana:</b> How many teeth do kids have?"},{"_id":"IYJITZNMRBCHTJXCF7XDS4CKHE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224172},"type":"text","content":"<b>Iowa: </b>How to get toddler to stop hitting"},{"_id":"FMZMSXPV55BILBIOHXTMTOFZJE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"IGSUO24GY5HFLISZF4TAGD3TGI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Parenting - it’s a lot! Parents speak and a therapist has tips to manage","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/atlanta-parents-and-a-therapist-talk-about-the-stress-of-parenting-now/YF5VMMAIXRCGRCNJ3VDT6TK2GM/"},{"_id":"QB5GU2R4XZCM5LCOCGZ26ZENE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224173},"type":"text","content":"<b>Louisiana:</b> Why won’t my kid be quiet?"},{"_id":"G4STOAVYDJA7ZLHAPJWTLFULYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224175},"type":"text","content":"<b>Maine: </b>Why do toddlers bite?"},{"_id":"FATIRZ4QFRGOPGI7ACY5LQE3RI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224176},"type":"text","content":"<b>Mississippi: </b>Am I a good parent?"},{"_id":"MPGAYSMYLND7JHWL6HDBGD2B4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224177},"type":"text","content":"<b>Missouri: </b>Does my kid have ADHD?"},{"_id":"TLMUC3AVKNGGFPIQHMDNRIC4WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224178},"type":"text","content":"<b>New Mexico: </b>Why do kids have so much energy?"},{"_id":"YCQBVHFIEBHYVG5NYRTEF54JJE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224180},"type":"text","content":"<b>Ohio: </b>When to worry about rash on a child"},{"_id":"47HBX3Y66BGVJD44ELIJP5V5AI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224181},"type":"text","content":"<b>South Carolina:</b> What age should a kid get a phone?"},{"_id":"ACHDGU36EZACJKNNC4AYPBYQ44","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224184},"type":"text","content":"<b>West Virginia: </b>Why is my kid cursing?"},{"_id":"OCIESFAIQZAVHFMPQFVO2DWV5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1723494224186},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Parents once turned to grandmom for child-rearing advice. 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(Dreamstime/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VWREVEVMICWMPJEMVDGEZJWCMU.jpg","height":2252,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/VWREVEVMICWMPJEMVDGEZJWCMU.jpg?auth=679fcb61a7216c3f80816b3f65c7d325796eb9013a167be462c013d42a932f7b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/if-grandmom-cant-answer-your-parenting-question-maybe-google-can/VZEFBPDNGNFSHFFFQMS3MAJT4A/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2024-09-04T09:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"maureen.downey@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/"}],"name":"Maureen Downey","description":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","_id":"maureen-downey","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Downey","role":"Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Delaware, undergraduate degree in journalism"},{"name":"Columbia Universty, graduate degree in journalism"}],"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.","expertise":"7,10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ajcgetschooled/","beat":"education","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:37:17.254Z","bio_page":"/staff/maureen-downey/","byline":"Maureen Downey","email":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/ffe711cc-7077-431d-8279-bb0b60094167.png","longBio":"Maureen Downey is a longtime reporter for the AJC where she has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy for more than 20 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them. Her own education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has worked for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida and has covered many school boards. She has won many editorial writing awards, including a National Headliner award. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her AJC editorials on the Genarlow Wilson case. In June, the Education Writers Association named her Opinion Writer of the Year.","org":"ajc","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/ajcgetschooled/","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Maureen","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5445","location":"Atlanta","_id":"maureen-downey","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/maureen-downey/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"If Grandma can’t answer your parenting question, maybe Google can"},"first_publish_date":"2024-09-04T09:00:00.662Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-04T20:42:53.555Z","_id":"VZEFBPDNGNFSHFFFQMS3MAJT4A","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"679fcb61a7216c3f80816b3f65c7d325796eb9013a167be462c013d42a932f7b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"TNS","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Dreamstime","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Living with Children: Tantrum tips","width":3000,"caption":"Parents across the nation bring their parenting questions on sleeping, tantrums and bedwetting to the internet. (Dreamstime/TNS)","taxonomy":{"tags":[{"slug":"McClatchy-Tribune"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"McClatchy Tribune","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VWREVEVMICWMPJEMVDGEZJWCMU.jpg","height":2252,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/VWREVEVMICWMPJEMVDGEZJWCMU.jpg?auth=679fcb61a7216c3f80816b3f65c7d325796eb9013a167be462c013d42a932f7b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JKY2FFQWTBGE7O5YRVF3RPUUGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081708},"type":"text","content":"Neither candidate in the presidential race has devoted a lot of time yet to education."},{"_id":"H7UH2DKMKFHWLN3OB6YWAO3A7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081709},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1iBh75QZfc\">In his 90-minute convention address </a>to Republicans in July, former President Donald Trump only mentioned schools once, pledging to restore patriotism to them. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61HY9atD2H4\">In her 37-minute speech </a>to the Democratic convention a month later, Vice President Kamala Harris promised to combat gun violence in schools and preserve the U.S. Department of Education and the Head Start early childhood program. Trump has talked about <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\">abolishing the department</a>."},{"_id":"XGHNB3SXVFBKDCZHDEKAA7GEPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081710},"type":"text","content":"While you can scour the websites of both candidates for their views on schools, it would be more telling to look at their own lives. Because while education policy debates usually touch on the research, elected leaders often fall back on their personal experiences and those of neighbors, their families and their religious faith."},{"_id":"JUQPDTFYLJH5NHXCCPR4UDSG74","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081711},"type":"text","content":"For example, in backing a ban on divisive concepts, white lawmakers in Georgia in 2022 <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-georgia-bill-would-chill-classroom-discussions-of-race-racism/OFBOUZLWDRHHRJE2EYFNNEHMQY/\">shared personal anecdotes </a>of their own kids or others being made to feel bad by classroom lessons on race. The resulting law led to the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/cobb-school-board-votes-to-fire-teacher-who-read-controversial-book/FWNOHTRVJRDRNCTQ6VZE543MD4/\">firing of a Cobb elementary school teacher </a>last year for reading a book that challenged gender stereotypes. Last month, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-politics-fueled-the-ap-african-american-studies-fiasco/TIOOW6ZJMRH6NINNIXPLHLW4OE/\">a misinterpretation of the law </a>by state school Superintendent Richard Woods almost prevented Georgia high schools from offering an Advanced Placement class in African American Studies."},{"_id":"4MA3LUVEOFHHVEHHZLDH3WG2V4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081713},"type":"text","content":"Their biographies suggests the 78-year-old Trump and 59-year-old Harris were shaped by very different education experiences."},{"_id":"3ATZWLEATBADRGRJFYO2UI5ZRY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"EQD6T53ZRBFXFNYTR6U54DCWKU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Harris and Trump have starkly different ideas about education policy","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/harris-and-trump-have-starkly-different-ideas-about-education-policies/JYKY7N4DH5AJNGDHLKL5MRTZFY/"},{"_id":"VGMHCR2XK5FDXPKMSNSHKUFNLM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081715},"type":"text","content":"Trump attended private schools that served wealthy white New York families. He enrolled at Fordham University, a Catholic campus in the Bronx, for two years starting in 1966, but transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a business degree."},{"_id":"DHVN3HYC2ZBVFP2TWQTC76YYBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081716},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-ten-principles-for-great-schools-leading-to-great-jobs\">In his Agenda 47 platform</a>, Trump endorses the use of tax dollars for private school tuition through universal school choice. He derides public education as “woke” indoctrination.<a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-ten-principles-for-great-schools-leading-to-great-jobs\"> </a><a href=\"https://www.c-span.org/video/?529023-102/donald-trump-speaks-moms-liberty-convention\">In front of a like-minded audience </a>at the 2023 Moms for Liberty convention in Philadelphia, Trump said, “Instead of teaching them to say their prayers, they teach them to recite their pronouns. For all the public schools that are engaged in this militant and country-destroying practice, I will instruct the Department of Justice to pursue them.”"},{"_id":"TL7EZT5NNFAMZKAZLSCKVWYCUI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081717},"type":"text","content":"His platform recommends more parent input and an end to<b> </b>teacher tenure to allow quicker terminations of<a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-ten-principles-for-great-schools-leading-to-great-jobs\"> “the poor ones,”</a> punctuating the sentiment by adding the line, “Like on ‘The Apprentice,’ you’re fired.”"},{"_id":"BZDQI4M75ZDTBOQM76EDKEDT2Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081718},"type":"text","content":"Trump wants to reinstate his <a href=\"https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-establishing-presidents-advisory-1776-commission/\" target=\"_blank\">1776 Commission</a> to ensure history classes focus on “the blessings of liberty” and also “<a href=\"https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-president-trumps-ten-principles-for-great-schools-leading-to-great-jobs\" target=\"_blank\">create a credentialing body</a> to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values and support the American Way of Life.”"},{"_id":"RFPL3YL5CVG2VL67XFSMLAV2EM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081719},"type":"text","content":"Trump’s platform encourages arming willing teachers, project-based learning and the election of school principals."},{"_id":"IFZSAQ7CSRASLCRXVZW6ZS5ABM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081720},"type":"text","content":"As a child, Harris was among the first group of students of color in Berkeley, California, to travel to a public elementary school in a white neighborhood as part of a <a href=\"https://www.berkeleyschools.net/2018/12/50th-anniversary-of-berkeleys-pioneering-busing-plan-for-school-integration/#:~:text=On%20Sept.,percent%20Asian%20and%20other%20groups.%E2%80%9D\">community-initiated and voluntary desegregation </a>plan. Harris chose a historically Black college and university, graduating from Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1986. She then earned a law degree at the <a href=\"https://www.uclawsf.edu/\">University of California</a> College of the Law, San Francisco."},{"_id":"T3X4V2PWN5H6DBZE6M5OD2PDWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081721},"type":"text","content":"The daughter of economist and emeritus professor at Stanford University Donald Harris and the late biomedical scientist Shyamala Gopalan<i> </i>Harris, the vice president often praises educators and their professionalism."},{"_id":"KYQAILFWAVCKHMZR3LRILNMFIQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081722},"type":"text","content":"“While you teach students about our nation’s past, these extremists attack the freedom to learn and acknowledge our nation’s true and full history, including book bans,” Harris <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/07/25/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-at-the-american-federation-of-teachers-88th-national/\">said at a national convention </a>of the American Federation of Teachers in July. “Book bans in this year of our Lord 2024. Just think about it. So we want to ban assault weapons and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?”"},{"_id":"JI4WCBGQNBDXDPS4TI5NHT337M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081723},"type":"text","content":"She assured the AFT convention that she valued teachers and what they did every day, “The most noble work of teaching other people’s children, and God knows we don’t pay you enough as it is.”"},{"_id":"JI4WCBGQNBDXDPS4TI5NHT337M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081723},"type":"text","content":"Harris took on Gov. Ron DeSantis over Florida’s new curriculum on African American history that said enslaved people “developed skills that could, in some instances, be applied for their personal benefit.” When DeSantis offered to debate the matter, Harris said, “There is no roundtable, lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: There were no redeemable qualities to slavery,”"},{"_id":"SZ4O7FI33RGQ7JYRY2KRPM3GJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081724},"type":"text","content":"Her focus is not dismantling the nation’s public education system but bolstering it. The 2024 Democratic Party platform reiterates opposition to diverting public dollars to private schools, whether couched as vouchers, tax credits or opportunity scholarships. The master platform calls for charter school accountability, debt relief for college loan holders and universal pre-K."},{"_id":"XALUTEL5ENCSPAISXVVFKYT55E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081725},"type":"text","content":"Harris underscored her public education commitment with her choice of a running mate, Minnesota Gov. and former teacher Tim Walz."},{"_id":"KKQLE7XGSFBTXOKC3KMDLLMX7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081726},"type":"text","content":"Nearly 53 million children attend public schools in the United States, according to <a href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_203.10.asp\">federal data.</a> Trump presumes many parents want to exert more control over public schools or escape them altogether. Harris contends most parents believe in their local public schools and desire more resources and respect accorded to them."},{"_id":"Y2VER4ZGJNHQDMVDJKQDURGEYY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1724961081727},"type":"text","content":"We’ll find out on Nov. 5 which candidate had it right."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Kamala Harris and Donald Trump followed much different personal paths in their own educations. Their divergent backgrounds shaped their views on public education."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get 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