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Report: Thousands of Metro Atlanta Students Have Likely Fallen Behind Due to Pandemic

A New Analysis Commissioned by Learn4Life and RedefinED Atlanta Shows How Pandemic Shutdowns Affected Student Learning

EmpowerK12, RedefinED Atlanta, and Learn4Life worked together to study the impact of school closures due to COVID-19 on student proficiency across Metro Atlanta.

Based on local and national data, if students had taken Milestone assessments in spring 2020, the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency would be expected to drop 3.6 points in English language arts and 4.9 points in math as compared to last year. Based on regional student enrollment of 594,000 in 2018-19, today, about 21,000 fewer students in ELA and 29,000 fewer in math are now on track for grade-level proficiency than prior to COVID-19. Two specific proficiency measures tracked by Learn4Life, 3rd-grade reading and 8th-grade math, show an expected decline of 3.5% and 4.8% respectively.

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What are people saying?

Thousands of Metro Atlanta students have fallen behind in math and English after the coronavirus forced schools to move to remote learning, a new study found.

The report estimates that out of roughly 600,000 students in eight metro districts, about 21,000 fewer students are now on track for their grade level in English and 29,000 fewer students are on track in math.

Read the full article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

Metro Atlanta public school students lost about nine weeks of in-person instruction when schools switched to virtual learning in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. That likely caused thousands of Atlanta public school students to fall behind, according to a new analysis commissioned by non-profits Learn4Life and RedefinED Atlanta.

Read the full article from WABE here.

If you wondered how Georgia’s leaders would respond to the pandemic’s disruption to education this spring, the answer is in: They’re conceding next year, too.

Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s schools superintendent, Richard Woods, on Thursday said they were asking for a federal waiver of standardized-testing requirements next year – exams still some 10 months away. In the name of “common sense,” they would eliminate the state’s most meaningful measure of student progress.

Let’s hope the feds turn them down.

Read the full opinion piece on Savannah Now here.

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Dr. Keith Colbert

Dr. Keith A. Colbert has served in the Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) system since 1998, starting his career as a fourth-grade teacher at Northcutt Elementary School. After a two-year tenure at Northcutt Elementary, he transferred to Morrow High School, where he served as a math teacher, special education teacher, and assistant head basketball coach. To gain insightful leadership experience, Dr. Colbert shadowed the administrative team, gained useful school leadership experience, and obtained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Troy State University.

Dr. Colbert was selected as assistant principal of Mundy’s Mill High School (MMHS) in 2003 under the leadership of Dr. Anthony W. Smith. During his tenure at MMHS, he was instrumental in preparing the first class to graduate from the newly constructed school.

Dr. Colbert was recognized as a future principal leader in the district and was selected as one of twelve future leaders to participate in the principal preparation program, “A Forward-LEAP.” After completing this program, Dr. Colbert was appointed principal of Lovejoy Middle School in 2006, where he led more than 1,400 students. At the time, Lovejoy Middle School was the largest middle school in the district and considered underperforming. Dr. Colbert and his team led the school to substantial improvements in student achievement and were consequently selected as the 2008 Georgia PTSA Principal of the Year.

Driven to nurture a class of students from 6th grade to graduation, Dr. Colbert was appointed principal of Lovejoy High School in July 2009, where he served for seven years. He is one of the few principals in traditional high schools who is fortunate to have guided sixth graders to graduation with the Class of 2013. During his tenure at Lovejoy High School, the school was recognized as a Title I Rewards school in 2012 and 2013, SAT’s greatest gains school in 2012, and a USA News top high school in 2011. Dr. Colbert’s achievements led to a finalist for Principal of the Year for Clayton County Public Schools in 2011 and 2013.

In June of 2016, Dr. Keith A. Colbert was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Clayton County Public Schools.

Cayanna Good, Ph.D.

Dr. Cayanna Good serves as Deputy Commissioner for Innovation and Impact at the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), where she leads systemwide strategic planning and drives organizational improvement across all institutional pillars.
Previously, she served as Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Adult Education, overseeing statewide literacy initiatives, workforce alignment, and Georgia’s high school equivalency credentialing program.

Before joining TCSG, Dr. Good held leadership roles at the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the Georgia Department of Education, Teach For America, and TNTP. Her career began in the classroom in Houston — an experience that continues to ground her unwavering commitment to equity, access, and opportunity for all learners.

Dr. Good earned her bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, her master’s from Georgia State University, and her doctorate from Mercer University. She serves as Chairperson of the State Charter School Commission, she is a member of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a member of the Brookwood High School Local School Council.