Subscribe
Donate

Act Now to Ensure Tapestry Public Charter School Gets Approved

Tell the APS Board that Neurodivergent and Special Education Students Deserve a School Like Tapestry
Tapestry Public Charter School virtual meeting

A Message From RedefinED Atlanta:

Monday’s Board vote is disappointing to the nearly 650 Atlanta families who want to enroll their children at Tapestry Public Charter School and all of us who support them. APS students with special needs have lower graduation rates and higher dropout rates than the state averages. Yet, the Board of Education, via their 7-2 vote, has once again denied a school that specializes in serving such students. We believe every student in every community of Atlanta deserves equitable access to educational opportunities that help them thrive. Yesterday’s vote underscores the district’s unwillingness to support neurodiverse students. We will continue to support Tapestry’s commitment to replicate and serve more families with special needs and learning differences.

About Tapestry

Vision & Mission:

RedefinED Atlanta statement on Tapestry Charter School

Tapestry provides a rigorous and enriching education for a neurodiverse student body in grades 6-12, thereby creating an inclusive, innovative, and replicable academic model.

The mission of Tapestry Public Charter School is to offer an inclusive, individualized learning environment that is academically engaging, both for neurotypical students and those on the autism spectrum, and to create a positive school culture that empowers all students to take possession of their innate talents and become creative builders of their own futures.

Learn more about Tapestry’s academic model here.

Act Now

The Atlanta Board of Education must vote YES for Tapestry. Let the Board know that neurodivergent and special education students deserve a school like Tapestry. Make sure you submit your email before their next meeting on June 3, 2024. These students need your support!

Letter to the Board

In September 2023, the Board’s decision to deny Tapestry Public Charter School’s petition was deeply concerning. With 650 families eager to enroll their students, including many students with disabilities, this action ignored the desperate need for inclusive learning environments.

While the Board framed it as a delay, it remains a denial of a vital educational opportunity for hundreds of families. Tapestry’s proven model fosters academic excellence in a welcoming space for both neurotypical and neurodivergent students.

You can correct the Board’s mistake by recommending Tapestry for approval to the interim superintendent in the upcoming June 3rd meeting.

Letter to the Superintendent

Media Coverage

Last updated June 4, 2024

Related News & Updates

Part I: What This Year’s GA Milestones Math Results Reveal Across Metro Atlanta

Read More

RedefinED Atlanta Announces First Cohort of Newly Launched Atlanta Changemakers for Education Fellowship

Read More

Driving Change and Improving Systems

Read More
Scroll to Top

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.