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RedefinED Atlanta Invests $100K in Community Engagement

Clayton Communities in Action Grant
Group of 5 adults gathered around a giant check made out to Melanated Pearl for $25,000

The RedefinED Atlanta Clayton Communities in Action Grant aims to improve student academic outcomes by strengthening family engagement in math, literacy, and community advocacy. Recipients of this grant each receive $25,000 to support programming that empowers families with the tools and knowledge they need to support their students’ growth or to build families’ understanding of public education and governance structures.

RedefinED Atlanta is proud to announce the four newest organizations that will receive the Clayton Communities in Action Grant:

  1. Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice – Fairness, Advocacy, and Individualized Representation (FAIR) Program
    This program aims to equip families with tools, knowledge, and support to advocate for their children’s educational rights and disrupt harmful practices. It will strengthen family-centered advocacy, increase access to legal supports, and build a long-term, sustainable referral network for families across Clayton County.
  2. Melanated PEARL Inc – Project PRESENT: Building Resilient Families
    This program targets historically disadvantaged students in preK-12, especially students facing challenges related to homelessness or chronic absenteeism. It will improve parent engagement and empower them to build strong and healthy families.
  3. Jonesboro High School – Thrive in Advocacy
    This program aims to equip families with the confidence, tools, and language to actively advocate for their child’s success, especially students with disabilities, students with an English for Speakers of Other Languages designation, and students experiencing homelessness. It will deepen their understanding of school policy and build stronger relationships with staff and peers.
  4. Clayton County Public Schools – Birth to Five Project
    This program aims to enhance early learning readiness for families, educators, and caregivers so children enter kindergarten with a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development.

These four organizations will receive funds to implement proposed initiatives from July 2025 through June 2026.

Strong partnerships between schools, families, and the community are essential to driving student outcomes and providing equitable education. We are excited to support these initiatives that will help advance our mission of every child in every community receiving a great K-12 public education.

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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.