In August, the Georgia Department of Education released 2021 Milestones test scores based on assessments administered amid the pandemic in spring 2021. As predicted in the report we commissioned with Learn4Life, the results showed Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students’ progress continued to decline, especially during the pandemic, particularly among students of color and students from…
Students’ first year of high school is critically important. How often 9th-grade students attend school and how well they do in school has an outsize impact on whether they will eventually graduate. So it did not bode well when Malik Gore started skipping class as a freshman at a high school in South Atlanta. “I…
RedefinEd Atlanta has been working to improve Atlanta’s public school education since 2016, and when the coronavirus pandemic hit last year, the folks at RedefinEd Atlanta knew that they could help students that were affected. “In response to COVID-19, RedefinEd Atlanta doubled down its efforts to provide resources to parents and communities with students attending…
Ever since Ethos Classical Charter School opened in South Atlanta in 2019, small-group instruction with two teachers per classroom has been a hallmark of its learning model. So when the pandemic hit, the literacy and arts-focused elementary school readied itself to create even smaller learning groups to meet safety requirements for students and staff. “But…
In webinars and Zoom panels about the pandemic’s toll on learning, education experts talk about the need for summer remediation to shore up academic skills compromised by school closings and remote classes. Yet, many parents are having a different conversation, saying both they and their children are exhausted after a school year like no other….
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the mind, body and spirit of people all around the world,” said Dr. Kali Arnold, co-founder and director of content development for The Namaste Project, an Atlanta organization that partners with schools and youth organizations to bring meditation, mindfulness and yoga to students and staff. When the…
The leader of a nonprofit, which is working to ensure that every student in Atlanta receives a high-quality education, says hybrid education is challenging. He’s hopeful that students will return to classrooms for in-person instruction in the fall. “The silver lining here is that the vaccine is being distributed and folks are eligible who work…
Before the new year finally arrives, I’d like to take a moment to share some reflections on 2020. Across Atlanta and beyond, it has been a traumatic year. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on people’s health, livelihoods, and education, with Black and brown communities feeling the greatest impact. Amidst that landscape, like many of you, redefinED…
Teachers and students will have extra homework after the pandemic ends, as new findings show growth in math scores has fallen since last school year. Most Georgia students haven’t taken a state-standardized test since 2019, and most will not take another until the spring, if then. Without those scores on the Milestones tests, it’s unclear…
This has been a roller coaster of a school year. Families that desired an in-person option for their students in pre-K through fifth grade anticipated today as the date of reentry. With in-person learning now postponed until January 2021, the city’s education community centers our focus on the overarching priority: ensuring we’re meeting students’ academic…