You’ve got mail: The Atlanta Educator!

There should be a nice little surprise in mailboxes throughout the Atlanta Public Schools community this week: the graduation issue of The Atlanta Educator. In this summer edition, we not only profile this year’s valedictorians but also hear from two valedictorians from the Class of 2009 as they share their thoughts on their first year of college. We also provide a look at some of our most comprehensive initiates, including the Effective Teacher in Every Classroom project as well as the Middle School Transformation initiative.

You’ll see how schools such as Centennial Place Elementary and Burgess-Peterson Academy are taking innovative approaches to educating our students. We profile new Atlanta Board of Education member Nancy Meister and Project GRAD-Atlanta Program Administrator Eric Rosser. We also hear from APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall as she salutes our students’ progress on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.

So while we would never “mail in” an issue, we can say that we’re mailing out this issue. And thanks so much to our partner, the GE Foundation,  for their help on this. We think you’ll like what you see. Enjoy.

APS students sign on the dotted line during Project GRAD Atlanta’s College Signing Day

College-bound APS seniors got their moment in the sun Thursday during the fourth-annual Project GRAD-Atlanta College Signing Day. During the ceremony, parents and college representatives watch as each student signs on the dotted line at the school they will attend in the fall.

Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) provides activities and support so that economically disadvantaged students chart a path to college by. The program also offers up to $4,000 in scholarships to Brumley-GRAD scholars along with support at the college level. Now in its 10th year, Project GRAD currently serves students at Booker T. Washington High School, The New Schools at Carver and South Atlanta Educational Complex, along with six middle schools and 16 elementary schools.

Project GRAD Atlanta hosts National College Access Network’s Southeast Regional Meeting on college access

Project GRAD Atlanta will host the National College Access Network’s (NCAN) Southeast Regional Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on the campus of Atlanta Metropolitan College (AMC) on Wednesday (March 24). Project GRAD Atlanta is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure a quality public school education for Atlanta children from economically-disadvantaged communities so that they successfully graduate from high school, and go on to attend and graduate from college.

NCAN Regional Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to network with state and regional colleagues, in an effort to share innovative ways to render college readiness programming as well as serve as college access advocates. NCAN’s mission is to build, strengthen, and empower communities committed to college access and success, so that all students, especially those underrepresented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams.

NCAN’s current roster of members includes more than 230 organizations, which serve thousands of low-income students and their families in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Ontario, and Quebec.