50 rural counties sue the state of Georgia for lack of funding

From the Athens paper. This could cause lots of problems for Purdue.
School funding suit will proceed
ATLANTA – A lawsuit charging the state with spending too little on education likely will go to trial after a judge rejected the state’s request to dismiss the case.
In a ruling released Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Long [...]

3 of 10 Lowndes School did not make AYP

From the VDT. Seems like we are blaming this on a certain group.
Three out of 10 Lowndes schools miss the AYP mark
By Johnna Pinholster
August 06, 2008 09:41 pm
VALDOSTA – Three out of 10 schools within the Lowndes County School system failed to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
Clyattville Elementary, Pinegrove Elementary and Lowndes High [...]

Only 4 (out of 9) schools in Valdosta system pass AYP

ok, help me with this. You are going to come up with a plan to address the issue….but some of these schools have failed for 4 years in a row!!!
What the heck was the old plan and why do they always have a plan that will soon be implemented?
We don’t need another education PLAN …….we [...]

Kathy Cox – Education leader or party hack?

from the macon paper.
Education disconnect
There is a clear disconnect in Georgia between what our elected representatives say about education and what they do. As taxpayers, Georgians get confused, too, between rhetoric and reality. The tired, old rhetoric talks about our love for education. While it should be, it clearly isn’t.
According to the Georgia Budget and [...]

Vouchers in Georgia or how to get our white kids away from those poor black kids.

from the ajc.
The voucher diversion
Check out other states: Program is no magic passport to academic betterment

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/08

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson advocates a destroy-the-town-to-save-it approach to public education in Georgia.
In his push for universal vouchers, the Savannah Republican maintains that diverting students from public classrooms into private ones — and diverting [...]

Athens struggles with NCLB

From the Athens paper and the effects of No Child Left Behind on their schools:
No Child Left Behind is untenable framework
Editorial
|     |   [...]

Math curriculum changes concerns parents

From the ajc
Parents concerned with latest math curriculum
By LAURA DIAMOND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/08

Georgia parents were outraged after thousands of students failed statewide math exams in May.
Now with the start of a new school year, parents fear for their children as the state expands the new math curriculum to high schools.
Fayette County parent Wendy Ashabranner [...]

Effective School Boards

From the Jacksonville Paper

Effective school boards don’t just happen, experts say
By Walter C. Jones,
The Times-Union

ATLANTA – The fact that a fifth of all local school boards have run into serious enough problems that their accreditation was endangered in the last 10 years demonstrates how dysfunctional governing boards can be.
And the problems could apply to [...]

Dismal scores on CRCT for Georgia

Local parents here are hearing bad numbers and that a lot of students are going to be in summer school this year.
Statewide 40% of eight graders are being held back because of math? Only 20- 30% of students passed social studies?
Our schools are not failing, they have failed.
Students miss mark on key test
Failure rates for [...]

Lowndes parents “camp out” for free Pre K slots. This is unfair and may be illegal

The practice of camping out either overnight or for days is unfair to parents who 1) cannot take off work 2) are single parents 3) do not have the resources to participate in the county club “camp out”.
This is from the VDT from April 18, 2008
VALDOSTA — The Lowndes High School campus was a camping [...]