4 Reports

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Georgia ACT College Readiness Report

This report focuses on:

Performance - student test performance in the context of college readiness
Access - number of your graduates exposed to college entrance testing and the percent of race/ethnicity participation
Course Selection - percent of students pursuing a core curriculum
Course Rigor - impact of rigorous coursework on achievement
College Readiness - percent of students meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores in each content area
Awareness - extent to which student aspirations match performance
Articulation - colleges and universities to which your students send test results


The Opportunity Gap - is Georgia Providing Equal Access to Education?

ProPublica analyzed federal education data from the 2009-2010 school year to examine whether Georgia provided high-poverty schools equal access to advanced courses and special programs that researchers say will help them later in life.

The relative rigor of Georgia state proficiency standards in mathematics
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/profile_standards/profiles_2009_GA.pdf


This report contains the findings of a study that compared the relative rigor of Georgia proficiency standards in mathematics and reading using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scale as a common yardstick.

Georgia ranked 42nd in critical indicators of child well-being for the third straight year


Trends from 2000 show that even though Georgia improved on five of 10 measures that affect child well-being, this state continues to trail behind the national average on all measures, and is among the bottom 10 states in low-birthweight babies (46th), teens not in school and not working (45th), infant mortality rate (42nd), and children living in single-parent families (41st).

Nearly 570,000 children in Georgia live below the federal poverty line of $21,756 for a family of four. That’s a 22-percent increase in the state poverty rate between 2000 and 2009.

In an ongoing effort to track the impact of the recession, the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book features two new indicators—children affected by foreclosure and children with at least one unemployed parent. In Georgia, home foreclosures disrupted the lives of 205,000 children since 2007—the 5th highest rate in the nation. Children living in metro Atlanta counties were hit the hardest. In 2010, an estimated 300,000 children in this state lived in families with at least one unemployed parent.

Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) Executive Director Gaye Smith agrees, but is quick to point out that the blame does not entirely lie with the recession, because economic and social conditions for children in Georgia were desperate before the economic downturn began.

GaFCP has teamed up with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its state and local partners in education and human services in a 10-year commitment to improve grade-level reading. The goal is to ensure that children are reading on grade level by third grade. Good readers are more likely to graduate from high school on time, enter the workforce equipped with the necessary skills to succeed, and go on to productive careers.

Motivation is Key In Newnan, Georgia

After previous instability, Principal Laurie Barron stepped in and, as this report details, placed a priority on finding a common mission, collaborative leadership, and a continued focus on academic improvement. Committed to making the school a place where students could flourish both in and out of the classroom, the school also partners with local businesses to recognize and reward students and celebrate their academic and nonacademic talents. For the last five years, Smokey Road Middle School has met its AYP goals to qualify as a Title I Distinguished School.