I saw this post today, the day that was marked to close this chapter of my career. As I look ahead, I’m excited to learn that this past year, 14 of our 35 +/- elementary schools had 90% or more of their 3rd graders reading at or above grade level and/or made substantial gains in literacy! This is a HUGE accomplishment & I want to send a huge shout-out & congratulations to the leaders, teachers, & scholars! I'm bringing closure to this moment of my professional journey, super proud of the many accomplishments that I was blessed to witness our district, staff, & scholars make during my tenure with APS. This includes: 1. 3-year record-breaking graduation rates. Achieving the highest overall & subgroup graduation rates in the district’s history & topping the state graduation rate for the 1st time in history! 2. 4% increase in students at or above proficient on the ELA Georgia Milestones Assessment in grades 3-5; a 5% increase in 3-5 Math; 2% increase ingrades 6-8 ELA & 3% in 6-8 Math. 3. 8% increase in the number of African American students taking AP courses. 4. Establishment of a Child Savings Account Program for all Title I kindergarteners entering APS schools each year, making Atlanta 1 of 4 cities in the nation with a program of this nature. 5. Creation of the district’s inaugural Strategic Equity Framework & Academic Return-on-Investment Framework forming the bedrock of equitable decision-making and resource allocation within the district. 6. Creation of a groundbreaking suite of Equity Indexes which supports district leaders in tracking and monitoring equity-focused metrics & inputs impacting student experiences and outcomes. 7. Creation of a formal process for assessing the equity impacts of high-leverage decisions & the creation of decision-making tools that support district staff with applying an equity lens to their decision-making & deliberation processes. 8. Launching of our "Leading Equitable Schools" & "Equity-In-Action Micro-Credentialing" Programs. Two leadership development programs for principals, principal supervisors, and teacher leaders aimed at centering equity in our schools and classrooms. 9. Creation of a cross-sector neighborhood data dashboard that measures collective efforts across various city agencies to revitalize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life within Atlanta communities. 10. Establishment of the Atlanta Public Schools’ Center for Equity & Social Justice, positioning APS as a national leader and model for addressing challenges to equity in education. I am super proud of the work that we able to do during my time with the Atlanta Public Schools, and extremely grateful to Dr. Lisa Herring for entrusting me with this imperative! I look forward to continuing the work of improving the educational experiences and outcomes of ALL children within my city (ATL), state (GA), & in our nation at-large. There is certainly more work to be done, and I look forward to doing my part! Stay tuned!
Well done my friend! Can’t wait to see what impact you will leave in the next season! So proud of your courageous work…being an advocate for change is a tough job but you make it look so easy!
May it be so … 🙏🏾 Kudos to you for the labor, love and legacy you leave upon APS.
Love you for this and so much more ✨🖤
Tauheedah F. Baker-Jones, Ed.L.D. (She/Ella) It’s all apart of the purpose by design. You are equipping others and forging meaningful relationships for communities that have been marginalized. Fight on!
Inspiring and iconic work, my friend. You leave a legacy not only for APS but our industry as a whole. Standing O!
Nothing short of transformative and nothing less I’d expect from your leadership. To new adventures!
Super proud of you and the work you do. Onward and upward dear Soror!
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see what’s next for you.
Systems Leadership | Instruction | Coaching
10moCongratulations!! The children and adults of Atlanta have a true equity champion in you. Great job!