Education in Georgia: The Untold Story

March 28, 2013 Print This Post

State School Superintendent John Barge says it’s vogue to bash education in Georgia these days. And why not? All we hear about in the media are testing scandals, school violence, and school Board issues, because those are the kinds of headlines that sell news.

But he said some incredible things are going on in education in Georgia that don’t make good sound bites. For instance, Education Week’s 2013 Quality Counts report ranks the quality of Georgia’s educational system seventh in the nation.

When it comes to transitions and alignment—which looks at our educational system from early childhood, k-12 through our post-secondary system, and its alignment to the world of work—Georgia received the report’s first ever perfect score of 100, and ranks first in the nation.

And here’s what Barge reveals about national assessment tests in Georgia:

What I like about Barge’s story is that he doesn’t pretend to paint a rosy picture for Georgia. Barge is also quick to acknowledge that there are pockets of schools that are struggling. And he says we don’t score high on chance of success for students.

Share the untold story.