Transforming a Changing Landscape Into a Shared Agenda for Georgia

by Dana Rickman, Ph.D.
President/ CEO
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education

Voters will go to the polls in November to elect a new slate of state leaders. In January 2027, Georgia will inaugurate a new governor. A new lieutenant governor will preside over the State Senate, a body experiencing substantial turnover with members retiring or seeking higher office.

Electoral changes are happening across a broader backdrop of social, economic, and political upheaval. The federal government has delegated more authority and decision-making to state agencies and school districts. The post-pandemic recovery continues to be uneven, affecting the economic prospects of families across Georgia. Inflation and high interest rates constrain affordability.

However, as president and CEO of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, I’m confident that Georgia’s leaders have the courage and the capacity to face these challenges, advancing an affirmative, future-focused vision for education and workforce development that expands educational opportunity, promotes economic mobility, and leverages Georgia’s considerable resources.

The Georgia Partnership’s Top Ten Issues to Watch In 2026 makes the case for how cross-sector leaders can pursue a vision that ensures all residents receive the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. The vision should address how state investments can expand access to quality early learning options, support teacher excellence and literacy, and promote high-value career pathways.

Each Issue in this 22nd edition addresses how state and community leaders can meet residents’ immediate needs while also making gradual improvements to strategies over the next decade. Together, the Issues spotlight the benefits of comprehensive solutions that address individual barriers that keep Georgians from experiencing educational opportunity, economic mobility, and quality of life. The edition is laid out in three sections:

1. Investing in Talent—The first section identifies three factors that close talent and skills gaps: expanding access to quality early care and learning options, developing high-value career pathways, and supporting teacher growth and excellence.
2. Optimizing Local Strategies—The second section tracks state and community progress on three areas prioritized by state policymakers: improving student attendance, strengthening early literacy instruction, and expanding health care access.
3. Aligning Priorities and Investments—The third and final section focuses on three topics: maximizing returns on post-secondary investments; transforming rural communities by focusing on talent development, quality of life, and leader capacity; and equipping the state’s 2026 candidates with resources to inform their policy platforms.

Taken together, investing in talent, optimizing local strategies, and aligning priorities and investments produce a strategic vision for Georgia. This vision can inspire a new generation of elected leaders to help guide the collaborative efforts of business, civic, community, and educational stakeholders that will execute this vision.

Coupled with a public agenda to guide and focus their decision-making, this vision should empower Georgia’s leaders to rise above the current national negativity and polarizing rhetoric to move Georgia’s public education and workforce systems forward.  Of course, no single sector can successfully address the complex issues facing Georgia today. There’s a role for all stakeholders to play.

Looking ahead, we must make access to educational and economic opportunities the expectation—not the goal. Through cross-sector collaboration, we must support local leaders who are doing the work to improve the quality of life of their neighbors. We must embody what it takes to support personal well-being and community prosperity. The time to act is now. We at the Georgia Partnership stand ready to support you.

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) connects leaders across our state to create better educational opportunities for students and more positive economic outcomes for communities. Founded in 1992 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Economic Developers Association, GPEE is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit working tirelessly to improve student achievement and workforce development in Georgia.

Dana Rickman, a GaFCP Board member, is the fourth president of GPEE, having previously served in positions of vice president and research and policy director. She joined the organization in July 2011 after serving as the director of Research and Policy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation—Atlanta Civic Site. She has also worked for more than 10 years at Georgia State University conducting research on education programs within Georgia. She holds a Ph.D. from Georgia State University in political science and a BA from Mary Washington College. She has authored multiple articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters related to education policy and for over ten years served as the primary author of the Georgia Partnership’s annual Top Ten Issues to Watch report.

Contact:
Bill Valladares
GaFCP Communications Director
404-739-0043
william@gafcp.org

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