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Dekalb County Education Coverage

Baby boomers reflect on school during Civil Rights Era

Recently, more than 18 former students of Wesley Avenue Elementary met to celebrate their accomplishments, and how their kindergarten class in 1956 taught them lessons they held dear for years to come. Photo by Walter Martin
In 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and America was engaged in the Cold War. Schools in Atlanta were segregated and a group of 5-year-olds was beginning kindergarten at Wesley Avenue Elementary. Debra Moore said she and her classmates, who gr...

Handwriting and cursive still a mainstay in schools

Susan Little, the southeast curriculum specialist for Handwriting Without Tears, said when Georgia adopted the Common Core Standards it elected to include cursive writing in its performance standards for third and fourth grade. “Quite honestly, bec...

Audit states DeKalb Schools has too many central office personnel

  A recent audit of central office positions at the DeKalb County School System found it has approximately 300 jobs too many. School spokesman Walter Woods said it would take the recommendations from Virginia-based Management Advisory Group (MAG) to...

Decatur school tries new take on parent/teacher conference

One Decatur school is implementing a pilot program to build student confidence by letting them become head of the class for a while. Oakhurst Elementary is an expeditionary learning school that integrates multiple subject areas to allow students to i...

Two students learn to ‘push back’ against school bullies

Dunwoody High graduates Polina Milter and Taylor Goode started The Push Back Project, a support group for victims of bullying. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
Polina Milter and Taylor Goode attended Dunwoody High School, were friends on Facebook, but never actually spoke to each other until Goode realized they had more in common than just the same circle of friends. Earlier in the year, Milter was intervie...

School system continues personnel changes in central office

Another top-level DeKalb County School Official has been reassigned as new Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson continues implement her 90-day entry plan and restructuring of the system. On Jan. 5, the DeKalb County School System announced it reassigned Ch...

Cross Keys graduate finds the good in DeKalb Schools

This is an excerpt from an essay written by Mpaza S. Kapembwa, a student at Williams College, in Massachusetts. Kapembwa is a 2011 Cross Keys graduate, Gates Millennium Scholar, Coca Cola Scholar, Dell Scholar and Bank of America Student Leader. His ...

News Updates: Jan. 6 (Updated)

Police called to shootout on Memorial Drive DeKalb County Police responded to a call regarding shots fired between two gunmen at 4940 Memorial Drive on Jan. 5. According to police spokeswoman Mekka Parish, the initial call came in at approximately 2:...

DeKalb Schools allow parole officers on campus

During the course of the past year DeKalb County Schools has added an extra security measure in an effort to help keep students out of trouble, or stop trouble before it starts. School spokesman Walter Woods said since the system began allowing DeKal...

Officials promise sweeping changes in DeKalb Schools

DeKalb County School officials said that Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson has promised significant personnel changes at every level of the school system at the beginning of 2012. Atkinson is nearly finished with her 90-day entry plan and school spokesm...

St. Pius student keeps head in the clouds

St. Pius High School senior Colin Martin stands beside the plane he did his first solo flight in. Martin began flying when he was 13 and paid his entire way through flight school by working odd jobs.
When he was a child, Colin Martin’s mother Mary Pat took him to play on the playground at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK). Now, she gives a friendly warning to the parents there. “You better watch out,” Mary Pat said. “I used to bring him here...

DeKalb County Schools suspends band activity

DeKalb County School System spokesperson Walter Woods announced Dec. 14 that all marching band activities are suspended until further notice. Senior staff will conduct a full scale investigation of possible inappropriate activities among high school ...

Schools gear up for holidays with service to needy

On Dec. 2, a group of girls from Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in DeKalb helped residents decorate for the holidays at Briarcliff Oaks, a senior living community. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
As the holiday season approaches, schools throughout DeKalb County are getting into the spirit by giving what they can to help the less fortunate, whether it be gathering items for care packages or decorating retirement homes. Carmen Graciaa, directo...

DeKalb BOE amends Atkinson’s contract; system maintains accreditation

  The DeKalb County Board of Education unanimously approved the first amendment to Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson’s employment contract at a special called meeting on Nov. 30. Atkinson requested the board amend her contract so she would stop recei...

Friends School partners with universities to implement new science curriculum

Dan Kalman, an associate professor at Emory University, said the scientific community is in a crisis due to lack of funding and public awareness, and one way to curb it is to change the way science is taught in classrooms. Kalman, who works in the de...

School systems work on SPLOST schedule

With the passage of a special sales tax referendum on Nov. 8, DeKalb, Atlanta and Decatur school systems are developing a timetable over five years for the projects they will fund with the $600 million they are projected to receive from the tax. The ...

School wasn’t always easy for award-winning Decatur teacher

  School wasn’t always easy or enjoyable for Robyn Tibbetts, who grew up in Decatur, went to Westchester Elementary School and graduated from Decatur High School in 1994. Tibbetts said if it weren’t for the teachers who pushed her each day to go...

DeKalb Schools plan to give principals more power

DeKalb County School System Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson has proposed an action plan which officials say will help the system be more accountable and give principals more power to run their schools. The plan, which was backed by each member of the ...

DeKalb schools emphasize science and technology related careers

Students from all over the metro Atlanta area gathered at Arabia Mountain High School to participate in the VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
According to a recent study, Blacks are significantly underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) but several schools in DeKalb are trying to change that. The study, released by Georgetown University, used recen...

Teachers at Chamblee High express concerns over repeated break-ins

Several teachers at Chamblee High School are expressing concern after having their classrooms broken into and expensive equipment stolen for the second time in less than two months. Currently, Chamblee High is being rebuilt and during the next severa...

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