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Casey Cagle

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s “education reforms” not promising

Education is going to be a hot issue down at the Gold Dome during the upcoming legislative session. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle wrote a book on education reform, Education Unleashed, and it’s not promising. Cagle, the ranking Republican overseeing the Senate, primarily promotes the standard Republican model: less government, less regulation and more privatization (in the form of charter schools and increased partnerships with businesses). And, unfortunately, it’s the things he fails to mention that cause the

Education

Nathan Deal backed by secret money for school takeover plan

If Gov. Deal is so proud of his school takeover plan, why won’t he tell us who’s backing it and who stands to benefit from it? Why the secrecy? Because as Daphne Hall, a retired teacher, makes clear in her Letter to the Decaturish Editor: “The Opportunity School District is just another ‘opportunity’ to divert funds from public schools to private pockets.” The AJC was able to uncover several of Deal’s school takeover donors, and not surprisingly, they’re big

Education

Gov. Nathan Deal’s education failures

Gov. Nathan Deal has a legacy of failed education policies, from slashing billions of dollars in public school funding to pushing his for-profit corporate school agenda. So what makes his school takeover proposal any different? The short answer: nothing. On Election Day, November 8, an important ballot measure — officially called the “Opportunity School District” constitutional amendment — will be before voters. It’s a measure designed to strip local control from schools that the governor’s

Education

Georgia parents and teachers might be able to influence education policy

Thanks to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), parents and teachers will get a chance to have their perspectives considered for Georgia education policies. State Superintendent Richard Woods has put together seven committees to consider feedback on ESSA implementation and to help write the state plan. Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale is serving on the state advisory committee and Marietta Superintendent Emily Lembeck is a member of the educator

2016 Legislative Session

Georgia needs more teaching, not testing

The bipartisan rollback of the federal No Child Left Behind law has returned power to the states to decide whether and how to use high stakes tests to hold teachers and students accountable.

Now, we need to hold our lawmakers and Gov. Deal accountable by asking them to act now to reduce the number of precious classroom hours that are spent on testing.

2016 Legislative Session

No surprises in governor’s speech

Gov. Deal’s State of the State address Wednesday delivered what we’ve come to expect from this Governor’s office: more of the same. Just like every year before, Gov. Deal used his annual speech to showcase a Georgia that works for Gov. Deal and his buddies, but nobody else.