APS Superintendent Hall gives state of the schools address

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, GA – There's proof Atlanta Public Schools are getting better, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

That was the message today from APS Superintendent Beverly Hall who gave her State of the Schools address.

First, Hall points to elementary school where 86 percent of 4th graders are either meeting or exceeding reading standards. That's an almost 40 percent jump from 2000. Hall also says Atlanta's graduation rate is 66 percent; a 43 percent jump from 2003.

She says the road to success began by looking at each school's administration.

HALL: Who's in those schools who can really make sure they are safe, they're secure that there's a focus on teaching and learning in that building.

Then, she says she focused on teachers.

HALL: Who's teaching the children and do they have the skills? If they don't, what should we be doing. So, we have done an awful lot of professional development.

However, Hall says keeping those teachers and finding new qualified ones remains one of her challenges. Hall says APS has lost many teachers to retirement.

WABE is licensed to the Atlanta Public Schools.