Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox
Georgia, as a second-round winner in President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top competition, was already getting some attention for its ideas on education reform. For one thing, it’s among the few states that participated in the competition that plans to use some of its funding to pay for early education initiatives.
Today, the state is getting more attention with the announcement that Gwinnett County, a suburb of Atlanta, has won the $1 million Broad Prize for Urban Education, which funds college scholarships for high school students. The county has outperformed similar districts in the state and also has one of the smallest achievement gaps. It was a finalist for the prize last year.
This year’s four finalists, each of which will receive $250,000 for college scholarships, are the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, the Socorro Independent School District in Texas and the Ysleta Independent School District, also in Texas.
Gwinnett County, Georgia’s largest district, was already making a name for itself, at least locally. A recent analysis by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution which looked into the county’s success noted that it “defies the odds against long-serving school boards and superintendents.” The superintendent there has served for 14 years, far longer than the average tenure of a big-city superintendent, which is about three and a half years. In addition, four of the five school board members in Gwinnett County have served at least 13 years each.
At The Hechinger Report, we publish thoughtful letters from readers that contribute to the ongoing discussion about the education topics we cover. Please read our guidelines for more information. We will not consider letters that do not contain a full name and valid email address. You may submit news tips or ideas here without a full name, but not letters.
By submitting your name, you grant us permission to publish it with your letter. We will never publish your email address. You must fill out all fields to submit a letter.