Vol.25 No. 3 May/June 2003 because you want to take your teaching to a new level... Master of Arts degree in Education

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FEATURES| OFFICERS 4 Kathy Cox—Georgia’s New Superintendent of Schools President Wants Everyone on Same Page Preston Howard President-Elect Deena Hoch Secretary DEPARTMENTS| Donna Powers 2 From the President: All Things Considered, “It Was a Very Good Year” Treasurer Hosie Waters 3 From the Executive Vice President: 2003 General Assembly—A “Perfect Storm” Past President of a Bad Economy and Partisan Politics Lamar Scott 8 Foundation News DIRECTORS District 1 District 8 PAGE Foundation Receives $50,000 Grant from UPS Foundation Renae Miller Kathy Corwin PAGE Foundation Honors Meriwether County Educator with Special STAR Award District 2 District 9 Susan Lanier Carol Brown West Georgia SPAGE Chapter Gives Books to Local Children District 3 District 10 Raymechia Smith Judy Teasley National Board Certification Scholarship Deadline District 4 District 11 PAGE Foundation Receives Donation from Equifax Tim Mullen Vickie Hammond District 5 District 12 PAGE Foundation Director Named Dr. Diane Ray Richard Thomas PAGE Foundation Names 2003 PAGE STAR Student & Teacher District 6 District 13 Joanna Wheelus Luann Avery 2003 STAR Teachers—System Winners District 7 District 14 Kenneth Russell Jan Godwin PAGE Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa and BellSouth Join Forces to Address Teacher Shortages EDITORIAL STAFF Editor The 2003 PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon State Champion Tim Callahan UGA SPAGE Hosts Interview Clinic Associate Editor Erica Driver PAGE Foundation FEA in GA to Hold First Annual Summer Institute Assistant Editor for Prospective Teachers Lynn Varner Honor Your Favorite Teacher NEW SOUTH PUBLISHING CEO 24 Professional Insights: Looping: A Different View of Classroom Organization Larry Lebovitz 26 Research: Recruiting Quality Teachers and Administrators in Georgia Publisher John Hanna 29 PAGE Forum: Why Did You Become a Teacher? Editor-in-Chief 30 PAGE Members in the News Geoffrey S. Kohl Assistant Editor 31 PAGE Planner Riley McDermid Graphic Designer 32 Legal: 2003 PAGE Final Legislative Report Jack Simonetta Production Coordinator NEWS & INFORMATION| Mike Johnson 23 Congratulations Retiring PAGE Members Account Executive Jan Clemmons 23 Membership Renewal Notice Consultant Susan Thompson Lewis 23 2003 PAGE Fall Legislative Rallies Advertising/Sales (770) 650-1102, ext.139 On the cover: State School Superintendent Kathy Cox (center) with Deputy State Superintendent of Schools Stuart Bennett (left) and External Affairs Specialist Danae Roberts (right). PAGE ONE Magazine (ISSN 1523-6188) is mailed to all PAGE members, selected higher education units and other school-related professionals. An annual subscription is includ- The articles published in each issue of PAGE ONE Magazine represent the Notice to Members ed in PAGE membership dues. A subscription for others is views of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of PAGE, Contributions or gifts to the PAGE Foundation are $10.00 annually. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Geor- except where clearly stated. tax deductible as charitable contributions for fed- gia, and additional mailing offices. (USPS 017-347) Post- You are invited to submit articles dealing with current education issues. eral income tax purposes. However, under other master: Send address changes to PAGE ONE, P.O. Box The editor reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of articles for provisions of the IRS code, costs for PAGE lobby- 942270, Atlanta, GA 31141-2270. publication. Articles may be edited to meet space requirements. Georgia edu- ing activities on behalf of members are not deductible. PAGE ONE Magazine is published five times a year (Janu- cators are encouraged to submit photographs for use as the cover for PAGE PAGE estimates the nondeductible portion of your ary, March, May, September and November) by New South ONE Magazine and other photographs to illustrate story subjects. Send 2002-2003 dues allocated to lobbying is .07 per- Publishing, Inc.; 1303 Hightower Trail, Suite 101; Atlanta, manuscripts and photographs to: Tim Callahan, Editor, PAGE ONE Mag- cent. Please call the PAGE office at 1-800-334- GA 30350; 770-650-1102. Copyright ©2003 azine; PAGE; P.O. Box 942270; Atlanta, GA 31141-2270. 6861 if you have questions.

PAGE ONE Magazine 1 FROM THE PRESIDENT All Things Considered, “It Was a Very Good Year” BY PRESTON HOWARD t seems like only yesterday that I took my oath of office and and I taught my children that they assumed the role of president of the largest professional edu- had to allow at least one-half hour Icator association in Georgia. It was an awesome responsibili- per subject for study time in the ty, but also a joyful experience. I am a Frank Sinatra fan and like evening and they had to study the words in one of his ballads say, “It was a very good year.” before they could watch televi- That is not to say that everything was perfect. There were some sion. Yet I read in many sources disappointing events during the year that I felt heartsick over, and that the average child watches our lives will be changed forever as a result. Obviously, the war in approximately 20 hours of tele- Iraq was the most significant of these events, and war, under any vision per week. According to circumstances, is a tragedy for all mankind. We can only pray that some studies, the very children PRESTON HOWARD, the war and the lessons of war will lead to a free and more peace- who need to study the most watch PRESIDENT ful environment for all of us and our children. more than 40 hours of television There were other events as well that had a tremendous impact per week. Hence, for these students study time is not being admin- on education. Do you remember when the phrase, “It’s the econ- istered in the proper dose. omy, stupid,” was a political mantra back in the early 1990s to sig- Another factor that makes the medication work is that it is taken nify that all other events paled in comparison to the U.S. economy? regularly according to a prescribed schedule until the entire dosage We are now well into our second year of economic recession, and is administered. Obviously, if you take it sporadically or not at all, there have been and will continue to be partisan debates about one does not get the healing benefits of the medication. Yet, in how to solve our economic dilemma. Education funding has been many districts we continue to ignore the need to have an enforce- cut, and some people are predicting more severe cuts are forth- able attendance policy for our students. I am perfectly willing to coming. Many of us can personally attest to the severity of the cri- accept responsibility for educating the child, but I find it very hard sis as we have seen friends and colleagues lose their jobs, and all of to reconcile any policy that penalizes teachers and/or schools for us share the disappointment of not receiving a raise for the upcom- a parent’s failure to ensure that his or her child comes to school ing fiscal year. We are in pretty tough economic times. every day and that he/she is physically and mentally prepared. Against the tragic backdrop of war, its aftermath and the eco- Finally, some patients refuse to abide by the doctor’s instruc- nomic recession, the mandates of No Child Left Behind are still tions. They put the pill in their mouth and spit it out when the to be implemented according to the established timeline. While physician turns his or her back. Some refuse the very treatment we may see some delays in certain aspects of Georgia’s reform leg- that can make them well again. Are the doctors penalized because islation, few believe that these reforms are going to be rescinded the patient refused to take the medication? I am sure doctors try and that it will be back to business as usual. alternative ways to treat their patients, but ultimately the respon- So, what does the future hold? And, if we can figure that out, sibility is put back onto the patient’s shoulders. They are told point how do we respond? The answer is simple. The response is extreme- blank, “This is what you need to do to get better.” Will there ever ly complicated. The simple answer is that we will continue to strive be a time when educators can tell parents, “This is what you are to educate every child to the highest level possible. As educators going to have to do for your child to achieve in school?” we recognize our responsibility for each and every child that comes Some people would say that I am comparing apples and oranges. into the schools and classrooms. We know that we must ensure I don’t think so. Just as a medical malady can adversely and per- that all students are valued, nurtured and held to the highest expec- manently affect a child’s life, so can a substandard education. But tations. This will not be easy because many students will enter just as a doctor’s treatment is dependent on a strict regimen of care, their educational experience unprepared for such a rigorous jour- so is a student’s education dependent on a strict regimen of study. ney. They will need special care, and their progress will be slow In both cases, if the expert’s advice and instruction are not fol- and arduous. Nevertheless, we will support and lead them along lowed, the outcome will not be improvement. their educational paths. We embrace the responsibility to go the I want all PAGE members to know that I believe education is extra mile for any and all of our students in order for them to the key to our future. The 54,000-plus members of PAGE are receive the best education possible. involved in the most important endeavor that mankind can under- I have been reading with great interest the problem the medical take, the education of our children. I also believe that every mem- profession is having with antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. It ber of society is responsible for the educational outcome of our seems that people are not taking antibiotics in the manner pre- children, and we cannot meet the standards set forth in legislation scribed or they are requesting antibiotics for every illness, thereby unless every member of society is involved. PAGE is a great asso- diminishing the effectiveness of these wonder drugs over time. I ciation because its members have always put kids first and fore- see a similar pattern in education. We are teaching more content most on their agenda. We will continue to put kids first as we for more hours but the effectiveness of that instruction is dimin- progress into the 21st century, and we will make a difference in ishing or being called into question. According to my calculations, kids’ lives every day. Thank you for allowing me to be your pres- the average school day is seven hours long. I was always taught, ident, and God bless you all. ■

2 PAGE ONE Magazine FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

2003 General Assembly— A “Perfect Storm” of a Bad Economy and Partisan Politics

Bright spots for education were few and far between BY TOM WOMMACK

he 40 legislative days of the 2003 ses- writing and computational skills by the third sion of the Georgia General Assembly grade, then their chances of academic success are Ttook almost four months, exasperated much greater. nearly everyone and ultimately yielded very After much debate, fair dismissal was restored little for educators. The continuing decline in to teachers hired after July 1, 2000. While there state revenues meant that legislators had to were multiple plans and procedures presented, struggle mightily with the basics of budget math- PAGE worked in support of a single system for ematics—either raise revenues (taxes) or reduce all teachers. And even though the Georgia Asso- spending. Since education takes up the bulk of ciation of Educational Leaders (GAEL) was our state budget (and we believe it should), it unsuccessful in adding administrators to this was in line for a disproportionate amount of bill, we continue to support fair dismissal for all budget reduction. educators. The second ingredient in the “storm” was the PAGE also supported bills which passed that: increased level of partisan politics, which was not • Will require systems to put salary amounts on unexpected, since for the first time in 130 years TOM WOMMACK, contracts offered to staff, a Republican governor presented his budget and INTERIM EXECUTIVE • Reinstate sick leave for educators who return to delivered the State of the State address. The Sen- VICE PRESIDENT teaching (after two years), and ate was controlled by the Republicans, while the • Eventually provide salary increases for school House was in Democratic hands. This partisan divide created social workers and counselors who undertake career develop- considerable gridlock dooming a number of education bills, ment similar to National Board Certification. including most of the education package submitted by Gover- As stated earlier, the budget was a major source of difficulty nor Perdue. for legislators and while there were many cuts, we were able to The final ingredient was a lack of leadership. Perhaps the nov- preserve a few important items: elty of different political parties having control of the governor’s • $9 million for school improvement teams office and the Senate and the House contributed to the prob- • $30 million for the school nurse program lems. In the past, political partisanship and the occasional pos- • Employee Retirement System (ERS) benefit increase from turing did relatively little harm to the legislative process. This $12.50 to $13 per month for each year of service year the stakes were much higher, magnifying these excesses dra- • Funds for extended day vocational education and vocational matically and contributing to the overall low marks most observers agriculture programs gave to the session and the quality of leadership exercised by all The one-year delay granted to school systems regarding class concerned, regardless of office or political affiliation. sizes in grades 4-12 should help many districts absorb some of Nevertheless, some good was found. Our longstanding goal the budget cuts, but overall, the next year or two will be diffi- of reduced class size, particularly in the lower grades, was met. cult ones for education. Unless the state and national economies While the legislature gave Perdue a victory in delaying the reduc- improve dramatically and quickly, next year’s budget situation tions in grades 4-12 for one year, they held firm on reduction may be a distressing “déjà vu.” of class sizes in K-3. PAGE members have long believed that A complete review of this year’s legislative session can be found these are the critical years. If students have mastered reading, on page 32. ■

PAGE website: www.pageinc.org

PAGE ONE Magazine 3 fession and to look forward to going to work each day. She also wants parents and the general pub- lic to trust teachers and treat them as the professionals they are. Cox comes to the position of state school superintendent direct- KathyKathy CoxCox ly from the classroom and the chambers of the Georgia Gener- al Assembly. She was a high school Georgia’sGeorgia’s NewNew history teacher in Fayette Coun- ty from 1987 through 2002 and SuperintendentSuperintendent ofof served in the House of Represen- tatives from 1998 through 2002. SchoolsSchools WantsWants Everyone Born in New Jersey to Atlanta natives, Cox’s family moved to Doylestown, Penn., when she was onon SameSame PagePage six years old. It was in Doylestown at Lenape Junior High School that she encountered a history teacher named Gary Fuller who BY LEE RAUDONIS, PHOTOS BY ROD REILLY lit her academic fires and her interest in teaching. (See “My Favorite Teacher.”) here is a new state superintendent of schools After graduating from high school, Cox in Georgia, and, like a good classroom teacher received her master’s and bachelor of arts degrees trying to focus her students’ attention on an in political science from Emory University, important lesson, she is determined to get every- where she graduated with high honors and was one on the same page. After eight years—dur- a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While at Emory, ing which it often seemed that the state’s education she also took education courses for teacher cer- leaders were not only on different pages, but tification. She is married to John Hamilton Treading from entirely different books—this Cox Jr. and they have two sons, John and Alex, would clearly be a welcome change. who attend public schools in Fayette County. State School Superintendent Kathy Cox sees The new superintendent assumed her posi- her new job as an opportunity to do tremen- tion at a time of tremendous challenges. Con- dous things for the teachers and students of flicts between the former governor and Cox’s Georgia. Above all, she wants Georgia teach- predecessor left the state Department of Edu- ers to be proud of their schools and their pro- cation in disarray, and a two-year economic

4 PAGE ONE Magazine downturn has left the state’s coffers nearly empty. Still, Cox is I believe there is a huge disconnect between our curriculum, optimistic about the future of public education in Georgia. Here our textbooks, our day-to-day operation of what teachers are is what Georgia’s state school superintendent had to say during doing and then what we are expecting of them on test results. an interview in early April about her new job and some of the It is DOE’s role to make sure that all of those things are in sync challenges she faces. with one another. If we can accomplish this for our teachers and students, they will feel a lot better about what they are doing. Q: How would you like what is taking place in Georgia’s classrooms to be different four years from now than it is today? Q: One of your campaign issues was local control. What A: Four years from now at this same point in the school year do you mean by this and what impact will it have on class- (April), I would hope that teachers would still be excited about room teachers? what they were doing. I would hope that they would be proud A: Clearly, the role of the DOE is to set standards and expec- of being teachers and have that reflected in day-to-day contact tations and to keep the scoreboard of how well people are meet- with their students. I hope we can restore some of the excite- ing our expectations. Over the years, we have passed a lot of ment about learning and get teachers excited about school state laws for improvement that are well intentioned, but that improvement and taking Georgia to a new level. I think that really should have been matters for local decision-makers. What will reflect, hopefully, on how a teacher feels about going to I would like to do is restore a lot of the flexibility schools once work every day. had. We have been attempting to do that across the street (Gen- For students, I would like to continue to see a real push for eral Assembly), and, quite frankly, it is a hard sell. One reason technology and see that students are actively engaged in learn- is that there is a legitimate philosophical argument as to what ing through technology. I hope there is a lot less passive learn- is the best way to go about getting people to change. When I ing and a lot more active learning on the part of students. And talk about local control, it is also going to manifest itself in how I hope that in four years, students have confidence in what they I go about solving problems. My answer to an educational issue are doing and a better understanding of why they are engaged is not going to be to run across the street with a piece of legis- in something, why they are learning it and how it fits into a big- lation. ger picture. I hope we have fewer kids learning in isolation from each other. I want students to be proud that they are getting an Q: Another issue you addressed frequently in the campaign education in Georgia. was your desire to bring about a quick improvement of SAT scores. Given the state’s current financial crisis, how do you Q: What do you see as the primary role of the Department propose to accomplish this? of Education in reaching these goals? A: There are two things that are very exciting on this front. A: Service, service, service. We need to serve local school sys- One is that we have hired a new “test czar,” Charlotte Robin- tems to help them do their important job of educating kids. We son, as the state’s first AP, PSAT and SAT coordinator, with a are not in direct contact with kids here. With few exceptions, goal of getting Georgia out of the scoring cellar on the SATs. such as the Governor’s Honors Program, there are very few pro- Part of what Charlotte is doing is helping to get the word out grams in which the DOE has direct contact with students. Our about how to use the results from the PSAT to improve SAT role is a supportive one to make sure that local school systems results. The other really exciting development is that the Col- have what they need, particularly as we implement No Child lege Board is ready to start an initiative in Georgia to help iden- Left Behind. It is particularly important for the department to tify areas of weakness and to get more kids enrolled in Advanced have a vision and set the standards so that schools and teachers Placement classes. I also had a meeting with the folks at the know what is expected of them. Then we get out of the way and Woodruff Foundation who said they would be interested in let them reach these goals and expectations. hearing more about this initiative, so it could be we might be I hope we are in a much more supportive role for innovation able to use some private foundation money to jump-start a pro- and improvement so we can give our teachers the tools they need to get the job done for our students. At the state level, hav- ing all of the key players on the same page—the superintend- ent, the governor and the state board—is very important for “If you want to our school systems. If you want to get something done, there must be clear expectations of what needs to be done. Right now, get something we don’t have that clarity. done, there Q: Overall, do you believe local systems will be coopera- must be clear tive in implementing No Child Left Behind? A: Absolutely. I recently told some folks in the federal gov- expectations of ernment that, in my opinion, the debate in Georgia about accountability is over. Everybody is readily accepting of account- what needs to ability, but what people want with that accountability is a clear mapping of what is expected. I recently had a conversation with be done.” a classroom teacher who told me, “Look, talking teacher to teacher, I don’t care if my students are tested. Bring it on. It will help me to know how they are doing. But just tell me what it is you want me to teach before you test them.”

PAGE ONE Magazine 5 “I think all of this data we collect… we can use to paint a much broader picture of how our schools are doing.”

A: I believe that safety is the number-one issue. Students should feel safe and secure in school. And there is a broader school climate issue as well. How a building looks is very impor- tant. Having a bright, invigorating classroom does make a dif- ference. Another key is how qualified the teachers and administrators are. What is the vision of the principal? What is he/she doing to move the school forward? As a parent, I would rather be part of a school that has a principal with vision and is moving the school forward than abandoning that school for one that may have already arrived. Also, how is a school tied to the commu- nity? This is hard to measure, but clearly community response and feelings toward that institution are important aspects of the school’s quality. And that is why a comprehensive report card for our schools is so important. I have never thought that it is fair to grade our schools just on test scores. Hopefully, I’ll have an opportunity to make an imprint on what our report card does look like.

Q: That brings up the question of how you envision the grading of schools being done in a manner that most peo- ple will consider fair. A: Well, I think we have to use all of the data that we collect, not just a test score that is really a snapshot of how a school is doing on a given day. I think all of this data we collect, such as incidents of violence and other issues, we can use to paint a much broader picture of how our schools are doing. Ultimate- ly, of course, student achievement must be at the heart of what we are doing. You can’t discount the bottom line that parents want their children to be in academically challenging circum- stances and to know that they will come out of their school pre- pared. I certainly don’t want anything I have said to give the impression that we are backing away from any kind of account- ability that recognizes that student achievement is at the heart of what we are doing. I also believe that on the report card there might be an ele- ment of how well the school system is using its resources. For example, you might have a school system that is spending $15,000 per student per year, but getting no better results than a system with similar students that is spending only $7,000 per student per year. Clearly, the system that is being cost-effective should get some extra points for that. There has to be an element of financial responsibility in terms of grading our schools. I think that parents and taxpayers are very interested in that. I am firm- ly convinced that we have the resources we need in Georgia. We led the nation in the increase in education spending over the gram in Georgia. The keys are better use of the PSAT and teacher last decade. People are saying, now that we have the resources training so that more teachers can teach A.P. classes. in place, let’s see what you can do with them.

Q: The media has focused almost exclusively on SAT scores Q: For years there has been a lot of discussion about the as the key indicator of the performance of Georgia’s public paperwork burden on teachers. What paperwork do you schools. If you could design a report card to give a broader believe might be eliminated or reduced? evaluation of Georgia schools, what criteria would it include? Continued on page 35

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For more information visit our web site or call: http://education.gsu.edu 404-651-2539 FOUNDATION NEWS PAGE Foundation Receives $50,000 Grant from UPS Foundation he UPS Foundation, charitable arm of UPS, has donated anticipated teacher shortages in Georgia $50,000 to the PAGE Foundation in support of several and in other states. Recently, the PAGE Tprograms including the National Board Certification (NBC) Foundation partnered with Phi Delta Kappa TM initiative, Future Educators of America in Georgia (FEA in GA) International, BellSouth Corporation and The UPS and the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon (GAD). Foundation in an effort to strengthen the state’s 63 existing FEA “UPS has a long-standing reputation of commitment to the in GA chapters and ultimately create new chapters in every high communities they serve. Their generous donation will be used to school in the state. The PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon is a support three of our programs dealing with important issues in competition during which high school students are tested in ten education today: enhancing the skills of good teachers, creating a different academic areas. new generation of qualified teachers for Georgia classrooms and In 2002, The UPS Foundation distributed more than $38.4 providing students with a depth of knowledge through enhanced million worldwide. Of that, more than $19.3 million was award- curriculum programs like the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon,” ed through the Corporate Grant Program, $3.0 million was dis- said Curley M. Dossman Jr., chair of the PAGE Foundation Board tributed through the Region/District Grant Program, $2.5 million of Trustees. “We are most appreciative of this generous donation,” was awarded through the Community Investment Grant Pro- Dossman added. gram, and $9.3 million was donated to United Way. The NBC initiative offers scholarships to teachers pursuing “UPS and its employees have always been committed to serv- National Board Certification, a rigorous program involving more ing the communities where we live and work. In fact, communi- than 200 hours of work outside the classroom. The mission of ty service is a key part of our company charter,” said Evern Cooper, the FEA in GA program is to provide middle and high school president of The UPS Foundation and vice president of UPS cor- students with a meaningful and substantive means for the explo- porate relations. “Along with the PAGE Foundation, we have a ration of teaching as a viable career option. The program pro- shared interest in addressing educational needs in a united effort motes the ideal of professionalism in education and works to offset to improve the communities in Georgia,” Cooper added. ■ PAGE Foundation Director Named he PAGE Foundation has named John E. Varn- rollton School Superintendent Tom Upchurch launched er III to the newly created position of director, the Next Generation School Project, a $30 million sys- Teffective May 1, according to Foundation Pres- temic school improvement effort endorsed by then- ident Tom Wommack. Varner, currently the president Governor Zell Miller, former Speaker of the House of Hearthstone Educational Services, served as a con- Newt Gingrich, state legislators and leaders in higher sultant to the Foundation for seven years prior to this education. In 1993 Varner was appointed chairman of appointment. the Georgia Council on Vocational Education by Gov- “We are very pleased that John accepted our invita- ernor Miller. In 1995 he was named chairman of the tion to lead the PAGE Foundation staff,” said Wom- advisory council for the Governor’s pre-school program. mack. “During the past several years, he has assisted Also in 1995 Varner was elected chairman of Com- almost every Foundation program, cultivating a deep munities in Schools of Atlanta, which works success- understanding of the opportunities and challenges confronting fully to keep Atlanta public school students in school and headed the organization. John is also a longstanding supporter of the toward graduation. Foundation dating back to his years at Georgia Power where he Varner was the first business person elected to serve on the board championed funding for the PAGE Foundation. He and Hearth- of directors for the Georgia School Superintendents Association. stone Educational Services have been significant donors to the For three years he served as chairman of the Georgia Business Forum, Foundation.” a nonprofit organization created to build the next generation of Wommack said creation of the director’s position coincides with Georgia business leaders among today’s gifted and talented stu- the reorganization of the Foundation, which will now include Foun- dents. John served on the Business Roundtable Education Work- dation development, Future Educators of America in Georgia, the ing Group supporting the country’s top 200 chief executive officers PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon, the PAGE Academic Bowl and is a former trustee of the Atlanta International School, one of for Middle Grades, Student Teacher Achievement Recognition only four schools of its type in the country. He is the immediate (STAR), Foundation public relations, and coordination of the PAGE past chair of the board of directors for the Center for the Advance- Foundation’s National Board Certification program. ment and Study of International Education. And he also served on Prior to Hearthstone’s creation, Varner served as the assistant to the board of directors of the United States Academic Decathlon the vice president for educational affairs at Georgia Power Com- and The Howard School. pany. In that capacity, he directed the utility’s efforts to improve Varner is a Georgia native, a graduate of the University of Geor- public education. Varner has been active in organizations promot- gia and a former television reporter. He and his wife, Lynn, have ing higher student achievement. In 1991 Varner and then-Car- two children and live in Sandy Springs. ■

8 PAGE ONE Magazine Honor Your Favorite Teacher BY KATHY COX, STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

y favorite teacher was Gary Fuller used to love to tease me about the Fuller, who taught me histo- South, because he knew that my parents Mry in the seventh and eighth were southern and Atlanta was my second grades at Lenape Junior High School in home. I was so proud of my southern roots Doylestown, Penn. He made learning that my nickname became “The Georgia exciting and fun, and he had incredi- Peach.” bly high standards. Mr. Fuller was a great role model and It is important to understand that we made learning exciting for his students. We did not receive letter grades from kinder- were always challenged to think outside the garten to the sixth grade, just comments box. Although we were in a junior high (this was in the 1970s). When I reached school, it was set up like the middle school seventh grade, we began to get real grades, model with teams of teachers. Mr. Fuller and I was anxious to live up to the stan- and our team of teachers took us on the dards of my three siblings, especially the Appalachian Trail for a three-day hike. That brother closest to me, who had always was just one example of the many field trips made honor roll. Well, the first grade he planned for us to make learning excit- I received from Mr. Fuller was a “B-,” ing, and being in Pennsylvania in the cen- and the comment he wrote on my report ter of so much history, he really made it card was “performing at ability.” come alive for us. To this day I remember seeing that He also had a great sense of humor. I comment and thinking to myself, “Well, remember laughing a lot in his class, and I if he thinks this is my ability, I’m going to show him.” At the remember that he was very effective at putting pre-teenagers in time, of course, I didn’t realize what I now know as a teacher, their place when they got a little smart. that he probably didn’t put a lot of thought into that comment. Mr. Gary Fuller was my favorite teacher and one of the rea- It was probably a stock one that he used over and over. I was sons I became a teacher. ■ convinced, however, that Mr. Fuller thought that I was a “B-” student, and I had so much respect for him that I was deter- mined to show him that I was an “A” student. I worked harder in his course than I had ever worked. We PAGE Foundation studied world history in the seventh grade and American His- tory in the eighth grade. Whenever I had the chance, I wrote Receives Donation papers on Stonewall Jackson and other southern topics. Mr. from Equifax National Board Certification Scholarship Deadline he PAGE Foundation will award a limited number of $1,000 scholarships on a competitive basis to PAGE Tmembers pursuing National Board Certification (NBC) in June and again in September. The NBC scholarship appli- cation is currently available on the PAGE Foundation website, www.pagefoundation.org. Candidates who are required to pay their NBC fees in Sep- tember and wish to apply for a PAGE Foundation scholarship PAGE Foundation Chair Curley M. Dossman Jr. of Georgia-Pacific should submit a complete application by Aug. 15. (right) accepts a $1,000 donation from Equifax Vice President For more information on National Board Certification, Kirby Thompson (left), who also serves as a PAGE Foundation contact John Varner at [email protected] or (404) trustee. Dossman and Thompson are leaders in the Foundation’s ■ $1 million endowment campaign and ongoing efforts to raise 531-0891. money supporting the expansion of Foundation programs.

PAGE ONE Magazine 9 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED

PAGE Foundation Names Georgia’s 2003 PAGE STAR Student and Teacher

2003 State PAGE STAR Student Evan Sussenbach (front row, left) poses for a photo with his STAR Teacher, Young Won, after receiving scholarships from: (back row, left to right) Nancy Chastain, market executive, Bank of America; Phil Jacobs, president, and Carolyn Lovett, senior director of external affairs, BellSouth Telecommunications.

and chair of the PAGE Foundation; Dr. Jeannie Weathersby, deputy state school superintendent; and Representative Bob Holms, chairman of the House Education Committee, as the finalists and their teachers were each honored with hand-blown glass star awards from Lillie Glassblowers. The students competing for the honor included 17 who scored 1600 on a single administration of the SAT examination. Now in its 45th year, the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recog- nition) program has honored more than 18,500 students and their teachers for academic excellence. This year’s State PAGE STAR Student received a $5,000 scholarship from BellSouth and a $3,000 scholarship from Bank of America, while the State PAGE STAR Teacher received an award of $2,500 from the Frances Wood Wilson Founda- tion. The Coca-Cola Com- van Sussenbach, a senior at Colum- pany, which sponsored the bus High School in Muscogee reception and co-spon- ECounty, is Georgia’s PAGE STAR sored the banquet with student for 2003. He named Young the PAGE Foundation, Won, his Advanced Placement Calcu- presented all 24 finalists lus teacher, as his STAR teacher. Ash- with a $100 award. win Rajendra, a senior at Augusta Mozelle Christian, the Preparatory Day School in Columbia first director of the STAR County, was named first runner-up in program, attended the event the academic competition. He named and presented the First Tim Shafer, his Advanced Placement Evan Sussenbach (left) and his teacher Mr. Young Won (right) Runner-Up State PAGE Calculus teacher, as his STAR teacher. await the announcement of the 2003 State PAGE STAR winner. STAR Teacher with the The four were named April 30 at the Mozelle Christian award State PAGE STAR Banquet held in Atlanta. Twenty-four of the of $500. PAGE President Preston Howard, a Marietta City edu- state’s top students were finalists in the event, which began ear- cator, presented the First Runner-Up State PAGE STAR Stu- lier this year with the naming of more than 468 STAR students dent with a $1,000 scholarship from The Coca-Cola Company in the state’s participating public and private high schools. and a $1,000 scholarship from the PAGE Foundation. PAGE Foundation Director John Varner joined Governor At their district celebration, each of the 24 STAR finalists Sonny Perdue; George Israel, president of the Georgia Cham- received a $500 cash award from the Cecil B. Day Founda- ber of Commerce; Curley M. Dossman Jr. of Georgia Pacific tion. ■

10 PAGE ONE Magazine Phil Jacobs (left), BellSouth president of Georgia operations and Carolyn Lovett (center), also of BellSouth, congratulate State PAGE STAR Student Evan Sussenbach.

First Runner-Up State PAGE STAR Student Ashwin Rajendra, from Columbia County, poses for a photo with Governor Sonny Perdue.

Governor Sonny Perdue addresses the STAR students, teachers, parents and sponsors attending the 2003 State PAGE STAR Banquet. Seated at the head table from left to right are: Representative Bob Holmes, chair of the House Education Committee; Wanda Barrs, chair of the State Board of Education; John Varner, director of the PAGE Foundation; Curley Dossman, chair of the PAGE Foundation; Mary Perdue, Georgia’s First Lady; Elizabeth Brock, president of Pallets, Inc.; Blitch Ann Bird, executive vice president of the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation; Bill Covington, key account manager, The Coca-Cola Company; and Nancy Chastain, market executive, Bank of America.

PAGE ONE Magazine 11 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED

Chair of the PAGE Foundation Board of Trustees and President of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation Curley M. Dossman Jr. congratulates the students and teachers present as PAGE President Preston Howard, Marietta City Schools, looks on.

Mozelle Christian (left), first director of the STAR program, congratulates First Runner-Up Ashwin Rajendra.

2003 First Runner-Up State PAGE STAR Student, Ashwin Rajendra (left) with his STAR Teacher Tim Shafer (right).

Genny Tauxe, District 3A STAR Student from Druid Hills High School in DeKalb County, was one of 24 state finalists WSB-TV newscaster Jeff Dore interviewed at the state banquet.

12 PAGE ONE Magazine 2003 STAR Teachers—System Winners

STAR DISTRICT 1: Fannin County Pamela Bruce STAR DISTRICT 3B: Fannin County High School System/High School Teacher System/High School Teacher Bartow County Connie Smith Gainesville City *Martha Thompson Atlanta City *Timothy Hornor Woodland High School Gainesville High School Pace Academy Bremen City Carla Pollard Gilmer County Lynn Becker Atlanta City *Jon Asborsen Bremen High School Gilmer High School Pace Academy Calhoun City Sherry Blackwell Habersham County Kathy Ausburn Atlanta City *Juan Egues Calhoun High School Habersham Central High School The Westminster Schools Carroll County Wanda Johnson Hall County Jeff Chandler Atlanta City *Jessica Bagby Oak Mountain Academy North Hall High School The Westminster Schools Carrollton City *Jan Watts Lumpkin County Lloyd Cupp Clayton County Katrina Miller Carrollton High School Lumpkin County High School Jonesboro High School Cartersville City Patrick Magee Pickens County Kaye Chastain Douglas County Sara Leikin Cartersville High School Pickens High School Alexander High School Catoosa County Loraine Young Rabun County Sara Bartmes Fayette County Douglas Austin Ringgold High School Rabun County High School McIntosh High School Chattooga County Eric Tucker Stephens County Scott Wilcher Fulton County *Amy Price Chattooga High School Stephens County High School Roswell High School Chickamauga City Sharon Hoven Towns County Daren King Henry County Stephen Bain Gordon Lee High School Towns County Comprehensive School Eagle’s Landing High School Chickamauga City Mary Ann O’Kelley Union County Cathy Magrin Rockdale County Jeanne Lee Gordon Lee High School Union County High School Heritage High School Dade County James Gladson White County Sherry Mayo Spalding County Linda Browning Dade County High School White County High School Spalding High School White County Tina Wood Dalton City Ava Wyatt STAR DISTRICT 4: Dalton High School White County High School System/High School Teacher Floyd County Merrill Davies STAR DISTRICT 3A: Banks County John McGarity Armuchee High School System/High School Teacher Banks County High School Floyd County Nathan Davis Buford City Christian Hunnicutt Barrow County Jeanette Phillips Armuchee High School Buford High School Winder-Barrow High School Floyd County Alicia King Cherokee County Charlene Hunsucker Clarke County *Anita Mitcheltree Model High School Etowah High School Cedar Shoals High School Gordon County James England Cobb County *Robert Overstreet Clarke County *John Jameson Gordon Central High School Walton Comprehensive High School Clarke Central High School Haralson County Charles Calhoun Decatur City Joseph Winterscheidt Commerce City Johnnie Blair Haralson County High School Decatur High School Commerce High School Heard County Paul Mixon Decatur City Olivia Roller Elbert County Nan Teasley Heard County High School Decatur High School Elbert County Comprehensive High School Murray County Charles Longmire DeKalb County *Michael Nance Franklin County Robert Lumpkin Murray County High School Druid Hills High School Franklin County High School Paulding County Veronica Cook DeKalb County *David Coles Greene County Gregory Keck East Paulding High School Lakeside High School Nathanael Green Academy Polk County Christopher Reaves DeKalb County *Tom Longfield Hart County Joanne Ridgway Cedartown High School Marist High School Hart County High School Rome City R.Craig Schmidt Forsyth County Kathryn Kupinski Jackson County Miles Adams Darlington School South Forsyth High School Jackson County Comprehensive High School Trion City Susan McCain Gwinnett County *Carole Hunter Jefferson City Janet Schwartz Trion High School Duluth High School Jefferson High School Walker County Krista Seckinger Gwinnett County *Lynn Freeland Madison County Latana Coile Ridgeland High School Norcross High School Madison County High School Whitfield County Deborah Barto Gwinnett County *Marsha Jackson Morgan County Genia Bennett Southeast Whitfield High School Parkview High School Morgan County High School STAR DISTRICT 2: Marietta City Marie Bidegain Newton County Julia Boyum Marietta High School System/High School Teacher Eastside High School Dawson County Sherry Browning Marietta City Julie Tanner Newton County Karen Booth Dawson County High School Marietta High School Eastside High School

PAGE ONE Magazine 13 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED

Newton County Sandra Manson Jones County Linda Bowden Bulloch County Lynda Webb Newton High School Jones County High School Statesboro High School Oconee County Betty Jo Wallace Lamar County Scott Turner Candler County Brad Owens Oconee County High School Lamar County High School Metter High School Oglethorpe County Joy Sapp Laurens County Susan Frost Chatham County Terry Finlay Oglethorpe County High School Trinity Christian School Savannah Arts Academy Social Circle City Robert Dinwiddie Macon County Earlene Blue Effingham County *Terri Powers Social Circle High School Macon County High School South Effingham High School Walton County Mindy Dess Monroe County Helen Anderson Emanuel County Dabney Edenfield Monroe Area Comprehensive High School Mary Persons High School Swainsboro High School STAR DISTRICT 5: Peach County James Miles Evans County Tom Sollosi Peach County High School Pinewood Christian Academy System/High School Teacher Coweta County Jeffrey Gordon Pulaski County Elliott Evans Liberty County Kathryn Walden Northgate High School Hawkinsville High School Liberty County High School Harris County Robin Gonye Putnam County Tracy Davis Long County Cynthia Wells Harris County High School Putnam County High School Long County High School Marion County Rachael Speegle Twiggs County Jimmy Williams Montgomery County Jeanette Goff Tri-County High School Twiggs County Middle-High School Montgomery County High School Meriwether County Kay Barnes Wilcox County John McCall Screven County Tommie Evans Flint River Academy Wilcox County High School Screven County High School Muscogee County ** Young Won Wilkinson County Eleanor Angles Tattnall County Jan Oliver Columbus High School Wilkinson County High School Tattnall County High School Pike County Cheryl Hammond STAR DISTRICT 7: Toombs County Ann Smith Robert Toombs Christian Academy Pike County High School System/High School Teacher Schley County David Bond Burke County Karen Reeves Treutlen County Kregg Ricks Schley County High School Burke County High School Treutlen High School Taylor County Jack McGlaun Columbia County *** Tim Shafer Vidalia City Charlotte Bowen Taylor County High School Augusta Preparatory Day School Vidalia High School Thomaston-Upson County James Argroves Glascock County Tonya DePourcq Wheeler County Catherine Barker Upson-Lee High School Glascock County Consolidated School Wheeler County High School Troup County Earl Marsh Hancock County Susan Pound STAR DISTRICT 9: LaGrange High School John Hancock Academy System/High School Teacher STAR DISTRICT 6: Jefferson County Patricia Easterlin Calhoun County Deborah Goodson Jefferson County High School Calhoun County High School System/High School Teacher Baldwin County Cissy Lane Jenkins County Jean Gay Colquitt County Jana Wear John Milledge Academy Jenkins County High School Colquitt County High School Bibb County Stanford Brown Johnson County Elaine Moorman Decatur County Michelle Kendrick Central High School Johnson County High School Grace Christian Academy Bleckley County Charlie Porter Lincoln County Lena Robinson Dougherty County *Robert Trout Bleckley County High School Lincoln County High School Deerfield-Windsor School Butts County Christa Miller McDuffie County Anita Cummings Early County Shirley Alexander Jackson High School Thomson High School Early County High School Crawford County R. Jeff Ikner Richmond County Laura Harris Grady County Demetrius Harrison Crawford County High School Westminster Schools of Augusta Cairo High School Crisp County Susan McKinney Warren County Rebecca Reese Lee County Sheila Smith Crisp County High School Briarwood Academy Lee County High School Dodge County Charles Hernandez Washington County Michele Strickland Miller County Leigh Ann Walton Dodge County High School Brentwood School Miller County High School Dooly County Deborah Heckwolf Washington County Denise Pharis Mitchell County Betsy Caldwell Dooly County High School Washington County High School Westwood School Dublin City Terry Kennedy Wilkes County Marsha Willis Pelham City Chris Shaffer Dublin High School Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School Pelham City Schools Houston County *Pamela Stanescu STAR DISTRICT 8: Randolph County Carrie Pierce Randolph Southern School Warner Robins High School System/High School Teacher Jasper County Johnny Smith Bryan County Elizabeth Ergle Seminole County Samuel Beachem Piedmont Academy Richmond Hill High School Seminole County High School

14 PAGE ONE Magazine Stewart County David Davis Cook County Judy Green Brantley County Bonita Bullard Stewart-Quitman High School Cook County High School Brantley County High School Sumter County Judith Cunningham Echols County Lori Bennett Camden County Linda Williams Americus High School Echols County High School Camden County High School Terrell County Tina Ivey Irwin County Linda Kay Roberts Charlton County Vivian Dickerson Terrell Academy Irwin County High School Charlton County High School Thomas County Phil Danner Lanier County Linda Wood Glynn County Heath Horton Brookwood School Lanier County High School Glynn Academy Public High School Thomasville City Lynn Stowers Lowndes County Cindy Pistelli Jeff Davis County Martha Hurley Thomasville High School Valwood School Jeff Davis High School Worth County Karen Hancock Telfair County Sara Morrison McIntosh County Anna Gregory Worth County High School Telfair County High School McIntosh County Academy STAR DISTRICT 10: Tift County Mary Jane Tipper Pierce County *Anna Lewis Tift County High School Pierce County High School System/High School Teacher Ben Hill County Alvin Strom Sr. Turner County Vicki Sherling Ware County Lizzy Sutton Fitzgerald High School Turner County High School Ware County Magnet School Berrien County Michael Luke Valdosta City *Gnann Moser Wayne County Betty Benner Berrien High School Valdosta High School Wayne County High School ■ Brooks County Roberta Magnasco STAR DISTRICT 11: Brooks County High School Appling County Mary Ann Ellis * 2003 District Winner Clinch County Jerry Baldree Appling County High School ** 2003 State PAGE STAR Teacher Clinch County High School Bacon County John Callinan *** 2003 First Runner-Up State Coffee County Denise Steptoe Bacon County High School PAGE STAR Teacher Coffee County High School

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With a wide variety of markets, J. Smith Lanier & Co.will tailor a program to fit your specific needs. No cookie cutters here! Prior to your next renewal, contact J. Smith Lanier and mention you’re a PAGE member. So call today and start saving!

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PAGE ONE Magazine 15 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED

PAGE Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa and BellSouth Join Forces to Address Teacher Shortages

wo nationally known education associations and a Fortune 100 Tcommunication services corpora- tion with a long history of support for pub- lic education have joined forces in an effort to ensure that Georgia classrooms will be staffed by adequate numbers of highly qual- ified, well-prepared teachers now and in the future. Phi Delta Kappa Internation- al, the Professional Association of Geor- gia Educators (PAGE) Foundation and BellSouth Corporation will work togeth- er with local school boards and school North Gwinnett High School’s FEA in GA chapter, led by Advisor Jennifer Evans Garcia, was administrators to establish Future Educa- awarded a $1,000 grant from the PAGE Foundation through a donation by BellSouth. (Front row, left to right) PAGE Foundation President Tom Wommack, PAGE Foundation tors of America in Georgia (FEA in GA) Chair Curley M. Dossman Jr., Governor Sonny Perdue, FEA in GA advisor Jennifer Evans chapters in middle and high schools through- Garcia, BellSouth President of Georgia Operations Phil Jacobs, Gwinnett County Schools out the state. Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, BellSouth Business Systems Sales Manager Reva Walker, On March 5, in conjunction with the and Phi Delta Kappa International Director and District VII Representative Christian Chérau are joined by chapter members (second row, left to right) Denise Bruce, Keri McKee, Emily FEA in GA “Day on Capitol Hill,” the Oliver, Sara Waddle, Kristin Usher, Lauren Wilson, Keegan Soncha and (third row, left to PAGE Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa Inter- right) Matt Anderson, Emily Davis, Samantha Abdo, Megan Grabiak, Erica Centurioni, Elise national and BellSouth Corporation launched Tanner, Kate Thompson and Lacey Ngyuen following the presentation. a campaign to strengthen the state’s 63 existing FEA in GA chapters and ultimately participated in ceremonies to launch FEA School, led by advisor David Brown, were create new chapters in every high school in GA and presented grants to existing each the recipients of a $250 grant. in the state. Governor Sonny Perdue, Bell- FEA chapters committed to growth in serv- The mission of FEA is to provide mid- South President of Georgia Operations ices to aspiring teachers. Perdue, Jacobs Phil Jacobs, PAGE Foundation Chair Cur- and Chérau addressed the audience of more ley M. Dossman Jr., Phi Delta Kappa Inter- than 200 high school students, encourag- national Director and District VII Representative ing them to pursue careers in education. Christian Chérau and other dignitaries FEA in GA chapters statewide were encouraged to submit applications describ- ing how they would utilize the grants to increase membership and improve the quality of teacher preparation programs. North Gwinnett High School, led by advisor Jennifer Evans Garcia, was named the grand prize winner with a $1,000 grant. Jonesboro High School, led by advisor Cindy Hall, and Griffin High School, led by advisors Hugh Canter- bury and Wanda Stuckey, each won $500 Students peruse some of the scrapbook entries in the FEA in GA Annual grants. Jeff Davis High School, led by Scrapbook Contest. This year Lowndes advisor Deidra Tanner; Lowndes Coun- County High School’s FEA in GA chapter, During his remarks, Governor Sonny ty High School, led by advisor Anglia advised by Anglia Webb-Crosby, was Perdue encouraged the young people Webb-Crosby; Bacon County High School, named as Best Overall Presentation gathered for FEA in GA Day on Capitol Hill winner and Booker T. Washington High to pursue a career in the field of education led by advisors Dr. Gail Williams and School’s FEA in GA chapter, advised by and talked about the important role Gwen Tyre; and Burke County High Juanita Suttle, won in the Most Creative teachers play in our lives. category.

16 PAGE ONE Magazine dle and high school students with a mean- ingful and substantive means for the explo- ration of teaching as a viable career option. The program promotes the ideal of pro- fessionalism in education and works to off- set anticipated teacher shortages in Georgia and in other states. Continued increases in the Georgia school population through births and migration, class size reduction mandates and attrition of teachers through retirement and career change will increase the demand for teachers within the state, and FEA in GA is seen by its promoters as a means by which school systems can PAGE Foundation Chair Curley M. BellSouth President of Georgia Operations identify and develop capable future teach- Dossman Jr. (left) accepts a Senate Phil Jacobs drew from personal ers from among local students. resolution acknowledging FEA in GA Day experience as he described to students The day’s activities also included a panel on Capitol Hill from Senator Jack Hill the positive and profound influence (right) of Reidsville. several of his teachers had on his life.

discussion during which noted educators teacher and Phi Delta Kappa representa- shared insights and advice regarding careers tive; Bobbi Ford, former Georgia Teacher in education. Students were given the of the Year and a National Board Certi- opportunity to discuss their educational fied teacher; Kaysheila Mitchell, Nation- interests with panel participants Dr. Rose- al Board Certified teacher; and Joni mary DePaolo, president of Georgia Col- Newman, a teacher and Phi Delta Kappa lege and State University and PAGE representative. ■ Foundation trustee; Gloria Davis-McArthur,

Teacher and Phi Delta Kappa representative Gloria Davis-McArthur (second from left) fields a question from a student during the panel discussion. Joining Davis-McArthur to discuss issues and careers in the field of education were Lesley University Blue Ribbon Panel participants Joni Newman (far left), a teacher and Phi Delta Kappa representative; Bobbi Ford (second Master’s Degrees for Educators from right), former Georgia Teacher of the Year and a National Board Certified teacher; and Kaysheila Mitchell (far right), National Board Certified teacher. Dr. Lesley University is proud to offer Rosemary DePaolo (not pictured), president of Georgia College and State our Master of Education degree University and PAGE Foundation trustee, programs in Georgia! served as moderator. Creative Arts in Learning, M.Ed. Bring the excitement of the arts into your life and your classroom.

Technology in Education, M.Ed. Learn to integrate technology into any curriculum area with hands-on applications and practical research.

Literacy, M.Ed. Increase your knowledge and skills John Henson in curriculum development for the Regional Director language arts. (800) 278-9228 During the day, students were able to [email protected] visit with several recruiters from various Learn about our accelerated colleges to learn more about careers in weekend study format today! education. Here, North Georgia College representative Rebecca Schacht (far left) answers students’ questions. Accredited l Practical l Convenient

PAGE ONE Magazine 17 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED

Gwinnett County’s Berkmar High School Is 2003 PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon State Champion

his year’s PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon State demic Decathlon National Finals in Erie, Penn., in April. DeKalb Champion and Division I (large school) winner is Gwin- County’s Lakeside High School, coached by Mercedes Paxton Tnett County’s Berkmar High School, coached by IV Bray. was first runner-up in Division I, and Muscogee County’s Colum- Chatham County’s Savannah Arts Academy, coached by Mari- bus High School, coached by Lina Yates, Jan Carter and Tracy lyn Tuten, is the Division II (small school) champion. The Spencer, was second runner-up in Division I. In Division II, announcement came at the GAD Awards Banquet, the culmi- Richmond County’s A.R. Johnson, coached by Sherry Fleming, nating event of the two-day academic competition held Feb. 21 was first runner-up, with Carroll County’s Villa Rica High and 22 at Berkmar High School in Gwinnett County. Berkmar School, coached by Cynthia Cox and Sarah Triplett, as second High School’s team scored the highest points overall in Divi- runner-up. sions I and II and represented Georgia at the United States Aca- More than 200 high school students, representing 20 school districts, competed in the academic event. During the compe- tition, students were tested in six content areas: economics, art, language and literature, mathematics, social science and music. Berkmar High School Captures Division I In addition, students earned points individually in three com- Rookie Team of the Year at National Finals munication events: public speaking, a personal interview and a This year’s USAD National Championship competitions, written essay. The program is unique because each nine-mem- held on April 23-26 in Erie, Penn., were filled with challenge ber team is made up of three “A” students, three “B” students and excitement for Berkmar High School. Of the 37 teams and three “C” students. Each year the program features a dif- that participated, Berkmar clinched the spot as Division I ferent overall curriculum topic. The topic this year was “Under- Rookie Team of the Year. Coached by IV Bray, the team had standing the Natural World.” an admirable overall showing as well as individual accom- On Saturday afternoon, students participated in the exciting plishments including Patrick Bailey’s bronze medal in math Super Quiz Oral Relay, sponsored by Apple Computer Inc. Dur- and the team’s high scorer, Patrick Harazin, who won a $500 ing the relay, team members competed in a quiz bowl format, scholarship. keying in answers to questions regarding this year’s topic, “The Blue Planet—Beneath the Surface.” Cook County High, coached by Pat James and Becky Futch, was named this year’s Apple Computer Super Quiz Oral Relay Champion; Gwinnett Coun- ty’s Berkmar High School, coached by IV Bray, was first run- ner-up; and Polk County’s Cedartown High School, coached by Dale Tuck and Vicki Mayes; and Muscogee County’s Colum- bus High School, coached by Lina Yates and Jan Carter, tied for second runner-up. The decathlon ended with the PAGE GAD Awards Banquet, during which the highest-scoring students were awarded both team and individual medals in the various categories, and the state champion was announced. This year Howard Stroud, founding state director of the Georgia Academic Decathlon, was honored during a special presentation at the banquet. In honor of his pioneering efforts on behalf of the Decathlon, the trophy awarded to the state championship team was officially named the Howard Stroud Award. The PAGE Foundation, Apple Computer Inc., the Georgia Power Foundation, the Georgia Department of Education, the (Left to right) IV Bray, Stephen Israel, Jon Dees, Lively Lie, Coca-Cola Company and the Motorola Foundation sponsored Patrick Bailey, Catharine Luo, Patrick Harazin, Kevin Tan, Neerak the 17th annual PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon. Gwin- Verma and Ashiq Lakhani. nett County Schools served as host. ■

18 PAGE ONE Magazine Gwinnett County’s Berkmar High School decathletes celebrate their victory as the 2003 PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon State Champions. Team participants include (back row, left to right) (coach) IV Bray, Kevin Tan, Neeraj Verma, Patrick Bailey, Stephen Israel, Ashiq Lakani, Jon Dees and (front row, left to right) Catharine Luo, Patrick Harazin and Lively Lie.

PAGE Foundation President Tom Wommack (right) offers his congratulations to Georgia Academic Decathlon Founding State Director Howard Stroud (left) following the announcement that the trophy awarded to the state championship team has been designated the Howard Stroud Award.

The audience at the GAD Banquet heard prepared speech presentations by Central High School’s Jayanthi Narain (above) in the honors division, Cedartown High School’s Brandon Crowley (upper right) in the scholastic division and Columbus High School’s Jeff Nelson (lower right) in the varsity division. Narain also received an award for highest overall individual score in the honors division; Jeff Nelson was also honored as having the highest overall individual score in the varsity division.

PAGE ONE Magazine 19 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED 2003 PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon continued

Chatham County’s Savannah Arts Academy was named the Division II (small school) Decathlon Champion. Team members include (back row, left to right) Kathryn Bernard, Mason Lai, Monika Warchol, Philip Freeman, Hayden Barnes, Evan Painter and (front row, left to right) Marilyn Tuten (coach) and Robbi Main (not pictured, Amber Montgomery).

Presenters Tamara Coleman Nash, senior manager, community programs, Georgia-Pacific Corporation (far left) and (far right) Tom Wommack, PAGE Foundation president, are joined by DeKalb County’s Lakeside High School, first runner-up in Division I (large schools). Team members are (back row, left to right) William Flanders, Kerry Hart and (front row, left to right) Mercedes Paxton (coach), Melissa Waitsman, Cathryn Testerman, Marci Halberg, Dan Kasriel, Michael Frisbie and David Chapman.

First runner-up in Division II (small schools) was Richmond County’s A.R. Johnson High School. Team members include (back row, left to right) Kristoffer Thompson, Drew Petry, Robert Greene, Richard Wirth and Sherry Fleming (coach) and (front row, left to right) Perry Zheng, Jenelle Walker, Natascha Dailey, Amanda Khidirow and Ashley Dunn. Khidirov was also recognized as having the highest overall individual score in the scholastic division.

Cook County High decathletes, coached by Pat James and Becky Futch, accepted their award as this year’s Apple Computer Super Quiz Oral Relay Champion. Pictured left to right are (back row) Becky Futch (coach), Pat James (coach), Ian Rowswell, Shane Martin, Melissa Murdoch, Rebecca Fussell, Jeff Sowell, Justin Stedham and Josh Cowart, and (front row) Christa Carroll, Brandon Ratts, Christine Newman, Apple Computer Senior Engineer Tommy Hann (presenter), Ceasar Lopez and Nicole Futch (mascot).

20 PAGE ONE Magazine UGA SPAGE Hosts Interview Clinic Students learn interview tips and strategies from local school personnel

UGA students listen as panelists answer their Valdon Daniel, Principal of Burney-Harris-Lyons questions about interviewing strategies. Middle School in Clarke County n Feb. 19, the University of Georgia Student PAGE (SPAGE) chapter host- ed an interview clinic for students preparing to find that perfect teaching job. OAfter being treated to a complimentary pizza dinner, the standing-room-only crowd was given a brief overview of SPAGE and its benefits by PAGE Director of Stu- dent Groups Mary Ruth Oliver. Oliver was followed by Ken Hansing, student affairs counselor for UGA’s Career Center, who briefed the students on the résumé services offered by his department. Students listened to interview tips from a panel of local school personnel. The pan- elists included Dr. George Dougherty, principal of Oglethorpe County Elementary School; Dr. Peggy Dagley, principal of Danielsville Elementary School in Madison County; Valdon Daniel, principal of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Clarke County; and Dr. Gayle Rogers, personnel director for Clarke County Schools. The panel was moderated by Jimmy Jordan, PAGE membership services representative for District 10. Panelists provided advice on topics ranging from interview attire to pos- Dr. Gayle Rogers, personnel director for Clarke County Schools, offering advice to sible interview questions. In addition to offering their comments, panelists fielded the students questions from the audience. The students were pleased with the insight and infor- mation provided in the session. Serving as hostesses for the evening were UGA SPAGE officers Mandy Gunter and Ellen Marett and UGA SPAGE advisor Ansley Greene, who teaches at Cleveland Road Elementary School in Clarke County. ■

PAGE Foundation FEA in GA to Hold First Annual Summer Institute for Prospective Teachers

uture Educators of America in Georgia (FEA in GA) will and Georgia College and State University, will feature keynote hold its first annual Summer Institute for Prospective speakers such as Lorraine Johnson, 2003 Georgia Teacher of the FTeachers at Georgia College and State University (GC&SU) Year and National Teacher of the Year finalist, Chauncey Veatch, in Milledgeville on June 9-11, 2003. Modeled after Phi Delta 2002 National Teacher of the Year, Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, pres- Kappa International's (PDK) National Summer Institute, the ident of GC&SU and a PAGE Foundation trustee, Phil Jacobs, three-day event will offer high school students the opportuni- BellSouth President of Georgia Operations and others. ty to explore teaching as a career. In addition, the Institute will Invitations are being mailed to all FEA in GA chapters. If provide sessions to both students and FEA advisors that will you feel your FEA chapter is not on our mailing list and would focus on methods to build and strengthen FEA in GA chapters. like to know more about the Institute, please contact state FEA The Summer Institute, sponsored by the PAGE Foundation, Director Mary Ruth Oliver at [email protected] BellSouth, The UPS Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa International or (888) 413-1078. ■

PAGE ONE Magazine 21 FOUNDATION NEWS CONTINUED PAGE Foundation Honors West Georgia SPAGE Meriwether County Chapter Gives Books to Educator with Special Local Children STAR Award lint River Academy educator Kay s part of its ongoing Holiday Book Give-Away, the State Barnes, of Woodbury, was present- University of West Georgia (SUWG) chapter of SPAGE ed with a special award at the recent- Ahosted two groups of local students on campus in Carroll- Fly held PAGE STAR (Student Teacher ton last December. Each of the 18 youngsters who attended received Achievement Recognition) District 5 $25 worth of self-selected books to read and enjoy. One group of Banquet in Columbus, Ga. PAGE STAR 13 came from New Hope Children’s Village and the other group, students are chosen on the basis of their shown below, was from the Carrollton Housing Authority AEP SAT scores and class ranking. The stu- (Abstinence Education Program). In addition, Toys for Tots in Car- ■ dent then chooses the teacher who has rollton received children’s books valued at $80. had the most impact on his/her academic career. Barnes has, once again, been hon- Kay Barnes Pictured right with their new books are (left to right): Brien ored as a STAR teacher by one of her students, thus mark- Thomas, Antonio North, ing the 20th such recognition during her teaching career. Rickey Long, LaQuarn North Barnes was presented with a clock commemorating her out- and Casey Mitchell. The two faculty advisors for SPAGE standing achievement. The recognition event was coordi- are Dr. Jill Mizell and Dr. Ron nated by District Chair Sue Nolan of EXIDE Technologies, Reigner, both from the located in Columbus, Ga. Now in its 45th year, the STAR Department of Curriculum program has honored more than 18,500 students and their and Instruction in the College ■ of Education at SUWG. teachers for academic excellence.

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22 PAGE ONE Magazine Congratulations 2003 PAGE Retiring PAGE Members! Fall Legislative Rallies Thursday, Sept. 25 Saturday, Oct. 25 tay in touch with your colleagues East Central Georgia Central Georgia and your profession through mem- Thomson High School, Bonaire Middle School, Sbership in the same great profes- McDuffie County, Thomson Houston County, Bonaire sional association you have been a part 5-8 p.m. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. of all these years. Join PAGE as a retired member—edu- Thursday, Oct. 2 9-10 a.m. cator or paraprofessional—for $25 annu- Southeast Georgia Registration/Entertainment ally or $100 for a lifetime membership. Sybil’s Restaurant, Jesup You will get all of the outstanding bene- 5-8 p.m. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. fits of PAGE membership (minus the lia- State School Superintendent bility insurance). Thursday, Oct. 9 Kathy Cox and Staff (Invited) Call the PAGE Member Services depart- North Georgia ment at (800) 334-6861 for an applica- Sugar Hill Elementary School, 12-2 p.m., tion. Hall County, Gainesville Lunch 5-8 p.m. Governor Sonny Perdue (Invited)

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PAGE ONE Magazine 23 PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS

Looping: A Different View of Classroom Organization

BY DR. EDIE BELDEN

ooping, the practice of advancing the personality of their teacher. students beyond curricu- a teacher or team of teachers from Teachers estimate that they lum and instruction. The Lone grade level to the next with a gain approximately one month support some students class, has become popular in Europe, to six weeks of instructional receive from their class- Japan and Australia over the past sever- time in the second year because mates and teacher(s) is al decades. The teacher(s) and the class there is no new teacher/stu- often the most stabilizing move as a unit to the next grade level. dent adjustment period. influence in their lives. This type of classroom organization was Knowing his/her students The classroom is where described in 1913 by the U.S. Depart- greatly improves a teacher’s they can build self-confi- ment of Education and has subsequent- ability to plan and teach les- dence, reduce their per- ly been named teacher rotation, two-cycle sons and provides more academic conti- sonal anxiety and build camaraderie because teaching, student-teacher progression and nuity for students. Curriculum can be of the shared experiences. multi-year instruction. At the end of the tailored to fit individual needs, and instruc- Lastly, looping focuses on the individ- pre-determined cycle, the teacher or team tional strategies like thematic units, coop- ual classroom instead of the entire school goes back to the beginning grade level in erative learning and learning centers can so implementation is easy. It is not nec- the loop cycle and starts with a new class. be used. Teachers have more flexibility in essary for an entire grade or an entire The loop cycle can be any length, but determining when a concept should be school to participate. All that is necessary the most common in the United States introduced and can better estimate the for a looping class to be established is two is two years. In Europe, particularly Italy classroom time needed for instruction. If teachers or a team of teachers that agree and Germany, a teacher will stay with a a student does not acquire a concept or to teach the same students for a pre-deter- class for four to eight years. Three- and skill when it is first taught, there is time mined number of years. No special rooms, four-year loops are usually practiced in for a second teaching of the skill or con- curricula, equipment or supplies are Japan. cept. Looping requires a teacher to become needed. With many children coming to school familiar with content and skills beyond www.ascd.org/readingroom/edup- lacking stable family relationships and the grade level he/she is teaching because date/1998/1mar.html; www.post- few opportunities to develop a lasting and the range of student academic achieve- gazette.com/regionstate/2001003loop3.asp; trusting relationship with an adult, the ment broadens over the looping cycle. www.education-world.com/a_admin120.shtml; concept of looping has value both as a Teachers also report that social inter- academics.uww.edu/cni/Looping.html; way to improve learning and to strength- actions, discipline, classroom participa- K. Rasmussen, Looping: Discovering the en social and psychological bonds with tion and feelings of trust among the students Benefits of Multiyear Teaching, Educa- students. and with the teacher are improved. Stu- tion Update, 40, March, 1998. dents feel safer because they know their Advantages of Looping classmates and they know their teacher. Disadvantages of Looping Teachers involved in this type of class- Students are more likely to ask questions Looping, like other instructional prac- room organization cite many benefits. when they don’t understand the materi- tices, also has its disadvantages and lim- One of the greatest advantages is the extra al because of their comfort level with and itations. The primary concern parents time it gives teacher(s) and students to acceptance of each other. Teachers often have is that there will be a mismatch know each other. In looping, proponents report that students confide in them about between the teacher and the student. Mis- argue that teachers can better know the family matters, sibling problems and their matches occur when: (1) either the stu- weakness and strengths of students and successes and disappointments. Discipline dent or teacher or both have strong more easily assess the best learning style generally improves because students under- personality traits, (2) the instructional for each student. It is also thought that stand the limits of behavior and the con- style of the teacher does not complement teachers can also more easily determine sequences of misbehavior. Because students the student’s learning style and (3) the whether each student's learning of skills are with the same teacher the next year, teacher’s breadth of expertise does not and concepts is emerging, in progress or the value of correcting one’s behavior soon encompass the wide range of learning mastered. Students can also better under- becomes evident to even the youngest of experiences needed by a classroom of stu- stand their teachers. They become famil- learners. dents over multiple years. The greatest iar with classroom rules, routines, grading The concept of staying with the same concern of teachers is that they will have procedures, instructional strategies and classmates for two years has benefits for a difficult student and/or parent(s) that

24 PAGE ONE Magazine must be dealt with for multiple years. is the product of teachers’ perceptions who must be committed to the idea of loop- Inexperienced teachers have concerns have been involved in this type of class- ing and work with the community, espe- about the breadth of content knowledge, room organization. Teachers consistently cially the parents of the students in the the repertoire of teaching and classroom report that stronger bonds are made with looping class, in understanding that grade skills and the pacing of instruction for students and their families which improves levels are not the measuring sticks of optimum learning. students’ attitudes towards learning, atten- learning. Students also have concerns. Newcomers dance and retention in school. Teachers Looping must reflect the diversity of often find it difficult to become part of perceive they do a better job of individu- the school and community. Looping class- the group. Class experiences like class alizing instruction and in meeting psy- rooms should not be targeted toward the jokes, favorite class stories or books and chological and emotional needs because gifted, remedial or problematic students. playground interactions create an esprit they know personal information about Because of the instructional challenges de corps among classmates that impedes each student that may impact his/her life associated with grade-specific curriculum, acceptance of new students into the group. and readiness to learn. standards and assessment, most looping A student coming into a class after a year classrooms in the United States are a two- or more of looping may have difficulty Beginning Looping in a School year cycle. in forming relationships with other stu- Looping in a school should be presented dents because of cliques and friendship as an option and not a requirement for Looping and Educational Reform circles. Students also report that they were students, teachers and parents. Alterna- Educators today are trying to meet the not allowed the opportunity to get to tives should be established before the class needs of the most diverse student popu- know other students in their same grade begins for any student wishing to trans- lation in history. Looping is not the con- because they were always with the class- fer out of the class. If there is a demand summate answer to educational reform, mates within their loop. Students in upper for looping, a waiting list of students and but it does provide an instructional design elementary and middle school felt loop- procedures for joining the looping class that is useful in meeting some students’ ing did not facilitate the making of friends should be established. needs. There is no one answer to pro- during school hours and school activities. Teachers should be interviewed and viding an education for all students. Dif- They did not have friends outside their expectations of the teacher to commit ferent instructional designs, such as looping, class to talk with during lunch or in the to the full cycle of looping explained. must be tried and researched. Hopeful- media center. They may need to be involved in staff ly, as the body of research grows, educa- Students also report feeling abandoned development that acquaints them with tors will be able to determine which when a teacher is moved to another school, the stages of child development or the practices work best in a given set of cir- takes another position or leaves for per- next grade level’s curriculum. Principals cumstances. ■ sonal reasons before the looping cycle is complete. Some express concern about adjusting to a larger environment, e.g. middle school or a new grade that does not have looping. Both teachers and stu- Troy State University dents express feelings of difficulty in sep- arating at the end of the looping cycle. www.post-gazette.com/region- Phenix City Campus state/20001003loop3.asp; www.ericfa- cility.net/ericdigests/ed414098.html; Joan Gaustad, “Implementing Looping,” Eric Digest, December 1998, EDO-EA- Degree Programs by: 98-7; C. Forsten, J. Grant, and I. Richard- son, Multiage and Looping: Borrowing Tape ~ Weekends ~ Evenings from the Past, NAESP Principal Maga- zine, March 1999.

Review of the Research M.S. Elementary Education There is limited research on looping and a dearth of quantitative research at Ed.S. Elementary Education the statistically significant .05 level sup- (Qualifies for certification in Georgia & Alabama) porting cognitive or affective growth in children who have been part of a looping program. Most of the research on loop- For information contact: ing has been included in research on mul- Jack Miller, Dir. of Distance Learning tiage grouping, continuous progress programs Toll-free (866) 876-9787 ext 129 and developmentally appropriate curric- Email [email protected] ula; therefore, the pluses and minuses of looping cannot be specifically identified. www.tsupc.edu Most of the research supporting looping

PAGE ONE Magazine 25 RESEARCH Recruiting Quality Teachers and Administrators in Georgia A Professorial Look at Georgia’s Teacher Shortage

BY DR. MICHAEL D. RICHARDSON & DR. T. C. CHAN

tudies indicate a serious nationwide quate distribution of the school districts findings are in agreement with national shortage of quality teachers and school by size and growth. surveys conducted in the last two years. administrators. Georgia is no excep- Participating school districts respond- S Recruiting Practices of School Districts tion and is experiencing the same prob- ed to a researcher-designed survey about lem. Teachers are in great demand in areas basic facts and figures of school district A review of the professional literature of mathematics, science and special edu- employment practices. identified eight techniques most frequently cation. Both teachers and administrators used by school districts in recruiting teach- at the high school level are more difficult Difficulties in Recruitment ers and administrators. The recruitment to recruit than K-8 personnel. School district staffs were asked to techniques are newspaper/magazine job An investigation of how Georgia school respond to the extent of difficulty in advertisement, online job advertisements, districts are addressing the problem of recruiting teachers and administrators at searching online resumés, professional teacher and administrator shortages and different school levels. The data indicate associations, job fairs, school district web- what recruitment techniques are being used recruitment of teachers and administra- sites, in-house job announcements and to attract educators is the focus of this tors at the high school level is more dif- recruitment at universities. Data from this study. ficult than at the middle and elementary study indicate that the three most fre- This research study was conducted dur- levels, and it is more difficult to recruit quently used recruitment techniques by ing the 2000-2001 school year, with 66 teachers than administrators at all levels. Georgia school districts are online job of the 180 school districts in Georgia par- The teaching areas identified by district advertisements (93.9 percent), recruit- ticipating. The school districts’ enroll- level staff as being the most difficult areas ment at universities (83.3 percent) and ments ranged from 291 to 116,670. Even in which to recruit teachers are special edu- in-house job announcements (80.3 per- though only one-third of the school dis- cation, science, mathematics, foreign lan- cent). As shown by the data, Georgia tricts responded, they represent an ade- guage and language arts (Chart 1). These recruitment practices mirror national prac- tices, including a high utilization of tech- nology (Chart 2).

Incentives Offered by School Districts To attract quality teachers and school administrators, school districts offer incen- tives to potential candidates in addition to basic salaries as a significant part of their recruitment plan. Some of these incentives include medical insurance, den- tal insurance, professional liability cov- erage, retirement plan, local salary supplement, professional travel fund, vacation leave, sick leave, sabbatical leave, personal leave, merit pay, moving expenses, housing allowance, bonus pay, school district vehi- cles and professional development oppor- tunities. For purposes of this research study, Georgia school district staffs were asked to identify all the incentives used as part of their recruitment effort. The

26 PAGE ONE Magazine most frequently identified incentives were local salary supplement (90.9 percent), sick leave (90.9 percent), personal leave (83.3 percent), retirement plan (81.8 per- cent), medical insurance (80.3 percent), and professional development opportu- nities (80.3 percent) (Chart 3).

Strategies to Address Teacher and Administrator Shortages Some school districts are using addi- tional recruitment strategies to address the problem of teacher and administra- tor shortages. The most frequently report- ed strategy reported by school districts is the “grow-our-own plan,” which is being used or is under consideration for use by 63.6 percent of the school districts par- ticipating in the study. School district offi- cials reported that this strategy offered more reliable results. Other strategies used to attract professional personnel are salary school year, a total of 198 administrators administrators are often assigned to assume increases (25.8 percent), enhancement of retired (118) and resigned (80), but only administrative duties at the school level. benefits (19.7 percent), lowering the selec- 158 new administrators were hired as tion criteria (4.5 percent) and use of head- replacements. This reduction in force is Summary hunters (1.5 percent). As evidenced by due to budgetary constraints, difficulty School districts find it more difficult the data, most school districts seem unwill- in identifying qualified candidates for to recruit teachers than school adminis- ing to lower their selection criteria in school administrative positions and pub- trators, especially teachers in critical areas. recruiting qualified teachers and admin- lic pressure to downsize the administra- Difficulty in recruiting increases as the istrators and would rather manage their tive structure. To manage this shortage of school level goes up. Common practices own recruitment rather than assign it to administrative assistance, central office employed by school districts in recruit- an external headhunter. Other ways of addressing the shortage problem include hiring teachers and admin- istrators through alternative and proba- Owning a home just got easier for teachers tionary certification, creating a positive working environment to support teach- Keller Williams Realty and Bank of ing, administration and scheduling recruit- America are proud to announce our ing activities early in the school year. support of Atlanta’s Educators with a one-stop shop for Home Pur- Recruiting Trends in Georgia chasers and Sellers. Public Schools Trends for recruiting teachers and admin- istrators are noticeable when the data from • Little or no down payment required the participating school districts are ana- • All closing costs can come from a gift or other sources lyzed. The school districts are more like- • More flexible credit guidelines than conventional mortgages so even recent graduates ly to recruit graduates of Georgia universities. without a credit history can qualify Even though the tendency is not strong • No income or property location restrictions (54.7 percent recruited teachers and 52.2 With Keller Williams and Buyer Agency, we work for you; not the seller, and our fees percent recruited administrators), the are paid for by the seller when the transaction closes. findings indicate that Georgia graduates with education majors stand a better Give us a call today. chance of employment than those edu- Rick Delvasto, Lois Fox Joyce Carter cated outside of the state. Account Executive Keller Williams Keller Williams The number of teachers being hired 770-597-1475 678-819-6548 678-819-6547 each year is increasing. The new teachers pager 1-866-429-6756 are hired to replace retired and resigned VM: 404-219-7866 personnel, as well as to meet the needs of To be eligible for this program, one of the borrowers must be a teacher or school admin- growth and class-size mandates. In con- istrator in a public or private school (K-12). Programs, rates, terms and conditions are trast, school districts recruited fewer school subject to change without notice. BOAM-0204 C 6/2001 administrators last year. In the 2000-2001

PAGE ONE Magazine 27 ing teachers and administrators are online cationworld.com/a_admin/admin197a.shtml) job advertisement, in-house job announce- Fenwick, L. & Pierce, M. C. (2001). ment and recruitment at universities. The Principal Shortage: Crisis or Oppor- Recruitment incentives offered by school tunity. Principal, 80(4). (Available online districts seem to focus on increasing local at www.naesp.org/comm/p0301a.htm) salary supplements and benefits. Despite Georgia Department of Education these efforts, most of the school districts (2002). Teacher shortage areas for feder- agree that the best strategy for recruiting al loan purposes. (Available online at qualified teachers and administrators is www.gadoe.org) to grow their own. While school districts National Association of Secondary in Georgia plan to hire more teachers, the School Principals (2002). Principal Short- tendency to hire fewer administrators is age Drives Creation of New Innovative likely in the immediate future. Hiring Training and Technical Assistance Pro- fewer administrators is the result of insti- grams. (Available online at www.princi- tutional reorganization, but with con- pals.org/publicaffair/prin_shrt.htm) tinued enrollment growth in Georgia, National Education Association. (2002). more school administrators will be need- Attracting and Keeping Quality Teach- ed. Trends and practices displayed by ers. (Available online at www.nea.org/ school districts in Georgia to recruit qual- teachershortage) ity teachers and administrators are clear This research study was conducted by indications that Georgia school districts Drs. Michael D. Richardson and T.C. have found their own unique ways to Chan. They are solely responsible for the address the problem of teacher and admin- research design, collection of data and istrator shortages. reported findings. Any questions or com- ments about the study should be emailed Selected Bibliography directly to them at the following address- Bell, E. (2001, September 23). Schools’ es: [email protected] and/or tchan@ken- principal shortage: Fewer teachers want nesaw.edu. the job’s growing challenges. San Fran- cisco Chronicle. (Available online at Introducing the Researchers www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? Dr. Michael D. Richardson, professor of file=/chronicle archive/2001/09/23/ educational leadership and coordinator of MN170314.DTL) doctoral program, Georgia Southern Uni- Cromwell, S. (2002, June 11). The versity, was a classroom teacher, high school Teacher Shortage: Solutions That Work. principal and curriculum director of pub- Education World. (Available online at lic school systems in Tennessee. He is inter- www.education-world.com/a_admin/ ested in research on the principalship, and admin274.shtml) administrative and leadership theories. Education World (2000, November 1). Dr. T. C. Chan, professor of education- From the principal files: The Principal al leadership and coordinator of doctoral Shortage—What Can Schools Do To program, Kennesaw State University, was Attract A New Generation Of School a classroom teacher, an assistant school prin- Leaders? (Available online at www.edu- cipal, a school principal and a central office administrator. His research interests include See the next issue of educational planning, facility planning, PAGE ONE for more information school business administration, school finance on teacher retention. and international education. ■

28 PAGE ONE Magazine PAGE FORUM

Why Did You Become a Teacher? BY MICHELLE GUNNIN

have a question for you. Why did you become a freely to be a part of the world around them. You teacher? Think about it for a moment. If you had never know, some people in the world might even Ito answer that question, what would your answer embrace students and join us in learning how to be? change our world. The answer would vary from person to person. There I know it sounds good, but in reality it will never probably wouldn’t be many who say that it was for the happen, right? I don’t know about you, but I am sick of money or the prestige. Some may answer job security; there everyone talking about how to “fix” us. Who would know bet- will always be a need for teachers. That is a true statement ter how to fix public education than public educators? I, for and a valid answer. But I think the most common answer one, am tired of waiting for someone else to come up with anoth- for those of us who teach would be: “To make a difference in er plan of improvement for my school and me. Let’s take mat- the lives of children.” It may be that you have forgotten that ters into our own hands and change the way we educate students. part of the job over the years, but if you try to brush the cob- Let’s teach them how to be productive members of society. webs off and remember your younger, more idealistic days, you I admit it. I’ve been to a conference on democratic learning. can still feel the desire to change the world. I know what you’re thinking because we’ve all been to workshops, However, over time reality sets in and we lose sight of why we become pumped up and then had to come back to reality. How started this job in the first place. Burnout comes along, and we long will this last, you ask? How long before we go back to the realize we are tired. We are overworked and underpaid. We are status quo? I can relate to those negative, hopeless questions. expected to work miracles with students who aren’t motivated However, at this conference I somehow got a glimpse of the big- to learn without the help or support of parents. We are lost in ger picture. I was able to see past Quality Core Curriculum for paperwork and test scores. Our society seems to be leading our a moment and think outside the box. And I have to admit it felt students away from the principles we are trying to teach. Then good—a little unfamiliar but good nonetheless. I saw with clar- the politicians step in and try to “fix” the educational system— ity for a short moment. To be honest I don’t know if democrat- without even consulting those of us who work in it day in and ic learning is the solution, but I do know that if we quit trying day out. According to them, it seems maybe we teachers are part new things, our students and ultimately our country will suffer of, or maybe even all of, the problem. It’s enough to make you terrible consequences. pull your hair out if you have any left. With all of this, it is easy OK, think about the students you have right now leading our to lose sight of the big picture—teaching and training children country someday. See what I mean? Scary, isn’t it? If we don’t try to be successful and productive adults who contribute to socie- to teach students to think for themselves instead of relying on ty. As teachers we need to let our students know that learning us to tell them what to do and what to think, then we are sunk. can be fun and that education has a greater purpose than just As parents, that’s what we want for our own children. We want increasing test scores. them to learn to be independent. That’s why we let them make Those who make the policies and laws have limited our vision. their own peanut butter sandwiches. Yes, we could do it quick- We have been put into a box. We have a choice as to how we can er, and with much less trouble and mess, but then they will never handle being in this box. We can sit here and complain about learn—and the more they practice the less mess they make. the box to each other. Of course, we’re all in the box together Besides, they will be proud when they can say, “I did it myself.” and none of us seem to be trying to get out, but somehow it just I can still see the smile on my son’s peanut butter-covered face. feels better to share the misery. Or we can sit down in the box I believe democratic learning teaches independent thinking, and refuse to follow the rules of the box. We most likely will be which fuels higher thinking skills. I believe democratic learning kicked out of the box if we make this choice. Another choice we is a start to moving education in the right direction. Better yet, have is to quietly go about making adjustments to fit into the it is developed, researched and proven by educators, not politi- box and go on with our teaching even if it is limited. Or, my per- cians. It is probably being used in your own classroom already. sonal favorite, we can yell and scream at the people who put us It doesn’t mean that you will necessarily have to change every- in this box. But don’t forget they are so busy that they rarely hear thing you do, only the way you look at things. This might be a screaming. Somehow though, it just feels better to blame some- way out of the box. And if we can get ourselves out of the box, one else. Another choice is to wait for one of them to remove our students will be out of the box too. Think about it and don’t the box or at least change it a little to make it a better box. That close it out right away; give it a chance. Remember what it felt could take forever and the changes they make never last very long like to want to make a difference? All I ask is that you read this anyway. Last but not least, we could choose to get ourselves out article with an open mind. Highlight three sentences, quotes or of the box. We could work together with a plan that would get phrases that stand out to you. Maybe we can get out of this box rid of the box altogether. It would benefit not only those of us after all. ■ who teach in the box but also those who learn in the box. It Michelle Gunnin is a fourth-grade teacher at White Intermediate would open the box up so both teachers and students could move School in White County.

PAGE ONE Magazine 29 PAGE MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Two PAGE Members Selected for DEF’s including one that received national hon- out an average of 650 books a day. In one 2003 Foundation Teacher Award ors. He has been active in the League of day 1,025 books were checked out. At PAGE members Marla Pridgen and Professional Schools and is a member of Beaverbrook there is a “reading frenzy” Ken Russell were two of three Dalton the Dalton school district’s “Work- nearly every day. public school teachers named ing on the Work” Team, a group The members of the 2002-2003 South- as 2003 Foundation Teachers of teacher leaders whose focus is ern Association of Colleges and Schools by the Dalton Education Foun- school reform. Prior to joining review team found Beaverbrook Elemen- dation at a recognition cere- the staff at DHS, Russell taught tary School to be an excellent school with mony Feb. 18 at City Park School. in Gordon County. a dedicated faculty and staff, who hold the As Foundation Teachers, Prid- educational welfare of all their students as gen and Russell each received a Beaverbrook Elementary the top priority in their improvement efforts. $1,500 grant and a plaque from Awarded National Certifica- Today, Beaverbrook has 28 model class- the local public education foun- tion of Reading Renaissance rooms, and 24 master classrooms and the dation. Master School for Third Year Ken Russell overall community and parent involve- Pridgen, who has taught in On Jan. 30 the staff and stu- ment is reflective of a community that cares Dalton Public Schools for eight dents of Beaverbrook Elemen- about the quality of the school and takes years, following brief stints in tary School were awarded the pride in its achievement. It is apparent that Gray, Ga., and Lowell, N.C., national certification of Read- Beaverbrook Elementary embraces the was cited for her seamless tran- ing Renaissance Master School Griffin-Spalding school system’s motto sition from Brookwood School for the third year in a row from “Children first—always.” to Roan Street School. Currently Renaissance Learning in Madi- a third-grade teacher at Roan, son, Wis. Of the more than Georgia Middle School Association she has taught both third and 55,000 schools across the nation Region Two Team of the Year fourth grades at Brookwood, that participated in the Accel- The Georgia Middle School Associa- where she was voted “Teacher Marla Pridgen erated Reader/Reading Renais- tion (GMSA) selected the seventh-grade of the Year” by her peers. sance program, Beaverbrook academic team from Richards Middle According to her principal who nomi- ranked first in Georgia and 13th in the School, Muscogee County, as its Region nated her for the award, “Marla is just one nation. Two Team of the Year. of those teachers you would like to have Louise Warren, PAGE member and The team, consisting of Cindy Cordero, 20 of.” She has used her positive attitude media specialist with 32 years of experi- Lori Wimmer, Mitzi Moorhead and Tim- and collegial approach to encourage and ence, said, “I’ve never seen students read othy Mullen, was selected from many support three new teachers at her grade so much. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve other nominees due to the quality and vari- level. For the past four years, Pridgen has ever seen. Reading Renaissance has made ety of instruction. The letter from GMSA been chosen to teach in the Foundation’s a HUGE difference in our reading pro- stated, “You are a wonderful example of Summer Scholars’ Camp. She serves on gram. One of the major things I love about what middle level education can be when the In-School Cadre Team for reading Reading Renaissance is that teachers approach their instruction at Roan and is a certified teacher it’s for all students! We work with enthusiasm, support specialist. The award winner serves have 100 percent partici- commitment and a high in other positions as well, including Roan pation. We have used Accel- level of energy and cre- School’s Art Team and Parent/Communi- erated Reader for seven ativity.” They attended ty Team. years and expanded it to the GMSA Conference In 2001 Pridgen was among 20 educa- Reading Renaissance for in Savannah, Ga., on Feb. tors selected to participate in the Dalton the past three years.” 21, where they received Education Foundation’s Robert D. Cox Last year the CRCT read- their award. Leadership and Vision Institute, an 18- ing test scores at Beaver- The Richards Middle School Mullen is currently a month leadership development experience brook showed that 96 seventh-grade teaching team National Board Certified (pictured left to right) Cindy for Dalton teachers and administrators. percent of first-graders, 93 Cordero, Lori Wimmer, Mitzi teacher. Cordero, Moor- For the past 10 years, Ken Russell has percent of second-graders, Moorhead and Timothy Mullen. head and Wimmer are served on the faculty of Dalton High School 83 percent of third-graders, presently seeking Nation- as a social studies teacher. His assistant prin- 86 percent of fourth-graders and 89 per- al Board Certification. cipal says of him, “He has a way of getting cent of fifth-graders met or exceeded expec- the best from his students and exposing tations. PAGE Member Jennie Lopez Named them to the best. He sets high standards An additional benefit of the Reading DEF’s Tom Jones “Educator of the Year for his students and himself, which is obvi- Renaissance program is that the school’s She’s not “Jenny from the Block.” This ous by his being one of our National Board library circulation has skyrocketed. Cir- Jennie Lopez is “Jennie from the Class- Certified teachers.” Russell has developed culation went from 55,000 in 1999 to room” and for her exemplary efforts as numerous “Service Learning Projects,” 92,685 in 2002. The 620 students check fifth-grade Language Academy teacher at

30 PAGE ONE Magazine Dalton’s City Park School, this PAGE mem- “I strongly set and communicate high pos- County Recreation Department. ber has been named the Dalton Education itive expectations to my students and par- Foundation’s 2003 Tom Jones Educator ents. I know from the very beginning of Local High School Teacher Honored for of the Year. The announcement was made the school year my students will be suc- Academic Excellence on Feb. 18 during faculty and staff appre- cessful and obtain greater academic per- RadioShack Corporation has presented ciation activities sponsored by the foun- formance.” As a result of her engaging a 2003 RadioShack National Teacher Award dation and held at the City Park School teaching style, her class has one of the most (RSNTA) to Susan Presley, technology auditorium. consistently high attendance teacher at North Cobb High Lopez, a six-year veteran of the Dalton records in the school system. School in Kennesaw, GA. Pres- public school system, is credited with cre- Lopez graduated from the Uni- ley received a $3,000 cash award ating a safe and nurturing environment versity of Puerto Rico with a and was among 110 educators where students new to this country and bachelor’s degree in education. receiving RadioShack Nation- culture can learn academics at the same She received a master’s degree in al Teacher Awards this year for time they are learning English. “My stu- education from Lee University demonstrating a commitment dents come from different backgrounds, and an education specialist degree to academic excellence in math- but all have some things in common,” says from Lincoln Memorial Uni- ematics, science or technology. Lopez, who taught previously in Califor- versity. In addition to her teach- In addition, North Cobb nia and in her native Puerto Rico. “They ing duties, she serves as a member Susan Presley High School will receive a $500 all speak Spanish very well. They have a of the City Park School Coun- RadioShack Tech Tool Grant. great desire to learn English. And they all cil as well as on the school and district tech- The school may use the grant to buy equip- want to be successful.” nology committee and other district-wide ment, software or supplies to enhance the “Research indicates it takes five to seven committees. She has previously been hon- learning experience for students in the class- years to learn a language; I have ored with the Disney American room. only 10 months to do this,” Teacher Award and as Fort Hill “The RadioShack National Teacher she says. “Since most of my School Teacher of the Year. She Award is a huge blessing,” Presley said. “It parents do not speak English, was recently accepted to teach confirms to me that I’m doing the job God they are not able to help with teachers of second language learn- intended for me to do.” this part of learning.” To deal ers for West Georgia College Presley, an educator for 20 years, teach- with the special challenges she through its extension program at es introduction to technology, technolo- faces as a teacher of English to Dalton State College. gy and communication technology. She is speakers of other languages, The Tom Jones Educator of a member of the International Technolo- Lopez has had to craft creative the Year is the highest honor con- gy Education Association, Georgia Indus- solutions, such as communi- Jennie Lopez ferred by the Dalton Education trial Technology Education Association, cating to parents through a col- Foundation. The winning teacher Professional Associational of Georgia Edu- umn in the Dalton Spanish newspaper, La receives a crystal apple and a $3,000 cash cators, National Technology Preparation Voz. prize with an additional $1,000 award Association and the Technology Student Lopez, who established the Language going to his or her school. Most impor- Association. Academy at City Park, said it was impor- tantly, said Foundation President Cindy “What is most rewarding about being a tant to her to create a “stress free” envi- Ray, “It represents the best the profession teacher is helping students realize they are ronment so that instruction could take has to offer.” ‘holders of knowledge,’” Presley said. “It place and learning could happen. “I allow makes my day.” my students to discuss topics together in Law Named Counselor of the Year The RSNTA recipients were recognized their language because this can actually Brian Law, Odom Elementary School at the National Science Teachers Associa- facilitate learning. As soon as they are able counselor, has been selected as Colquitt tion (NSTA) convention, held on March to speak in English, then they can trans- County’s Counselor of the Year. Brian has 27-30 in Philadelphia. Leonard Roberts, fer their thoughts to the second language been employed at Odom since 1996 and chairman and chief executive officer of with my help.” And she allows her stu- serves 590 students in grades pre-K through RadioShack Corporation, presented the dents to make mistakes. “I make sure they five. individual awards during a reception and should never be embarrassed or ashamed As an active member of the Georgia dinner. ■ of their errors. Errors are a part of learn- School Counselors Association, he cur- ing anything. I am continually reinforc- rently holds the office of vice president ing their progress. I keep charts, save their and frequently conducts presentations at papers and show them how far they’ve the association’s fall conference. come,” she says. She keeps a large banner Law currently serves as president of with the words “I Can Do It” posted at Colquitt County’s local PAGE chapter. June 2003 the front of her classroom as a constant He is also the director of the Crossroad reminder to students of their capabilities. Cloggers, sponsored by the Adel/Cook 27-28 PAGE Annual Conference

PAGE ONE Magazine 31 LEGAL

2003 PAGE Final Legislative Report

his year’s legislative session set a modern record for length and perhaps an unofficial record for legislative logjams, fatigue and frustration. Legislators Twere in session for the required 40 days and in recess for another 35 days, which were interspersed throughout the nearly four months of the session. The decline in state revenues, coupled with dramatic leadership changes, made it one of the most difficult sessions in recent memory for lawmakers and lobbyists alike. Below is the summary report compiled by PAGE General Counsel Jill Hay.

The following bills passed this session some flexibility in certifying holders of with one exception. This exception is that and have been sent to the governor for valid, professional out-of-state certificates. if possession of an electronic communi- his signature. The governor has 40 days It states that requirements for these peo- cation device by a student in school is after adjournment to sign or veto any bills ple may include, but are not limited to, permitted, the local board policy shall not or resolutions. At the end of these 40 days, the following: computer skill competen- permit the use by a student of any per- any bills neither signed nor vetoed auto- cy, course work in the identification and sonal electronic communication device matically become law on the effective date education of children who have special during classroom instructional time. This listed below. educational needs, recency of study and bill shall become effective on July 1, 2003. • HB 25 (Restoration of Sick Leave) standards of ethical conduct. These require- • SB 178 (School Counselors & Social This bill provides for the restoration of ments may be completed during the valid- Workers) This bill provides for a 10 per- sick leave that was forfeited due to a with- ity period of the first Georgia certificate. cent state salary increase for National Cer- drawal from service for a period of 12 or At the time of application for the first tified School Counselors and Social Workers. more consecutive months. Specifically, it Georgia certificate, satisfactory proficiency In order to qualify for this salary increase, provides that any personnel who forfeit- in subject matter content appropriate to the school counselors must be certified ed such leave shall be entitled to regain the applicant’s field of certification may by the National Board for Certified Coun- such leave after returning to service for a be determined based on PSC approved selors and the school social workers by period of two consecutive years. This bill tests or combinations of successful teach- the National Association of School Social shall become effective on July 1, 2003. ing experience and academic, technical Workers. It also allows for two days of • HB 266 (Public School Employees and professional preparation as outlined approved paid leave to prepare the doc- Retirement System) This bill provides in the rules of the PSC. The bill also umentation required for national certifi- that the board of trustees of the PSERS amended language in the law relating to cation and for the participation fee to be is authorized to adopt from time to time paraprofessionals and aides. Specifically, reimbursed by the state upon certifica- a method or methods of providing for it deleted the definition of “aide” and tion. If the school counselor or social increases in the retirement allowance paid added language to the definition of “para- worker does not work in a Georgia pub- up to the maximum benefit provided in professional” which states that “if assigned lic school in their field for at least one the law. Such method shall be based upon: to positions governed by federal regula- year after receiving national certification, 1) the recommendation of the actuary of tions, the paraprofessional must meet they shall be required to repay the par- the board, 2) the maintenance of the actu- specified federal hiring requirements.” ticipation fee to the state. This bill shall arial soundness of the fund and 3) such This bill shall become effective on July 1, become effective on July 1, 2003. Note: other factors as the board deems relevant. 2003. There were no funds appropriated for this This bill shall become effective on July 1, • SB 29 (Use of Electronic Commu- salary increase in the FY 2004 Budget. 2003. nication Devices) This bill authorizes • SB 193 (Fair Dismissal & 5 Percent • HB 590 (Out-of-State Teachers - each local board of education to establish Pay Raise) This bill restores fair dismissal Certification Requirements) This bill a policy either to permit or prohibit the rights to those persons who became teach- as amended in the last days of session possession of electronic communication ers on or after July 1, 2000. It restores makes some changes in the law regard- devices by students in school. It repeals those rights taken away in Governor Barnes’ ing teacher certification requirements by the current law that prohibits local boards Education Reform Act of 2000, HB 1187. the Professional Standards Commission from allowing such devices and basically Now all teachers, no matter when hired, (PSC). Most importantly, it gives the PSC leaves the decision up to the local board will be able to gain rights under the Fair

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32 PAGE ONE Magazine Dismissal Law after signing four consec- construed to require or otherwise legally garten class may be increased to 20 stu- utive full-year contracts. The bill also bind the teacher or other professional dents if a paraprofessional is present in includes a provision that allows for a 5 employee to return to such school sys- addition to the certified teacher. For the percent increase in state salary if a teacher tem. This bill shall become effective upon 2003-2004 school year, compliance with shows a significant increase in average the approval of the governor, or upon its maximum class size requirements shall be scores on the CRCT or any other test becoming law without such approval. determined by the system average for each selected by the State Board of Education. • SB 249 (Governor’s Education Bill) grade, and no class shall exceed the appli- The State Board shall define “significant This was the only one of the two gover- cable maximum size by more than two increase.” Although there was much debate nor’s education bills that passed and it students. The bill also provides that the about this second provision and when it passed in a much shorter version. The State Department of Education shall pay would go into effect and the fact that it bill, as passed, includes flexibility for one fees charged for advanced placement tests would have to be subject to appropria- year only in spending at the system level, according to rules set by the State Board tion by the General Assembly, the provi- removing site-based restrictions for that of Education subject to appropriation by sion was left in the bill so as not to kill year. Specifically, 100 percent of funds the General Assembly. Finally, the bill fair dismissal for this year. More than like- designated for direct instructional costs allows up to 15 percent of funds desig- ly, this 5 percent increase in salary provi- must be spent on direct instructional costs nated for the 20 additional days of instruc- sion will be re-addressed by the General at the system level; 100 percent of funds tion to be spent for transportation costs Assembly next session. This bill shall for EIP, remedial education and alterna- incurred for transporting students who become effective on July 1, 2004. tive education shall be spent on one or are attending the additional classes fund- • SB 223 (Salary Amounts on Con- more of these programs at the system level; ed by these designated funds. This bill tracts) This bill provides that teacher and 100 percent of funds designated for media shall become effective upon its approval other professional employee contracts center costs shall be spent for such costs by the governor, or upon its becoming shall be complete in all terms and condi- at the system level; and funds designated law without such approval. tions, including the amount of compen- for staff development may be spent for • SB 346 (Teen Dating Violence) This sation, and shall not contain blanks or any program approved under the QBE. bill provides that the State Board shall leave any terms and conditions of the con- The bill also delays the lower class size develop an educational program for pre- tract open. The bill also provides that a implementation for one year only in grades venting teen dating violence for grades letter of intent or similar document shall 4-12. Grades K-3 shall be lowered as eight through 12. Local systems may not constitute a contract and shall not be required by HB 1187, except that a Kinder- choose to implement such a program if

PAGE ONE Magazine 33 they so desire. This bill shall become effec- mended eliminating all funding for extend- Assistant, Environmental Science Grants): tive on July 1, 2003. ed day by (12,097,223) and the Confer- (1,000,000) • HR 65 (House Study Committee ence Committee restored some of this. Conference Committee took out 3 percent on Technology Education) This resolu- reduction for RESA’s tion creates a House Study Committee • Reduce funding for equalization grants on Technology Education to be composed by 3 percent: (8,347,782) • Reduce funding for school improve- of three members of the House. The com- ment teams: (10,000,000) • Provide for an additional austerity adjust- House had recommended a reduction of mittee shall make its report, if any, on or ment of 1 percent but exclude grants to before Dec. 31, 2003. (19,932,402) and conference committee local school systems from this adjustment: decided on (10,000,000) • SR 146 (Senate Educational Test- (591,938) ing Study Committee) This resolution • Reduce funding for CRCT tests: creates a Senate Study Committee on • Reduce funding for tuition multi- (2,000,000) Educational Testing to be composed of handicapped (109,060) and special edu- House recommended reduction of (2,000,000); five members of the Senate. The com- cation at state institutions (128,482) to Senate recommended no reduction and Con- mittee shall make its report, if any, on or reflect FY 2002 expenditures:(237,542) ference Committee settled on (2,000,000) before Dec. 1, 2003. • Increase funding for QBE formula grants • Reduce funding for pay for perform- The following is a list of highlights based on 1.8 percent FTE growth: ance: (2,000,000) from the FY 2004 budget that passed: 101,307,995 House recommended reduction of (2,000,000); • Increase funding for growth in training Senate recommended no reduction and Con- (* The amounts in parentheses represent and experience: 60,312,969 ference Committee settled on (2,000,000) reductions.) • Add funding for equalization grants so • No reduction in staff development. Will Adjustments to FY 2003 Appropriation: a system gaining funds from the prior year remain at 1 percent of certificated per- • Reduce the central office budget by limited to 70 percent of the gain and a sonnel. applying a 3 percent reduction to com- system losing funds limited to 70 percent • Reduction of 10 percent in various con- mon object classes: (391,297) of the loss: 15,008,868 tracts (SciTrek, Fernbank, GYSTC, Nation- • Eliminate funding for various contracts: • Add funds for QBE formula grants to al Science Center and National Science (5,025,000) the state charter school in Bulloch Coun- Center Foundation): (295,715) Conference Committee Restored 3 O’clock ty: 759,006 • Adjust funding for post secondary options: Project, Achievers International, Foreign (236,082) Language for grades 1-5 and a portion of • Add funds for 36 additional principals I Can Learn at new schools: 1,564,708 • Adjust funding for additional 20 days of instruction: (2,117,585) • Reduce all other contracts by a mini- • Increase funding for the GA Psycho- mum of 3 percent (1,058,180) education network: 1,466,623 • When applicable, to reflect adjust- Conference Committee restored $300,000 ments in workers’ compensation con- to Communities in Schools • Increase funds for the preschool hand- icapped program for additional students: tributions, the employer portion of employee life insurance contributions, • Reduce QBE formula grants by 2.51 417,881 GBA real estate rental rates and Geor- percent: (156,764,424) • Increase to Local Five Mill Share to gia Technology Authority telephone • Provide for an austerity adjustment to reflect the most recent tax digest: billings: (306,258) non-QBE formula programs: (12,712,213 (105,523,082) • Transfer funds for the State Data and Conference Committee restored Non-Cer- Research Center from the Board of Regents: tificated Health Insurance & Retirement • Annualize the reduction to the QBE 4,313,017 funds formula based on an FY 2003 error: (12,995,413) Enhancements: • Decrease funding for non-QBE formula • Provide for a 10 percent salary sup- grants by 3 percent (4,811,631); pupil • To release a sample of questions from plement to 380 teachers who were award- transportation by 3 percent (5,026,553) the CRCT and end-of-course tests rather ed National Board Certification in November and student testing by (1,099,647): than releasing all test questions that appear 2002: 2,376,442 (10,937,831) on these tests each year: (1,800,000) The budget also transfers funds to com- • Reduce Statewide Reading Program by • Transfer the Emergency Food Assis- munity health to fund the school nurse 3 percent: (1,723,009) tance Program (EFAP) to the Department program; does not provide a state salary of Human Resources, including 2 posi- increase for certificated personnel; and • Reduce funding for the Vocational High tions, operating expenses and federal funds: provides for a $.50 increase in the month- School program by eliminating some fund- (48,000) ly retirement benefit for the Public School ing for extended daycare and a 3 percent Employees Retirement System from $12.50 • Reduce various contracts (Virtual High reduction to the remaining programs: to $13 per month per year of service. ■ (5,586,592) The governor had recom- School, Teacher Conference, Executive

34 PAGE ONE Magazine NEW SUPERINTENDENT with their curriculum needs. I am going Q: To many observers, it appears that Continued from page 6 to focus our efforts on the schools that the DOE has been woefully under- A: I believe that a lot of the problem need the most help and make those a real staffed in dealing with the challenges might be solved through the better use of priority. of charter school petitions and appli- technology. For example, at the begin- cations. Do you believe that the depart- ning of every school year I was asked to Q: You and the governor are appar- ment is sufficiently staffed to handle fill out a form with a lot of routine back- ently in agreement that there needs to the issues surrounding charter schools? ground information—the same infor- be a delay in implementing the class A: I will work to make the support of mation I provided at the beginning of size requirements under HB 1187. How charter schools a key aspect of my admin- every school year. Why couldn’t that infor- important do you believe it is to even- istration because I view them as a central mation be stored electronically and teach- tually implement these reductions? component of any visionary approach to ers simply be asked to correct any information A: Having just left the classroom after educational reform. My strong positions that had changed from the previous year? teaching 15 years myself, I understand in favor of local control and on model- There is so much unnecessary redundancy the importance of class size to teaching, ing the “business that is school” upon suc- in filling out forms. and have thought carefully about the effect cessful business practices find their fulfillment this legislation will have on teachers in in the charter school concept. At this Q: As the leader of 100,000-plus Geor- the classroom. The governor and I share point, the moves that we make are to a gia educators, how do you plan to raise teachers’ concerns about class size, and great degree dictated by the difficult budg- the public’s image of public education? we remain committed to going forward et situation we face, but we will contin- A: I think it starts with an awareness with reductions in the future. It is essen- ue to work to establish the Department that we have a lot of good things hap- tial to note, however, that these bills do of Education as a service-oriented, poli- pening in Georgia, and I want to make not increase class size; they simply delay cy-driven and restructured agency that sure that those stories are told. I recent- the reductions by one year. The new bills meets the needs of local systems as they ly had a conversation with some people (HB 515-516) also provide flexibility for go about the business of educating Geor- at Georgia Public Broadcasting about districts to meet class size reductions, gia’s school children. starting a program that could highlight enabling systems to accommodate stu- some of the great things that are hap- dents who may move into the district after Q: You and many of your staff are pening in our schools. the school year has started without cre- new to the Department of Education, Another thing I plan to do is to get in ating a new class with a new teacher. and you are certain to receive a lot of here and work hard for improvement. advice from many different people. When the public sees that educators them- selves are interested in improving student achievement, the public will hopefully back what we want to do and be willing participants. TTeachers, take a step up in your career. Q: In the past, it seemed that the DOE’s resources may not have been allocated as well as they might have Earn an M. Ed. or Ed. S degree been. How do you plan to organize the E department so that it can better per- from Brenau University. form its functions? A: We have actually gone through a comprehensive process to reorganize the department and have been helped in recent *M.Ed. in Early Childhood, Middle Grades or weeks by a Boston consulting group hired Special Education (Learning Disabilities, Behavior by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Disorders or Interrelated) to perform a thorough analysis of the department. One area on which we will * Ed. S. in Early Childhood or Middle Grades place more emphasis is school improve- Education ment. We will offer school systems a com- prehensive menu of choices for school improvement and not assume that one Classes offered one night a week or on alternating weekends. model will fit all. That whole piece of school improvement will get a lot more Brenau University attention. Another area is curriculum. Evening and Weekend College The re-write of the curriculum was brought (770) 538-4390 (800) 252-5119 back into the department, and I believe Atlanta Gainesville Waleska that Dr. Ida Love, who came to us from the Decatur City School System, will be www.brenau.edu a tremendous asset to help local systems

PAGE ONE Magazine 35 How do you assess the quality of advice that you receive? “The governor and I A: We’re going to work closely with the share teachers’ governor, legislature, state board, local sys- tems and education groups to ensure that our concerns about class agenda for Georgia’s schools is shaped by solid educational policy that is backed by research size, and we remain and proven to work. Too often, educational legislation is based on feel-good fluff or fads committed to going that sound good but don’t work. Obviously we’ll receive many suggestions for improving forward with Georgia’s schools. Our chief criteria for judg- ing the viability of such suggestions will be reductions in that they are proven to work and that they share our philosophy of the department’s role the future.” as a facilitator that provides local school sys- tems with the resources they need to enact more innovative solutions to their problems and to meet the needs of their unique stu- dent populations.

Q: How do you plan to engage the busi- A: In the midst of our teacher shortage and our efforts to ness community in public education? ensure that Georgia places a highly qualified teacher in every A: In our new economy in which school and work are inex- classroom, it is increasingly necessary to provide teachers with tricably intertwined, we must take a dual approach to public continuous learning in order to meet the changing needs of our school reform that includes both education and business lead- student population. We must ensure that, rather than cutting ers. Clearly, the changes facing our society and our economy are staff development due to funding priorities, we provide the kind the changes that both schools and businesses must adapt to in of relevant training opportunities that keep educators up-to- the 21st century: demographic shifts, economic changes, advances date on the latest teaching methodologies. To be effective and in technology and changes in the workplace. If our society and relevant, staff development must be based on a broader school economy are reflections of the success of public school, our busi- improvement plan, focusing especially on initiatives designed ness community and our schools must partner together to ensure to improve student achievement; connected to several elements that the educational system continuously improves and expands of instruction (e.g., curriculum and assessment); extended in in order to meet these changing needs. Either we educate our time (affording teachers consequential learning opportunities children for the changing needs of the 21st century, or we con- and follow-up); organized with teacher involvement; and observed demn them to work longer hours for lower pay. We will work and evaluated. to build strong local partnerships with businesses, educators and education groups as we endeavor to better prepare a diverse stu- Q: What are your views on 25-year retirement? dent population for the higher order thinking and reasoning A: I approach that issue from a somewhat different perspec- skills required in an increasingly knowledge-based, service-driv- tive than some other educators. What I want to do is to pro- en economy. vide incentives so that the later years of a teacher’s career are his or her most rewarding years. This would include giving step Q: As Georgia’s school population continues to grow, what increases to teachers every year until they retire. do you believe the state can do to help local school systems find and retain the qualified teachers they will need in the Q: Is there any other message you would like to leave with years ahead? our members? A: Clearly, our focus must be twofold: in order to reduce the A: I want to leave PAGE members with the message that Geor- teacher shortage and turnover rates, we must attract new peo- gia has a lot to be proud of educationally and that we have some ple to the profession while retaining the quality teachers we cur- truly outstanding people working in our schools at all levels, rently have in the system. We need to recruit mid-career from superintendents to paraprofessionals and custodians. We professionals, early retirees and college graduates without edu- are going to keep them motivated so they will continue to do cation degrees and provide them with a paid first-year intern- the outstanding jobs they have been doing, and hopefully, we ship that gives them opportunities to observe, practice and can attract more and more good people into the field to make develop curriculum while being monitored and mentored dur- the changes and improvements we need. We really are at a cross- ing that first year. In order to motivate these teachers to remain road in Georgia and have the opportunity to do some tremen- in the profession and continue to be productive and feel reward- dous things. I intend to work very hard to bring people together ed, we must provide them with opportunities to advance their to make things happen. ■ careers without leaving the classroom. For more information about Kathy Cox or the Georgia Depart- Q: What is the DOE’s role in staff development and in help- ment of Education, you can visit www.doe.k12.ga.us or call ASK ing teachers deal with the increasing diversity in our schools? DOE at 1-800-311-3627.

36 PAGE ONE Magazine