Atlanta Schools are Models of Reform
Everyday educators, whether they are teachers, administrators, or board members, are striving to improve the services they offer. Teachers attend in-service training; principals meet with other administrators in their district, state, or even the nation; and board members travel to see what other districts are doing right All with the intention of gleaning the best methods and practices for their own schools. Atlanta Schools are no exception. As of the 2006-07 school year, Atlanta Schools were made up of the following:
* Traditional schools (89) * Elementary schools (59) * Middle schools (16)
* High schools (14) * Nontraditional programs (2)* Charter schools (7)
* Adult learning centers (1) * APS Learning Institutes (99)*Title I Schools (89)
* Year-Round Schools (3) * Schools of Excellence (2) * Magnet Schools (7)
Atlanta Schools serve a large number of students. The enrollment for the past school year (2006-2007) was 49,392. The students of Atlanta Schools represent many diverse, ethnic groups:
* African-American 85.98% * American Indian/Alaskan .03%
* Asian .59% * Caucasian 8.37%
* Hispanic 4.10% * Multiracial .93%
The operating budget in the past school year was $582,839,767. Atlanta Schools employ a total of 6,536 employees. 3,465 of these are full-time teachers, 226 are members of the Student Support Staff. 1,900 of Atlanta Schools teachers hold advanced degrees, and another 42 have achieved National Board Certification. The beginning teacher salary for the ’05-’06 school year was $40,157.
Atlanta Schools have embraced many models of school reform, and have implemented them throughout the district, to serve individual areas as needed. Samples of these models are:
America’s Choice: This model enables all students to reach internationally benchmarked standards. Learning is focused on getting all students to standards, varying only the time and resources needed. Atlanta Schools teachers use prevention, early intervention and acceleration techniques, as needed.
Core Knowledge: This reform model provides Atlanta Schools students with a curriculum based on what every educated citizen should know and understand to function in an educated society.
Direct Instruction: Direct Instruction (DI) is a model for teaching reading in several Atlanta Schools that emphasizes well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around small learning groups. Teaching tasks are clearly defined and prescribed. The philosophy is based on the theory that clear phonics instruction – eliminating misinterpretations – can greatly improve and accelerate learning.
International Baccalaureate: This Atlanta Schools program is in place to develop students who are critical and compassionate thinkers and who are informed participants in local and world affairs.
Making Middle Grades Work: This program is designed to give Atlanta Schools middle school students intensive attention to raise achievement through alignment of content and standards, high expectations, extra help and time, and engaging classroom practices.
Project GRAD: Targeted to Atlanta Schools high school students, this program helps raise achievement through family support, school discipline, college scholarship and emphasis on reading and math.
Talent Development: Atlanta Schools that are implementing this model are ones that have established a strong culture for learning, curricular innovations, advanced work, parent involvement and professional development.
US College Scholarship for international student?
My son is going to graduate from High School in Belize this year and wants to enter a US university to get a degree in computer graphic design or computer engineering.
Are there scholarships available from any source for students from another country other than the USA?
About Author
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Atlanta Schools
19 Comments on “Atlanta Schools are Models of Reform”
University Language Services is currently hosting a college scholarship for international and study abroad students. You must be a senior in high school or already in college. It is a photo contest that allows you to win one of four prizes. Check it out and good luck!
Hi,
For information on scholarships, student support, grants and student loans have a look at
http://taweek.com/11.html
It's got a lot of good stuff for you to look at. Have a look at the free textbooks you can download at the 'TextBooks – Sometimes Free – Always Cheaper' section further down the page
Good Luck
try looking here, http://www.cappex.com/?code=JA9554.
Senior High School where? This information is necessary in assessing what may be available for you.
You would definitely need to take the TOEFL no matter what if you are a foreign student unless it is determined that you live in an English speaking country and that you have been brought up speaking English. Of course though, this all depends on the college. The TOEFL is an exam which determines your level of competence in English. Just by reading your question, I would guess that you are pretty proficient in English and I think you would not have any trouble with the TOEFL. As for the SATs, there are schools that do not require them, like Bowdoin College and Bates College in Maine where it is optional and there are other ones as well. To apply for a scholarship, you usually have to apply to a college first.
You have good grades and are good at soccer, so I would say you have a lot going for you and yes you could get a scholarship even if you are from another country.
Try Oxford University UK or probably University of chicago united states, this are one of the best universities i can imagine for now, you can contact PROF. Broughton in the UK, here is his email link: broughtonrobert@ymail.com or Mr Johnson in the united states: ben_aggie123@yahoo.com.
Most private schools do not give International students financial aid, in fact, they need proof up front that your bills will be paid for if you are attending boarding school and require payment quicker than they do with local students. The only reason a lot of schools will go through the hassle of admitting foreign students (paperwork, visa, etc) is because they typically can pay full tuition and will donate generously.
In this economy, need-blind admissions aren't as they were, and they were very rare to begin with. First, current school families who are having financial difficulties will be looked at for financial aid, and they may be able to qualify easier than a new student. This is fair, they've already paid into the school.
Because there are a limited amount of funds, even schools that state they are need-blind aren't really. There will be many more qualified applicants at the top schools than there are spaces, so not every qualified applicant will be offered a space or financial aid, or the financial aid they offer will be very low. Need blind doesn't mean full financial aid. Even at Phillips Academy it is not as need-blind as they seem to make it out to be, and I believe that is the only need-blind boarding school now.
http://www.privateschoolreview.com/
http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/
http://schools.com/
Good luck!
There area a lot of scholarships for specific situations. i do not know if it applys to you but i got my list from;
http://www.tracemediums.com/front%20page/Consulting/site/Grantlist.html
for a small fee. You can also get some online, but not too in detail.
Try these links:
http://www.yorku.ca/web/futurestudents/scholarships/Scholarship_Intl.html
http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid.html
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/ld.phtml
I found some info about getting this scholarship online in this scholarship database – education.mypressonline.com
You have to go to the website of international student of the university you want to go. They might have information about it or you can always email them. I know that a couple of universities in Oregon have a cultural program that allows international students to go to school for cheaper.
Here is a good website about coming to the US to go to school. There is a good section about financial aid…
There are scholarships and government grants available for this case. But you will need to go to a website like Scholarship Support so you can learn more about how to find and apply for these. Scholarship Support provides free information and services that help students get Scholarships, Government Grants and Student Loans. Good Luck
Talk to your guidance counselor. I'm sure they can help.
-Yes it would be better to graduate with an IB scholarship than a regular one because IB courses in high school is like taking college courses. And since IB is mostly college level courses you are able to receive credits for college during high school so…
-And yes it would also give you a higher chance at getting into a good college because they will be able to see that you can the handle the pressure.
-I would say the change would somewhat hard because you are going from regular classes to college coursed classes. It would be somewhat difficult but the result would be more than likely worth it.
I hope this helps you out a bit.
Hola Pete tu puedes!!! I found interesting information about your answer, college loans,SCHOLARSHIPS, college grants here.http://all-student-loan-consolidation.blogspot.com/2007/07/scholarships.html