Atlanta community stakeholders discuss the opportunities associated with high school reform. Atlanta Public Schools is embarking on one of the most comprehensive and innovative approaches to high school reform in the nation. It designs its new small schools of learning under the rubric of "High School Transformation," which plays a major role in ensuring that students are learning the skills they need to get good jobs in industry. The opportunity is real, and this transformation will be carried out in three waves during the next five years. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce helps discover how to bridge the gap.
Beverly L. Hall became the 15th appointed superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) on July 1, 1999. She has worked actively with the community to gain support for public education in the city of Atlanta. Hall is credited with transforming the 102- Atlanta school system through a comprehensive reform agenda. Every elementary school in Atlanta made adequate yearly progress in 2008 under the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind law, and graduation rates at several high schools have risen sharply. Prior to her post in Atlanta, she was state district superintendent of the Newark public schools, the largest school district in the state of New Jersey. Born in Jamaica, West Indies, Hall immigrated to the US upon completion of her high school education. She was awarded an honorary PhD from Oglethorpe University and earned a doctorate of education from Fordham University.