Georgia Project

Yes, today is November 4, 2008; Presidential Election day. It has been a drawn out two year campaign, but after today it will have finally come to an end. That means no more political commercials, phone calls, road signs or any other political propaganda to bombard us at every turn.

My hope is that whichever candidate is elected, he will lead our country into a new era of educational reform. This is imperative, so that our great country will no longer rank below other countries in subjects such as math and science. America needs a strong leader willing to make our education system a priority.

Kathy Cox has been Georgia’s superintendent of public schools since 2003 and she is the first person to win the million-dollar prize on the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader.

Since Kathy has been in office, one of her many accomplishments has been a new statewide curriculum for the Georgia Performance Standards. This new curriculum was instituted to assist students in preparing for college and the work world.

On Friday, September 5, 2008 Cox was able to answer the million-dollar question and thus, won the grand prize. She intends to donate the winnings to three schools in Georgia: Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon, Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring, and Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston.  I’m sure that she will have some say in how the money is spent, so it should be put to good use.

We are beginning to have some cool mornings.  It sure is nice to walk outside and feel that cool crispness in the air to start the day.  Granted the temperatures are still reaching the mid to high 80’s most afternoons and it is definitely not time to turn off the AC yet.

One forecast for the Atlanta area calls for low temperatures in the low 60s and high temperatures in the low 80s for the next two days.  Wednesday and Thursday are slated to be cooler with lows in the mid 50s and high temperatures in the mid 70s.

I read an article recently talking about Georgia Techs president, G. Wayne Clough.  The article talks about how he has lead the school from a simple engineering school to a top mutli disciplined powerhouse of education.

Now age 66, Clough hopes to land a teaching postion when he retires.  He also hopes the teaching postition will help him be involved in shaping public policy especially related to technology.  While no retirement date is set, after being the president of Tech for 14 years he has been quoted as saying that he won’t be president “too much longer”.

Among the achievements of the university during Cloughs management is the establishment of centers in Ireland, China, Singapore, and France. 

Many more of Georgia young people are getting better opportunities to attend college these days.  Since the HOPE Scholarship was introduced along with the Georgia Lottery in 1993, the lottery has contributed millions of dollars to education through scholarships, grants, and genereal funding for school programs.

To qualify for a hope scholarship one must have and maintain a B average in core academic studies.  The scholarship will pay for tuition, mandatory fees, and a book allowance.  These incentives can apply to students at any public university or technical college in Georgia and may also be used for many private universities.

It’s About Teachers

The major goal of the Georgia Project is to assist those Georgia school districts which have experienced recent influxes of large numbers of Spanish-speaking students.  The Georgia Project sponsors bilingual and bicultural teachers from Mexico who work in schools in Georgia.  The Georgia Project also sponsors professional development opportunities for local teachers and scholarships for future teachers

It’s About Learners

Georgia Project teachers assist immigrant children not only with issues of adjustment to the new language and culture, but also with important content material that will help them be successful on grade-level assessments.

It’s About People

Really, though, The Georgia Project is about people, coming together to learn, to live, and to prosper in a culturally diverse Georgia.