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May/June 2004 PAGE ONE 1

OFFICERSPresident

Deena HochPresident-ElectDr. Diane Ray

SecretaryVickie Hammond

TreasurerHosie Waters

Past PresidentPreston Howard

DIRECTORSDistrict 1 District 8

Renae McCullough Kathy CorwinDistrict 2 District 9

Susan Lanier Catherine StricklandDistrict 3 District 10

Raymechia Smith Judy TeasleyDistrict 4 District 11

Tim Mullen Lamar ScottDistrict 5 District 12

Mary Carzoli Richard ThomasDistrict 6 District 13

Joanna Wheelus Luann AveryDistrict 7 District 14

Kenneth Russell Jan Godwin

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(770) 650-1102, ext.128Consultant

Susan Thompson Lewis

Official Publication of theProfessional Association of Georgia Educators28 Years of Professionalism 1975-2003

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PAGE ONE magazine (ISSN 1523-6188) is mailedto all PAGE members, selected higher educationunits and other school-related professionals. An annual subscription is included in PAGEmembership dues. A subscription for others is$10.00 annually. Periodicals postage paid atAtlanta, Georgia, and additional mailingoffices. (USPS 017-347) Postmaster: Sendaddress changes to PAGE ONE, P.O. Box 942270,Atlanta, GA 31141-2270.

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Vol. 26 No.3May/June 2004

FEATURES04 Technology: After a Decade,

How Are We Doing?by Lee Raudonis

DEPARTMENTS02 From the President: 10 Percent Circumstance—

90 Percent Attitude

03 From the Executive Director: This General

Assembly May be a Harbinger of Future Legislatures

10 Foundation News2004 State PAGE STAR Student

2004 STAR Teachers—System Winners

Wachovia Bank Donation

GAD State Champion

Honor Your Favorite Teacher

NBPTS News

FEA in GA Day on Capitol Hill

16 Legal: 2004 Legislative Summary

18 Professional Insights: Applying Adult Learning

Principles to Parent-Teacher Relationships

27 Members In The News

27 PAGE Planner

28 PCS Series

32 PAGE Letters

NEWS & INFORMATION26 Field Trip Destinations

CONTENTS

ONEP r o f e s s i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f G e o r g i a E d u c a t o r s

4

17

10

On the cover: Student using e-instruction unit in Houston County High Schoolclassroom. Photo by Rod Riley

2 PAGE ONE May/June 20042 PAGE ONE May/June 2004

DEENA HOCH

Irecently had a wonderful, life-changing expe-rience. I was able to attend the NorhamLeadership Conference at the University of

Oxford in England. Besides soaking up the smellof a good “cuppa” tea, feeling the stony character

of buildings older thanthe United States andbeing humbled in theshadow of the spires ofcolleges where some ofthe world’s most famouspeople have studied, Ilearned that the act ofeducating students issimilar in both the UnitedStates and the BritishIsles. England at presentis dealing with many ofthe same educational

issues as Georgia. We have state/national curric-ula that is always being revamped, budgets thatnever seem to cover everything and tests thatseem to determine the course of all of the above.

In my discovery of these similarities andsome differences, I met Dr. Vivian Williams, thechair the conference, who had recently under-gone a serious illness. His acquaintance waspossibly the greatest gift to me. While watchingDr. Williams cope with the difficulty of handlingeveryday tasks, I was reminded that life is com-prised of 10 percent what happens to you and90 percent how you take your life and use it togreat rewards. Much like the expression, “Whenlife gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

As a novice teacher, I had an easy time findingthe lemons, but I didn’t find much sugar. As Ihave gained experience as well as maturity, Ihave found making lemonade of my situationsan easier task. Sometimes, especially in light ofthe recent political battles in the state govern-ment that did not seem to benefit educators, Isearched for goodness to sweeten my lemon-

ade, but have found little. I am dismayed andalarmed at the level of discouragement andhopelessness of educators, from superintend-ents to bus drivers in the present state of educa-tion. Without teachers, none of us would be inthe positions that we hold; we would have nodoctors, lawyers or plumbers. Education is thehope of our world.

As a global society, we need to hold educa-tors in reverence because they hold the future,our children, in their hands. Without a good,sound educational program, a state or nation islost. PAGE is the largest organization of educa-tors in the state of Georgia. We are working toinspire new teachers, develop great teachersthrough the National Board programs andworkshops and support educators who are indifficult situations by providing immediatelegal advice and help. We need to react to theennui of the public toward education by doingwhat we do best—educating. Letters, e-mails,phone calls to legislators, neighbors, media andthe local barber need to convince people thatwe are doing our best with what we have, but itis getting hard to find the sugar when we: 1)have to let teachers go; 2) cut programs thatbenefit students; and 3) have to teach with fewsupplies or technology.

If it sounds like my attitude is less than 90percent, then please forgive me. While inEngland, I also had some time each evening toknit and reflect on life and the responsibilitiesheld by Dr. Williams’ daughter, Cerys, whomanages the daily chores and duties of herfather. She gave me a book as we parted. Inside,one of the quotes from Oliver Wendell Holmessums up my newest path as I look forward to anew job and reflect on this past year, “The greatthing in this world is not so much where we are,but in what direction we are moving.”

Remember, in life, it’s 10 percent circum-stance and 90 percent attitude. u

10 Percent Circumstance—90 Percent Attitude

Life is comprised of 10 percent

what happens to you and 90

percent how you take your life and

use it to great rewards. Much like

the expression, “When life gives

you lemons, make lemonade.”

From The President | DEENA HOCH


From The Executive Director | DR. ALLENE MAGILL

DR. ALLENE MAGILL

The 2004 session of the General Assemblymay well be an historic benchmark for anumber of reasons—most of them bad.

Our elected officials had to struggle with thecumulative effects of three years of decreasingrevenues, and their inability to approve a FY2005 budget during the 40-day sessionstemmed not so much from the lack of fundsas it did from a high point of partisan postur-ing and rancor.

In previous sessions, educators had to con-cern themselves with the substance of the pol-icymaking and whether or not sufficient fund-ing would be made available. Both issues wereprime concerns again this year, but exacerbat-ed by the partisan activity that took place onboth sides of the aisle—and, to be fair, from thegovernor’s office as well.

The disagreements grew so rancorous andpositions became so hardened that thoughtfulconsensus was often impossible and in theend Governor Sonny Perdue was forced to calla special session to resolve the budgetimpasse.

Representative McBee, as quoted above onGeorgia Public Radio, was speaking about theHOPE Scholarship debate, which began with athoughtful set of recommendations from abipartisan commission appointed to study thecontinued financial health of the program.Thoughtful debate and discussion, not to men-tion action, came to an abrupt halt when parti-san politics overtook the process.

Perhaps it was overly optimistic to believe thatelected officials could seriously and thoughtfullydebate and resolve issues of policy and fundingin an election year, in a budget crunch and in theface of the relatively recent advent of two vigor-ous political parties in Georgia.

We have worked very hard this session, usingboth our website and e-mail network, to keep

our members informed on the issues andempowered to take action by contacting theirelected representatives. Wehave also worked hard toremain above the fray.When the governor andGeorgia Senate produced aversion of the budget andthe House leadership pro-duced a very differentbudget for education, wemade both plans availableto the PAGE membership.This information broughtabout a response that wasunprecedented in scope,and we made it publiclyknown that the majority ofPAGE respondents favoredthe House approach.

In the closing days of theregular session, as partisanrancor intensified, both sides of the budgetissue released statements and conferred withthe news media in ways that were long onname calling but short on additional facts. Thisregrettable, but frequent, side effect of parti-sanship may be commonly “atmospheric” inthe coming years.

We hope this is not so. But we are preparedto address issues of education policy and fund-ing in a thoughtful and bipartisan way. Weappreciate the technology that allows us tocommunicate so quickly and effectively withour members. We also appreciate the enlight-ened and growing activism of our members.We promise to continue the PAGE tradition ofpositive professionalism and the practice ofbringing light and not heat to education deci-sion making.

We believe our members expect no less. u

This General Assembly May Be aHarbinger of Future Legislatures

”Policymaking ends when politics begins,”—Representative Louise McBee

We appreciate the

technology that allows

us to communicate so

quickly and effectively

with our members. We

also appreciate the

enlightened and

growing activism of our

members.

4 PAGE ONE May/June 2004

t has been just over a decade (1994) since state lottery dollars werefirst allocated to install satellite dishes and other technology inevery Georgia public elementary, middle and high school. Threeyears later, Governor Zell Miller set a goal of providing computersand Internet access for all of the state’s public schools. Since then,

hundreds of millions of state and local dollars have been spent for the pur-chase of technology in an effort to bring schools into the digital age.

But has this technology chase been worth the cost? Has the new technol-ogy helped teachers become more productive and/or more creative? Andwhat about the future—will continued expenditures for rapidly changingtechnology actually help students learn more? Or, will the constant chal-lenge and expense of providing schools with the latest technological learn-ing devices drain resources that might be put to better use elsewhere?

In 1998, Jamie McKenzie, editor of From Now On—The EducationalTechnology Journal, asked the same questions.

“Access to the Electronic Highway becomes a priority,” he wrote.“Networking schools becomes a goal in itself. For some it becomesan obsession. Bill Gates has compared the rapid development ofthe Internet to the California Gold Rush of 1849. Some of usremember the miners who returned empty handed.

“Billions are diverted from roofing projects, libraries and artprograms to bring schools ‘online.’ Is it really worth all the moneyand the bother? Will we see dramatic increases in student achieve-ment to justify this investment?

“In many cases—those districts which fail to clarify learninggoals and fund professional development—the answer will be‘No!’ There is no credible evidence that networks improve studentreading, math or thinking skills unless they are in service of care-fully crafted learning programs which show students how to inter-pret information and make up their own minds.

“In the best cases—with the right program planning and robustprofessional development—schools will use these new tools andresources in ways which will improve student performance onhigh stakes state tests.”

McKenzie continued. “The potential is amazing. An impressiveinformation harvest is just within our grasp. Suddenly we mighthave all the cultural treasures and the best ideas of human civiliza-tion available within a simple mouse click (provided someone dig-itizes and shares them). …Schools may take advantage of theseelectronic networks to raise a generation of free range students—young people capable of navigating through a complex, often dis-organized information landscape while making up their ownminds about the important issues of their lives and their times.The same skills which allow students to make up their own mindswill serve them well on life’s tests as well as increasingly challeng-ing state tests.”

That was six years ago. If you were to pose the same questions today to

Special EducationTeacher Julie Ellington atForsyth County CentralHigh School

TECHNOLOGY:

IBy Lee Raudonis

After aDecade,How AreWe Doing?

teachers and students at HoustonCounty High School (HCHS), theymight look at you as if you had justcome out of a space ship or timemachine. To the faculty and students ofHCHS, technology and learning are asinseparable as mac and cheese,mashed potatoes and gravy, or—for thelow-carb crowd—eggs and bacon. Tothe Houston County “Digital” Bears, theconcept of a school without technologyis as alien as a marching band withoutdrums.

“Seven years ago, we had less than100 computers in the whole school,most of which were in vocational class-rooms, and only one green screen terminal thatcould access student information,” says formerHCHS Principal Mike Hall, who has recently beennamed by State School Superintendent Kathy Cox asdeputy superintendent of information technology.“Now we have more than 1,200 computers and anintegrated network consisting of seven drops inevery classroom. In addition, we are totally wirelessand have four wireless hotspots outside the school,interactive boards in three-fourths of the classroomsand hundreds of electronic testing devices. We alsohave a classroom management system that con-nects students, teachers, parents and administratorsin real time.”

To most people who attended or taught schoolwhen the latest technology was Hi-Fi, rather than Wi-Fi, the amount of technology described by Hall isalmost unimaginable, but it is only a portion of theschool’s amazing collection of software and hard-ware. That is because Houston County High is anIntel Model School, one of only three in the country. Itis also a Hitachi Beta School, a Lighthouse School anda Promethean Case Study program. If the questions

posed earlier can beanswered anywhere inGeorgia, they surely can beanswered in HoustonCounty, where technologyis thoroughly integratedinto virtually every con-ceivable type of classroomenvironment. At thisunique school, technologyis considered as vital to thelearning process as text-books, pens and paper,because, as Hall and his staff and students will tellyou, “today’s world is dependent on technology andon technological solutions.”

To understand how technology is integrated intothe learning process at HCHS, let’s take a journeythrough this unique institution—a school that eventech-savvy students consider years ahead of its time.

First stop, the Music Lab. Thanks to Intel, theMusic Department has a Musical Instrument DigitalInterface (MIDI) lab that consists of 15 wireless lap-

At Houston CountyHigh School,technology isconsidered as vital tothe learning processas textbooks, pensand paper.

Music lab, HoustonCounty High School.


A video microscope from Houston CountyHigh School Science Department.

Deputy Superintendent of InformationTechnology Mike Hall


tops connected to MIDI-enabled keyboards that students can useto compose, transcribe and arrange music. They can also use thedevices for ear notation and note training and to explore music the-ory. The lab is fun and exciting for all music students, and it isinvaluable to those students seeking a career in music composition.

In the Graphics Department, Star Panel technology enablesstudents to capture images from a variety of sources, examinethem and export them to other devices where they can be used incommercial art, photography or printing.

Not to be outdone, the English and Social Studies departments

have their own technological goodies, including Promethean,Smart and Hitachi boards. These are interactive boards on whichteachers can write notes, assignments and other messages. Butunlike the dull, lifeless chalk or white boards of yesterday, theseboards can also serve as computer monitors that teachers canuse to access the Internet, display video clips, call up maps,charts and other teaching tools, providing a variety of resourcesto engage students in the learning process.

Along with the boards, the classrooms utilize the Active VoteElectronic Testing System to keep students engaged and helpteachers monitor their progress instantly. Students use small,hand-held devices resembling a television remote control toinstantly register their “votes” on the answers to questions posedby their teachers on the Promethean Board. As social studiesteacher Cameron Andrews explains, the new technology enablesteachers at Houston County to open up a wide variety ofresources not available in yesterday’s classrooms. “While a lot ofthe materials in our media center are somewhat dated, we cannow access current materials in class on the Internet in realtime,” says Andrews.

Another valuable technology is the TEGRITY System, allowingteachers to create a web-based streaming video that can beaccessed by a browser or on CD. The system combines a digitalvideo camera, audio devices and the TEGRITY software. The sys-tem is mobile and can be used with either a regular white boardor with a Promethean Board. Among the many advantages forstudents is the ability to access the information from home incase of absence or just to review. For teachers, the system allowsgreater flexibility in preparing lessons and the ability to save thelessons for future use.

One of the exciting facts about the technologies being used atHouston County High is that they are used by students of all abili-ty levels, in all grades and in all types of classes. A perfect exampleis the school’s Woods Program. Whether the students are preparingfor a career in architecture or wanting to learn how to build highquality furniture, the same technology is available to them.

All students in the class have access to brand new wireless IntelCentrino computers with AutoCad 2004 software. The ComputerActive Design (CAD) software—the same software that profession-al architects use—can be used to design house plans and makeblueprints or to design and help build high-quality furniture. Askfurniture and architectural drafting teacher Gary Howard, and hewill tell you that the combination of software and wireless labs hasa tremendous impact on learning for his students.

Other departments making good use of technology include theagriculture department and the Air Force ROTC program.Agriculture students use computer technology for a broad varietyof projects, from artificial insemination to pre-birth identifica-tion of the gender of a calf—using equipment similarly used bymedical doctors to identify the gender of an unborn baby—todesigning residential or commercial landscapes. ROTC studentsuse computer flight simulators to supplement their classroominstruction, and the instruction is so effective that all 10 of thecadets who took the ground flight test in 2003 passed.

As one would expect, the Science Department at HCHS hasalso embraced technology. A video microscope connected tointeractive panel technology allows teachers to capture video orstill photographs from the microscope for projection onto a largescreen for students to view before they look into their own micro-scopes. It can be shown in real time or saved for later review by

Where Are OurSchools Today?The GeorgiaDepartment ofEducation has justcompleted a massiveanalysis of the use oftechnology inGeorgia’s schools.Although someschools and schoolsystems are doingvery well in the useof technology, othersare lagging behind.Here are some of thestudy’s findings:

Number of modern computers in each classroom:(Modern computers are defined as a Pentium III or equivalent).

0 1-2 3-5 6-9 10+22% 57% 15% 2% 4%

Percent of Media Centers Meeting Minimum Standardsfor Modern Computer AccessElementary Middle High

44% 47% 63%

Frequency of Computer Use for Learning (Percentage ofteachers who say their students use computers).Daily Weekly Less than once a week

38% 28% 34%

Technology Implementation—Skill Acquisition LevelLower Level Middle Level Upper LevelSkills Skills Skills

73% 21% 6%

Teacher Personal Computer Skill LevelLow Moderate High

44% 48% 8%

Percentage of Educators Who Align Technology Use toResearch-Based Instructional ModelsLow Moderate High

22% 63% 15%


students who were absent or just need additional time. Studentscreate their own digital videos and photos from live specimens.Other devices used to inspire curiosity and aid learning include aspectrometer, computer-based labs and gel electrophoresis thathelps students learn about genetics.

Teachers in various courses incorporate the CPS (ClassroomPerformance System), an interactive classroom tool used toenlighten students by engaging them in the learning process.Using remote devices similar to the Auto Vote System, studentsprovide immediate feedback to teachers, and using this infor-mation, teachers tailor instruction to student weaknesses. Thesystem also has a “challenge board” which uses a format similarto the quiz show “Jeopardy” to help students learn material andreview for tests in a non-threatening environment at their ownpace.

Another device that encourages teacher creativity is Hitachi’sStar Board or Star Panel. The flat-screen monitor, on whichteachers can write with a special interactive pen, instantaneous-ly projects an image onto a standard white board. The magni-

fied, interactive image is easily viewed by students, and thedevice is touted as an electronic overhead on steroids. Theinstructor can project images from the Internet computer filesand other digital sources, while editing and saving for futureuses. Students using laser pointers highlight information on thescreen to make comments or ask questions.

Obviously, a major part of Houston County’s commitment totechnology is to bring the technology into the classroom andintegrate it into the learning process. HCSC purchased its firsttwo wireless carts in 2000 and has since acquired 11 more carts.Teachers have found that it is much easier—and far more valu-

Student using CPS forremote response in

Henry Countyclassroom.

The Internet is here; the computersare here; technology is here, and itis here to stay.


able—to bring the computers to the stu-dents rather than moving the students to acomputer lab or media center. Studentsalso have Internet access near hotspotsoutside of the building.

And where is all of this leading? For foreign language teacher Mamie

Caldwell, the direction is clear. “I feel con-fident that in the future each student willhave his or her own laptop computer,” shesays. “Their computer will also be theirtextbook. The Internet is here; the com-puters are here; technology is here, and itis here to stay.”

Yes, technology is here, but is itreally cost effective? Ask the stu-dents and faculty at HCHS andtheir answer will be a resounding,“Yes.” But neither school adminis-trators nor their corporate sponsorsexpect outsiders to accept theirword for it; therefore, Intel haslaunched a national study to deter-mine whether 24-hour access tocomputers and the Internet actual-ly encourages student learning.

“What they did at HoustonCounty High was divide 56 studentsfrom their 9th-grade academy intotwo groups of 28 students with sim-ilar eighth-grade performancedata,” explains Wally Reeves, direc-tor of technology services forHouston County Schools. “Thenthey gave the test group 24-houraccess to brand new tablet PC com-puters and the Internet, along witha lot of valuable software, while thecontrol group was not provided anyspecial access to computers. Bothgroups of students have the sameteachers and the same classes, andall the students took the ASSET, thetechnical college entrance exam,when they entered school. Bothgroups also took the ASSET at the

end of the school year. Those tests, alongwith the end-of-course tests in key sub-jects, will be used to determine if technol-ogy does make a difference in studentachievement.”

“I am confident that the tests will showa difference,” says Hall. “We have alreadyseen a clear difference in their overall stu-dent performance.”

And what technology has made thegreatest difference in Houston County?

“I’m sure a lot of students and teachershave their own favorites,” says Reeves, “butour high school teachers tell us that ourSmartWeb administrative system has donethe most to make their lives as teachers alittle more manageable and to improvecommunication with parents. TheSmartWeb system contains centralized e-mail, a centralized grade book and a cen-tralized parent communication program.

Hall agrees that SmartWeb has been amajor timesaver for teachers. “It has virtu-ally eliminated administrative paperworkfor them,” he says.

Clearly technology has become a greattimesaver for teachers, but what about allof the classroom hardware and software?

Is it really valuable, or just a lot of expen-sive gadgets and “toys”?

“Technology is changing the instruc-tional model to meet the needs of studentstoday,” Hall says. “Without technology, wewould essentially be using the samemodel that was in use in the 19th century.”

But what about Georgia’s other schools,the ones that aren’t fortunate enough to beIntel Model Schools or Hitachi BetaSchools? How far along are they in adapt-ing new technologies and integratingthem into the learning process?

“Georgia has come a long way,” saysBailey Mitchell, director of technology forForsyth County Schools. “The first schoolcomputers were used in the front office.Then, some were put into media centersto replace card catalogs. Next, schoolsbegan to set up computer labs so studentshad access to computers. In 1994-95, thestate’s technology plan established a goalof having five PCs per classroom. Andnow, the emphasis in most systems hasshifted completely to enhancing thelearning process.”

Jill Hobson, coordinator of instruction-al technology for Forsyth County Schoolsexpands Mitchell’s analysis. “Most of theearly technology training for teacherscentered on how to use programs such asMicrosoft Excel, PowerPoint, etc.,” sheexplains. “Now our focus is on curricu-lum and using technology in classroominstruction. There is no doubt that com-puters have made teachers more efficient and given them access to moreinformation about their students andmore resources to use to develop lessons,but technology can do much more thanthat if used as an integral part of stu-dents’ learning experience.”

Ann Ware, director of technology serv-ices in Henry County for six years,echoes Hobson’s views. She says that herschool system has made a major com-mitment to using technology to improveinstruction.

“These are not good financial times fortechnology,” Ware says, “but our localboard has looked at local school needs andat system needs and has come up with agood package that focuses on studentachievement. Board members and schoolsystem administrators view technology asan important tool to help educatorsachieve their goals.”

With the financial support from theboard, Ware and her staff have worked withschool officials to improve the technology

Board members andschool systemadministrators viewtechnology as animportant tool to helpeducators achievetheir goals.

Students usinglaptops in HenryCo. classroom.

Gary Howard using WoodsProgram with draftingstudents at HoustonCounty High School.


infrastructure within the system.“We now have a fiber-based wide area

network with 100 megabit connectivity ateach school, a centralized e-mail systemthat teachers can check from anywhere, acentralized grade book program for sec-ondary schools and centralized parentcommunications,” she says.

In its classrooms, Henry County is utiliz-ing some of the same hardware and softwarefound in Houston County, Forsyth Countyand other systems throughout the state.Wireless laptop computers, e-instructionunits (infrared pads that students use to pro-vide instant feedback to teachers), graphingcalculators and smart boards are just someof the devices being used in an effort tomake learning more engaging to students.

And it is student learning that will contin-ue to be the focus of technology, Ware says.

“Although we are technology special-ists, we are also educators,” she explains,“and we know that technology is abouteducation and instruction.”

Anyone who questions whether technol-ogy can improve instruction need look nofurther than almost any classroom inwhich a teacher truly understands technol-ogy and knows how to integrate it into hisor her lessons. One such example is theclassroom of Bill Schuyler of ForsythCentral High School.

Schuyler, Georgia’s Science Teacher ofthe Year for 2003/2004, uses computer-gen-erated graphics on an interactive whiteboard to make a lesson on the human heartboth interesting and understandable forhis AP Biology students. And, by using asimple device called Science WorkshopInterface to take and display the EKGs ofhis students on the board, he makes thelesson intensely personal and engaging forthem. By overlapping the EKG of a studentat rest with the EKG of another student whohas just exercised strenuously, Schuylerhelps students become part of the lesson,not just spectators.

Do all teachers need to be as technologi-cally savvy as Schuyler? Not really, says GaryDavison, principal of Settles BridgeElementary School in Forsyth County. Butthey do need to be open to the possibilitiesof technology and to trust students to use it.

“I have seen 300-500 candidates forteaching jobs in the last few weeks, and Ihave asked them a lot of questions todetermine their level of trust and theirwillingness to try something different,” heexplains. “To me, it is their mindset abouttechnology that is important, not just that

they meet the minimum state technologyrequirements. A teacher may be very goodat using technology personally but nothave a clue how to use it with kids. Ourphilosophy is simple: If you engage stu-dents, performance improves.”

Mitchell puts it more succinctly, “If wewant kids to learn, we need to let them usethe tools with which they do most of theirlearning.”

Putting this theory into practice is JulieEllington, a special education teacher atForsyth County Central High School. Insome ways, her classroom looks remark-ably similar to the classrooms in schoolsattended by most students over the pastthree generations. The desks are virtuallyidentical to those that students have occu-pied for well over 50 years, and the studentartwork adorning the walls and bulletinboards is not all that different from whatmight have been created by a student in1954. As soon as the day’s lesson begins,however, it becomes obvious that this isdefinitely not your father’s or your grand-mother’s classroom. The technology beingemployed by Ellington to give her studentsa quiz was not available a generation agoand was not even imaginable two short

generations ago.Jill Hobson has provided the students in

Ellington’s Special Education with the lat-est Palm hand-held computers. After a fewbrief instructions, including one on howto beam information from one Palm toanother, the students seem very comfort-able with the new devices and eagerlyexplore what it will do.

“As David Thornburg, director of theThornburg Center, puts it, kids are digitalnatives, and adults are the immigrants,”says Hobson. “They love almost anythingdealing with technology and adapt to italmost instantly.”

Who could have imagined a decade agowhen the first computers were beingshipped to schools throughout Georgiathat just a few short years later, teacherswould be taking attendance electronicallyand communicating with parents via e-mail and web sites? And who could haveforeseen that the chalkboard would giveway to a giant interactive computer screenthat allows teachers and students to surfthe Internet, write and draw using nothingbut their fingers—and a few thousand dol-lars worth of equipment?

Continued on page 25

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Teacher Dr. Cheryl Crooks, and that the FirstRunner-up State PAGE STAR Student is NnekaUfere, of The Westminster Schools in Atlanta,and her STAR teacher is Dr. Jere Link.

As the State PAGE STAR Student, Tiaoreceived a $5,000 scholarship from BellSouth,and her STAR Teacher, Dr. Crooks, was awardeda $2,500 from The Frances Wood WilsonFoundation. As first runner-up, Ufere receiveda $1,000 scholarship from The Coca-ColaCompany and a $1,000 scholarship from thePAGE Foundation. Her STAR Teacher, Dr. Link,received the $500 Mozelle Christian Award.Each of the four winners received engravedglass awards from the PAGE Foundation.

At the State PAGE STAR Banquet on April 29at the Sheraton Buckhead in Atlanta, Tiao andUfere were chosen from a field of 25 who hadthe highest SAT score (or tied for the highestscore) among all STAR students in their respec-tive PAGE STAR program regions. A panel of six

Foundation News

2004 PAGE State STAR Student Grace Tiao(center) was congratulated by her PAGE StateSTAR Teacher Dr. Cheryl Crooks (to her right) andher mother, Jui-Ling Li (to her left), following theannouncement that she was named the 2004State PAGE STAR Student.

PAGE Executive Director Dr.Allene Magill (center) joined insaluting the 2004 State PAGESTAR Teacher Dr. Cheryl Crooks(left) and the 2004 State PAGESTAR Student Grace Tiao. Tiaois a senior at Wheeler HighSchool in Cobb County.

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A STAR is Named


judges, comprised of business and educationleaders, made its decision based on studentinterviews and written submissions.

“It was not an easy decision,” said Dale Lyles,chair of the judges committee and media spe-cialist at Newnan Crossing Elementary Schoolin Newnan, Ga. “The caliber of students wassuch that no matter whom we chose, we feltthat we would be slighting the others, but wehad to make a choice.”

The judges’ decision was the culmination ofa process that actually began in January. At thattime, a total of 467 seniors in 442 high schoolsthroughout Georgia were notified that by earn-ing the highest score on the ScholasticAchievement Test (SAT) and being among thetop 10 percent of their graduating class in gradepoint average, they had qualified as theirschool’s STAR Student for 2004.

In February, PAGE announced the 187System STAR Students, and in March, recogni-tion events honoring these outstanding stu-dents were held in communities such as Jasper,Monroe, Griffin, Statesboro, Waycross,

Bill Covington (left), representing The Coca-Cola Company, presented 2004 FirstRunner-up State PAGE STAR Student Nnika Ufere (center) a $1,000 scholarship fromThe Coca-Cola Company. Joining them is Mozelle Christian (right), the first director ofthe STAR program. Four years ago, Christian had established the Mozelle ChristianAward to honor the Runner-up State PAGE STAR Teacher.

Virgil Collins, director of regulatory andexternal affairs for BellSouth Georgia

Operations (far left), presents State PAGESTAR Student Grace Tiao (right) the

$5,000 scholarship from BellSouth. Alsopictured are Bill Covington, with TheCoca-Cola Company, and State PAGE

STAR Teacher Dr. Cheryl Crooks.

State School Superintendent Kathy Cox representedthe Georgia Department of Education, a co-sponsor ofthe PAGE STAR program. Cox encouraged the STARStudents to consider the profound impact thatteachers had had on their lives and consider teachingas one of their career options.

STAR Student Nneka Ufere(left) and her STAR TeacherDr. Jere Link (right) proceededto the podium to accept theirFirst Runner-up State STARawards. Dr. Link taught UfereEuropean History.


Americus, Columbus and others throughout Georgia. It was atthose events that the region STAR Students were named andreceived a $500 cash award from the Cecil B. Day Foundation.The region STAR students also received a $100 award from TheCoca-Cola company which co-sponsored the state banquet withthe PAGE Foundation. The STAR (Student Teacher AchievementRecognition) program is coordinated and sponsored by the PAGE

Foundation. Program co-sponsors include the Georgia Chamberof Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education. Now inits 46th year, the program has honored more than 19,000 stu-dents and their teachers for academic excellence. This year, 17 ofthe finalists scored 1600 on a single administration of the SATexamination.

Tiao and Ufere both plan to attend Harvard College this fall. u

Foundation News


The State PAGE STAR program’s 2004Regional Finalists gathered for a grouppicture at the Judges’ Luncheon. Duringthe luncheon, each student was presentedwith the Coca-Cola Award of $100 andhad an opportunity to talk with the judgesin a more relaxed, informal setting.Pictured are (front row, left to right frombottom of stairs) Patrick Poole of Valdosta;Grace Tiao of Marietta; Sung Kim ofRossville; Xuan Gui of Roswell; VictoriaClark of Waycross; Anant Mandawat ofMartinez; and Justin Ross of Marietta;(second row, left to right) Chun Li ofKennesaw; Jelle van de Vall of Alpharetta;and Jason Miller of Jackson; (third row, leftto right) Dan Bolta, Jr. of Savannah; NnekaUfere of Marietta; and Bryan Overcarsh ofStone Mountain; (fourth row, left to right) Donald Acker of Atlantaand Vadim Lantukh of Alpharetta; (fifth row, left to right) AdamColligan of Martinez and Adam Tart of Marietta; (sixth row left toright) Trevor Murphy of Atlanta; Michael Vaughan of Gainesville; and

Noah Mink of Macon; (seventh row, left to right) Jae Yang ofAlpharetta and Nathaniel Hiers of Moultrie; (eighth row, left to right)Chris Pryby of Warner Robins and John Doyle, of Hogansville; and(top of stairs) Walker Matthews of Athens.

President of the Georgia Partnership forExcellence in Education Steve Dolinger (farleft), representing the Georgia Chamber ofCommerce, co-sponsor of the PAGE STARprogram, talked with STAR Regional Winners(left to right) Jae Yang, of Alpharetta; Jelle vande Vall, of Alpharetta; Walker Matthews ofAthens; and PAGE Executive Director Dr.Allene Magill during the reception sponsoredby The Coca-Cola Company.

Nwandi Lawson (left), co-anchor of Georgia PublicTelevision’s “Lawmakers” program, enjoyed a lightmoment with finalist Adam Tart of Marietta (right),during his interview at the State PAGE STAR Banquet.Lawson interviewed each of the finalists as a part ofthe evening’s festivities.

A STAR IS NAMEDContinued from page 11

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Appling County Jonathan Hickox

Atkinson County Roy Burkett

Atlanta City Dr. Chris Harrow•

Atlanta City Dr. Jere Link•

Bacon County Danny McLean

Baldwin County Cathy Grimes

Banks County Kelly York

Barrow County Richard Weeks

Bartow County Barbie Sheppard

Ben Hill County Robert Couey

Berrien County Carol Tomberlin

Bibb County Stan Brown•

Bleckley County Jane Sly

Brantley County Bonita B. Bullard

Bremen City Carla Pollard

Brooks County Horace Walker

Bryan County Joseph Traywick

Buford City Patsy Maltbie

Bulloch County Charles A. Whiddon

Burke County Renee Hickman

Butts County Mark Alling•

Calhoun City Greg Green

Calhoun County Virginia Ginn

Camden County Barbara Kevan

Carroll County Neil Ruby

Carrollton City Richard Bracknell

Cartersville City Ken Foster

Catoosa County Darlene Lane•

Charlton County Mary Eve Blair

Chatham County Joachim Michels•

Chattooga County Kimberly L. Elliott

Cherokee County Debbie M. Kohler

Chickamauga City Ellen Bohannon

Clarke County Elaine Pappas

Clayton County Matt Trucks

Cobb County Dr. Cheryl Crooks•

Cobb County Dr. F. Wylie Brown•

Cobb County Kevin Deck•

Cobb County Will Goodwin•

Coffee County Ramona D. Steptoe

Colquitt County Tommy E. Hall•

Columbia County Jane Elliott•

Columbia County Marsie Anderson•

Commerce City Mark Hale

Cook County Jeremy Landon Williams

Coweta County Barbara Landreth

Crawford County Hollie Ikner

Crisp County Susan McKinney

Dade County Patricia Taylor

Dalton City Lisa Peeples

Dawson County Laura Hendrix

Decatur City Jeanne D. Lee

Decatur County Joan Beers

DeKalb County Christina Kaylor•

DeKalb County Dr. Diana Lynn Farmer•

Dodge County Charlotte Miller

Dodge County Phyllis Sanders

Dooly County Bobbie J. King

Dougherty County Leigh J. Shepherd

Douglas County John R. Siegel

Dublin City Rachel Brown

Early County Karen McNeal

Echols County Kristi A. Steltenpohl

Effingham County Maureen O’Bryan

Elbert County Ronald D. Kidd

Emanuel County Sally Grover

Evans County Diane Hathaway

Fannin County Jennifer King

Fayette County Christopher D. Craig

Floyd County Robert Steelnack

Forsyth County Matthew Thompson

Franklin County Angelia Josey

Fulton County Carol Koenig•

Fulton County Lynn Andersen•

Fulton County Ron Folds•

Fulton County Theodore C. Caswell•

Gainesville City Cindy Smith

Gainesville City Sam Harben III

Gilmer County Blake Alexander Turner

Glascock County Ed Averett

Glynn County Heath Horton

Gordon County Kim Watters

Grady County Kaye G. Helms

Greene County James M. Eaton

Gwinnett County Dr. Dorcas Okor•

Habersham County Leslie Hunnicutt

Habersham County Tina Sutton

Hall County Valerie W. Noble•

Hancock County Charles Jones

Haralson County Margaret Cade

Harris County Bette Amy Patterson

Hart County Reginald S. Looney

Heard County Paul D. Mixon

Henry County Jennifer G. Webb

Henry County Ruth Welborn

Houston County Sherin Hinnant•

Irwin County Sandra Sumner

Jackson County Kathy Collins

Jasper County Charlotte S. Crawley

Jeff Davis County Jim Howard

Jefferson County Alysia Flakes

Jefferson City Sherry Hix

Jenkins County Natalie Whittle

Johnson County Dannie Davis

Jones County Julia C. Simpson

Jones County Sherry P. Sanders

Lamar County Scott Turner

Lanier County Richard M. Smith

Laurens County Margie Sewell

Lee County Stanley Ray Phillips, Jr.

Liberty County Carolyn Annette Payne

Lincoln County Lena Lee Robinson

Long County Carolyn Williamson

Lowndes County Judy Martin•

Lumpkin County Lloyd Cupp

Madison County Mike Haynes

Marietta City Don Parkhurst

Marion County Melissa McClaunJernigan

McDuffie County Steve Smith

McIntosh County Sandra Williamson

Meriwether County Jack Bagley

Miller County Joye Bailey

Mitchell County Pam Dean

Monroe County Martin Magda

Montgomery County Darell Rowell

Morgan County Dr. Mary C. Boserup

Murray County Mark Miles

Muscogee County Joe D. Skinner

Muscogee County William M. Durden

Newton County Judy Smith

Oconee County W. Andrew Simmonds•

Oglethorpe County Eric Schmidt

Paulding County Dianna Moyer

Peach County John F. Rickerson

Pelham City Cathy Brinkley

Pickens County Jon Braun

Pierce County Berry Henderson

Pike County Elsie Husak

Polk County Margaret B. Jacobs

Pulaski County Maisie Pilkinton

Putnam County Linda Kelly

Rabun County David Landis

Randolph County Vickie Beard

Richmond County Elizabeth Walpert

Rockdale County June Johnston

Rome City Lewis S. Saunders, Jr.

Schley County Ronnie Dupree

Screven County James Sheppard

Seminole County John F. Vanstone

Social Circle City LeAnn Mitchell

Spalding County Lealane Sanders

Stephens County Jennie Clifton

Stewart County Yvonne Davis

Sumter County Jennifer Richmond

Tattnall County John S. Lewis

Taylor County John Upchurch

Telfair County Coleen W. McIver

Terrell County William Jackson Harris

Thomas County Carol Sheftall

Thomaston-Upson County Cmdr. F. Warren

Thomasville City Denise Fletcher

Tift County Deborah L. Salter

Toombs County Sheila Pittman

Towns County Melissa Patterson

Treutlen County Janice H. Walden

Treutlen County Walter Harmon Scott

Trion City Susan McCain

Troup County Amy Thornton•

Turner County Dolores Foley Harper

Twiggs County Brian Wynne

Union County Mark Donahue

Valdosta City Tammy Davis

Vidalia City Tammy V. McFadden

Walker County Peg Alton

Walton County Hank Evans

Walton County J.D. Zuber

Ware County Ann Goff•

Warren County Jeanie Joesbury

Washington County Scott Price

Wayne County Leslie McGregor

Wheeler County Elna Butler

White County Ronnie London

Whitfield County Henry T. Honeycutt

Wilcox County Ginny S. Clarck

Wilkes County Belle Guin

Wilkinson County Angela M. Smith

Worth County John David Martin

2004 STAR Teachers—System Winners• Indicates Region Winner & State Finalist

Foundation News


The Wachovia Foundation hasawarded $50,000 to the PAGEFoundation in support ofNational Board Certification andFuture Educators of America inGeorgia (FEA in GA), according toPAGE Foundation President TomWommack. The majority of theWachovia Foundation gift will beinvested in a special PAGEFoundation initiative designed toincrease the number of NationalBoard Certified teachers in non-affluent, underserved communi-ties. Ten thousand dollars of theWachovia Foundation donationwill be used to create a ground-breaking FEA curriculum andlaunch new FEA chapters incommunities served by WachoviaBank.

“This generous gift from the Wachovia Foundation willenable the PAGE Foundation to do several things that havenever been done before in Georgia, and perhaps in the nation,”said Wommack. “Recognizing that our state must close theachievement gap between students and enrich the education ofyoung people in counties with limited resources, Wachovia hasdirected funds in support of an initiative to encourage veteranteachers in relatively poor counties to pursue National BoardCertification. Research by Dr. Jim Purcell of Georgia College andState University has documented a disparity in the number ofNational Board Certified teachers in affluent versus non-afflu-ent school systems. We think this creates an inequity thatshould be eliminated.”

Wommack added that the Wachovia Foundation gift will alsomake it possible for the PAGE Foundation to create an FEA cur-riculum for middle and high school students who aspire tobecome teachers breaking new ground for FEA nationwide.“Soon after we signed our Memorandum of Understandingwith Phi Delta Kappa International, the parent organization forFEA; we recognized that a new FEA curriculum was needed toensure consistency, quality and substance to chapter opera-tions statewide,” said Wommack. “We also recognized that FEAchapter advisors volunteer their time in this extracurricularactivity, and we have an obligation to make sure their work issupported with quality lesson plans.” Wommack noted that PhiDelta Kappa International believes this new curriculum willbenefit not only the FEA in GA program but also similar pro-grams in other states.

Former FEA National Director Dr. Jim Fogarty will create the

new curriculum for the PAGE Foundation on a contractualbasis. “Dr. Fogarty understands the needs of FEA students andfaculty advisors better than almost anyone in the country, andwe think his work will contribute immensely toward our goal ofbecoming the best state FEA program in the nation within fiveyears,” concluded Wommack.

The Wachovia Foundation gift will also make it possible forthe PAGE Foundation to offer financial assistance to FEA chap-ters in non-affluent communities served by Wachovia Bank.

“We are very proud to be supporters of the PAGEFoundation,” said Gary Thompson, chief executive officer ofGeorgia Banking for Wachovia. “We recognize that all our chil-dren need an outstanding education if the State of Georgia is toprosper, and this can only be accomplished if we have well-pre-pared teachers in sufficient numbers to meet the changingneeds within our classrooms. The PAGE Foundation is an effec-tive means for the Wachovia Foundation to help students andteachers reach their academic and professional potentialregardless of where they live and work.”

In addition to its annual gifts to the PAGE Foundation,Wachovia has senior executives serving on the foundation’sBoard of Trustees. Wachovia’s senior vice president and com-munity affairs manager for Georgia, Ben Boswell, is currentlythe treasurer of the PAGE Foundation. u

(Pictured left to right) Gary Thompson, CEO of Georgia Banking forWachovia, PAGE Foundation President Tom Wommack and BenBoswell, Wachovia’s senior vice president and community affairsmanager for Georgia.

Wachovia Foundation Donates$50,000 to PAGE Foundation


For the second consecutive year, thePAGE Georgia Academic DecathlonState Champion and Division I (largeschool) winner is Gwinnett County’sBerkmar High School, coached by IVBray. Muscogee County’s ColumbusHigh School, coached by Lina Yates andJan Carter, is the Division II (smallschool) Champion. The announcementcame at the GAD Awards Banquet, theculminating event of the two-day aca-demic competition held Feb. 27 and 28,at Berkmar High School in GwinnettCounty. Berkmar High School’s teamscored the highest points overall inDivision I and II, and thus representedGeorgia at the United States AcademicDecathlon National Finals held in Boise,Idaho in April. The PAGE Foundation, TheUPS Foundation, Apple Computer, Inc.,the Georgia Power Foundation, theGeorgia Department of Education andThe Coca-Cola Company sponsor theDecathlon. The Gwinnett County PublicSchool System serves as host.

Other winners include, in Division I,First Runner-up DeKalb County’s

Lakeside High School, coached byMercedes Paxton, and Second Runner-upRichmond County’s Cross Creek HighSchool, coached by David Bradberry. InDivision II, Cook High School, coached byPat James and Becky Futch, was namedFirst Runner-up and Walton County’sMonroe Area High School, coached byMindy Dess, was named as SecondRunner-up.

More than 200 high school students,representing 25 school districts, com-peted in the academic event. During the

Gwinnett County’s Berkmar High School is the 2004 PAGE Georgia Academic DecathlonState Champion

Muscogee County’s Columbus High School Decathlon team, coached by Lina Yates and Jan Carter, accepted their trophy as the Division II(small school) Champion. Pictured left to right are GAD Advisory Board member and Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Paula Gault(presenter), Sarahann Wood, Jenny Thomas, Ashley Cooper, Lydia Hofstetter, Brianna Veenstra, Tiffanee Huling, Jeff Nelson, Erica Cone, MattLord, GAD Coach Lina Yates, GAD Coach Jan Carter, PAGE Foundation Trustee and Wachovia Senior Vice President Bennie Boswell (presenter).

Berkmar High School’s decathlon teamreceived the Howard Stroud Award as thisyear’s PAGE Georgia Academic DecathlonState Champion. Joining in the presentationwere (front row, left to right) Sunny Jolly,Patrick Harazin, Neeraj Verma, Ashiq Lakhaniand Paul Mathewson, and (back row, left toright) GAD Founding State Director and GADAdvisory Board Member Howard Stroud,GAD Coach IV Bray, Gregory Rothmeier,Kevin Tan, Spencer Nettleton, Jon Dees andPAGE Executive Director Dr. Allene Magill.

The 2004 Speech Competition goldmedal recipients presented their award-winning speeches during the GADAwards Banquet. This year’s winnersinclude: Caitlin Dorne, Cook HighSchool, Honors Division; MatthewBaron, Jackson County High, ScholasticDivision; and Ashiq Lakhani, BerkmarHigh School, Varsity Division.

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competition, students were tested inseven content areas: economics, art, lan-guage and literature, mathematics, sci-ence, music and Written Super Quiz. Inaddition, students earned points individ-ually in three communication events:public speaking, a personal interview anda written essay. The program is uniquebecause each nine-member team ismade up of three “A” students, three “B”students and three “C” students. Eachyear the program features a differentoverall curriculum topic. This year’s topicwas; “America: The Growth of a Nation.”

On Saturday afternoon, students par-ticipated in the exciting Super Quiz OralRelay. During the relay, team memberscompeted in a quiz bowl format, keyingin answers to questions regarding thisyear’s topic, “The Lewis and ClarkExpedition.” Gwinnett County’sBerkmar High School, coached by IVBray, was named this year’s Super QuizOral Relay Champion; Jackson CountyHigh School, coached by EmilyGunderson and Carol Sikes, was FirstRunner-up; and Cook High School,coached by Pat James and Becky Futch,

and DeKalb County’s Lakeside HighSchool, coached by Mercedes Paxton,tied for Second Runner-up honors. TheDecathlon ended with the PAGE GADAwards Banquet, during which the high-est-scoring students were awarded bothteam and individual medals in the vari-ous categories and the state championwas announced. A high point of theevening’s festivities included a speechpresentation by each of the gold medalwinners in the Honors, Scholastic andVarsity divisions of the SpeechCompetition. u

Foundation News


PAGE Foundation President TomWommack was joined at the GAD

Awards Banquet by AT&TRegional Vice President and PAGEFoundation Trustee Betsy Palmer(far left), Cooper Middle School

Principal and PAGE President-electDr. Diane Ray (second from right) and The UPS FoundationRepresentative Kerri Mikula (far right). The UPS Foundation

is a sponsor of the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon.

DeKalb County’s Lakeside High School, coached byMercedes Paxton, is the First Runner-up in Division I.Pictured during the awards presentation: (front row,left to right) Ben Froman, David Chapman, AnnDowner, Gene Henry and GAD Coach MercedesPaxton, and (back row, left to right), Kerry Hart,William Flanders, Kasey Dutro, Susan Downer, TiffanyChang, GAD Assistant Coach Shoshana Froman andGAD Advisory Member and PAGE President DeenaHoch.

Richmond County’s Cross Creek High School, coached by DavidBradberry, captured Second Runner-up honors in Division I. Shown

here are team members (front row, left to right) Heather Smith,Brandi Hyatt, Patricia Adams and Jessica Kendrick, and (back row,

left to right) GAD Coach David Bradberry, Kim McGahee, LaceyMiller, Kauren Cofer, Rochele Johnson and Jessica Arnold.

Division II First Runner-up Cook High School Decathlon team, coached byPat James and Becky Futch, paused for pictures following the presentation oftheir trophy. Pictured left to right (front row) are Jordan Pitts (mascot),Nicole Futch (mascot), Ian Rowswell, Will Cornelius, Abigail Rowswell andJosh Cowart, and (back row, left to right) PAGE Foundation Trustee andWachovia Senior Vice President Bennie Boswell (presenter), GAD CoachBecky Futch, Brittany Bryant, GAD Coach Pat James, Sarah Lovett, CaitlinDorne, Dondy Aponte, Rebecca Fussell, Jeff Sowell and Forsyth CountySchools Superintendent Paula Gault (presenter).

Walton County’s Monroe Area High School, coached byMindy Dess, is the Second Runner-up in Division II. Teammembers are (front row, left to right) M. AliceRichardson, Tara Queen and Kacie Milligan, and (backrow, left to right) Devon Tackett, Joey Martin, CaitlinGaddy, Jason Galloway, Mitch Alligood, Stephen Nolde,and Sharon Lim.

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Honor Your Favorite TeacherBy Virginia Smith, ESOL Teacher, Beaver Ridge Elementary School, Gwinnett County

I’m in a quandary. I want to weave a quilt of love formy very special friend, Cathy Blanton. I want to honorher, sing about her (but she might not appreciate mysinging!), make a giant sign board for everyone on theinterstate to see, set up a meeting with the President ofthe United States so that he could meet the most tal-ented, loving, caring teacher in the United States,including Alaska and Hawaii.

Why is this quest so important to me? Because Cathyis retiring this year, and I want her to know how impor-tant she is not only to me, but also to so many others.

My dilemma is that I want to create a quilt for Cathy,but when a button comes off of my pants, those pantsare immediately donated to charity. When I go into acraft store, an alarm goes off and a loud voice comes onthe intercom shouting, “Woman who doesn’t knowanything about crafts is now entering the store! Watchout!” I was still on my elastic skirt in my 10th-gradehome economics class in the spring when all the othergirls finished up in the fall. (The hem was reminiscentof the waves of the ocean!)

So, what can I possibly do? Iknow. I’ll “weave” a story togetherfor her, a story of how special she isfrom the eyes of her children, herstudents who have or are learningEnglish from her.

Carlos in third grade places hismis-spelled patch on the quilt. Hewrites, “Mrs. Blanton helps meknow about books. She helps mewrite better and read. She helps melearn about encyclopedia.”

Itzel in first grade hands me hercolorful patch. “Mrs. Blanton youare my bets thecher because you teach us fun stuff andin Friday we do book shar.”

Cathy was the librarian in an elementary school forseveral years. Her love for books was obvious to every-one. She read aloud to the children, taking on the char-acters’ voices and actions. As an ESOL teacher, sheignites a love for books by having her children checkout a special book from her large collection to read athome with the family. On Fridays the students sharetheir story with their classmates during Book Share.

Lorena, an ESOL student, wants to be a part of thequilt of love for her beloved ESOL teacher. “Mrs.Blanton incuraged me to want to learn English. Shedoesn’t yell at me. She doesn’t scream.”

“Every first year teacher looks for that veteran

teacher they can aspire to. Cathy Blanton has been thatteacher for me,” says Stacy Marshall, a first-gradeteacher. “Her gentle and kind spirit is a testimony of thelove that she has forher students. She hasshown me the secret ofbeing respectful yetfirm in discipline. It ishard, as a teacher, tokeep your cool duringstressful moments inthe day but CathyBlanton has masteredthe art of showinggrace and patience atall times to her students.”

Jesus in third grade puts his thoughts on his patch oflove. “Why is Mrs. Blanton special to me is because shemake me more smart than ever.”

How does a teacher make a student “more smart?”Cathy does it by staying late to plan interesting, educa-

tional lessons. Her lessons alwayshave teacher-made examples andlots of hands-on learning. I told herone time that it was a good thingthat I have a strong sense of self ormy ego could really be deflated if Icompared myself with her!

Heyley, a former student, addsher patch. “Mrs. Blanton you are avery, very special person for me.You are a great friend! You hadhelped me with reading when I wasin first grade. You are a terrificteacher. Also you are the kindest

teacher I have ever met. I think you are cool!”A secret young friend adds a patch to the quilt. She

writes, “Mrs. Blanton is speshle becus she never dosebad things to us and Friday she put senters. I can notwait until it is her birthday because I can give her asmany presents as she wants because she is my bestESOL techer that I had in my hol life.”

Terrific, kindest, cool, special, best. These are prettywonderful accolades coming from impressionablechildren.

Mitzi, a former student, lovingly adds her patch tothe quilt. “This is what I recall about Mrs. Blanton. Sheteached me how to read. I loved when Mrs. Blantonmade books special. When it was almost the end of the

A Quilt of Love

Cathy Blanton, and her adoring students.

Virginia Smith (left) with Cathy Blanton


year we did homemade clay and she gavemy class some. Mrs. Blanton let us borobooks. On holidays we do something veryspecial.”

Vividiana in third grade places herpatch on the quilt. “When it’s a holadayMrs. Blanton makes us something spe-cial. On October Mrs. Blanton givessomething in a bag and on the bag hasour name on it. We have to seat where ourbag is and our name is. She gives us a lit-tle puppet toy to put on our finger and alot of Halloween candy.”

Cathy’s husband, Bill, knows that priorto every holiday he will be accompanyinghis wife to a wholesale store to buy every-thing imaginable for her students.Decorations for the room, candy, stickers,prizes, flavored drinks, cookies and any-thing else that will bring smiles to thefaces of her students. Bill just goes alongagreeably. After all, when a man spends35 years with a woman, he knows whatpleases her—and pleasing Cathy is

important to Bill. Jose, a second grader, writes, “Mrs.

Blanton thank you for be the best teacher.Mrs. Blanton thank you for help me read-ing and writing. Ms.Blanton thank you forshow me to speak English. Love, Jose.”

Thankfulness. Isn’t that what all of uswant children to learn? To be appreciativeof the thoughtful gestures of others. Toremember to say “thank you.” Toacknowledge either verbally or in a writ-ten form what someone has done for us.Jose says, “Thank you, thank you, thankyou.” Today, all of us whose lives she hastouched so lovingly, so thoughtfully say,“Thank you, Cathy. Thank you, Cathy.Thank you, Cathy.”

The quilt is finished now, made up ofmany patches from the fabric of everythingthat is good and true in the heart of a child.Bright blues, faded greens, candy canestripes, Halloween orange—one right nextto another—each one as different as thestudents themselves. The patches, madewith the warmth and love the children havefor this very special English teacher.

We honor you, Cathy Blanton, by

bundling you up in a homemade quilt puttogether lovingly by the hands of littlechildren. These children care for you, loveyou greatly and will miss you tremen-dously, just like the rest of us whose livesyou have touched. u

NBPTS NewsNBCTs Team with NCEE and StateFarm Insurance

NBCT teachers have served asconsultants and content reviewersto State Farm Insurance’s newonline Financial EducationProgram, developed by the NationalCouncil on Economic Education.The State Farm program, CommonCents, helps parents and teachersgive children the real-life skillsneeded to become consumers,savers and investors. The programprovides age appropriate lessonsand games for children in grades K-12. The key concepts of saving,earning, investing, risk manage-ment, decision making and moneymanagement provide the contentfor the instructional materials.

Educators are invited to visit thewebsite, statefarm.com. Locate thesection Planning and Learning, andscroll down to Kids’ Stuff. Click onKids’ Stuff and then Common Cents

NBPTS 2004 Q & A BrochureNow Available

The electronic version of NBPTS2004 Q & A brochure is now avail-able. This is an invaluable tool inkeeping candidates and pre-candi-dates informed about the latestrequirements and timelines. It isavailable on the official website,www.nbpts.com.

NBPTS National Conference Information on the NBPTS

National Conference is now postedon the NBPTS website,www.nbpts.com.

The conference will be held inWashington D. C., July 21-23 at theHilton Washington Hotel inWashington, D.C. u

HONOR YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERContinued from page 17

Foundation News



Dr. Betsy Rogers, 2003 National Teacher of the Year, wasthe keynote speaker at this year’s Future Educators ofAmerica in Georgia (FEA in GA)Day on Capitol Hill, held on March9, at The Depot in Atlanta. Duringthe event, FEA members had theopportunity to meet with recruit-ment representatives from manyof the state’s colleges of educationand were treated to a tour of theState Capitol Building.

The day’s activities culminatedin a luncheon with Dr. AlleneMagill, executive director of PAGE,serving as moderator of the event.State School SuperintendentKathy Cox brought greetings fromthe Georgia Department ofEducation, and Dr. MarthaReichrath, executive director ofthe Governor’s Office of StudentAchievement, delivered greetingson behalf of Governor SonnyPerdue. Guests also includedmembers of the FEA in GAAdvisory Council and other educa-tion, corporate and governmentalleaders. During her keynoteaddress, Dr. Betsey Rogers spoke toFEA members about her personal journey to becoming Teacherof the Year and the joys and challenges associated with being ateacher.

While the students were enjoying these various activities, apanel of judges reviewed entries in the annual scrapbook com-petition. This year’s winners were Lowndes County High

During AnnualFEA Day onCapitol Hill

Members of Gwinnett County’s Norcross High School FEA in GA Chapter met with 2003 NationalTeacher of the Year Dr. Betsy Rogers (back row, center) following her keynote address. The groupwas joined by Chapter Advisors Sonya Neilson (back row, far left), Jennifer Osborne (back row,third from left) and Chuck Sears (back row, to the right of Dr. Rogers).

FEA in GA members begin their tour of the Georgia State Capitol.


FEA in GAMembers HearAddress fromNational Teacherof the Year

Foundation News


Atlanta’s Booker T. WashingtonHigh School FEA in GA

members captured “BestOverall” in the Annual

Scrapbook Contest. MarcieWynn (front row, center) andchapter members display the

winning entry.

School, in the “Most Creative Display”category, and Booker T. Washington HighSchool, in the “Best Overall” category.

The next statewide FEA in GA event willbe the 2004 Summer Institute to be heldJune 7-9, at Georgia College & StateUniversity (GC&SU) in Milledgeville. TheInstitute will offer participants the oppor-tunity to spend three days with educa-tional leaders, such as 2002 NationalTeacher of the Year Chauncey Veatch and2002 Georgia Teacher of the Year LorraineJohnson. GC&SU College of Educationfaculty will provide workshops related tocareers in education. The SummerInstitute will feature BellSouth Presidentof Georgia Operations Phil Jacobs as itskeynote speaker. Information about theSummer Institute is available at page-foundation.org in the FEA in GA section.

The PAGE Foundation and Phi DeltaKappa International are working togetherto bring Georgia middle and high schoolstudents a realistic, meaningful and sub-stantive means for the exploration ofteaching as a viable career option.Information about FEA in GA can befound at pagefoundation.org. If youwould like to learn about starting an FEAin GA chapter in your middle or highschool, contact the PAGE Foundation’sDirector of Student Groups, Mary RuthRay, at [email protected] or toll-free at (888) 413-1078. u

ANNUAL DAY ON CAPITOL HILLContinued from page 19

Jonesboro High School FEA in GA members (left to right) Phong Nguyen, Kari Dalton, DanielBruguez and Christie Wooten were among those attending the day’s activities. FEA in GAprogram donors include AT&T Foundation, BellSouth, Copeland Insurance Services, PAGE andthe UPS Foundation.

State Representative Ben Bridges from District 7 (center) meets with members of the WhiteCounty FEA in GA Chapter during their tour of the State Capitol.

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Legal | MARGARET PRICE, LEGISLATIVE SERVICES MANAGER & STAFF ATTORNEY

Bitter partisan divisions coupled with the state’s revenueshortfall begat frustrating gridlock during the 2004 GeorgiaGeneral Assembly. The House and Senate managed to pass

a budget as well as several pieces of education legislation whichhave been compiled below by PAGE Legislative Services Managerand Staff Attorney Margaret Price.

The following bills passed during the 2004 General Assemblyand have been sent to Governor Sonny Perdue for his signature.Governor Perdue has 40 days after adjournment to sign or veto anybills or resolutions. At the end of this 40-day period, bills that arenot yet signed or vetoed become law on the effective dates listedbelow.

ACCOUNTABILITY & FLEXIBILITY:• HB 1190 (Accountability & Flexibility, Discipline) What start-

ed as one of the governor’s omnibus education bills grew into themost comprehensive piece of education reform that passed duringthe 2004 session. Key issues addressed by this bill include:

• Third Grade Promotion & Retention: The bill contains asection which authorizes local systems to place children who failthe 3rd grade Criterion Reference Competence Test (CRCT) in“transition classes” or in extended EIP sessions. This provisionalso requires the Georgia Board of Education (BOE) to contactwith another agency to conduct a study on 3rd graders who failthe test.

• Middle School Seat Time: Local schools may apply to theGeorgia BOE for an exception to allow a schedule of a minimumof 4.5 hours of academic instruction instead of the required 5.0hours. The State Board must grant the exception for middleschools which achieved an “acceptable” rating for the proceedingyear.

• Expenditure Controls: Spending flexibility that was imple-mented during the 2003-04 school year is continued for the 2004-05 school year. In addition, during the 2004-05 school year eachschool system shall spend 90 percent of funds allocated for pro-fessional development for such costs at the system level.

• Office of Education Accountability: The office shall create,with the approval of the BOE, a performance-based accountabilitysystem; establish indicators of performance; rate schools and sys-tems; and develop a report card. Letter grades will no longer beused. The Georgia BOE shall establish a system of assistance thatsupports schools which have failed to meet identified levels ofachievement.

• Class Sizes: The bill delays class size reduction for another year. • School Councils: The bill contains a provision allowing school

councils to increase their membership as long as the number ofteachers and parents on the council is equal. In addition to parentsand teachers, students, staff, local business persons and personsrepresenting school-related organizations may serve on the schoolcouncil. The council must meet quarterly and can be involved inthe school principal selection process as defined in local schoolboard policy. The local board of education shall provide all infor-mation not specifically made confidential by law to school coun-cils. This information includes site budgets, expenditure informa-tion and site average class size by grade.

• Waivers: The bill authorizes the BOE to waive specificallyidentified state rules, regulations, policies and procedures at therequest of a local school board as long as the goal for each waiveris the improvement of student performance.

• Georgia History: The Georgia BOE shall create rules govern-ing the course of study of Georgia history. The BOE may also pro-vide for exemptions from this required course for students of par-ents in the U.S. military. The BOE may also develop alternativemethods for students transferring into Georgia schools to takeGeorgia history.

• Early Intervention Programs: A section prohibiting a school’saccountability score from being determined by the period of timeits students spend in early intervention programs.

• End-of-Course Tests: The bill authorizes the Georgia BOE todecide how end-of-course tests will count toward a student’s finalgrade and to adopt rules regarding accommodations and partici-pation of limited English proficiency students in the end-of-coursetests and the CRCT.

• Student Information System: The legislation contains a sec-tion prohibiting students’ social security numbers from being usedas primary identifiers in the new Student Information System. Theuse of employee social security numbers is also prohibited.

• Recess: The bill requires local systems to develop policieseither allowing or prohibiting “breaks” for students in grades K-8.

• Driver’s License Revocation: Habitually truant students orstudents who commit certain serious discipline offenses will losetheir driver’s licenses.

• Student Removal: School principals and superintendentsmust “fully support” the authority of a teacher to remove a studentfrom his or her classroom under the Improved Student Learningand Discipline Act. Each principal shall do so by implementing therelevant local policies and disseminating such policies and proce-dures to faculty, students and parents.

• Discipline Records: The bill requires both private and out-of-state schools to transmit disciplinary orders on students who

2004 PAGE FinalLegislative Report


transfer to Georgia’s public schools.• Student Code of Conduct: Codes of conduct must now

address misbehavior on the school bus and that which occurs off-campus if it could result in the student being criminally chargedwith a felony. Codes of conduct will also contain provisionsaddressing bullying and sexual harassment.

• Disciplinary Hearings: This section requires that student dis-ciplinary hearings be held no later than 10 days after the beginningof the student’s suspension unless the school system and the stu-dent’s parents mutually agree to an extension. Additionally, the lawrequires that teachers who are called as witnesses at such hearingsbe given at least three days notice.

• Parental Liability for Truancy: Parents or guardians may beliable for up to $100, may be imprisoned for up to 30 days or maybe ordered to do community service if their child misses more thanfive unexcused school days.

• Attendance Protocol Committee: The chief judge of the supe-rior court of each county shall establish a student attendance pro-tocol committee for the purpose of coordination and cooperationof compulsory attendance issues, reducing unexcused absences,and increasing the percentage of students present to take tests.

• Charter Schools: The bill states that charter schools shall beexempt from specified provisions of Title 20 and that charterschools may also be exempt from those state and local rules thatdo not relate to the operation of a local school.

This law will become effective on July 1, 2004.

FY 2005 BUDGET:(* The amounts in parenthesis represent reductions)

• Reduce funds for the Three O’ Clock Project contract($200,000), I Can Learn Program contract ($1,466,850) andCommunities in Schools ($50,000): ($1,716,850)

• Reduce Personal Services ($899,413), Computer Charges($176,615), Telecommunications ($33,241), RegularOperating Expenses ($83,339) and Contracts in the CentralOffice and Technology Services, and add $75,000 for GlobalAchievers International: ($1,945,189)

• Reduce QBE Formula earnings (see additions further down):($380,079,150)

• Reduce pupil transportation: ($11,108,914) • Reduce funding for the following:

1. Tuition for the Multi-Handicapped: ($132,082)2. Severely Emotionally Disturbed: ($4,391,953)3. School Lunch (State) ($2,741,706)4. Regional Education Service Agencies ($284,918)5. Georgia Learning Resource System ($1,645,557)6. High School Program – Tech/Career Ed ($1,129,197)7. Special Ed at State Institutions ($283,206)8. Vocational Research & Curriculum ($4,018)9. Next Generation School Grants ($9,800)10. Preschool Handicapped ($990,491)11. Mentor Teachers ($89,118)12. Youth Apprenticeship Grants ($313,630)13. Joint Evening Programs ($196,490)14. Pay for Performance ($3,332,835)15. Charter Schools ($11,918)16. Migrant Education ($6,860)17. Postsecondary Options ($3,578,168)

18. Internet Access ($110,589)19. Principal Supplements ($426,865)20. Reading and Math Programs ($1,560,995)21. Communities in Schools ($71,345)22. Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) ($11,760)23. High School Programs–Agriculture Ed ($151,411)

• Reduce funds for contracts in technology services:($1,674,481)

• Eliminate funding for vocational lab supervisors:($3,000,000)

• Increase local five million share: ($57,059,550)• Funding for the National Science Center:$890,000• Increase

funding for QBE formula grants based on enrollment growthof 1.75 percent: $95,593,908

• Increase funding for growth in training and experience: $22,252,753

• Increase funding for equalization grants: $47,738,278 • Increase funds for development & training related to the rollout

of the revised Quality Core Curriculum (QCC): $1,200,000 • Additional funds for testing expenses related to the new

Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) $2,000,000• Increase funds to pay the 10 percent salary supplement for

new teachers receiving National Board Certification$5,628,256

• Increase funding for Preschool Handicapped students toreflect increased enrollment: $2,125,042

• Restore prior year reductions to equalization formula: $13,912,970

• Transfer the Southern Center for International Studies fromthe Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to theDepartment of Education: $960,232

• To continue QBE formula funding for more than 5,000 class-room teachers, counselors, psychologists, social workers andother support personnel and the related classroom materialsin reduction number 3: $204,008,472

• Provide for increases in the employer contribution to the StateHealth Benefit Plan for public school employees and stateemployees to match prior employee premium increases: $0(Note that the House recommended $63,109,285 and theGovernor and Senate both recommended $0)

• Provide a 2 percent increase to the state base salary on theteacher salary schedule, effective Jan. 1, 2005: $63,319,215

• Provide for the addition of an L-6 longevity step to the teachersalary schedule for teachers with 21 or more years of experi-ence, effective Jan. 1, 2005: $29,802,212

The budget also includes a 2 percent raise for school bus driversand lunch room workers effective July 1, 2004.

RETIREMENT LEGISLATION:• HB 366 (Return to Work) This bill allows classroom teachers,

principals, superintendents, counselors or librarians who haveretired under TRS before Dec. 31, 2003, to return to work withouthaving their benefits affected. Eligible retirees include only thoseon service retirement. Retired principals returning to work as prin-cipals must return to another school besides that at which theywere previously employed. Returning superintendents mustreturn to work in a different school system. A returning educator’ssalary shall be commensurate with the employee’s position and the


individual’s qualifications. Returningteachers will be reported to the state at thecertificate and experience level at whichthe teacher is assigned. Such teachers willnot receive any additional benefits oraccrue further creditable service underTRS. This bill will take effect on July 1, 2004.

• HB 917 (Election of Partial Lump-Sum Retirement under TRS) This bill stip-ulates that any retiring TRS member mayelect to receive a reduced retirementallowance together with a partial lump sumdistribution. The amount of the lump sumdistribution may not exceed the sum of 36months of the monthly retirementallowance which the retiree would havereceived had she or he not elected the par-tial lump sum option. The partial lumpsum distribution will be made as a singlepayment payable at the time the firstmonthly retirement allowance is paid tothe retiree. This bill shall take effect on July1, 2004. For specific questions about howelection of the partial lump sum distribu-tion will affect you, please call the TeacherRetirement System.

• HB 267 (TRS-Employee’s ContributionRate) This bill provides that the board oftrustees of TRS shall be authorized to estab-lish the employee contribution rate at notless than 3 percent, nor more than 5 per-cent; provided, however, that any reductionin such percentage shall be based upon therecommendation of the actuary of theboard, the maintenance of the actuarialsoundness of the fund or such higher stan-dards as may be adopted by the board, andsuch other factors as the board deems rele-vant. The current employee contributionrate is not less than 5 percent, nor morethan 6 percent. This bill shall become effec-tive on July 1, 2004.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE:• HB 1179 (School Violence, Disrupting

Public School Buses, Operating Buses)Simple Assault and Simple Battery:Applies to persons who commit simpleassault or simple battery against a publicschool employee while such employee isengaged in official duties or is on schoolproperty. Any person convicted of such acrime will be punished for a misdemeanorof a high and aggravated nature. The billadds language identifying “school proper-ty” as school buses or school bus stops.

• Battery: This section of the bill relatesto persons who commit battery against ateacher or other school employee engaged

in school duties or on school property.Current law stipulates that a conviction ofsuch a battery will warrant imprisonmentfor not less than one year nor more thanfive years and a fine of not more than$10,000, or both. Public school buses andbus stops are included in the definition of“school property.”

• Family Violence & StalkingPublication: A person committing acts ofsimple assault, simple battery, or batteryon a family member for a second time willhave a notice of conviction published inthe legal organ of the county in which theperson resides. Notice of conviction willalso be published for persons who, for asecond time, commit the act of stalking oraggravated stalking. The notice will containa photo of the convicted person in additionto the date, time, place of arrest and dispo-sition of the case.

• Disrupting School Buses: The bill pro-hibits any person from disrupting or inter-fering with the operation of any publicschool bus or school bus stop. Any personwho violates this code section will be guiltyof a misdemeanor of a high and aggravatednature.

• Aleana’s Law: All public school busdrivers receive training on traffic laws per-taining to the operation of school busesand on school bus operations and safety.The Georgia BOE will establish the con-tent and length of initial driver trainingand will certify instructors who conductsuch training. This code section prohibitsa bus driver from operating a bus unlessshe or he has completed safety training inthe past 12 months. In addition, the sec-tion requires that local systems promul-gate policies and procedures for the oper-ation of buses and that such policies be inwriting and available for public inspec-tion.

Further, each school bus driver mustacknowledge in writing that he or she hasreceived a copy of and has read andunderstands the policies. Local systemsmust also make accessible a schedule ofbus routes which includes the morningpickup route start time, the afternoonschool bell time, and the total number ofstops on each bus route. The bill providesthat, except in unforeseen circumstances,the time for the bus arrival at each stopwill be commensurate with the routebeginning time and prescribed stopsequence. Very notably, this bill alsorequires that each local system publishand distribute to students a copy of the

system’s code of conduct. The receipt ofsuch code must be acknowledged in writ-ing by a parent or guardian of each stu-dent.

• Bus Safety: The bill requires specificsafety precautions for bus drivers relatingto checking all mirrors, engaging the park-ing break, displaying the stop arm, operat-ing the red flasher lights and extending theextension arm or gate. Additionally, thissection prohibits bus divers from usingcell phones while driving.

• Bus Compliance: Buses used for stu-dent transport must be in compliancewith Georgia BOE specifications for themodel and year of such school bus. Thissection also requires school systems tomaintain buses in good working condi-tion.This bill shall become effective on July 1,2004.

OTHER LEGISLATION:• HB 1428 (Educational Requirements

for Home-School Tutors): Previous lawstated that home-school tutors must holdat least a baccalaureate college degree. Thisnew legislation drops the old requirementand provides that home school tutors musthold only a high school diploma or GED.This bill shall take effect on July 1, 2004.

• HB 1698 (Online Continuing Educa-tion for PSC Recertification): This bill pro-vides that RESA’s and colleges and universi-ties which offer in-service or continuingeducation for teacher certification or recer-tification shall offer some online continu-ing education. The PSC will treat in-serviceor continuing education as if it had beenconducted in person. Local systems maypermit teachers to use school computersfor online education before and after nor-mal school hours. This bill shall becomeeffective on July 1, 2004.

• SB 456 (Department of Early Careand Learning): This comprehensive pre-Klegislation authorizes the merger of theOffice of School Readiness with severaloffices of the Department of HumanResources. The resulting office will beknown as the Department of EarlyLearning and Care and will provide forinspection of early care and education pro-grams.

• Oversight Board: The bill creates aBoard of Early Care and Learning whichwill consist of one member from eachcongressional district; each member willserve a five-year term.

• Commissioner: The governor willappoint a commissioner who will serveas chief administrative and executiveofficer of the department. • Duties: The department will adminis-ter the Georgia pre-K program, and,effective Oct. 1, 2004, will resume thelicensure and regulation of day-carecenters, group day-care homes, andfamily day-care homes. Further, thedepartment is empowered to establish,maintain, extend and improve the regu-lation of early care and learning. This law shall become effective on July 1,2004.

• HB 198 (Code of Ethics for LocalBoards and Timely Criminal BackgroundChecks): This bill requires each local boardof education to adopt a policy providingfor a code of ethics to govern members ofthe local board. Each local board shallreview its code annually and shallannounce such review and any changes atregular meetings of the board.Furthermore, no person may serve as alocal board member who has had any cer-tificate issued by PSC suspended in wholeor in part upon any commission findingthat the person has failed to maintain aprofessional relationship with students.The bill also mandates that school systemsrequest the required criminal backgroundcheck for new employees within 10 work-ing days following the date of hire. This billshall become effective on July 1, 2004.

RESOLUTIONS:• SR 580 (Proposes a GA Constitutional

Amendment on Education & Sales Tax):This resolution mandates that a constitu-tional amendment be placed on thisNovember’s ballot. Voters will decidewhether the Georgia Constitution shouldbe amended to change the impositionand distribution requirements of the salesand use tax for educational purposes incases involving county and independentschool systems with concurrent resolu-tions.

• SR 760 (Joint Early LearningInitiative): This resolution creates the JointEarly Learning Initiative Commissioncomposed of legislators as well as parentsand teachers involved in pre-K. The com-mission will study and recommend waysto improve Georgia’s pre-K programs. Thisbill becomes effective on July 1, 2004, andabolishes the Commission on Dec. 31,2005. u


Is technology making a difference?According to Ann Ware of Henry

County, “Technology, such as the elec-tronic posting of grades, is making whatgoes on in the classroom much moretransparent,” she says. “It allows everyone,from parents to teachers and administra-tors to see a student’s grades wheneverthey want to see them. It is also changinghow we evaluate students’ progress. Ibelieve we are in the initial phase of mov-ing away from measuring time in seat toevaluating when students have learnedwhat they need to know.”

With technology changing so rapidly,can schools afford to keep up?

“Education is caught in the same situa-tion as the rest of society,” Mitchell says. “Itis hard to know which of the new technolo-gies to purchase, because things are chang-ing so fast. For example, in Forsyth County,we have made the decision to skip the DVDgeneration and go straight from VHS tostreaming video in our classrooms.”

And the good news is that technology isbecoming more affordable all the time.

“It cost more than $100,000 to fully wire

our school a few years ago,” says HoustonCounty’s Mike Hall, “whereas it only cost$7,000 when we went wireless.”

Ten years ago, it would have been virtu-ally impossible for anyone to imagine aschool such as Houston County HighSchool or many others throughoutGeorgia, and it is just as difficult to imag-ine what our schools will be like afteranother decade of technology, but basedon current trends, it seems likely thattechnology is here to stay.

How valuable technology will be in thefuture depends on how educatorsapproach it today. As Settles BridgePrincipal Gary Davison puts it, “Our legacywill be how well we deal with the dynamicfusion of technology and instruction.”

And Thornburg puts it this way:“Learning does not take place better orfaster simply by replacing one instruc-tional medium with another. The effec-tive use of technology requires thought,experimentation and a willingness tospend the time needed to develop andrefine strategies until they are proven tobe effective.”

Georgia’s students are ready. Are ourteachers? u

TECHNOLOGYContinued from page 9

Troy State UniversityPhenix City Campus

Degree Programs by:Tape ~ Weekends ~ Evenings

M.S. Elementary EducationEd.S. Elementary Education

Ed.S. Educational Leadership(Qualifies for certification in Georgia & Alabama)

For information contact:Jack Miller, Dir. of Distance Learning

Toll-free (866) 876-9787 ext 129Email [email protected]

www.tsupc.edu

CNN Studio ToursOne CNN CenterAtlanta, GA 30348 (877) 4 CNN TOURwww.cnn.com/StudioTour/

Cagles Dairy362 Stringer Road, Canton, GA 30115(770) 704-5713www.caglesdairy.com

Elachee Nature Science Center2125 Elachee DriveGainesville, GA 30504(770) 535-1976www.elachee.org

Fernbank Museum of Natural History767 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA,30307(404) 929-6320www.fernbank.edu

Georgia State Parks and Historical Sites127 Peachtree StreetAtlanta, GA 30303(404) 588-1013

Imagine It!—Children’s Museumof Atlanta275 Centennial Olympic DriveAtlanta, GA 30313404-659-KIDSwww.childrensmuseumatl.org


Looking for some greatplaces to take yourstudents for fun andeducational field trips thisyear? Here’s a list ofexciting and interesting fieldtrip destinations in theGeorgia and Atlanta area:

T H E D I N O S AU R S A R E H E R E.

767 Clifton Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30307 404.929.6300 www.fernbank.edu/museum

Educators—come discover why Fernbank Museumis the perfect place for your next field trip.

Save $4 on a Museum/IMAX® combination ticketValid for up to 4 persons on regularly-priced tickets only. For more information, including a school programs

brochure, e-mail [email protected]. Must present ad at time of purchase. Call 404.929.6400 for tickets.Expires August 31, 2004. Code: PAGE-C-$4

It is our goal to make sure that your visit to our farm is a good Learning Experience.

“Where children have fun and makememories which last a lifetime.”

www.caglesdairy.comCanton, Ga. 770-345-5591

Cagle’s Dairy Farm Tours

Tours run from March 1st through November 15th.

BOOK YOUR TOUR NOWto insure the date and time of your choice.


Madison Chamber ofCommerce115 East Jefferson StreetMadison, GA 30650(800) 709-7406

Port ColumbusColumbus, GA 30075(706) 327-9798www.portcolumbus.org

Roswell Magnolia Storytelling Festival617 Atlanta StreetRoswell, GA 30075(770) 640-3253

SciTrek395 Piedmont Avenue Atlanta, GA 30308(404) 522-5500 ext 231scitrek.org

Southeastern Railway MuseumDuluth, GA 30096(770) 476-2013www.srmduluth.org

Tennessee AquariumOne Broad StreetChattanooga, TN 37401(800) 262-0695www.tnaqua.org

U.S. Space CampOne Tranquility BaseHuntsville, AL 35805(800) 637-7223www.spacecamp.com

World of Coca-Cola55 Martin Luther King DriveAtlanta, GA 30303(404) 676-6074www.woccatlanta.com

Zoo Atlanta800 Cherokee AvenueAtlanta, GA 30315(404) 624-5822www.zooatlanta.org u

PAGE Planner 2004June 2004

7-9 FEA in GA Summer Institute(Milledgeville)

25-26 PAGE Annual Conference (Atlanta)

LAW NAMED NATIONAL ELEMENTARYSCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR

As a follow-up to our Members in theNews section in the Jan./Feb. issue of PAGEONE, we are pleased to report that OdomElementary School Counselor Brian Lawhas been named the 2004 American SchoolCounselor Association (ASCA) NationalElementary School Counselor of the Year.Law, a PAGE member since 1991 and anactive member of the Georgia SchoolCounselors Association (GSCA), where heheld the office of elementary work settingvice president, human rights chairpersonand newly appointed information technol-ogy chair, was named Georgia ElementaryCounselor of the Year in November 2003.

Odom Elementary School PrincipalDoug Howell shared in the excitement.“Mr. Law is responsible for many innova-tive and creative counseling activities at theschool level,” said Howell. “He is also veryactive in the Georgia School Counselor’sAssociation at the state level. This awardreflects his excellent work ethic and effortson behalf of our students.”

Law was selected from a large pool of

outstanding nominations, ASCA ExecutiveDirector Richard Wong said. “There weresome incredible candidates in the elemen-tary category this year. It was a very com-petitive field. I was pleased to see Brianreceive the award. He was chosen becausehis work was so exemplary and particularlybecause the panel was very impressed withthe results they see,” said Wong. “We’re put-ting more emphasis on the results and thedifference counselors are making in thelives of students, rather than just the activ-ities and how much energy the counselorsput into it.” u

Members in the News

(Left to right) State School SuperintendentKathy Cox, Brian Law and State BoardMember Linda Zechmann.


Professional Insights | DR. EDIE BELDEN

There are over 40 million American adultsreading at or below a 5th grade level.(Wallace Foundation, 2004). At this read-

ing level, it is difficult to read the newspaper,complete a job application, write a note to theteacher or understand the latest report cardinformation.

The 2000 census statistic for Georgia is thatfor the population 25 years and older, 21 per-cent do not have a high school diploma.Approximately eight percent of the same popu-lation has less than a 9th-grade education.These statistics have a significant influence onconferring with parents about their child’sprogress, conducting school meetings andsending home written reports and homework.

The research on adult learning is helpfulwhen working with parents, especially parents

who have a limited edu-cation, and helps themunderstand their child’seducational experiencesand achievement. It canusually be assumed thatmost adults who have alimited education back-

ground dropped out of school because of theirlack of success in school. The principles of adultlearning provide teachers with strategies to usewith parents that are different than the strate-gies used with students.

ADULT LEARNING Adult learning is a relatively new area of

research and development. Malcolm Knowles, apioneer in adult learning, has identified severalcharacteristics of adult learners. Adult learnersare:

1. Autonomous and self-directed 2. Goal oriented3. Relevancy-oriented or problem centered4. Practical and problem solvers

Knowles also points out that adult learnersmust feel that they are afforded respect. Respectfor the learner as an adult is crucial to commu-nication, willingness to learn and building apositive relationship.

Another researcher, D.D. Pratt, who has beenresearching and writing about adult learningsince 1981, states in his numerous writings thatadult learners: (1) require an adult-to-adultrelationship; (2) like a closure or ending; (3) feela need to establish clarity of roles; and (4) preferboundaries to discussion. Lieb (1991) reportsthat adults use life experiences and accumulat-ed knowledge as a filter through which newinformation or experiences are processed.

As teachers work with an ever increasingdiversity of students and parents, utilizingresearch findings on adult learning canstrengthen the effectiveness of the triadic rela-tionship of teacher-student-parent. The find-ings on adult learning may be even more signif-icant in strengthening the relationship of limit-ed educated parents with the teacher(s) andwith the school.

COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS Every teacher knows how important it is to

have a face-to-face conference with the parents

Applying Adult LearningPrinciples to Parent-Teacher Relationships

There are over 40 millionAmerican adults readingat or below a 5th grade

level. At this reading levelit is difficult to read thenewspaper, complete ajob application, write anote to the teacher orunderstand the latest

report card information.


of a student. In structuring the confer-ence with the parent(s), the conferenceshould be problem centered and goal ori-ented. As an example, the student is hav-ing difficulty in multiplying two digitnumbers (the problem). The goal is forthe student to complete daily classroommath assignments with 70 percent accu-racy. Allow the parent the opportunity toarticulate the problem or make sugges-tions for helping the student. This pro-vides the parent with a sense of solvingthe problem and that he/she is beingrespected as an adult and as a partner inthe child’s learning.

The research findings are equally appli-cable at the high school level. The studentis not passing first semester AmericanHistory, a requirement for graduation.The student must pass the final examina-tion with a minimum score of 75 (prob-lem-centered and goal-oriented).Providing the parents with an opportuni-ty to suggest ways to help the studentgives the teacher valuable informationabout the level of assistance the parentscan offer. At the high school level, the par-ent may feel very inadequate and expressthe frustration by stating that he/shesends the child to school to learn, and ifthe child isn’t learning, then it is theschool’s fault. Offering several sugges-tions of assistance and asking the parentto choose from among the options willhelp the parent retain their feeling ofautonomy. Using the problem-centered/goal-oriented approach alsoputs boundaries around the discussion

and offers more opportunity to reach clo-sure or an ending.

Written communications sent homeshould be brief, but the same principles ofadult learning theory apply. The problemand the goal should be stated in an easy-to-understand language and free of edu-cational jargon and acronyms. The parentcan be asked to select from assistanceoptions provided by the teacher. Askingthe parent to call for further clarificationgives the parent the opportunity to be self-directed.

TEACHER SKILLS IN WORKING WITHPARENTS

It is important for the teacher to devel-op an adult-to-adult relationship in work-ing with parents. It also allows the teacherto define the problem, articulate the goaland focus on the child. At the same time, ateacher must expect and acknowledgethat the parent is a self-directed,autonomous adult who will use previousexperiences and knowledge to translatethe information provided by the teacher.By establishing an adult-to-adult relation-ship, the number of references a parentwill make to his/her own school experi-ences, which are likely to be negative, canbe decreased.

Adults also prefer that information pre-sented be relative to the problem or goal.Care must be taken by the teacher toestablish the connection between theproblem, the goal and the informationpresented to the parents. If the conferenceor phone call to the parent is about an aca-

demic problem and only informationabout the child’s behavior is discussed, therelevancy may not be readily apparent tothe parent.

Parents with limited education are morelikely than not to be low-income parents.For many such parents, there will be thehigh intensity, basic demands of food,shelter and clothing; therefore, it is impor-tant for the teacher to set the appropriatelevel of concern for a student’s academicprogress, classroom behavior, social inter-action or attendance. Elevating every con-cern or problem to a high level of impor-tance will only negate the parents’ feelingsof self-direction and autonomy and role ofproblem solver. Feeling that they can nolonger be a problem solver, the parentswill withdraw from any interactions withthe teacher or school.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHINDNo Child Left Behind is about improv-

ing educational achievement for all stu-dents, but it targets poorly performingstudents who most often have the associ-ated characteristics of lower socio-eco-nomic standing and limited educated par-ents. Reaching the parents of Title I stu-dents is fundamental to improving theperformance of these students. Oftenwhen the parents come to the school, theyfeel inadequate and unsure of their roleand responsibility. The application ofadult learning theory principles providesinsights into structuring, building andmaintaining more positive teacher-parentrelationships. u

• Conner, M.L. How Adults Learn. Ageless Learner. www.agelesslearner.com. Click on Introductions, AdultLearning.

• Killion, J. Connect Adult Learning with StudentLearning. Results, February, 2000. www.nsdc.results.

• Knowles, M. S. The Adult Learner: The DefinitiveClassic in Adult Education and Human ResourceDevelopment (5th ed.)Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing,1998.

• Kuhne, G. 10 Characteristics of Adult as Learners.Penn State University. World Campus FacultyResources. courses.worldcampus.psu.edu.

• Lieb. S. Principles of Adult Learning, VISION, Fall 1991. NAAL Overview, 2003. National Center for

Education Statistics. www.nces.ed.gov, Click onAssessments.• Pratt, D. D. Andragogy After Twenty-Five Years. InSharan Merriam (ed.) Adult Learning Theory: AnUpdate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 15-25.

• The Wallace Foundation. Adult Literacy. www.wallacefunds.org/programs Click on Programs, click onCommunities, click on Adult Literacy.

• U. S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, QuickTables. factfinder.census.gov.

• What Is It about Adult Learners?. Adapted from Butler,J. A. Staff Development, Close-Up # 12. SchoolImprovement Research Series. www.nwrel.org.

The following sources provided information for this article.:RESOURCES


Certification Changes Are On the Way:“Standard” Requirements and the Non-Renewable Certificate Transition

PSC Series

PAGE has asked the PSC to provide thisseries of articles as a way to provide ourmembers with comprehensive, accurateand timely information. No organizationalendorsement on the part of PAGE should beinferred.

This is the third in a series of articlesprepared by the GeorgiaProfessional Standards Commission

(PSC) for PAGE ONE readers. This articlefocuses on the “standard” certificate eligi-bility requirements and the new Non-Renewable Certificate.

“STANDARD” CERTIFICATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

While the new certificate systemincludes many significant changes, the“standard” eligibility requirements haveundergone only minor modifications.Applicants for academic certificates(other than Trade and IndustrialEducation, Healthcare ScienceTechnology Education and PerformingArts Permits) still must hold at least abachelor’s degree from a PSC-approvedaccredited institution. The definition ofthe approved accredited institution haschanged from “Regional” accreditation toinstitutions accredited by an agency thatis approved by either the U.S. Departmentof Education or the Council for HigherEducation Accreditation (CHEA). BothU.S. DOE and CHEA approve all“Regional” accrediting agencies, as well asmany other national and professionalagencies. Links from the accreditationrules to the CHEA and U.S. DOE web sitesreflect approved agencies.

If the highest degree held by the appli-cant is a bachelor’s degree, the applicant

must also have a 2.5 Grade Point Average(GPA). The GPA is exempted if (1) theapplicant holds a master’s degree or high-er, OR (2) is admitted to a PSC-approvedaccredited master’s program, OR (3) isadmitted to a state-approved educatorprogram, OR (4) holds a bachelor’s degreethat was awarded ten years or more priorto the date of application for a certificate.

The Praxis I Basic Skills Assessment(Reading, Writing and Mathematics) is stillrequired for educators prepared byGeorgia institutions. An educator may beexempted from taking the Praxis I if he orshe has achieved the following scores onany one of these standardized tests: acombined verbal and math score of 1000on the SAT, a combined verbal and quan-titative scores of 1030 on the GRE, or acombined English and Math score of 43on the ACT.

Special Georgia Requirements stillinclude the Praxis II ContentAssessments, the Special EducationCourse, the course in the Teaching ofReading and Writing for certain fields,Recency of Study/Experience, Standardsof Conduct and the Computer SkillCompetency requirements. A rule changehas created some additional exemptionswhich allow out-of-state educators withrecent, specific experience to satisfy allSpecial Georgia Requirements except theComputer Skill Competency andStandards of Conduct through their out-of-state experience.

TRANSITION FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW

Two of the primary objectives in creat-ing the new certification rules were toincorporate clear, understandable proce-


dures and terms and to simplify the over-all system. As a result, the old Provisional,Probationary, Emergency and Conditionalcertificate titles will no longer be issued.Don’t worry—if you currently hold one ofthose valid titles, the certificate willremain in effect until the ending validitydate printed on the certificate. You shouldsimply continue completing the require-ments outlined with that certificate andconvert to the Clear Renewable certificateprior to the expiration date.

Most individuals should be able to com-plete their existing requirements and con-vert to Clear Renewable status. However,we realize this will not be the case for alleducators. During this transition periodfrom the old to the new system, individu-als currently holding the old certificatesMAY, at the discretion of the employingschool system, be eligible for additionalcertificate time on the Non-RenewableCertificate. For example, individuals whoheld the three-year Provisional Certificatebut have not yet completed all require-ments may be issued a Non-RenewableCertificate for two additional years if thenew certificate is requested by the schoolsystem. Specific criteria for determining

eligibility for additional time will be deter-mined by the local system.

THE NON-RENEWABLE (N)CERTIFICATE

Under the new system, the oldProvisional, Probationary, Emergency andConditional certificate titles are now com-bined into the Non-Renewable (N)Certificate. Like the old titles, the Non-Renewable is issued only at the request ofan employing school system. To clarifyand communicate exactly what require-ments must be completed to convert theNon-Renewable to the Clear Renewablecertificate, the specific requirements(course work, assessments, pedagogy,etc.) will now be printed on both the cer-tificate and in the correspondence thataccompanies the certificate. This informa-tion will be posted on the web-based cer-tification look-up system and the employ-ing school system will also receive thisinformation through the electronic “sys-tem copy” of the certificate.

As a general rule, the Non-RenewableCertificate is valid for five years. However,as already outlined, two-year Non-Renewable Certificates may be issued dur-

ing the transition from the old certificatesto the new. In addition, after June 30, 2006,a one-year Non-Renewable Certificate willbe issued to individuals missing theComputer Skill Competency. Eligibilityfor the Non-Renewable Certificate fallsunder two separate criteria: certificate-based and test-based.

Candidates for certificate-based eligi-bility include individuals who have previ-ously held educator certificates inGeorgia or other states, individuals whocurrently hold a Georgia Clear Renewablecertificate and wish to teach in anotherfield, and individuals who hold servicecertificates in another state for whichGeorgia requires a higher degree.Requirements that must be completed bythese individuals are Special GeorgiaRequirements that may include suchitems as course work (Special Education,Teaching of Reading and Writing),Content Assessments (Praxis II), Recencyof Study/Experience, and/or theComputer Skill Competency. Individualswith valid out-of-state certificates andrecent experience may be able to exemptany of the above requirements except theComputer Skill Competency.

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Candidates for test-based eligibilityinclude (1) individuals with collegedegrees and a 2.5 GPA (if the bachelor’s isthe highest degree held and was issuedless than ten years prior to application forcertification) who have successfully com-pleted the Praxis I AND Praxis II assess-ments and (2) individuals with the appro-priate GPA AND college degrees or majorsin a field related to the certificate fieldAND who have successfully completed thePraxis I AND Praxis II AND PraxisPrinciples of Learning & Teaching (PLT).Individuals with the Praxis I and Praxis IIwill be told to affiliate with a state-approved program, complete theirrequirements and obtain a recommenda-tion for certification. Individuals comingthrough the Praxis PLT route must initiatea one-year supervised practicum from aPSC-approved provider immediatelyupon employment AND complete allSpecial Georgia Requirements during thevalidity period of the certificate.

The recommendation for certificationwill come from the provider of the super-vised practicum. NOTE: In the fields ofSpecial Education, certificates may beissued without the Praxis II being passedup front, as long as the applicant is alreadyaccepted into a state-approved Special Edprogram and has a mentor assigned by theemploying school system. The Praxis II inSpecial Ed and all other Special Georgiarequirements must be passed to convertto Clear Renewable certification.

The Praxis Principles of Learning &Teaching (PLT) assesses educationalpedagogy knowledge for specific gradelevels. Applicants for Georgia certificatesselect the appropriate test for EarlyChildhood (P-5), Middle Grades (4-8)and Secondary (6-12). The PLT includesfour case histories followed by threeshort-answer questions and 24 multiple-choice questions included in two sec-tions of 12 questions each. Specific cate-gories include: Students as Learners;Instruction and Assessment; TeacherProfessionalism; and CommunicationTechniques. The assessment takesapproximately two hours. The one-yearsupervised practicum must be coordi-nated by a PSC-approved provider.Additional information on both thePraxis PLT and the one-year supervisedpracticum may be found on the PSCwebsite at www.gapsc.com. u

PAGE LettersDear PAGE,

Recently, I had some questions about

my job that required a lawyer’s opin-

ion. A friend suggested that since I was a

member of PAGE, I should call my PAGE

attorney. I called and a real person

answered the phone. I explained that I was

a member of PAGE, and I wanted to ask an

attorney some questions. I expected her to

take my name and number and have

someone call to set up a time for me to talk

to an attorney at a later date.

Much to my surprise, the receptionist

put my call directly through to a PAGE

attorney. My attorney was excellent! We

communicated through phone calls and e-

mails daily. I felt like my case was the only

case that she had. I was never put through

to her voice mail; I always spoke to her

directly. I was amazed to call such a big

organization and never have to speak to a

recording.

I am very pleased to be a member of

PAGE.

Sincerely,

Jean Silvers

Dear PAGE,

Iwant to express my sincere gratitude to

both the PAGE staff attorney and my net-

work attorney for their assistance in resolv-

ing a recent certification/contract matter. I

had tried in vain to communicate with our

central office. Through no fault of my own, I

had neither new certification nor contract.

No one would take my phone calls. I had to

leave numerous messages. I was even

denied access to the personnel department

by the switchboard operator. This situation

had gone on for weeks.

My call to the PAGE attorneys resulted in

“magic.” My new contract was immediately

posted on the website and my contract was

on its way. Your attorney has even written

me a letter to be placed in my file, explain-

ing that the lack of my timely receipt of both

certification and contract were not due to

my negligence but that of the central office.

I am deeply grateful that I have PAGE on

my side and that these two attorneys were

diligent, courteous and thorough in

their efforts to clear this

matter.

Sincerely,

Sheryl J. BaileyJ

The Best EducatorsNever Stop Learning.

Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association(NCA) (20 North La Salle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602 www.ncahlc.org 1.312.263.0456).

Argosy University/Atlanta is authorized by the State of Georgia's Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission(2189 Northlake Parkway, Building 10, Suite 100, Tucker, GA 30064, 770.414.3300, www.gnpec.org)

© 2004 by Argosy University 875-3/04

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Nearly 350 of Georgia's finest educators have enrolled inour graduate programs in education since May, 2003.

We offer Master's, Specialist, and Doctoral degree programs inCurriculum & Instruction and Educational Leadership designedto help you raise your level of professional education to thehighest degree.

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New programs in all disciplines begin in MAY,JULY and SEPTEMBER. Call the AdmissionsOffice for details.

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