20 Schools in Atlanta Metro Area On List of Underperformers

More than 2 dozen state schools on list of 78

The Georgia Department of Education released on Tuesday a list of underperforming state schools that they are referring to as “priority” schools.

According to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution, seventy-eight schools made the list, including more than 20 schools in the Atlanta metropolitan area -- 10 from DeKalb County, one from Fulton County, three from Gwinnett County and 14 from Atlanta Public Schools.

The seventy-eight “priority” schools are those that have poor state testing scores, low graduation rates and are receiving grant money for improvements.

In February, Georgia sought and was granted a waiver from the No Child Left Behind accountability system in exchange for creating its own system.

“No longer will we be bound by the narrow definitions of success found in No Child Left Behind,” State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said in a statement back in February.

“This waiver will give Georgia the flexibility we need to pursue our goals of student achievement,” he added.

Well, now here’s their chance.

Under Georgia’s new system, schools are identified by four categories: priority schools, alert schools, focus schools and reward schools.

There were no specifics on improvement strategies for the “priority” schools. But, state assistance will be tied into the effort.