Atlanta superintendent named nation’s best

Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall was named the nation’s top superintendent Friday morning by the American Association of School Administrators.

She was one of four finalists for the honor, beating out superintendents from Indianapolis, Trussville, Ala., and Fayette County, Ky.

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HYOSUB SHIN / hshin@ajc.com

Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall (center) talks with Endya Boyd (left) and Rodneisha Ooten as Hall visits Beecher Hills Elementary earlier this month.

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Hall came to Atlanta in 1999 and has steadily improved students’ test scores and increased graduation rates through various academic programs. She required low-performing schools to implement rigorous programs that focus on literacy and math skills. She increased the amount of training teachers received and she removed weak principals and replaced them with those she deemed better equipped to improve student learning.

State data shows the programs are working. For example, about 72 percent of the system’s students graduated on time in 2008, up from 39 percent in 2002.

Hall, 60, has said while the district is succeeding, more work is needed.

The district’s test scores still lag behind many state and national averages. But Atlanta was the only one of 11 urban school districts that improved test scores in each subject and grade level between 2002 and 2007 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams. These tests compare academic performance across states using tougher criteria than Georgia’s own state exams.

Besides the title, the national group will present a $10,000 scholarship to a high school student in Hall’s name. She also will participate in a national forum on education issues and will receive a jacket emblazoned with the National Superintendent of the Year emblem.