Gates Foundation gives Atlanta schools another $10 million

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta city school officials announced Monday they will receive $10 million over the next three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to recruit and support effective teachers.

City schools Superintendent Beverly Hall at the start of this school year announced such an effort, which continues her now-10-year-old makeover of the system. Most noticeable has been the conversion of large high school campuses into smaller academies or learning communities -- in support of which the Gates Foundation already gave the system $13.5 million. Hall has also focused on school leadership and student support programs.

With this fresh infusion of funds, officials said Monday that they want to develop an evaluation system that includes student achievement as a measure. They also want to establish an urban teacher residency program and -- similar to recently announced state plans -- develop a performance-based pay system.