Education
Education

APS school chief: Atlanta has history of inequity. School system is ‘canary in the mine.’

Inman Middle School is one of the most desirable schools in APS, and parents have and would resist any rezoning efforts. (APS Photo)

Credit: Maureen Downey

Credit: Maureen Downey

Inman Middle School is one of the most desirable schools in APS, and parents have and would resist any rezoning efforts. (APS Photo)
By Maureen Downey
March 1, 2017

THIRD OF NINE VIDEO SEGMENTS

With Atlanta Public Schools proposing school closings, I sat down with Superintendent Meria Carstarphen for a long and far-ranging video interview on the district. AJC multimedia journalist Erica Hernandez broke the interview into nine short segments. (Two to three minutes.)

Here is a link to the first.

Here is a link to the second segment.

Here is a link to the fourth segment

I will share the rest over the next two weeks.

In this segment, Carstarphen addresses Atlanta's history of inequities, which she describes as deep and wide.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

Follow Maureen Downey on facebookFollow Maureen Downey on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

School closures loom as metro Atlanta grapples with enrollment decline

Demographic changes and the rise of school choice are driving a public school enrollment decline in metro Atlanta.

46m ago

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

The Sequoyah Middle School community asked DeKalb school officials to better support students who fear ICE.

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

For educators, the question is no longer whether AI will influence schools, but how we leverage it to strengthen teaching, learning, leading and operations.

The Latest

Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

School closures loom as metro Atlanta grapples with enrollment decline

46m ago

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

Featured

Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

The Sequoyah Middle School community asked DeKalb school officials to better support students who fear ICE.

Two-day effort helps free endangered right whale off Georgia coast

Georgia state officials helped disentangle a North American right whale, one of the most endangered whales on the planet.

Report: Election board member violated conduct code by going to Trump rally

A Georgia Inspector General's report found State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston violated the board's code of conduct by attending a Donald Trump campaign rally.