Have you heard the (good) news about Atlanta Public Schools?

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

I share this at the risk of being seen as naive. I’m well aware of the many areas where students in Georgia, and the country as a whole, are still struggling. The latest Georgia Milestones results for math, for example, show that we are still not yet achieving even pre-pandemic level scores, and literacy scores showed little recovery. Chronic absenteeism is a chronic problem, and students locally stand to be negatively impacted by the recent executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

Yet, in the spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald, I believe it’s possible to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time.

This school year was the first for Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson, who took over in August as the fourth district leader in the last decade. In that time, he has presided over meaningful gains, some the byproduct of policies and programs put in place before his tenure and some a clear choice by him and the current Board of Education.

First, despite a nationwide decline in scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Atlanta was the only big-city district to actually see an improvement in fourth grade reading scores. This is a big deal, especially after the staggering impact of COVID-19 on learning loss and as APS and other districts increasingly move toward implementing the science of reading. The district has a strong commitment to continue increasing the number of children reading on grade level by third grade, so we’re hopeful about sustained progress in literacy.

Second, APS increased teacher pay by 11% and currently ranks first in the metro area for teacher compensation, according to some news accounts. Teacher pay is not the only driver of teacher retention, but it’s a critical factor, and given the aforementioned challenges of being a public school teacher, this increased compensation is well deserved.

On a related note, APS has seen a 20-percentage-point increase in teachers with three or more years of experience joining the district. Johnson understandably expressed pride in this shift, especially amidst the challenge that districts are facing nationally to recruit teachers.

“We believe that an experienced teacher is going to obviously be a more comfortable teacher, a more ready-to-teach teacher for our students, which ultimately turns into better outcomes, we would expect, for our students,” he said.

Third, and this is certainly a case of last but not least, funding for student mental health supports has nearly doubled from $14 million in 2021 to almost $28 million today. We believe that great public schools are those where students can thrive in full, not just academically, and that means mental health. A range of community partners are coming together to meet students’ needs across the district and better position students to learn and be their best selves.

These points of progress do not obscure the fact that public schools in Atlanta and beyond face severe challenges. Chronic absenteeism is too high, for example, and persistently wide gaps in outcomes for underserved students persist. Both points — that Atlanta public schools are making progress and that there is a long way still to go — can coexist.

As we continue to support educators in meeting this moment, we believe it is possible — and imperative — to recognize the very real gains happening across APS.

Angira Sceusi is the executive director of redefinED atlanta, a nonprofit education reform group.