Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Meria Carstarphen will join a new national group that will explore how schools can better teach students non-academic skills, like how to work in groups or be resilient in the face of challenges.

The work of the Aspen Institute's commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development will culminate in a report that will "re-envision what constitutes success in our schools."

The 14-member group is chaired by Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond; lobbyist and former Michigan governor John Engler; and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning chairman Tim Shriver. Carstarphen is one of two current K-12 educators on the commission.

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Travelers wait in Concourse F, the international terminal, at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com