Education
Education

Atlanta principal a finalist for national principal of the year

Jackson High School principal Stephanie Johnson. Atlanta Public Schools photo.
Jackson High School principal Stephanie Johnson. Atlanta Public Schools photo.
By Molly Bloom
June 27, 2016

An Atlanta high school principal is a finalist for National Principal of the Year.

Jackson High School principal Stephanie Johnson is one of three finalists named by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

In naming Johnson a finalist, the group cited her community outreach and the school's increased advanced classes and extracurricular offerings and rising test scores.

Earlier this year, UCLA education professor Pedro Noguera told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Maureen Downey that Jackson High School could serve as a national example of how to improve big-city schools.

“As we consider what should be done to improve the quality of education available to children throughout the country, especially those who have historically been the least well served, we should be encouraged by this example to know that real change is possible,” he wrote.

Johnson was previously named Georgia Principal of the year.

About the Author

Molly Bloom
More Stories

Keep Reading

Jack Rumpf, an incoming first-year from Athens, fist-bumps Buzz, Georgia Tech’s mascot, while entering the Campus Recreation Center Parking Deck to check in for move-in on Georgia Tech's campus in Atlanta on Saturday, August 10, 2024. (Seeger Gray / AJC)

Credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

Georgia Tech receives a record-high number of applications

After becoming Georgia's highest-enrolled college last fall, the Atlanta-based school received a record-high number of applications for the upcoming year.

Apalachee families urge Kemp to veto school cellphone ban, citing safety concerns

Several families of Apalachee High students said the texts they received during the Sept. 4 school shooting informed their opinion that a ban was not the right move.

DeKalb superintendent eyes higher grad rate, braces for future budget issues

DeKalb Superintendent Devon Horton talked about the ups and downs of education at the annual State of the District Address.

The Latest

Layla Contreras, sister of an Apalachee High School student affected by the mass shooting last year, advocates for gun safety at the Capitol in Atlanta on Friday, March 28, 2025. She and Apalachee High mom Tinya Brown also called on Gov. Brian Kemp to veto a cellphone ban for K-8 students. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Apalachee families urge Kemp to veto school cellphone ban, citing safety concerns

Georgia Tech receives a record-high number of applications

DeKalb superintendent eyes higher grad rate, braces for future budget issues

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Mass layoffs underway at Atlanta-based CDC

Public health experts say the CDC cuts could represent generational damage to health research and the elimination of infectious diseases.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank discusses his hourlong phone call with Kirk Cousins

“I had a long and impactful conversation with him,” the Atlanta Falcons owner said at the NFL annual meeting on Tuesday.

Atlanta rapper Young Scooter died after cutting leg on wood fence, medical examiner says

New details still have investigators asking questions about the death of the rapper, who police say died after falling while running from officers responding to a 911 call.