Atlanta principal a finalist for national principal of the year

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.