Today’s moderator: Maureen Downey

Maureen Downey has written about local, state and federal education policy at the AJC for 12 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them.

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A new rating system gives low marks to many teacher training programs in Georgia and around the country, contending new teachers arrive in their classrooms unprepared for the challenges. I write about teacher training and where it falls short. Readers also offer their views on teacher training programs. In a guest column, two college professors defend the arts in the wake of a remark by the Georgia chancellor that drama degrees do not lead to jobs.

Learning on the job by Maureen Downey

Guest columnists:

The world needs poets, too by Randy Hendricks and Tommy Cox

About the Author

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Angie McBrayer, ex-wife of James Aaron McBrayer, leans her head on her son Sam McBrayer as she and her three children and two grandchildren (from left) Jackson McBrayer, 3, Piper Jae McBrayer, 7, Katy Isaza, and Jordan McBrayer, visit the grave of James McBrayer, Thursday, November 20, 2025, in Tifton. He died after being restrained by Tift County sheriff's deputies on April 24, 2019. His ex-wife witnessed the arrest and said she thought the deputies were being rough but did not imagine that McBrayer would die. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC