ATLANTA – At a critical halfway point in a 12-year plan to reform Atlanta’s K-12 system, public education in Atlanta is improving under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.

That was the reaction today of key Atlanta business leaders in response to Dr. Hall’s third annual “State of Schools in Atlanta” address – a tradition started three years ago by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Atlanta Public Schools.

“No urban public school system in the nation has completely reformed its K-12 system – but that’s exactly what Superintendent Hall is determined to do,” said Dick Anderson, vice chairman and president of business markets for BellSouth Corp. and the Chamber’s incoming 2007 chairman. “Business leaders in Atlanta applaud the high standards she has set, and the determination with which she has tackled these goals.”

Since coming to Atlanta in 1999 from New York City, Dr. Hall has spurred important reforms, including: renovating decades-old school facilities, conducting a major operations audit to run schools more efficiently and taking the best education practices from across the nation and putting them to work in Atlanta.

Future goals include transforming all high schools into small learning communities, piloting single-gender academies and launching a new math initiative that includes teacher training.

“Nothing is more important to the future of our region than a well-educated, well-trained workforce,” said Curley Dossman, president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation and chair of the Chamber’s Atlanta Public Schools Committee. “ The leaders of tomorrow are sitting in the classrooms of today – and Dr. Hall is working with principals, teachers, parents and community leaders to make sure we all play a role in helping these children succeed.”

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The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (MACOC) -- with our 4,000 member companies that collectively employ more than 700,000 workers -- is a catalyst for a vibrant metro region. The Metro Atlanta Chamber focuses on the issues that matter most to the business community: improving quality of life, promoting economic growth and making Atlanta a brand name that means opportunity.

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