APS Superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen Included in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s List of Atlanta’s Power 100

ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen is included in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s list of Atlanta’s 100 most influential people for 2018.

This marks the fifth consecutive year Dr. Carstarphen has been chosen as one of the city’s top decision makers, as selected by the editors at the Chronicle.

Moving into her fifth year as superintendent, Dr. Carstarphen is leading APS on a Journey of Transformation with the goal of ensuring that every student in the District graduates ready for college and career. Since her arrival, the high school graduation rate for APS students has risen to 77 percent (2016-17) from 59.1% (2013-14), which is the highest rate APS has received since the Georgia Department of Education aligned with the national standard in 2012. Under Dr. Carstarphen’s leadership:

• 56 APS schools showed gains on the state’s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) based upon 2016-2017 data.  That is two-thirds of the district.
• 60% of APS schools “beat the odds” because they performed better than statistically expected on the CCRPI.
• On the 2017 Georgia Milestones, 57 schools – or about two thirds of APS schools –achieved gains when averaged across subject areas, 17 more schools than the prior year.
• On the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), when compared to the 2015 NAEP results, the average scale score and percent of students scoring proficient and above increased in three of the four tested grades and subjects.
• APS began the 2017-2018 school year with all principal positions filled and only nine teaching vacancies, the fourth consecutive year where APS had fewer than 10 teacher vacancies on Day One.
• APS has expanded training for principals on hiring for teacher quality and increased principal satisfaction with quality of applicants from 56% to 66%.
• In alignment with the district’s strategic plan, APS has ensured larger shares of expenditures go directly to instruction. From 2014 to 2017, the per-pupil spend for instruction has increased by $894.19 per pupil. For that same period, the per-pupil cost for General Administration has declined by $123.12.
• In the area of partnerships and development, since November 2014, APS has either established or re-established over 275 partnerships and raised over $47 million.

Earlier this month, Dr. Carstarphen was named Georgia Superintendent of the Year by the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees Local 1644 (AFSCME) and the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees (GFPSE).  This award recognizes Dr. Carstarphen for her transformational leadership, the implementation of bold and positive changes, effective labor relations, improved test scores, and effective student engagement.

Additionally, Dr. Carstarphen is the recipient of the 2018 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Communication Technology Award for Superintendents. Also, she was named winner of the 2018 Outstanding Alumna Award by the Newcomb Alumnae Association at Tulane University, where Dr. Carstarphen earned a bachelor of arts in political science and Spanish (1992) and is a current member of the Tulane University President’s Council.  In addition, Dr. Carstarphen is proud to have been selected for the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2019.