Rep. Allen visits A.R. Johnson Magnet School, talks importance of school choice
Augusta,
January 23, 2024
Originally Published in Fox 54 News Now.
AUGUSTA, Ga. - In honor of National School Choice week, Congressman Rick Allen visited A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School. He says having the option of specialized learning is an integral component of a student’s success. A.R. Johnson students are pursuing their passions early and working with industry professionals along the way. Engineering teacher Justin Russell has watched quiet students come out of their shells, even his own. “I’m a father as well as a teacher, I have 3 wonderful kids. If it was only our zone schools and if we did not have the school choice opportunities that we do, my own kids would not have the valuable experiences they have at A.R. Johnson. The ones who are old enough to go to A.R. Johnson, they are at A.R. Johnson and they love it.” Representative Allen agrees these opportunities wouldn’t be possible without school choice in the county. “When you find your passion, you don’t have to worry about these young people graduating, but we do have to fix this reading issue.” The Georgia Department of Education recently released documents that measure Georgia schools based on their readiness, progress and graduation rates. Readiness measures whether students are participating in activities preparing them for the future, whether that be the next grade level, college or career. According to the report, Georgia's readiness scores averaged 82.3% in elementary schools, 82% in middles schools and 71.4% in high schools. In Richmond County, for readiness, elementary schools scored 75.2%, middle schools were 74.6% and high schools scored 55.8%. In Columbia County, elementary schools scored 89.6%, middles schools did 87.9% and high schools scored 78.8%. Based on this data, schools were ranked among the states best of the best. Many schools in the Augusta area made the list, others have room to improve. While Richmond counties Magnet and Charter Schools are soaring on the college and career ready performance index, the public schools are struggling. This according to data released by the Georgia Department of Education. In the readiness category, which includes components like literacy and student attendance, several Columbia County and Richmond County Magnet Schools reach the state’s upper 95th percentile. Top 95th percentile:
A number of Richmond County Elementary and Middle Schools were in the 5-10% range:
And in the lower 5th percentile, several Richmond County High Schools
Congressman Allen says to get to the heart of this issue we need to address literacy. “I want them reading at the third grade level by the time they get to the first grade. I want to do that in the 12th District of Georgia and we’ll have 100% graduation rates.” |
