On Friday, January 13, more than 300 people came to an education town hall held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. The purpose of the town hall was to discuss what charter schools and other school choice options mean for black and minority families in Georgia, Atlanta and the nation. Panelists for the town hall included: (Left to Right:) Atlanta Board of Education Chair Courtney English; National education expert and author of “Building A 
Learning Culture in America” Kevin Chavous; Award-winning journalist, NewsOne Now Host and author Roland Martin; Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson and KIPP STRIVE Academy School parent and KIPP STRIVE Primary administrator Terra Walker. Media personality and parent Rashan Ali moderated the event.
The dialogue came just before Martin Luther King Day in the heart of Atlanta’s historic civil rights community and was particularly timely due to the recent Charter School Moratorium Resolution approved by the NAACP’s National Board of Directors.
The discussion among panelists and community members was heated at times but left many attendees with thought-provoking information. On Friday, January 13, more than 300 people came to an education town hall held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. The purpose of the town hall was to discuss what charter schools and other school choice options mean for black and minority families in Georgia, Atlanta and the nation. Panelists for the town hall included: Award-winning journalist, NewsOne Now Host and author Roland Martin; Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson; National education expert and author of “Building A Learning Culture in America” Kevin Chavous; Atlanta Board of Education Chair Courtney English and KIPP STRIVE Primary School parent and administrator Terra Walker. Media personality and parent Rashan Ali moderated the event.
The dialogue came just before Martin Luther King Day in the heart of Atlanta’s historic civil rights community and was particularly timely due to the recent Charter School Moratorium Resolution approved by the NAACP’s National Board of Directors.
The discussion among panelists and community members was heated at times but left many attendees with thought-provoking information.
During the town hall, Martin encouraged black parents and members of the community who are unsatisfied with their child’s current school or traditional education system to work to start a charter school.
“There are black charter operators in Atlanta right now who are running high performing charter schools. I’m saying, ‘If you’re school isn’t working, there is an option for you to control your own destiny. I’m not waiting on someone else to fix it.’ ”
KIPP STRIVE Academy parent and KIPP STRIVE Primary School Operations Director Terra Walker said she believes every parent should have a choice and she chose what was best for her son. Walker’s son was diagnosed with autism before he was three. She says KIPP Metro Atlanta schools are charter public schools and serve students with special needs like her son.
“KIPP Through College works,” said Walker “They may not come to a KIPP school on grade level, but they leave in that way. 93 percent of KIPP Atlanta Collegiate students graduated last year.”
NAACP state president Francys Johnson raised accountability and transparency concerns. He said he supports charter schools but only if they meet the four standards the NAACP raises in its moratorium.
“I support choice. I support all the various models that have been talked about. I fundamentally believe that we have to fix public education in this country. I will stand with them to move us to a new era if they will agree to those four things I talked about in the moratorium.”
Martin and Chavous argued against the points raised in the moratorium. Chavous argued charter schools are already accountable.
“The charter school community faces more accountability than traditional public schools,” said Chavous. “Do you know why? Because they have a five-year contract, they have goals and expectations around governance, financial accountability, curriculum and development, academic output, and if they don’t live up to it they get shut down.”
KIPP STRIVE Academy parent and KIPP STRIVE Primary School Operations Director Terra Walker said she believes every parent should have a choice and she chose what was best for her son. Walker’s son was diagnosed with autism before he was three. She says KIPP Metro Atlanta schools are charter public schools and serve students with special needs like her son.
“KIPP Through College works,” said Walker “They may not come to a KIPP school on grade level, but they leave in that way. 93 percent of KIPP Atlanta Collegiate students graduated last year.”
The town hall was cosponsored by Georgia Charter Schools Association and GeorgiaCAN
