FOR RELEASE                                                                       CONTACT: Henry Duvall

Nov. 1, 2006                                                                                            (202) 393-2427  

Atlanta Schools Superintendent Wins

Top Urban Education Award

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 – Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall recently received the 2006 Richard R. Green Award, the nation’s highest honor for urban education leadership, at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 50^th Annual Fall Conference. 

Eleven superintendents of big-city school systems competed for the top award for an urban educator.  

The award is given each year by the Council, a coalition of the nation's largest urban public school districts, and ARAMARK, a food and facility services company.  The Green Award is named for the first African American chancellor of the New York City school system.

Under Dr. Hall’s leadership, the Atlanta Public Schools has closed the achievement gap with the State of Georgia, lowered the dropout rate, reduced the number of teacher vacancies and consolidated the Atlanta district’s 99 schools to 88, renovating 46 of them into state-of-the-art facilities.        

As the recipient of the Green Award, Dr. Hall received a $10,000 college scholarship to present to a high school senior of her choice in the Atlanta Public Schools.

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