When Students Imagine Positive Futures

Case Study: Clayton County Public Schools (Atlanta, Ga.)

How a large, economically disadvantaged district guided students to grasp the power of their education today to create a hopeful tomorrow

In 2008, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the accreditation of Clayton County Public Schools because of School Board governance issues connected to children. Clayton County Public Schools is a huge and long-challenged district in Jonesboro, Georgia.

In 2012, the district’s four-year graduation barely passed 50% and was 16% lower than the state average. Fast forward to the 2019-2020 school year, and you will find 80% of its student ninth graders across the district’s 12 high schools enrolled in at least one AP class. The district-wide graduation rate is steadily catching up to that of the state’s, and several of the district’s high schools have passed it.

How did a district of 55,000 diverse students and 7,000 educators realize such incredible improvement in a relatively short amount of time? At its essence, educators worked tirelessly to make sure all students envisioned a positive future, even one they might have never thought possible for themselves