Georgia Partnership's Field Notes

In episode 22 of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox, Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, connects with Drs. Mary Elizabeth Davis (Superintendent of Henry County Schools), Michael Duncan (Superintendent of Pike County Schools), and Dr. Keith Simmons (Superintendent of Griffin-Spalding County Schools) to discuss the challenges they face leading their districts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they're using federal pandemic relief funds to tackle those challenges. NOTE: This conversation is an extension of a panel discussion facilitated during a Partnership event hosted November 2022. Watch the recording now!

In episode 21 of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Cindy Kicklighter and Tamika Boone of the Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning (DECAL) to discuss the Happy Helpings summer food service program. Funded by the USDA and administered by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, the program provides free, healthy meals and snacks to children under 19 who need them.

In episode 20 of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education catch up with Dr. Dana Rickman, President of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence, to discuss her first year as president of the Partnership, the challenge of navigating the organization through socially and politically divided times, and what's included in the 2022 edition of the Top Ten Issues to Watch Report.

In episode 19 of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Veronica Womack, Executive Director of Georgia College's Rural Studies Institute, to discuss the Institute's efforts to promote and support rural communities in the areas of Health, Education, Economic Opportunity and the Environment.

In episode 18 of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Paige Pushkin, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE), to discuss the overwhelming educational needs in rural Georgia and how GFPE's Rural Education Fund is addressing those needs by "providing traditional public schools, charter schools, and school districts located in counties with 35,000 or fewer residents up to $10,000 to use however they wish to drive student outcomes."

In installment three of the "Tackling the Teacher Pipeline" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Karla Hull, Executive Director of VSU Sullivan Scholarship Program, and Paul Goodrich, Chair of the Ruby Sullivan Educational Scholars Program, to discuss how the they're honoring Mrs. Ruby Sullivan's educational legacy by awarding college scholarships to high school juniors and seniors in need who have a desire to become teachers

In installment two of the "Tackling the Teacher Pipeline" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Sharon Hixon, Dean of the School of Education at Dalton State College, to discuss how the school is addressing teacher recruitment and retention.

In installment one of the "Tackling the Teacher Pipeline" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Cindi Chance, Executive Director of Georgia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and Dr. CaDeisha Cooper, Assistant Superintendent of Candler County Schools, to discuss some of the challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers and how they are taking steps to address both.

In the final installment of the "Battling Through Budget Cuts" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Vickie Reed , Superintendent of Brooks County Schools, to discuss the challenges her district is facing in light of a decrease in state education funding and an increase in the costs of educating students while adhering to the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines.

In installment three of the "Battling Through Budget Cuts" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Superintendent Barry Waller of Toombs County Schools to discuss how a double-digit state budget cut will exacerbate existing instructional challenges in the district caused by limited broadband connectivity and minimal access to devices.

In installment two of the "Battling Through Budget Cuts" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Jay Brinson, Superintendent of Wayne County Schools, to discuss how he and his team are planning to weather the state budget cuts and subsequent reduction in school funding by prioritizing people over projects.

In installment one of the "Battling Through Budget Cuts" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Michele Taylor, Superintendent of Calhoun City Schools, to discuss how she is navigating her district through the dual challenges of looming budget cuts and the COVID-19 crisis. 

In part six of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Curtis Callaway, Director of Communications with Shaw Industries, to discuss how his team ramped up their efforts to communicate clearly, effectively, and frequently with everyone in the organization in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

In part five of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with June Merritt, Chairman of the Early County Board of Commissioners, to discuss how she and other county leaders are adapting to the COVID-19 crisis in ways that ensure county residents still have access to important services.

In part four of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Kermit Gilliard, Superintendent of Grady County Schools, to discuss his strategy for leading the school district and supporting the community through the COVID-19 crisis.

In part three of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Zoe Myers, Executive Director of the Cook County Family Connection, to talk about how her community is leveraging partnerships to navigate the COVID-19 crisis.

In part two of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Rachale LaVoie, Community Outreach Coordinator for Child Care Resource & Referral of Southeast Georgia to talk about the challenges facing the childcare industry in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

In part one of the "Voices from the Ground" series of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with Dr. Bronwyn Ragan-Martin, Superintendent of Early County Schools, to discuss how she is leading her district through the fear and uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis, while anticipating the instructional challenges her teachers and students will face when school resumes.

In episode four of the Georgia Partnership's Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education connect with educators and leaders across Georgia to reflect on some of the good education-related work that happened in Georgia during the 2010s and discuss how we might carry that momentum forward.

In episode three of Field Notes, Merrill Kemp-Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education dive into a discussion with education writer and rural education expert, Alan Richard, to spotlight Georgia-specific findings from Why Rural Matters, a new report from the Rural School and Community Trust. 

In episode two of Field Notes, Merrill Wilcox and Robert Gaines of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education spotlight the positive outcomes emerging from the Bartow Literacy Council's cross-sector efforts to improve literacy across the Bartow County (GA) community.