Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring recently joined Clark Atlanta University President Dr. George French and Ed Farm CEO Waymond Jackson to announce a first-of-its-kind, two-part fellowship initiative that will prepare 100 district educators to develop, support, and provide real-world personalized and future-ready learning experiences for students, and spark an interest in attending an Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
Held Aug. 26 on the campus of Clark Atlanta University, the event also featured board members Cynthia Briscoe-Brown and Aretta Baldon and several high school students from across Atlanta Public Schools.
Through the Innovation Fellows program, Ed Farm technology specialists will equip the cohort of educators in the District with technology-based skills and strategies to support active learning by using innovative resources and teaching strategies to create stimulating learning environment for their students, whether virtually or in person.
Dr. Herring and the other officials also announced the Propel Now program, which is designed to provide APS high school students with unique technology-based learning opportunities and equip them to become passionate about and prepared to attend an HBCU. The program focuses on providing access to resources, experiences and spaces that are often not accessible to our most deserving youth. Through partnerships with HBCUs throughout the country, this initiative will help students realize their potential, awaken their passions, and provide the support students need to attend and thrive at the HBCU of their choice.
The launch of the Innovation Fellows and Propel Now programs follows the January 2021 announcement of the 50,000-square foot Propel Center being built as part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC Consortium). The Propel Center will include on-site and virtual programming for HBCU students to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership.
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