The CAO Student Advisory Council is designed to amplify student voices, nurture leadership, and foster collaboration among students across PBSA schools. This Council provides a platform for students to share insights, advocate for their peers, and work collectively to shape a brighter future for their schools and community.

How it Works
The Council and I meet monthly along with other cluster leaders to discuss issues that matter most to students, provide input on PBSA policies and initiatives, and contribute actionable solutions to enhance their school environments. Through this opportunity, members of the council:

• Learn the importance of advocacy.
• Build essential leadership skills.
• Enhance their ability to take ownership of their educational journey.

The first official CAO Student Advisory Council meeting took place on January 9, 2025. During this meeting, Council members:

• Shared their passions and concerns about their individual schools and the broader cluster community.
• Offered innovative ideas and valuable perspectives on school culture, climate, and academic excellence.
• Engaged in a strategic planning session to identify challenges and develop actionable solutions. These efforts will culminate in a Project-
• Based Learning (PBL) initiative addressing the key concerns identified by the Council.
• Celebrated positive experiences and achievements within their schools, reinforcing the importance of recognizing successes alongside addressing challenges.

The Council also finalized its creed. The creed underscores the Council’s dedication to acting as a bridge between students and leadership, ensuring student voices remain central to PBSA’s decision-making processes.

This initiative amplifies student voices, ensuring leadership decisions reflect their needs. It highlights PBSA’s commitment to empowering students to advocate for themselves, their peers, and their communities.

This question exemplifies an important skill students at şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř are learning about– handling emotions in different ways. Since its inception, şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools has been on a journey to explicitly teach and reinforce social emotional learning (SEL) competencies and skills.

At PBSA, we use the following definition to guide our SEL work:

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes, and values necessary to understand and manage life tasks such as cognitive learning, forming relationships, and the flexibility to adapt to challenges and expectations of complex society (Elias et al., 1997).

SEL programs typically incorporate evidence-based practices and activities that aim to cultivate five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

“We are on a mission to redefine Social Emotional Learning within our community. Historically, SEL has looked like a block of time at the beginning of the day where students receive direct instruction using a core SEL curriculum, like Second Step. While direct instruction is a critical part of our SEL implementation, the work is much bigger than a curriculum,” said Blake Zimmerman, PBSA Coordinator for Data and Culture. “Through a partnership with Urban Assembly’s Resilient Scholars Program, we have expanded our thinking about High Quality SEL. We believe it should include Direct Instruction, SEL Assessment, SEL Skill Integration, Adult SEL Development, and should be inclusive of partners, caregivers, students and staff.”

To bring this expanded vision and definition to life, PBSA hosted its 2nd Annual SEL Showcase at Price Middle School on April 17, 2024. The theme was “Moving from Intent to Impact: The Role of Student Voice and Academic Integration in SEL growth schoolwide.

“This is a way to hold ourselves accountable for our continued growth in SEL Implementation. It also provides us with an opportunity to elevate members of our community who are leading this work as students, as staff, as caregivers and as partners,” shared Zimmerman.

Attendees heard from students (K-12) sharing around their SEL skill development and how instructional practices are reinforcing SEL competencies that support student growth. Educators presented best practices, provided tangible tools that inform educator work and ensured that attendees can turnkey artifacts to their communities. PBSA caregivers modeled their own SEL skill development and talked about how they practice SEL skills at home with their students.

The event featured several şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools teachers and students discussing the classroom integration of SEL. For example, Mrs. Denise Williams and Slater Elementary students, Zuri and Jason, shared more about how they leverage mindfulness as a self-management skill and use affirmations to promote optimistic thinking each day.

Affirmations for the young scholars included, “Today is going to be a good day in class.” And,“Every day is a fresh start and challenges help people.”

Zimmerman has been invited to speak on a panel at Urban Assembly’s SEL Symposium in NYC on May 17th where hundreds of educators and SEL thought-leaders will be gathered to explore and exchange innovation and best practices around social emotional learning implementation. He and a teacher from each school will be going to participate in the conference and will also get to attend two showcases at a NYC elementary and high school.

“We were encouraged and honored to receive this praise from our academic colleagues,” said Dr. Nikkita Warfield, Chief Academic Officer at şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř. “Our success underscores that the academic integration of an SEL curriculum is imperative to a successful student experience.”

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şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools has remained two steps ahead with an aggressive, multi-pronged remedial plan.

We began our multi-pronged learning remediation plan last spring as many students began returning to the classroom and are offering a wide range of initiatives and services to address the gaps.

The upcoming year, indeed, the next three years, will be all about academic and social emotional learning (SEL) recovery for our students. Preliminary data shows that academic gaps are significant.

Our recovery strategy focuses on three priorities: added literacy and math intervention practices; highly engaging project-based instruction supported by new Smart Boards in all classrooms; and continued family and student SEL supports included in our Student and Family Support Program.

Small Group Interventions. Research shows that small group interventions—and as much individualized instruction as possible—is effective in enhancing reading and writing skills in young children, especially those from low-income communities. We therefore have invested in the following tools, resources, and practices to ensure our students get additional individualized and small group instruction. This includes:

• adding a 75-minute intervention block to the school day schedule, supported by the addition of 8 intervention parapros;
• increased high dosage tutoring, including an expanded partnership with the Schenck School;
• new Literacy Coordinator and Math Coordinator positions;
• and individualized learning plans for students.

Engaging Project Based Learning Instruction. To improve the quality of our culturally relevant project based instruction, we have purchased state-of-the-art flat screen panels for every classroom, “Smart Boards.” We also added a Technology Instruction Coordinator to provide ongoing professional development to teachers – ensuring that we integrate the Smart Boards into classroom instruction.

SEL Supports. Cultivating strong, positive relationships with students has always been a cornerstone of our support, but after more than a year away from in-person learning, our staff’s ability to meet students’ social, emotional and mental needs has never been more important. We’ve expanded the number of counselors and social workers on-site at our schools and will provide services such as individual/group counseling, behavior support, individual/group skill building, and staff training on trauma-informed care. These supports work to combat issues such as depression, trauma, anxiety, bullying, grief, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř has received CARES Act funding as part of the national pandemic recovery program, and we have developed a thoughtful 3-year plan to spend that money in targeted ways. We believe our strategy will both close the gaps and set the stage for continued growth in the long-term.

Months of careful planning has gone into these recovery efforts. We are optimistic that this 3-year plan will support our students in their academic and SEL recovery, as well as our teachers and staff who are working valiantly to help our students achieve their unlimited potential, despite the recent challenges.

What do Kamala Harris, Colin Kaepernik, John Lewis, George Washington Carver and Barack and Michelle Obama have in common?

They are titans of Black excellence in their respective fields. But perhaps most relevant to students in the south Atlanta community: they are the latest additions to a series of inspiring murals at Carver STEAM Academy organized by COR.

is cultivating a positive school community by bringing beauty to the once-drab walls of the campus’ historic Archive building. COR is a non-profit organization that partners with Carver STEAM to remove non-academic barriers to student success by supporting them with behavioral health and social-emotional programming.

“We wanted to beautify the space and make the Archive building more student friendly,” says Jennifer Bartl, Chief Operating Officer of COR. “But perhaps most importantly, we wanted it to be culturally relevant and reflect what’s going on in the world with social and racial injustice.”

COR invited Atlanta artist and activist Christina Ward to paint a mural at Carver STEAM that highlights Black excellence and inspires students to achieve their full potential. Christina, a childhood friend of COR’s co-founder Jennifer Greenlee, gifted the mural to the school because she wanted to find a way to give of her time and talents to COR’s cause.

The gorgeous mural features bright colors and inspiring quotes. Amanda Gorman, Lena Waithe, James Baldwin, Stacey Abrams and Jean Michel Basquiat are also featured in the artwork.

“It’s so important for students to see themselves in the art,” says Christina. “I hope that they will look at this wall and see the power of determination and persistence, and what can happen if you don’t give in to the status quo.”

“It was important for COR to let students know that we built this space for them,” says Jennifer. “To give them some pride and ownership in the space.”

Christina is now working on murals at Price Middle School and Thomasville Heights Elementary School to spotlight Black history and excellence, from the time of the Egyptians through the Civil Rights Movement. She plans to work with local artists of color to further amplify the message and hopes that students might get involved as well, believing that school walls are the perfect canvas.

“You don’t always learn about the history of Black excellence and prosperity,” says Christina. “In these murals, students will see where they come from and what they’ve accomplished. We hope it gives them a sense of pride in who they are and their ability to achieve their own dreams. And to tell a different narrative other than that of slavery and escape.”

At the tragic cost of many lives, 2020 shined a harsh spotlight on how systemic racism permeates America.

Our goal at şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools is to create life-changing opportunities for students and families. We do that by explicitly identifying and dismantling the systems of racism that are barriers to those life-changing opportunities. That approach informs our long-term strategy and daily work.

The visible – and not so visible – systems of racism in our schools

In America, Black students are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, but less likely to be enrolled in gifted enrichment programs.

Many schools serving predominantly Black students experience higher transiency rates, disrupting the long-term secure adult relationships at the heart of learning.

Many of us applaud schools that make a difference with low-income, minority students by concentrating solely on reading and math – all at the expense of the enrichment opportunities that middle and upper class families expect and demand in their schools.

The very curriculum taught to Black students reflects generations of systemic bias and racism. For example, one part of Georgia’s K-5 state standards requires knowledge of 70 historical figures – only 18 of whom are people of color.

Many believe that Black students in inner city schools must be silent and obedient in order to succeed, while schools in white communities give freedom, voice, and choice to students.

Schools serving low-income families can be unwelcoming and intimidating to caregivers, subtly discouraging parental involvement.

What is the cumulative impact of this systemic racism in our schools? On average, Black and Latino high school seniors perform math and read at the same level as 13-year-old white students. The high school graduation rate for Black Americans is lower than their white peers in every state. And in our four schools at şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools, when we began our partnership with Atlanta Public Schools three of the schools were in the bottom 4 percent of all Georgia schools as ranked by student achievement.

We believe we can remove these systems of racism from schools. It’s already working at şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools. We have seen significant, sometimes unexpected, gains across a multitude of important metrics.

In less than five years, across four schools that comprise the lowest income feeder pattern in Georgia and that serve a population that is 100 percent students of color, we have reduced suspensions by 40 percent, lowered transiency by one fifth, and increased caregiver attendance at parent-teacher conferences by 17 percent. It’s no accident that at the same time three of our four schools have increased student achievement by more than 93 percent of all schools in Georgia.

We know that we are at the beginning of a long journey, and even with our initial successes, we don’t expect sustainable change to happen overnight.

We also understand that we’re just four schools in a massive educational system built on systemic racism. But the important work of addressing these systems plays out daily in the way Black students and families experience the educational system through their neighborhood school. And we can start doing something about it right now.

We know our students are born with the same potential as any child. We just have to give them that chance.

Haniyyah Nu’Man, Tambra Harris and Keely Sutton of Price Middle School and Kimberly Edwards of Thomasville Heights Elementary School will participate in the 8-month leadership and facilitation program designed for educators interested in leading, designing, and facilitating equity-centered learning experiences in their school communities.

These four educators are among dozens of şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools staff who have participated in CREATE’s professional development programs, including şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools president Greg Giornelli.

“We love our partnership with CREATE,” says Giornelli. “Their professional development opportunities have helped drive powerful and honest conversations about educational equity across our schools. The fellowship gives our staff opportunities to network with like-minded educators and strengthen equity-centered facilitation skills.”

Like şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools, CREATE builds and nurtures a thriving community of educators committed to practices of teaching that prioritize racial justice and interrupt inequities. They accomplish this by training new teachers, developing teacher leaders, and addressing teacher induction challenges.

“şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built School’s partnership with CREATE has been instrumental in my development as a facilitator, a collaborator, and as an agent for racial justice and equity,” says Blake Zimmerman, coordinator of data and culture for şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř Built Schools.

The objective of the Fellowship is to harness the skills required for facilitation of conversations about educational equity and justice in your school, organization, or life.

“For many years I’ve carried a heaviness in my heart due to the injustice I’ve witnessed,” says Kimberly Edwards. “In just a few short weeks of the CREATE Fellowship I’ve had the opportunity to sit among some incredible individuals who led me in brief, yet deep conversations about racial and social injustices. These conversations have left me thinking ever so more conscientiously–more awoken than ever before.”

The teachers have immediately applied what they are learning through the fellowship into the classroom.

“My fellow “fellows” have shared the depths of their poetic verses and suggestions of woke read alouds,” continues Edwards. “These shares have benefitted my students via discussions/teachings on citizens’ rights and responsibilities and the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. I think I’ll stick around for more life-changing moments with the Fellows.”

At age 22, I was handed my birth certificate, social security card and passport and told I had 10 days to leave my home.

My nightmare was coming true. My Haitian parents had finally discovered my secret:

I am gay.

I was no longer welcome. I was being discarded. I tried to be perfect but “perfectionism” was not enough.

When the day came, my mom berated me as I made my exit. My dad had no words for me. My heart was broken. My legs buckled as I walked out of the threshold of my childhood home.

Who was I?

I came face to face with who I was during the next two years. I discovered that I am resilient.

My story is important because I represent so many of our LGBTQ students: discarded by loved ones, lacking security and scared of what the future holds.

LGBTQ students deserve to pursue education in an environment where they are loved, accepted and supported. They deserve the same access to opportunities as their peers.

Homophobia runs rampant in schools across America–including our schools. Not only from our students, but from some faculty and staff, as well. We must do better. We owe it to our LGBTQ students.

If it’s in the world then it is in our schools.

Every educator has a student like me in their classroom. They may seem shy or eccentric or eager to please, but that’s because they just want to know their life matters. They need you to help them know that.

Here are steps you can take to promote equity for LGBTQ students:

• Language matters. If you hear a student or colleague using inappropriate language that can harm the LGBTQ community, speak up and correct them.
• ALL Black lives matter. Even the LGBTQ ones. If you are marching for George Floyd, march also for the Black trans women who have been murdered. The LGBTQ community needs justice, too.
• Model being inclusive. It should be reflected in the information you present to your class – videos, books, etc.

We aren’t free until we are all free.

What are you doing to elevate the voices of LGBTQ students? Please join me in making our schools safer for all students and ensuring that we value the experiences of people in our buildings.

şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř strives to create a positive climate and culture where students feel known, accepted and supported. Providing consistency is a big part of that.

But when children come from generational poverty, they face barriers that prevent them from experiencing that consistency in education, which can impede their ability to be successful in school.

To break this cycle, a group of teachers at Thomasville Heights Elementary School have stayed with the same cohort of students year after year.

This educational practice is called looping, where teachers spend two or more years with the same group of classroom students. There is evidence that looping is very effective from 3rd through 5th grade as well as through transition years, when students go to middle school or high school.

At THES, Ms. Rosales, Ms. Edwards, Ms. May and Ms. Ward have looped with the same group of students since third grade. The students will begin 5th grade this fall, kicking off their third year together.

“Looping is a great way to provide students with the stability and consistency needed to thrive in the classroom,” says Ms. Rosales. “Kids are more familiar with you and it makes it easier for them to participate.”

“We’ve gotten to know our students and they’re comfortable with us,” says Ms. Edwards. “Kids learn from people who they know love them and care for them. We’ve instilled that in them and motivated them. When they were told what they couldn’t do, we made their successes bigger.”

Looping helps teachers understand the learning styles of each student and accommodate them year after year. They can also group students by ability and personality.

“These relationships have helped students improve across the board,” says Ms. May. “They listen to every teacher now. We build relationships outside of school with our families. Parents trust us because they’ve known us for years.”

For students with behavioral challenges, looping can help create consistency in how classrooms are managed. Students know exactly what is expected of them in each classroom, no exceptions.

“I had a student for three years and his sister before that,” says Ms. Ward. “He knew exactly what was expected of him. The parents and I had a great relationship. They know us by now so we don’t have the “getting to know you” part. We can just jump right into teaching on day one.”

But looping can present challenges, as well. With each new school year comes the need for the looping teachers to learn a new set of standards and purchase new resources.

“We have to get to know the new standards each year,” says Ms. Ward. “But we know our students better each year, so we can adjust the standards to what they need. We can adapt because we know exactly where they are.”

Overall, the teachers have seen the method produce results each year.

“I once had a student who came to my class in 3rd grade from an alternative classroom because of her behavioral issues,” says Ms. Rosales. “This student was known as a slow learner who wasn’t able to get along in the classroom. But in my class, she hasn’t had a single issue because of the consistency and stability we provided her by staying together year over year. She recently told me she wants us to go on to middle school with her!”

Looping has been so successful for this team of teachers that they may consider starting the next cohort of students earlier, potentially in first grade; proof that the benefits of this educational practice are worth the effort.

At şÚąĎłÔÁĎÍř, we define ourselves as a group of individuals who are committed to racial justice and equity.

We empower students to become change agents who create positive, long-lasting impact in their communities. We do this through authentic and culturally relevant project-based instruction alongside enrichment, a safe and positive climate and culture, and student and family supports.

Through project-based learning, students at Thomasville Heights Elementary School, Slater Elementary School, Price Middle School and Carver STEAM Academy explore racial justice and equity and develop real-life solutions to make change in their communities. Learn more about project-based learning (PBL).

This fall, our PBL projects will be filled with culturally relevant topics to engage and inspire students–even while learning remotely.

Slater Elementary School

Fifth graders will explore how COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the African American community by studying the spread of the coronavirus across demographics and neighborhoods in Atlanta. In a virtual environment, students will create Instagram pages to raise their voices and challenge elected officials to make change.

Thomasville Heights Elementary School

Fourth graders will explore how living in a food desert affects health and wellness and why certain stores and resources aren’t in their neighborhoods. They will advocate city leaders to make changes to their plans to ensure more resources come to their communities. Fifth graders will learn more about their community’s response to COVID-19 by interviewing community members about how they have been impacted by the pandemic. They will work together to create hand sanitizer and masks to help supply low-income neighborhoods with needed safety resources. Students will research and target organizations at the local, state and international levels to donate the products.

Price Middle School

Students at Price will have the opportunity to be agents of change within their own school community. Students will write the first official student handbook for Price by examining local politics and leaders, the pandemic and social justice.

Carver STEAM Academy

Students at Carver STEAM will dive deeper into city planning and zoning in Atlanta by reimagining their own neighborhoods. They will work with city planners to determine what they want to change or add to their communities, such as stores, resources and access to health care. They will advocate for their plans to be adapted by city planners to help influence the future development of their communities.