Get to Know
Young Professionals for Education Equity
Young Professionals for Education Equity (YPEE) began as an affiliate of Teach For America - Metro Atlanta in 2009 and became an independent network in 2010. Founded by Teach For America alumnus and regional advisory board member Hunter Pierson, each quarter YPEE hosts a member meeting featuring a speaker from the local education reform community. Twice a year the group organizes a public forum focused on a topic confronting the Metro Atlanta education landscape, and on an issue-by-issue basis, YPEE members advocate for policies that foster the academic achievement of students in low-income neighborhoods.
All 100 plus members of YPEE are required to attend at least three quarterly meetings each year, make a financial contribution to a local education non-profit working towards educational equity, and advocate for students living in high-need communities.
Region Timeline
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As the Civil War begins, Atlanta becomes the transportation and medical hub of the South.
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The first Public School Act in Georgia is passed, establishing separate schools for black and white students.
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Atlanta University and Morehouse and Spelman colleges form the Atlanta University system, which will become the nation's largest consortium of higher education for African Americans.
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The U.S. Supreme Court rules against segregated schools in Brown v. the Board of Education. State Attorney General Eugene Cook issues a statement saying that the ruling does not apply to Georgia.
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Atlanta Public Schools integrates nine black students into four white high schools.
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The funeral and burial are held in Atlanta.
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Maynard Jackson becomes the first black mayor in Atlanta’s history.
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The Hope Scholarship launches, providing full in-state college scholarships to all Georgia students who graduate from high school with a B average or above.
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Georgia is awarded $400 million in the federal government's Race to the Top competition, based on the state’s comprehensive, four-year school reform plan to fuel advancements in the classroom experience.
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A Governor’s Special Investigators’ Report confirms the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal. Thirty-eight principals and 178 teachers are found to be responsible for, or directly involved in, cheating on CRCT examinations in 2009.
Overheard
