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Building Administrators Making a Difference in Georgia Education - Alan Long     Alan Long is Principal at Jefferson County High School in Louisville GA.  He began his teaching career as a coach and PE teacher 28 years ago, and has served as a school administrator for 10 years.  Alan raised his two sons as a single parent, and is proud of the fact both of them volunteered for military service after high school.  “They took my ideas of service to another level” he said, “and I am very proud of their accomplishments.”  He was elected to serve as President of the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders.  Under Alan’s leadership GASSP has placed finalists in the NASSP High School and Middle School Principal of the Year process 6 of the last 8 years. He was encouraged by a former Principal to become an administrator, and took the opportunity to serve and learn with a strong building l

No Governor Left Behind - Part Deux     Name a state program or agency that you would describe as a model of efficiency, effectiveness and progress.  I know.  Me neither.  One of the last solutions anybody would come up with that really wanted to solve a problem would be more governmental involvement. So why does Governor Deal think that a new state agency disguised as the Opportunity School District would fare any better?  I’m not sure he does.  I think he promised himself into an educational corner during the heat of an election and had to come up with something, and Bobby Jindal happened to visit on his way to Washington and said “you should see what we pulled off in New Orleans.  We nearly doubled the number of charter schools and things are going so well I might even run for President.”  But wait a minute.  Are things in New Orleans really going that well for education?  In the early fall of 2014 the Cowen Institute at Tulane University withdrew its entire report touting the