From the AJC…

Two DeKalb County fire paramedics escaped serious injury Saturday when they were taken on a wild, high speed ride in the back of a stolen ambulance that eventually crashed into a chiropractor’s office near Decatur.

The paramedics had just dropped a patient off at Emory University Hospital on Clifton Road shortly before 2 p.m. and were in the back of the ambulance completing their paperwork when “a patient came out of the hospital, dressed in a gown and rubber gloves, jumped in the front seat, locked the doors and took off in the unit,” DeKalb fire Battalion Chief Christopher Morrison Jr. told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

And man, the picture of the ambulance crash is worth a 1,000 words.  Glad no one was hurt!

From the AJC…

Most metro Atlanta school districts saw improved graduation rates in 2012. At 91.41 percent, Decatur City Schools has the best graduation rate among the 15 metro Atlanta districts, with Atlanta Public Schools, at 50.87 percent, bringing up the rear.

APS was one of three metro Atlanta districts — Clayton (53.61 percent) and DeKalb (57.28 percent) with graduation rates lower than 60 percent.

According to the AJC database, Decatur’s graduation rate increased 2 points in 2012 vs. 2011 from 89% to 91%.

The AJC reported this morning on the release of the new statewide report card for schools.  As the article summarizes early on…

Georgia’s new report card for schools is out this morning and the grade for most metro Atlanta school systems is above average, with the City of Decatur and Gwinnett County leading the bunch.

The another AJC page explains that “Schools and districts are graded on a 100 point-scale on the index and can receive up to 10 bonus points for a total possible score of 110.”

• The score is primarily (70%) based on “Achievement Points” from that come from CRCT and end of course grades, measures of when students are ready for the next level and graduation rates.  
• 15% of the score is based on “Progress points” from academic growth on state tests.  
• 15% is based on Achievement gap points – “can either receive points for closing or having small achievement gaps on state tests or for year-over-year gap change”.
• 10% is based on Challenge Points which is explained by the AJC as “schools can receive if they have a significant number of economically disadvantaged students, English learners and students with disabilities meeting expectations or if they exceed the CCRPI state targets in college-ready programs”

Overall, Decatur was one of the top performing districts in the metro Atlanta area, with Oakhurst Elementary ranking #4 among all Elementary schools in the state with a score of 101.7.  Clairemont was close behind with a score of 101.1.   Winnona Park received a score of 97.1 and Glennwood came in with a 93.1.

According to this “Best/Worst” page, Decatur’s high schools and middle schools also performed at the top compared to other metro school districts.

There’s a lot of data out on the AJC website, so check it out.  Dig into the database itself here and let us know what else you find!

This is an idea that’s been dropped multiple times here on DM over the last couple weeks.  Bill Banks at the AJC got an answer.  As reported in Tuesday’s County-by-County recap,

Superintendent Phyllis Edwards “admitted the former DeVry University land in east Decatur is an “excellent location,” but added it’s not a current possibility for new school construction.”

 

This morning, the AJC published lists of the Top 20 Large (500+ employees), Top 30 Midsize (150-499 employees) and Top 50 Small (149 employees or smaller) workplaces in the Atlanta metro area.  Lo and behold, at #5 is the City Schools of Decatur.  (That’s in the physical newspaper.  The website for some reason has a different #5.)  Here’s the blurb…

The independent public schools district services 3,500 students among eight campuses.  The system added 40 employees last year, growing to 583, and projects 40 more hires this year.  It’s Early Childhood Learning Center received widespread publicity with a visit from President Barack Obama in February. The district ranks high in standardized testing and Advanced Placement categories. Teachers average 13 years of experience, and more than 70 percent hold advanced degrees.  The school board pays for contracted personnel membership fees in the teachers retirement system. The days of personal leave are granted annually.

You can check out a map of all the top workplaces here.  Also, the AJC explains their methodology here.