The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education recently released the 2020 edition of the annual Top 10 Issues to Watch report. For the past 16 years, the Partnership has published the report, which identifies and analyzes the key education issues Georgia will be or should be addressing in the coming year.

"This report is a great resource for city officials," said Brian Wallace, GMA's Director of Strategic Initiatives. The report provides a snapshot of where the state is in regards to child well-being, educational attainment, and workforce readiness, and then delves into specific issues. "Of particular interest to city officials is the information on the impact of demographic changes in the state, literacy, rural poverty, factors impacting school achievement that are outside the school setting, and workforce development," he said.

“The Partnership team couldn’t be more proud of the Top 10 report and the privilege of providing leaders in Georgia with a clear view of the most pressing education issues in the state for the last 16 years,” said Dr. Steve Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership. “Each year we write a report that will provide policymakers, educators, community and business leaders, and all education stakeholders with relevant information that will help them identify and think through the opportunities that exist to move Georgia forward.”

Below are the 10 issues highlighted in the report:

Preparing for 2030: Shifting Demographics and Georgia’s Future

Early Learning: Building Toward the Future

Literacy: The Great Equalizer

Funding: Ripple Effects of Budget Cuts

Principal Leadership: Insulating the Teacher Pipeline

Strong Foundations: Standards, Assessments, and Accountability

Student Success: Barriers Beyond the Schoolhouse

Rural Poverty: Endangering Opportunity

School to Work: Pathways to Employment

Beyond the Diploma: Keys to Post-Secondary Success

Each issue is divided into three sections: “Issue Overview,” which defines the topic; “Significance for Georgia,” which puts it into context; and “Action Steps for Georgia” which proposes what the state needs to do to keep moving forward in its public education plan.

The report is written so the public can understand the complexities of the education landscape and is widely disseminated to leaders and education stakeholders across the state.