Maureen Downey

Dec 16, 2024 | ledger-enquirer.com | Maureen Downey

Dec 16, 2024 | mercedsunstar.com | Maureen Downey

Dec 8, 2024 | ajc.com | Maureen Downey

What makes the Georgia Gold Dome shimmer is its 24-karat gold leaf — no fillers, no dilution, no watered-down components. The same can’t be said about the political debates under the dome, where the arguments often build on murky assertions and thin evidence. That’s especially true in education matters where emotion and anecdote now prevail over fact and reality.

Dec 4, 2024 | chronicle-tribune.com | Maureen Downey

When I began covering education in Georgia 28 years ago, most legislation focused on proven drivers of student success including teacher quality, relevant curriculum and adequate funding. State education reform commissions pondered such questions as middle school design, high school size and ideal pupil-teacher ratios. Today, legislators talk more about school bathrooms, book bans and pronouns, issues that don’t bolster academic achievement but do rile up voters.

Dec 2, 2024 | ajc.com | Maureen Downey

Former Gov. Zell Miller is most often remembered for the monumental HOPE Scholarship that sent more Georgia students to college at a minimal cost. A report on the school-to-prison pipeline released Tuesday contends Miller also sent more teens to prison as a result of changes to the juvenile justice systemthat remain in place today.