 Happy Read Across America Day! What a great day it's been so far. Superintendent Woods' pick for students at Alcova Elementary was "Green Eggs & Ham" -- sticking with the classics!
 Richard Woods became the State School Superintendent of Georgia last month after spending 22 years in public education in various roles: teacher, teacher mentor, assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, testing coordinator, pre-K director and alternative school director. He is also a former small business owner and was a purchasing agent for a multi-national laser company. This week, Woods wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and sent it, too, to members of Georgia’s delegation in the U.S. Congress and to the House and Senate education committees, which are currently working on legislation to rewrite No Child Left Behind. One of the key issues is whether annual standardized testing, as mandated in NCLB for grades 3-8 and once in high school, will continue in a new education law. Woods, in his letter to Duncan, urges changes to federal mandates on standardized testing, saying in part: Our broken model of assessment is too focused on labeling our schools and teachers, and not focused enough on supporting our students. Our current status quo model is forcing our teachers to teach to the test. We need an innovative approach that uses tests to guide instruction, just as scans and tests guide medical professionals. Oftentimes, we hear teachers called professionals because they have the knowledge and skill set to reach the needs of their individual students, yet in our accountability measures we have not supported or given value to diagnostic tools and tests that teachers need to fully utilize that knowledge or those skills. We must find a balance between accountability and responsibility.  "Great days are ahead as we work to expand
Agricultural Education programs in our state." -- Richard Woods, Georgia's School Superintendent Woods asked GaDOE to Donate Supplies to Dekalb Kindergarten Classroom that was Damaged by Fire2/20/2015
Supt. Woods asked GaDOE to donate supplies to @DeKalbSchools classroom damaged by fire -- we dropped them off today!
Supt. Woods had a great visit this week w/ @gatoty2015 & her husband, mother, & former student!2/15/2015
 Superintendent Woods with the 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year, Amanda Miliner
I know from my experience as a principal that the first things you see when you walk into a school give you a clear picture of where the school staff place their values. When I visited Trion Elementary recently, one of the first things the principal pointed out was the handprints that lined the school’s hallways – clay handprints that are created when a student enters kindergarten. The principal explained that many seniors and former graduates come back to the school and search the hallways to find their handprint, a symbol of the personalized education students at Trion City Schools receive. It’s an education that is focused on the whole child.   On July 20, 1969, Georgia Superintendent Richard Woods was glued to the television when Neil Armstrong took mankind’s first lunar step. Woods was about the same age as the Rocky Branch Elementary students he spoke to Wednesday morning. “You are preparing yourself to become the next Neil Armstrong,” he said minutes before presenting the school with a banner commemorating its recent STEM certification. Rocky Branch Elementary is the first STEM-certified school in Oconee and is the 13th certified school in the state. STEM is an acronym representative of a blending of the following subject areas: science technology, engineering and mathematics. RBES teachers also use the acronym STEAM to include the arts, although STEAM is subject to its own certification standards.  "If Atlanta Public Schools succeed, Georgia succeeds"
"I'm committed to working together to make Georgia a shining star among public schools across the country" -- Richard Woods, Georgia's School Superintendent | Meet Richard
Richard Woods
Georgia's School Superintendent
Richard Woods has over 22 years of pre-k through 12th grade experience in public education. > Read Full Bio
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