Atlanta , being the large size that it is, means that the city is split into several school districts - each covering a certain portion of the city and catering to the schools within a specific zone. The Atlanta School District refers to the central school district in the city; the innermost urban region. The district serves several different zones within its occupied region and these will include elementary, middle, high, charter and non-traditional schools. Essentially, the Atlanta School District is responsible for overseeing the running of each of the schools within the district and ensuring that the agreed curriculum is being delivered to the best of the school’s ability and that the safety and health of the children attending the school is being maintained.
The curriculum is one that encompasses many subjects in which the School Board believes that children should be well educated: reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign language, music, visual arts, planetarium, health/physical education and technology.
Reading materials are based on the MacMillan, McGraw Hill or Open Court framework for elementary students, while Middle School students will use the Glencoe Reading and Language Series of texts and sourcebooks.
Science classes throughout the age range of students are focused on providing hands-on knowledge that is supported by professional, scientific research. The students will be involved in several different types of experiments, that include different types of laboratories and equipment, as well as field trips and outdoor activities pertaining to their particular subject of study. The aim of the Atlanta School District in its science classes is to coordinate learning throughout the grades so that transition from elementary to middle to high school is smooth and so the learning approach does not change from year to year.
The Atlanta School District cooperates with different organizations throughout the community to improve the education of its students: by partnering with several parents, charity groups, corporations and businesses the District is able to open more doors in the way of financial backing and also field trips for the students. Bringing in money from the community itself is a way of letting the parents and the whole neighborhood support the education of the local children, and therefore the future of Atlanta City itself. The children benefit from interaction with organizations and individuals outside of the school system and also have a lot to learn from such a relationship.