Atlanta rapper Silento whips up enthusiasm for Georgia test

The state Department of Education turned to DeKalb recording sensation Silento to persuade Georgia students taking the NAEP test to try their best on it, even though it doesn’t count toward class grades.

A graduate of Redan High School, Silento, 19, is a rapper and songwriter who shot to fame with his debut single “Watch Me” (Whip/Nae Nae.) His real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk.

DOE deserves kudos for seeing the potential of “Nae, Nae” and “NAEP, NAEP,” an idea advanced by the fact someone in the agency knew Silento’s aunt.

Read the full story and see the video featuring Silento and Georgia students on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Get Schooled blog.

Druid Hills High modernization plan gets green light after years of debate

The estimated cost for the long-awaited project is up to $185 million.

2h ago

Officials to install opioid reversal kits in Georgia’s public schools

The kits will contain Narcan, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restore breathing.

Why the Atlanta school board voted to close and repurpose some schools

Sixteen schools will be repurposed under the APS Forward 2040 plan as enrollment falls and the district seeks better resources for students.

The Latest

Credit: Natrice Miller

Druid Hills High modernization plan gets green light after years of debate

2h ago

Officials to install opioid reversal kits in Georgia’s public schools

Why the Atlanta school board voted to close and repurpose some schools

Featured

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

When ICE takes breadwinners, it takes a toll on families ... and on the economy

For immigrant families, brushes with ICE can result in financial precarity that could have implications for the broader economy.

‘I’m a bad kid,’ he told himself. How Georgia’s special ed program failed one child.

Parents find that it's easy to get into the GNETS program, but in some districts, difficult to leave.

‘A lot of blame, but not enough action’: Atlanta leaders lack path to fix jail

Stakeholders across Atlanta and Fulton County grapple with a complex web of issues that contribute to overcrowding, crumbling structure.