The South Region, our largest region geographically, is the site of some of our biggest and most significant projects. States, districts, and schools in urban, suburban, and rural communities have chosen America’s Choice solutions to tackle their most pressing challenges.

For example, in 1999, Florida’s Duval County Public Schools began a seven-year partnership with us to implement the America’s Choice School Design in more than 60 of its lowest performing schools—more than a third of the district, which is the nation’s 19th largest.

This region stretches from Maryland to Florida, Georgia to Texas, and includes Washington, D.C., where our national headquarters is located.

South Region Highlights

• The Georgia Department of Education selected the America’s Choice School Design in 2001 to help improve student achievement in 100 of its lowest performing schools. The three-year project transformed Georgia education into a standards-based system focused on results.

• In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mississippi Department of Education selected America’s Choice to provide targeted assistance to 50 of its hardest-hit schools in 20 districts. Through “Project Assist,” we mobilized staff and resources to deliver on-site coaching, professional development, and instructional materials to strengthen these schools’ capacity to meet the needs of thousands of displaced students. This project was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

• In 2007, Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland—the second largest school system in the state and the 18th largest district in the nation with more than 134,000 students—selected America’s Choice to improve student performance districtwide. Currently, 33 elementary and middle schools are implementing the America’s Choice School Design and six additional middle schools have launched Ramp-Up Mathematics and Ramp-Up Literacy courses.

• For high schools in Prince George’s County, America’s Choice created a customized intervention to give students who failed the state’s High School Assessment in Algebra/Data Analysis better preparation to pass the test. Sixteen high schools have implemented this special instruction. (Beginning with the class of 2009, students must pass the test to graduate.)

• In 2006, the Arkansas Department of Education selected America’s Choice in a competitive bidding process as its turnaround partner for schools facing restructuring. America’s Choice works with the 31 schools statewide that have implemented the design’s intensive version.

• The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in 2006, identified America’s Choice as an approved partner in its statewide initiative to improve high schools. Six schools adopted the design in the 2007–08 school year to address performance issues and raise student achievement levels.

• In 2007, the Florida Department of Education included Ramp-Up Literacy in its list of approved providers to help students with serious deficits in reading.

• Schools in Texas have adopted Ramp-Up Literacy, Ramp-Up Mathematics, and Mathematics Navigator. Schools in South Carolina have implemented the America’s Choice School Design. And schools in Tennessee are using Mathematics Navigator.

Meet the South Region staff