Page 6 - 2013 FINAL DCOC Annual Report

Partnership In Education

As a staunch advocate for business, the DeKalb Chamber
continues to be committed to supporting and furthering
academic achievement and scholastic excellence in
our students.

We want to ensure our member businesses, organizations
and educational institutions serve with integrity and as
respected role models for our students. In response to the
education crisis facing us, the DeKalb Chamber put forth
a resolution in support of the DeKalb County Board of
Education to ensure that the necessary resources are
leveraged which would positively impact student
achievement. This included working collaboratively with
the County’s Board of Education and other community
stakeholders to obtain full restoration of its accreditation.

As it works to foster and grow partnerships with education
and businesses, the DeKalb Chamber again coordinated
the County’s involvement in the Professional Association
of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Student Teacher Achievement DEKALB SCHOLARSHIP FUND CONTRIBUTORS
Recognition (STAR) Program. In May 2013, the Chamber
along with DeKalb County Government and the DeKalb
County School District launched the Educational
Scholarship Fund. In total, $120,000 in college scholarships
were awarded to over 25 outstanding high school seniors
through this program.

In an effort to further enhance the quality of education,
empowerment and enlightenment DeKalb County students CHAMBER EDUCATION COMMITTEE BETTY WILLIS AND
receive, the Chamber sponsored a leadership program for PRESENTS CHECK TO DEKALB MICHAEL THURMOND
ATTEND CHAMBER
the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) to participate in SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR HARVARD BUSINESS PROGRAM
PROJECT INITIATIVE
Harvard University’s Public Education Leadership Program
(PELP). In July 2013, a team of eight people including
the superintendent, board leadership, a parent, a principal
and office personnel were given an opportunity to travel to
Boston and interact with other leadership teams across the
country, to explore how to establish a culture of cooperation,
high expectations and accountability for our school system.

06 2013 ANNUAL REPORT