I am pleased to report that 2006 was a great year for the Cobb County School District! The evidence of that success is here for your review in the 2006 Annual Report. We hope you find this report an honest and complete assessment of your public schools.

Our highest priority continues to be the academic success of all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The core of our academic approach is our belief that all children can succeed. The outstanding teachers you will find throughout the Cobb County School District are responsible for giving students the best chance for success by ensuring that they grasp the curriculum, and by holding them to high standards.

Test scores are one measure of academic success, and Cobb students perform very well compared to their peers in metro Atlanta, in Georgia and across the nation. In Cobb, nearly 80 percent of graduating seniors take the SAT (compared to just 48 percent nationally), and yet Cobb students’ average score easily tops the national average. In fact, if Cobb were a state instead of a county, it would rank fourth in the nation in average SAT score among states testing more than 75 percent of their students – behind only New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Third, fifth and eighth graders in Cobb surpass national averages on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and we continue to see improvement in many of our high-risk schools. But test scores are only one measure of success. The standard by which all school districts in the nation are measured today is the No Child Left Behind Act. This law requires that all groups of students – as defined by ethnicity, language and disability – show adequate academic improvement year to year. In Cobb, we are committed to ensuring that all students show academic progress, and we are taking action to intervene in the few instances where that has not happened. With this internal commitment, combined with the community’s support, the District will be successful in meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

I encourage you to read through this entire Annual Report and learn more about what makes Cobb County shine as a school district. As we move into 2007, everything we say and do will draw from the four areas that constitute the “District Focus”. Those areas are: Student Achievement, Leadership Development, Fiscal Responsibility, and Building Relationships Through Enhanced Communication.

Thank you for the support you provide for public education, and for helping to make the Cobb County School District a leader in public education.

Sincerely,

Fred Sanderson
Superintendent