Meet the Atlanta Board of Education candidates: Marlissa Crawford for District 2 – Atlanta Community Press Collective

Report on Marlissa Crawford’s Platform for Atlanta Board of Education District 2

Introduction

Marlissa Crawford is a candidate for the Atlanta Board of Education District 2 seat in the upcoming runoff election. Her platform addresses key challenges within the district, including shifting enrollment, facility needs, and opportunity gaps. This report analyzes her proposed policies and priorities through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 4: Quality Education

Crawford’s platform is fundamentally centered on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. She aims to improve academic outcomes by focusing on high-quality instruction and foundational skills.

• Academic Support: Proposes targeted tutoring, strong literacy and math supports, and expanded learning opportunities to address student needs.
• Teacher and Staffing Policies: Intends to address policies related to teacher staffing and class size to create a supportive and effective learning environment.
• Strategic Interventions: Plans to implement policies for academic acceleration and intervention to support all students in their educational journey.
• Career Pathways: Advocates for expanding proven early-learning and career pathways to retain and attract students, preparing them for future success.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The candidate recognizes the integral link between student health and academic success. Her approach involves integrating comprehensive health services into the school environment to ensure students are healthy, supported, and prepared to learn.

• Mental and Physical Health Services: Advocates for school-based health centers and increased access to counseling services.
• Nutrition and Physical Activity: Emphasizes the importance of nutritious meals and daily physical activity.
• Wraparound Supports: Plans to strengthen wraparound services that address truancy, mental health, and nutrition, removing barriers to learning and well-being.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

A core component of Crawford’s agenda is to address and reduce inequalities within the education system. She aims to close opportunity gaps and ensure all students have access to necessary resources and support.

• Equity-Centered Planning: Insists on a transparent, equity-centered process for managing school facilities and enrollment, with binding mitigation for affected families and staff.
• Special Education: Identifies Special Education and Student Services as a key policy area for review and improvement.
• Enrollment and School Choice: Commits to re-evaluating enrollment boundaries and school choice policies to ensure equitable access for all students in the diverse district.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Crawford’s vision extends to the role of schools as integral parts of the community. Her approach to facility management and capital planning aligns with creating sustainable and resilient community infrastructure.

• Facility Modernization: Prioritizes critical facility upgrades to ensure safe and modern learning environments.
• Capital Planning: Proposes a thoughtful approach to facilities and capital planning to address declining enrollment and underutilization.
• Community Assets: Suggests repurposing underused school buildings into community assets that strengthen neighborhoods and provide valuable services.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Drawing from extensive experience in community organizations, Crawford emphasizes the need for effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. Her governance philosophy is rooted in collaboration and community engagement.

Key Policy Areas for Review

1. Attendance & Truancy Response
2. Student Discipline & Restorative Practices
3. Enrollment Boundaries & School Choice
4. Special Education & Student Services
5. Teacher Staffing & Class Size
6. Health & Wellness Policies
7. Facilities & Capital Planning
8. Academic Acceleration & Intervention
9. Parent & Community Engagement

Crawford’s experience with the PTA, The Links Inc., and the Ashview Heights Neighborhood Association has reinforced her belief in collaborative leadership. She asserts that progress requires bringing diverse voices—including parents, teachers, students, and community partners—to the decision-making table to build trust and turn ideas into action.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The entire article is centered on the platform of a candidate for the Atlanta Board of Education. The discussion revolves around improving educational quality, addressing challenges within the school system, and enhancing student outcomes. Key issues mentioned include closing “opportunity gaps in literacy, math,” improving “academic outcomes,” ensuring “high-quality instruction,” and upgrading facilities to create “safe and modern learning environments.”

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article explicitly connects student health to academic success. The candidate plans to address student health by making sure “students have access to essential physical and mental health services.” This includes proposals for “school-based health centers, increased counseling, nutritious meals, daily physical activity and wraparound supports.”

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The candidate highlights the need to address disparities within the school district. The article mentions that “Too many students continue to face opportunity gaps” and emphasizes the need for an “equity-centered facilities process.” The goal is to ensure all students, regardless of their background, have access to the same quality of education and services, thereby reducing inequalities of outcome.

Other Relevant SDGs

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The focus on providing “nutritious meals” for students directly supports the goal of ending hunger and ensuring access to safe and nutritious food.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The proposal to “repurpose underused buildings into community assets that strengthen neighborhoods” and foster “local partnerships with city departments, small businesses and residents” aligns with creating inclusive and sustainable communities.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The candidate’s commitment to ensuring “families and educators have a real voice in district decisions” and creating a “transparent… facilities process” reflects the goal of building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Targets for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

• Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
  • This is addressed through the focus on improving “academic outcomes” and closing “opportunity gaps in literacy, math.”
• Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education.
  • The candidate’s plan to “expand proven early-learning and career pathways to retain and attract students” directly relates to this target.
• Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
  • This is directly mentioned in the article, which states that “many of our buildings need critical facility upgrades to ensure safe and modern learning environments.” The candidate also lists “Facilities & Capital Planning” as a key policy area.

Targets for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
  • The article supports the “promote mental health and well-being” aspect of this target by advocating for “increased counseling” and addressing “mental health” as part of wraparound services.

Targets for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome.
  • The candidate’s entire platform is built on this principle, specifically by aiming to close “opportunity gaps in literacy, math, enrichment access and wraparound services” to reduce inequalities in student outcomes.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Literacy and Math Proficiency Rates: The mention of “opportunity gaps in literacy, math” and the goal to “strengthen students’ academic outcomes” implies that proficiency rates in these core subjects are key indicators of progress toward Target 4.1.
• Student Enrollment Rates: The discussion of “shifting enrollment patterns,” “declining enrollment,” and the plan to “expand proven early-learning… pathways to retain and attract students” suggests that enrollment figures, particularly in early learning programs, would be a relevant indicator for Target 4.2.
• Availability of Health Services in Schools: The proposal to integrate “school-based health centers” and provide “increased counseling” implies that the number of schools with these services would be a direct indicator of progress toward Target 3.4.
• Student Attendance and Truancy Rates: Listing “Attendance & Truancy Response” as a key policy area for change indicates that these rates are used to measure student well-being and engagement, which are linked to both academic outcomes (SDG 4) and wraparound support (SDG 3).
• Condition of School Facilities: The statement that “many of our buildings need critical facility upgrades” implies that the number or percentage of schools meeting safety and modernity standards would be an indicator for Target 4.a.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: atlpresscollective.com