FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
HISTORY, GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL HAVE DRAMATIC WRITING FOR FILM,
TELEVISION AND THEATRE AS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COURSE
As a Testament to the
State’s Leading and Sustaining Entertainment Industry, Leadership has Come Together
To Ensure Students Are Properly Prepared For Jobs in Content Creation
May
21, 2018 – The
Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Film Academy, Technical College System
of Georgia, University System of Georgia and Fayette County Public Schools collaborated
to create a new English Language Arts course in dramatic writing for Georgia
high school students that focuses on digital art content creation. This is the
first arts-integrated course that also counts as a fourth English Language Arts
unit for high school graduation, and counts as an English unit for USG
admission purposes. Based on the recommendation of State School Superintendent
Richard Woods, the State Board of Education approved the course on May 3.
In
2017, the film and television industry was responsible for $9.5 billion in
economic impact to the state. High school students with aspirations of
becoming tomorrow’s Emmy and Oscar winning writers, can now begin their
preparation when this program rolls out statewide as early as this August for
the upcoming academic 2018/19 school year.
“This
brand-new course in dramatic writing, developed in partnership with the film
and television industry, is a great example of the direction we’re moving here
in Georgia,” Superintendent Woods said. “We’re working in collaboration with
higher education, business leaders, and communities to prepare students for
future employment and respond directly to industry needs.”
“Georgia is moving like no other state to support the creative
industries,” said Jeff Stepakoff, Executive Director for the Georgia Film
Academy. “No other state has invested in creating the infrastructure for
content producers.” Stepakoff, himself has “written by” or “story
by” credits on thirty-seven television episodes, has written for fifteen
different series, and has been a writer and/or writer-producer on eight
primetime or first-run cable staffs and is credited on more than two hundred
episodes of popular television including The Wonder Years, Major Dad and
Dawson’s Creek, where he also served as Co-Executive Producer.
As
Georgia paves the path for the creative industries to take hold, GaDOE, TCSG,
USG and their partners are revising the state’s educational system to prepare
students to be successful in learning, leading, and life. This dramatic writing
course joins a growing catalog of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education
(CTAE) pathways that respond directly to business and industry needs for the
future.
About
the Georgia Department of Education
Led
by State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of
Education (GaDOE) is the state agency serving Georgia’s K-12 public school
districts, schools, and students. GaDOE’s strategic plan emphasizes
transforming the agency into one that provides meaningful support to schools
and districts, with an emphasis on child-focused, classroom-centered education
policy. GaDOE staff work to ensure that the nearly 1.8 million students in
Georgia’s public schools receive a holistic education that focuses on the whole
child, and graduate ready to learn, ready to live, and ready to lead.
About
The Georgia Film Academy
The
Georgia Film Academy is a collaborative effort of the University System of
Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia supporting workforce needs of
the film and digital entertainment industries. The academy will certify
workforce ready employees in needed areas, connect students and prospective
employees with employers, and offer a unique capstone experience for top
students that will provide them a path to employment in Georgia.
About
the Technical College System of Georgia
The
22 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) are Georgia’s top
resource for skilled workers. TCSG offers world-class training in 600 associate
degree, diploma and certificate programs to students who are trained on
state-of-the-art equipment by instructors who are experts in their fields. The
system also houses Georgia’s Office of Adult Education, which promotes and
provides adult literacy and education programs, including the GED testing
program, throughout the state. In addition, TCSG partners with companies
through Quick Start, the nation’s top customized workforce training program,
and through its individual colleges, to work with local industry to provide
workforce and training solutions. For more information, visit www.TCSG.edu.
About
the University System of Georgia
The
University System of Georgia (USG) is a part of the community in each of
Georgia’s 159 counties and provides services across the state. The USG is
composed of 26 higher education institutions including four research
universities, four comprehensive universities, nine state universities and nine
state colleges. It also includes the Georgia Public Library Service, which
encompasses approximately 389 facilities within the 61 library systems
throughout the State of Georgia. Additionally, the USG includes the Georgia
Archives which identifies, collects, manages, preserves and provides access to
records and information about Georgia.
About
Fayette County Public Schools
Fayette
County Public Schools is located 30 minutes south of Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport, serving over 20,000 students and their families residing
in the communities of Brooks, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, and
Woosley. The school system’s mission is to forge and equip a community of
learners who confidently face challenges, embrace opportunities, and positively
impact our world. The school system has 26 traditional schools, one
non-traditional high school, an alternative education program, an adult
community program, and a Center for Innovation.
For
more information, contact:
Maggie
Gallant
APA
PR
mgallant@apa-pr.com
404.254.5876
Meghan
Frick
Georgia
Department of Education
mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
404.463.4246
