Jamaica-born educator Dr Beverly L. Hall, who is public-school superintendent for Atlanta, has been named National Super-intendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

The recognition, which came with a US$10,000 (J$878,914.84) cash prize, is the highest professional honour for an urban educator and K-12 school administrator in the United States.

The announcement, made at the AASA's national conference on education in San Francisco last weekend, capped a year of high-level honours for Dr Hall.

She was named Georgia Superintendent of the Year in December by the Georgia School Superintendents Association, and one of the 100 most influential Georgians by Georgia Trend magazine.

Dr Hall, a former student of the St Andrew High School for Girls, said she was honoured and humbled by the honour, as it was a great achievement for her as a member of a minority group.