In this edition of In the News:
- Taking Stock Five Years After Katrina
- School Facility Assignments
- Six i3 Grants Impact New Orleans
- Fewer LA Schools Rated Academically Unacceptable
- Special-Needs Students File Complaint
- CityBusiness Releases 2010 Education Guide
Taking Stock Five Years After Katrina
Bold Gamble Transforming Schools
The Times-Picayune – August 9, 2010
The state took a bold gamble right after Katrina when it transferred the majority of New Orleans public schools to the Recovery School District. That gamble has paid off with dramatic improvements in student achievement. Given the improvements and the fragility of reforms, Leslie Jacobs argues that now is not the time to return schools to the local school board.
View more on academic performance pre- and post-Katrina.
The State of Public Education Five Years After Hurricane Katrina
The Cowen Institute – August 2010
Five years after Katrina, significant challenges remain, but the new model of delivering education has begun to yield results. Today, our once academically, morally, and financially bankrupt system is nationally recognized as a potential model for urban school system transformation.
New Orleans Index at Five
The Brookings Institute – August 4, 2010
This year’s New Orleans Index, a joint project of the Brookings Institute and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, asks the question, “What does it mean to be resilient in the face of disaster?” The report combines in depth analyses and essays on key reforms since Katrina and finds that, although we still face many challenges, the New Orleans area is emerging as a healthier, more resilient region.
School Facility Assignments
Recovery School District Makes Long-Term Building Assignments
The Times Picayune – August 5, 2010
The Recovery School District released a long-term plan for housing its nearly 70 schools, many of which are now located in modulars or in ancient buildings in desperate need of repairs.
View the RSD’s draft plan for building assignments.
Six i3 Grants Impact New Orleans
In addition to New Schools for New Orleans, which won a $28 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant, five other groups with strong connections to New Orleans will receive one of these highly competitive grants. Two of the recipients are less well known: Diplomas Now works with middle and high schools to deliver the right interventions to the right students at the right time. The Achievement Network combines high-quality standards-aligned assessments, educator coaching, and peer networks to increase high-need student achievement. View summaries for each of these projects:
Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) – $50 million
Teach for America – $50 million
Diplomas Now – $30 million
The New Teacher Project – $21 million
The Achievement Network – $5 million
Fewer LA Schools Rated Academically Unacceptable
List of Academically Unacceptable Schools Continues to Decline
Louisiana Department of Education – July 27, 2010
Fewer Louisiana schools received the Academically Unacceptable School (AUS) label, which is is given to schools with a School Performance Score below 60. In addition, student performance on End-of-Course exams (EOCs) has shown marked improvement.
View a preliminary list of Academically Unacceptable Schools.
Note: School Performance Scores for all schools will be released in the fall.
Special-Needs Students File Complaint
Special-Needs Students File Complaint Against Louisiana Department of Education
The Times-Picayune – July 28, 2010
Thirteen students with disabilities filed a complaint against the Louisiana Department of Education alleging that the DOE looked the other way while New Orleans public schools committed a range of federal violations.
Superintendent Paul Pastorek responds.
CityBusiness Releases 2010 Education Guide
CityBusiness 2010 Education Guide
City Business – August 2010
New Orleans CityBusiness magazine has just released its 2010 guide to area schools. This year’s report features two articles on Orleans Parish K-12:
Test Scores, Enrollment Improve in Orleans Schools
Charter Schools Continue to Dominate Area’s Education Scene