In the News: March 4, 2013

Monday, March 4, 2013, 9:55 am

In this edition of In the News:

In the News: February 18, 2013

Monday, February 18, 2013, 8:23 pm

In this Edition of In the News:

In the News: February 4, 2013

Monday, February 4, 2013, 8:20 am

In this Edition of In the News:

Spotlight on (and off) New Orleans

New Orleans received great press during the Super Bowl weekend. Some highlights include:

The Real Super Bowl Winner
Wall Street Journal - February 1, 2013
The Wall Street Journal captures the sense of optimism that abounds in today’s New Orleans. They point to education reforms, a balanced city budget, the influx of new business start-ups and recent college graduates, and a relatively low jobless rate of 4.7% as just some of the reasons New Orleans has to celebrate.

Katrina spurs transformation of New Orleans schools
CBS News - February 1, 2013
Mayor Mitch Landrieu talks to CBS News about rebuilding the public school system after Katrina. Landrieu says New Orleans had the opportunity to create something almost from scratch, and the mostly charter system has made great academic gains, closing the gap with state averages in a very short period of time.

The blackout during the game was an unfortunate incident that marred an otherwise picture-perfect weekend. Click here to read what the national media is saying about the blackout.

In the News: January 20, 2013

Tuesday, January 22, 2013, 11:08 am

In this edition of In the News:

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Game Changer! N.O. High School Grad Rate Outperforms US

Sunday, January 13, 2013, 11:08 pm

With the recent release by the U.S. Department of Education of national high school completion rates, New Orleans has cause to celebrate.  In terms of graduating students on time, we have closed the performance gap.

New Orleans outperformed the state and outperformed the nation. 

States are now required to use a common measurement for high school completion:  the percent of first time 9th graders who graduate within 4 years with a regular diploma (the 4-year cohort graduation rate1). The data on the graduating class of 2011 shows that nationally 76% of white students and 60% of black students graduated on time.

In New Orleans, 76.5% of our students graduated on time2

  • Outperforming the national average for white students
  • Outperforming the national average for black students by 16.5 percentage points
  • Outperforming the state of Louisiana (70.9%)
  • Outperforming Jefferson Parish (67%), Baton Rouge (62.3%) and Shreveport (61.5%)

New Orleans had 2,051 high school graduates in 2011, 443 more than if we were at the national average for black students, and 657 more than if we were still at New Orleans’ 2005 graduation rate.

This improvement is a game changer for our students and our city. 

Read More »

In the News: December 27, 2012

Thursday, December 27, 2012, 11:24 pm

In this edition of In the News:

Proud to Call It Home

America’s 50 Best Cities
Bloomberg Businessweek – December 28, 2012
According to Businessweek, New Orleans is one of the top 15 cities in America. New Orleans ranked #14 out of 100 based on leisure activities, educational attributes, economic factors, crime, and air quality. We scored high marks for our good times, our resilience since Katrina, our universities and the quality of our air, but crime kept us out of the top 10.  Read More »

In the News: December 17, 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 10:07 am

Educate Now! is deeply saddened by the events in Newtown, Connecticut, and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been devastated by such senseless violence. Let us honor the memory of those who were lost by doing a better job of protecting and nurturing the children in our own community.

The Times-Picayune recently reported that nearly one third of New Orleans middle-school students are experiencing symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. More than 29% have seen assaults committed with weapons, while almost 14% have witnessed murders. All of us in New Orleans must work together to provide the mental health and social services that our children need and deserve.

In Other News

Enrollment Data Released; 84% now attending Charter Schools

Friday, December 14, 2012, 6:45 pm

The state has released enrollment data for New Orleans public schools, which includes all OPSB schools, RSD New Orleans schools and the city’s Type 2 charter schools. As of October 1, 2012:

  • 84% of New Orleans public school students attend charter schools, up from 78% last year and 71% in 2010. New Orleans has a greater percentage of students in charter schools than anywhere else in the country.  Detroit and the District of Columbia come in a distant second with just over 40% in charters. The national average is 4%.
  • Enrollment increased for the 6th consecutive year to 43,540 students, up 1,626 students from last year and a 70% increase from 2006, the first full year after Katrina.  Additionally, another 2,440 New Orleans students are receiving publicly funded vouchers to attend private or parochial schools.   This increase in enrollment likely means the city’s population continues to grow. Read More »

In the News – December 4, 2012

Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 11:31 am

In this edition of In the News:

In the News: November 19, 2012

Monday, November 19, 2012, 10:48 am

In this edition of In the News: