Schools under the OPSB serve a disproportionately low number of students with disabilities. The city average is 9.9% special education students, but OPSB schools (charter and traditional combined) serve 6.6%. OPSB charters serve only 5.49% while RSD charters serve 11.1%. Even OPSB’s open-admission charter schools are significantly under-serving special education students. OPSB receives a lump [...]
April 29, 2013 – 11:10 pm
There has been much discussion about how folks really view education reforms in New Orleans. Last week, Tulane’s Cowen Institute released a 2013 public opinion poll providing data that replaces pure speculation with poll results on how voters feel about key issues. Key Findings Voters agreed more than they disagreed, reflecting consensus on some key points: Support [...]
The state has released the four-year cohort graduation rates for 2012, and the news is good for New Orleans. The combined graduation rate for all New Orleans public schools rose to 77.8%. Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate by District New Orleans = OPSB, RSD, charter and traditional schools The New Orleans graduation rate of 77.8% compares well to the [...]
OPSB President Ira Thomas could be violating state law by holding a seat on the Orleans Parish School Board while also working for the state. Thomas has served on the Orleans Parish School Board for the past four years. He has been Police Chief for Southern University at New Orleans for three and a half [...]
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 [...]
August 20, 2012 – 7:29 am
This fall, all seven seats on the Orleans Parish School Board will be up for election. This election is important because: This board will choose the new School Superintendent. This board will play an important role in the return of RSD schools to local control over the next few years. The primary will be held [...]
Earlier this month, the state released the results of the End of Course tests (EOCs). Background Info on End of Course Tests Louisiana has phased out the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) and replaced it with EOCs. The graduating class of 2014 must pass at least three EOCs to graduate: English II or English III, Algebra I or [...]
The K-8 student test scores for Louisiana were released today, and New Orleans continues to improve. Test Score Highlights For the 6th year in a row, student performance is up. Growth was less robust this year. While the RSD outperformed the state, for the first time since Katrina, OPSB did not. New Orleans Combined (OPSB [...]
October 7, 2011 – 2:00 pm
Since 2005, New Orleans has improved more than any other school district in Louisiana. District Performance Highlights Educate Now! calculates that the combined DPS for New Orleans should be around 82.4. This means that New Orleans has grown a stunning 25.5 points – 49% – between 2005 and 2011! #1 in Growth Since 2005 District Performance [...]
September 6, 2011 – 12:23 pm
What are End of Course Tests (EOCs)? Louisiana is phasing out the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) and replacing it with specific End of Course tests, or EOCs. There are six EOC exams. Beginning with the freshman class of 2010-11, students must pass at least three of the tests to graduate: English II or English III [...]
