In this edition of In the News:
- What Do New Orleans Voters Think about Return of Schools?
- It’s Not Too Late to Comment on Pastorek’s Plan
- Bethune Elementary Selected for Prestigious Dispelling Myths Award
- Governor Diverts Education Jobs Funding Promised to School Districts
- Louisiana’s AP Pass Rate Second to Last
- Black Male Achievement is a National Crisis
- Educate Now!’s “Facts About Public Schools” Available Online
Latest Polling Data on School Governance
K-12 Public Education Through the Public’s Eye: A Survey of the New Orleans Community (2010)
The Cowen Institute – November 2010
Voters believe schools are getting better (58%). Voters don’t want schools returned to OPSB (59% oppose; 27% support); do want them returned to local control; and don’t want them under mayoral control.
View the complete poll.
View Cowen’s analysis with comparisons to their 2009 poll.
It’s Not Too Late to Comment on Pastorek’s Plan
The Louisiana Department of Education is still accepting comments on Superintendent Pastorek’s plan for the return of schools. If you haven’t already weighed in, be sure to express your opinion on this important issue.
View Pastorek’s plan.
View comments or submit your own.
Bethune Elementary Selected for Prestigious Dispelling Myths Award
Four Public Schools Receive the 8th Annual Dispelling the Myths Award
The Education Trust – November 2010
Mary Bethune Elementary School is one of four winners of the highly prestigious, national Dispelling the Myths Award from The Education Trust. This award is given to schools that have shown great academic success with at-risk students, dispelling the myth that poor and minority students can’t learn. Congratulations Bethune!
Governor Diverts Education Jobs Funding Promised to School Districts
Federal Education Money to be Used to Offset Cuts
The Advocate – November 11, 2010
Three months after school districts were promised a share of $147 million in federal Education Jobs funding, Governor Jindal has taken it all back. The money will go into the state’s funding formula for local school districts (to meet federal grant requirements), but the same amount of state general fund money will be removed and used to pay for other items, including at least $68 million for public colleges.
Louisiana’s AP Pass Rate is Second to Last
Just Over 4 Percent of LA Students Pass AP Exams; 16 Percent is National Average
The Advocate – November 11, 2010
Louisiana is second to last in the country when it comes to public high school seniors passing at least one Advanced Placement exam.
Black Male Achievement is a National Crisis
Black Male Student Achievement: A Devastating Report
The Huffington Post – November 10, 2010
A new study pulls together a variety of research on African-American male achievement and paints a very dismal picture: 12% of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38% of white boys; African-American boys drop out of high school at nearly twice the rate of white boys; their SAT scores are on average 104 points lower; and young white male students in poverty do as well as young black male students who are not in poverty.
View the report: A Call for Change, The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools
Beating the Odds…
Fewer Black Males Dropping Out of School in Baltimore
Education Week – October 21, 2010
In Baltimore, black male students are driving a marked increase in the district’s graduation rate and a decrease in its dropout rate, and they are showing improvement at a faster clip than the rest of the system.
Educate Now!’s “Facts About Public Schools in Orleans Parish” Available Online
The Facts About Public Schools in Orleans Parish
Educate Now! has made its popular “Facts About Public Schools in Orleans Parish” available online in a pdf format that you can download. “Facts” addresses 5 common myths about New Orleans Schools. The “Facts” are also available in hard copy. Just email ljacobs@educatenow.net if you would like copies to distribute.