Top 5 Stories of 2010
1. New Orleans public school students (RSD+OPSB) ranked #1 in the state for improved student achievement – both for the year and for the 2005-10 period!
2. FEMA announces a $1.8 billion settlement for rebuilding and repairing New Orleans school facilities.
FEMA Awards $1.8 Billion to New Orleans Schools for Construction, Renovation Projects
Times-Picayune – August 25, 2010
School Facilities Master Plan – Adopted August 2008
Latest Draft of RSD Building Assignment Recommendations – Revised December 2010
3. Pastorek’s plan for return of schools is approved by BESE.
For the next 5 years, this new framework will define if and how a school returns to the Orleans Parish School Board, unless new legislation is passed or BESE chooses to change its policy.
View the final version of Pastorek’s Plan.
4. 5th Anniversary of Katrina creates storm of media coverage. Here are just a few of the headlines:
After the Deluge, A New Education System
Wall Street Journal – August 30, 2010
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Newsweek – August 26, 2010
Students After Katrina
CNN – August 27, 2010
View more Katrina anniversary coverage.
5. Charters are now educating 71% of our students – the highest percentage in the nation.
The notion of charters ‘cherry picking’ students in New Orleans is going to have to be retired. It is time to recognize that charters serve all students.
Educate Now!’s Top 5 Wishes for 2011
1. New Orleans has another year of remarkable academic gains.
2. We continue to reduce the number of failing schools.
3. The enrollment process becomes more streamlined and easier for parents to negotiate.
4. We use the FEMA, CDBG and insurance funds already secured (over $2 billion) wisely, so we provide every student and every school with a good facility.
5. We find a solution to the biggest threat to our continued academic improvement – the underfunding of our schools.