Author: Leslie Jacobs

Revisionist History

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

High School Performance: Then and Now
Or … Leslie’s Rant

A few months ago, I went on WBOK radio to discuss public schools in New Orleans. A number of callers, as well as one of the hosts, disputed the fact that our schools are getting better. I readily acknowledge that we have room for improvement, but quite frankly, I am tired of the revisionist history some folks insist on using to rationalize their opposition to the school reforms taking place in New Orleans.

There cannot be honest disagreement, based on any semblance of facts, on whether schools are doing a better job educating students today versus 2005 – THEY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER.

To make my point, let’s look at the TOPS data, which is compiled by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (not the Department of Education). Louisiana offers qualifying students a scholarship to a 4-year (TOPS Opportunity1) or 2-year (TOPS Tech) college based on a combination of GPA, coursework, and ACT scores. OSFA has been compiling this data since TOPS began, and the standard for earning a scholarship is the same in 2013 as it was in 2005, so it’s a pretty good measurement to compare high school performance.

So let’s compare.

New Orleans has made remarkable gains since 2005. 

In 2013, 38% of our graduates qualified for TOPS scholarships, an increase of more than 50% from the 2005 rate of 25%.

TOPS Eligibility

Year
# Graduates
TOPS
4-year
TOPS
2-year
All TOPS
2005
2906
16%
9%
25%
2013
2252
26%
12%
38%

View LOSFA’s 2013 TOPS report.

But this isn’t the real story.

Critics of the current reforms say they don’t like that schools are run by two governing bodies – RSD/BESE and OPSB. They want to go back to just one system.

They forget that in 2005 New Orleans also had two school systems: a system of “good” schools and one of “bad” schools – separate and very unequal.

These two unequal systems are vividly captured in the 2005 TOPS data. Continue reading →

In the News – September 18, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • TFA Boosts Learning
  • OPSB Updates
  • Teacher Evaluation – Compass Results
  • Other Louisiana Headlines
  • National Stories
  • Local News

TFA Boosts Learning

TFA Teachers Shown to Boost Secondary Math Learning
Education Week – September 11, 2013
A rigorous, federally funded study examined the impact of Teach For America on student learning in math and found that:

  • Students of TFA teachers outperformed university trained teachers and teachers from other alternative programs.
  • Students of inexperienced TFA teachers (teaching for 3 years or less) outperformed students of more experienced teachers.
  • The difference in performance was equivalent to about 2½ months of additional learning.

The authors concluded that filling positions with TFA teachers, even if they leave after a few years, would still lead to higher math achievement than filling the same positions with non-TFA teachers who remain in their positions for longer.

The study looked at both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years and looked at thousands of students and hundreds of teachers in eight different states. As the headline from this Washington Post article states, “TFA is a deeply divisive program. It also works.”

Continue reading →

In the News – September 30, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • The Biggest Experiment
  • The Price of Inaction
  • Common Core Updates
  • National Stories
  • Louisiana Headlines
  • Local News

The Biggest Experiment

Inside the Nation’s Biggest Experiment in School Choice
Wall Street Journal – September 29, 2013
The Wall Street Journal explores school choice in New Orleans, where parents are empowered but must work to be informed and to find the right fit for their children. A lot has been done to help families and to simplify the process, but it’s still laborious for some parents to navigate the new system of schools.

Continue reading →

In the News: September 2, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • Impact of Change
  • Louisiana Headlines
  • National Stories
  • What Do Parents Want?

Impact of Change

New Orleans’ summer of school change: Where did the students go?
Times-Picayune – August 30, 2013
This summer saw more changes in New Orleans public schools than in prior years – 4 closed, 3 converted to charters, 3 transferred to new charter operators, and 2 merged. The centralized OneApp system has made it easier to track where the impacted students enrolled this year. The new charter operators worked hard to retain existing enrollment, and most schools saw high rates of returning students.

For some New Orleans students, school choice means pre-dawn bus pickups
The Lens – August 26, 2013
Before Katrina, most students were assigned to their neighborhood public schools. Now that parents can choose a school, many are choosing schools in other parts of the city from where they live. Parents say long commutes are worth it when they find the right school for their child, but the early mornings and long days can be hard, especially for young students. Continue reading →

In the News: August 19, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • Good News for New Orleans
  • Common Core Updates
  • National Headlines
  • News from BESE
  • Local Stories

Good News for New Orleans

New Orleans charter schools show progress with students, study finds
Times-Picayune – August 8, 2013
The latest CREDO study focused on Louisiana and found that New Orleans charter school students are learning faster than their peers at conventional schools and faster than their peers at charters elsewhere in Louisiana. Half of the city’s charter schools are performing significantly better than conventional public schools in reading, and 56% are performing higher in math. These gains equate to an extra 120 days of learning in reading and 150 days in math. Continue reading →

Positive Results from New Expulsion Policies

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

The Recovery School District (RSD) and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) announced the results of the first year of the new expulsion policy for public schools in Orleans Parish.

  • There were 272 expulsions in the 2012-13 school year, for an expulsion rate of .57%
  • In comparison, the state had an expulsion rate of .7%
  • New Orleans’ expulsion rate is 20% below the state

Not only is New Orleans leading the state in academic gains, we are doing so while expelling fewer students than the state average.

What did New Orleans do differently in the 2012-13 school year?

  • Common expulsion process and definition: Charter and traditional school leaders across the RSD, OPSB, and Type 2 charter schools worked together to establish a joint policy and coordinate a centralized process for student expulsions.

The 2012-13 school year was the inaugural year, with 90 of the 91 public schools in New Orleans participating. These schools agreed that all expulsion hearings would be administered by the RSD’s Student Hearing Office and agreed to limit the reasons a student could be expelled. Continue reading →

In the News – August 7, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • New Orleans is Hot!
  • Special Education Challenges
  • Good News
  • National Education Stories
  • OPSB Updates
  • Louisiana Headlines
  • Other Local News
  • In Memoriam – Everett Williams

New Orleans is Hot!

Hot U.S. Cities That Offer Both Jobs and Culture Are Mostly Southern and Modest Sized
Daily Beast – July 30, 2013
New Orleans is a “hotspot” and a magnet for opportunity according to the Daily Beast. Looking at employment, per capita income, population growth, the migration of college-educated people, and the quality of life, the Daily Beast found that New Orleans is not only culturally rich but also a good place to build a career, buy a home, and ultimately raise a family in relative comfort. Continue reading →

Number of Failing Schools Plummets

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

Every August, as part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the state releases a preliminary list of failing schools because most will be required to offer parents the option to transfer their children to another school.

This year, only 9 New Orleans schools are failing. This low number is truly a cause for celebration and reflects the past 7 years of stellar growth.

To determine which schools must provide choice, the state calculates a preliminary School Performance Score (SPS). This year marks a new SPS system with changes in how the scores are calculated.

With a new system, it’s best to compare New Orleans performance to the state, since the system has changed for all schools across the state.

  • In 2013, New Orleans has 9 of 112 failing schools in Louisiana (8%).
  • In 2005, New Orleans had 66 out of 151 failing schools in Louisiana (44%).

See below for the list of failing schools.

We just need to repeat it: There were only 9 New Orleans schools on the list (and 4 of them are alternative schools).

Continue reading →

In the News: July 21, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • OPSB Antics
  • Louisiana Headlines
  • National Education Stories
  • Local News
  • Shout Out

OPSB Antics

Orleans Parish School Board antics harken back to pre-Katrina politics
The Advocate – July 14, 2013
Infighting, public squabbles, charges of racism, and threats to put another superintendent on the chopping block – Is the OPSB returning to its old ways? Andrew Vanacore looks at the controversies surrounding today’s OPSB in this article from The Advocate. James Varney also examines this lamentable sense of déjà vu in an op ed for the Times Picayune. Continue reading →

Good News About Cheating

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

The Lens recently reported on the number of test administration mistakes and instances of cheating found by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) from 2010 to 2012 for public schools in New Orleans. This information was provided to The Lens by the LDOE.

Educate Now! is very encouraged by the results.

The fact that only 130 tests out of hundreds of thousands given in New Orleans over three years were voided – due to student cheating, adult cheating, or administrative errors – is very good news.
Continue reading →