In the News – April 22, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • New Orleans and Innovation
  • Education Nation Comes to New Orleans
  • Louisiana Headlines
  • National Education Stories
  • Local News

New Orleans and Innovation

The Big Comeback: Is New Orleans America’s Next Great Innovation Hub?
Atlantic Monthly – April 8, 2013
New Orleans had a choice after Katrina – curl into a wet grave; rebuild as it was; or reinvent itself. Today the city has become a hub of innovation and an incubator for new entrepreneurs. This choice reveals both the tantalizing allure, and the deep challenges, of reinventing a city.

Can a ‘Moneyball’ Approach Turn Around New Orleans Schools?
National Journal – April 13, 2013
A strong focus on student data and analytics is one way schools like Sci Academy are changing public education in New Orleans. The challenge going forward is to build on the city’s successes – improved test scores, a graduation rate on par with the national average – while addressing tough challenges, including services for children with disabilities and not enough high-quality schools.

TFA Alumni Aid New Teachers in New Orleans
Education Week – April 19, 2013
The influx of new, inexperienced teachers to New Orleans schools continues to spark debate between those who point to significant gains in student performance as a sign of success and those who see high teacher turnover and attrition rates as indicators of failure. Two TFA alums started a support group called the New Teachers’ Roundtable to help new teachers cope with their experiences and understand their role in this city’s history and schools.

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Close to 80% of Students Graduating on Time!

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

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 rest of the country. According to the U.S. Department of Education report released in November, in 2011 the national average graduation rate for African American students was 60%, and the national average for white students was 76%.
    • In New Orleans, public school enrollment is 88% African American, 6% white and 6% other.
  • New Orleans outperformed the state of Louisiana (72.3%).
  • New Orleans also outperformed Shreveport (63.4%) Baton Rouge (66%) and Jefferson Parish (70.4%).
  • RSD-New Orleans is among the most-improved districts, going from a graduation rate of 58.8% in 2011 to 67.7% in 2012.
  • RSD-New Orleans ranks #49, outperforming Baton Rouge and Shreveport. The RSD took over the worst performing high schools in the state. This progress in just a few years is remarkable.
  • OPSB has the highest graduation rate in the state, although it dropped from 93.8% in 2011 to 89.3% in 2012.

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In the News: April 8, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

Common Core is Coming  

Louisiana overhauling teaching goals, standardized tests in effort to raise the bar for students
Times-Picayune – March 22, 2013
This article gives a good overview of the major changes coming as Louisiana raises the education bar again, implementing the new, national set of education standards called the Common Core. To help students meet the new goals, textbooks must be ordered, computers upgraded, lesson plans updated, and new tests developed. Louisiana has joined 22 states in using the PARCC tests for English and math, which will be much more rigorous than the current LEAP tests. The tests won’t go into effect until late 2014, but teachers will start teaching to the new standards this fall. Educators are encouraged to look at the PARCC sample items and prototypes to help them prepare.

Editor’s note: New York and Georgia are ahead of Louisiana in developing their new curricula, and both states are offering all of their materials for free online. Visit EngageNY.org or GeorgiaStandards.org for more information.
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In the News: March 20, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this Edition of In the News:

  • Resurgent New Orleans
  • News from the OPSB
  • Latest on LA Education Reforms
  • BESE Approves MFP for 2013-14
  • National Education Stories
  • Local News
  • Announcement: Grant Funds Available

Resurgent New Orleans

New Orleans reached 81 percent of pre-Katrina population in 2012, Census figures show
Times-Picayune – March 14, 2013
New Orleans continues to grow and, according to the latest Census data, was at 81% of the city’s pre-Katrina population as of July 1, 2012. The New Orleans metropolitan area was in the top 25 counties for growth – the only urban center in that group. This growth includes a new influx of professionals to the city – from recent graduates to entrepreneurs to seasoned corporate professionals. Read more about the resurgence of New Orleans in this Times-Picayune article.

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News Alert: Is Ira Thomas Breaking State Law?

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

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 years. By holding both positions, he may be violating Louisiana’s Dual Office Holding and Dual Employment Law.

The law states: “No person holding an elective office in a political subdivision of this state shall at the same time hold another elective office or full-time appointive office in the government of this state or in the government of a political subdivision thereof. No such person shall hold at the same time employment in the government of this state, or in the same political subdivision in which he holds an elective office.”

Read more about Thomas and what might happen next in The Lens.

Update 3-19-13:  Board President Ira Thomas said he will seek the opinion of the state Attorney General on whether it is legal for him to be both the board President and an employee of Southern University at New Orleans, where he directs security. 

In the News: February 4, 2013

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

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.

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

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

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. 

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