Tuesday, June 12, 2012

new orleans: a case study

After Hurricane Katrina, the school system in New Orleans was completely reorganized. A good history and review from Harvard is here. Reformers from all over the country were recruited to come in and support a charter experiment. Many reformers argue that New Orleans is proof that charters are the way to go in the future.

Well, how about you look at this chart. It is a comparison chart of RSD and voucher schools in 2011. You can see from the chart that the majority of schools have 75% or less of their students in 3rd-5th grade meeting the basic skills requirements. Furthermore, as the Harvard article above points out, proficiency is redefined to meet the current political agenda, whatever that may be.

Fun fact: New Orleans was essentially forced to go charter. After Katrina, some public aid was contingent upon the creation of charter schools.

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