In a recent story by The Lens , the keynote speaker made an impression on a particular charter school leader.  I really do hope more privatizers “get it.”  It’s important for those pushing charter schools and privatizing of public education to understand that their  simplistic approaches prolong real solutions our children so desperately need.  Their propaganda has swayed the court of public opinion, legislators and funders into believing  that removing children from schools in their communities has totally transformed the public education system in New Orleans into something that works.  This illusion of school choice that they are pushing is just the opposite of what Jeff Duncan-Andrade  said to a  room full of charter school supporters at the recent Louisiana Association of Public Charter School Conference.    To think that by simply taking  children out of their neighborhoods,  and dressing that up as “school choice,” it  would transform a school system, is irresponsible.  I’m glad they had someone like  Duncan-Andrade speak at their conference.  As an education advocate and public school parent, I’ve tried to tell charter supporters that this was flawed thinking,  to no avail.  What’s important now is what these charter school advocates  do with what they heard from Duncan-Andrade.
I am glad that Elizabeth Ostertag of the Net Charter “Alternative” School felt that Duncan-Andrade’s message hit home.   Ostertag was thinking of the recent murder of 18 year old Leonard George.    George lived  about a mile away from where I live  in a quiet Gentilly neighborhood.  Situations like this always lead me to make a quick