Pulling Back the Curtain of the Louisiana Charter School Experiment
This post is reblogged from The New Orleans Independent Media.. It is a must read. The writer is anonymous (includes his/her email for contact) but because of the citations supporting the piece, I have chosen to publish it here. My information, research and experience back up these claims.
Original article is at http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2009/07/14120.php Print comments.
There is no such thing as an all-charter district anywhere else in the country. This experiment has gone too far. There is not adequate oversight or quality controls in place. Many New Orleans communities do not know what is going on in charter and RSD schools in our own areas. RSD has been systematically keeping its non-charter schools unstable by continuous personnel and campus changes, “dumping” students, shorting supplies, unethical management and cronyism, fiscal mismanagement, and heavy-handed discipline that expects every New Orleans child to quickly become a college-bound factory model student. Families are left to fend for ourselves with no more neighborhood schools, and an ‘if you don’t like it you can leave’ attitude from the charter boards, far from the accountability the charters are supposed to deliver. Teaching conditions are very difficult with amateur charter boards, no oversight, and no job security whatsoever. It is known in the community that both RSD and charter schools will fire you if you so much as attend a meeting that questions them, or challenge the managers in any way. In the way it has been
New Orleans Independent Media Center
Original article is at http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2009/07/14120.php Print comments.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF THE LOUISIANA CHARTER SCHOOL EXPERIMENT
by nolamommy Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2009 at 12:35 AM
concernedlouisiananative@gmail.com
by nolamommy Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2009 at 12:35 AM
concernedlouisiananative@gmail.com
Who's profiting from NOLA charter schools?The Recovery School District has announced intentions to convert four “still failing” New Orleans public schools to “transition” charter schools: Drew, Wicker, Gregory, and Carver Elementaries. These traditional NOPS schools will be phased out by not accepting new students, while a new charter school will open in the same building, starting with lower grades and adding grades each year. (1) This creates two classes of students, teachers, staff, and types of governance on each campus. Additionally, multiple non-charter NOPS/RSD public school communities are saying that they have been recently told by RSD that they are now closing, consolidating, or relocating again. The Thurgood Marshall community, a prominent traditional Orleans Parish public school now operated by RSD, has just been told that Marshall is being closed entirely to turn the historic building over to a charter that has some of the lowest scores in the district. (2) Returning students, teachers, and staff have been told they may re-apply to the new schools but no one is given any assurance that they will be accepted and therefore have a place for this fall. None of these changes were discussed with the public in the multi-million dollar School Facilities Master Plan that was forced through by State Department of Education Superintendent Paul Pastorek and rush-approved by the outgoing Orleans Parish School Board in December 2008, only 5 months ago. (3)
There is no such thing as an all-charter district anywhere else in the country. This experiment has gone too far. There is not adequate oversight or quality controls in place. Many New Orleans communities do not know what is going on in charter and RSD schools in our own areas. RSD has been systematically keeping its non-charter schools unstable by continuous personnel and campus changes, “dumping” students, shorting supplies, unethical management and cronyism, fiscal mismanagement, and heavy-handed discipline that expects every New Orleans child to quickly become a college-bound factory model student. Families are left to fend for ourselves with no more neighborhood schools, and an ‘if you don’t like it you can leave’ attitude from the charter boards, far from the accountability the charters are supposed to deliver. Teaching conditions are very difficult with amateur charter boards, no oversight, and no job security whatsoever. It is known in the community that both RSD and charter schools will fire you if you so much as attend a meeting that questions them, or challenge the managers in any way. In the way it has been