Is New Orleans a preview of Broad’s charter expansion plan in LA?
Were it to come to fruition, the Broad Foundation‘s recently announced plan to expand charter schools in LA Unified to include half of all district students would create a system that is unprecedented in size and scope across the United States. LA Unified already has more charter students than any in the nation.
Whether expressing support or opposition to the plan, people on both sides have pointed to New Orleans as a rationale for their views. Why? New Orleans is the only major city in the nation where the vast majority of schools are charters, thereby showing what they can and cannot achieved when they have such a large presence in an urban district.
Aside from that, the Broad Foundation has invested millions into schools and organizations that operate in New Orleans and just this week named Paul Pastorek, who was education superintendent in Louisiana from 2007 to 2011, to oversee its charter expansion efforts in Los Angeles, making New Orleans all the more a model for LA Unified.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana took over the district and converted it to an all-charter system. But judging this as a success or failure proves just how polarizing the idea of charter schools can be.
The 10-year anniversary of Katrina passed in August, and news organizations large and small took an in-depth look at the school district. Did a consensus emerge? Judging from extensive media coverage: No, and far from it.
While the district’s students showed big gains in test scores and graduation rates, the means to achieve these results have proven controversial, perhaps showing the only real connection between Los Angeles and New Orleans is the conflicting, confusing and polarizing information Angelenos will be fed about charters in the coming months, should the Broad initiative move forward.
What follows is a roundup of media stories and commentaries on Katrina’s 10th anniversary, focused on the changes in New Orleans schools. By no measure is there unanimity of opinion:
Many will point to competition and choice as the drivers of improvement in New Orleans student outcomes. Though the validity of such claims remains disputed by educational researchers, it’s clear that competition inspires school leaders to make Is New Orleans a preview of Broad's charter expansion plan in LA? - LA School Report:
