Schooling in the Ownership Society: Booz Allen Hamilton helped set Chicago on its path to corporate school 'reform'

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Booz Allen Hamilton helped set Chicago on its path to corporate school 'reform':

Booz Allen Hamilton helped set Chicago on its path to corporate school 'reform'

by Mike Klonsky

If anyone doubts the power of an individual taking the high moral ground when confronting injustice, look no further than Edward Snowden.

Snowden, by all accounts an ordinary guy working for the powerhouse consulting group Booz Allen Hamilton, reached the point where he could now longer accept his role and the role of this giant corporate entity and his own government in violating the rights of his fellow citizens. At the risk of  his career and his freedom, Snowden turned working-class hero like Pfc. Bradley Manning did before him, and leaked details of the National Security Agency's secret PRISM data-mining program to the Guardian, (see this morning's great interview with Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald), helping to 

Rahm Emanuel Tied To Firm Astroturfing Protests Against Chicago Teachers Union | FDL News Desk

Rahm Emanuel Tied To Firm Astroturfing Protests Against Chicago Teachers Union | FDL News Desk:

Rahm Emanuel Tied To Firm Astroturfing Protests Against Chicago Teachers Union

by DSWright

Popout

A consulting firm tied to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been caught paying people to protest the Chicago Teachers Union. The firm, Resolute Consulting, worked on Rahm Emanuel’s 2002 Congressional campaign and is led by long time Emanuel friend Greg Goldner. Goldner along with other interested parties have been involved in smear campaign against the Chicago Teachers Union.

Greg Goldner, who ran Emanuel’s successful 2002 bid for Congress, dedicated the skills of Resolute Consulting to write press releases for pastors, produce a video presentation and help plan events…
The issue of who is generating grass-roots support and whether it’s real or the faux kind political types call AstroTurf took a turn recently when the Chicago Public Schools inspector general started looking at the Rev. Roosevelt Watkins, who is under scrutiny for paying people to attend hearings and speak on behalf of school closings. Watkins said he has received money from Resolute. His organization also holds city school contracts. But Watkins said he didn’t use public funds or the firm’s money to pay the protesters.
Goldner acknowledged giving money to Watkins and other groups, but declined to say to 

PSAT for 5-11-13: Sign this Declaration to Rebuild America Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 5-11-13: Sign this Declaration to Rebuild America:

PSAT for 5-11-13: Sign this Declaration to Rebuild America

by admin

I know, there are a lot of petitions and sign-ons these days. Do they do any good?
This one seems especially comprehensive and is already signed by a good mix of people and organizations. It demonstrates that the message of true education progressives is becoming clearer and more unified.
The full Declaration to Rebuild America is too long to reproduce here, but its main aspects are very similar, for example, to Parents Across America’s statement of beliefs.
The Declaration includes seven principles including opposition to school privatization and high-stakes testing, as well as the need for equitable funding and a more engaging curriculum. The Declaration makes recommendations in seven areas including better assessments, effective discipline, and meaningful engagement of parents and others in setting school policy.
The statement concludes: “As a nation, we’re failing to provide the basics our children need for an opportunity to learn. Instead, we have substituted a punitive high-stakes testing regime that seeks to force progress on the cheap. But there is no shortcut to success. We must change course before we further undermine schools and drive away the teachers our children need.”
Take a look and consider signing and sharing.

Lawsuit Against Sac City Unified Filed Today to Prevent School Closures | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Lawsuit Against Sac City Unified Filed Today to Prevent School Closures | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:

Lawsuit Against Sac City Unified Filed Today to Prevent School Closures

by Kate_Lenox

Today there will be a press conference on the Federal Courthouse steps announcing the filing of a lawsuit to prevent the closure of seven schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. The goal is to obtain a temporary injunction at the hearing which should take place within the next four to five weeks. That will prevent the closures from going forward while the plaintiffs, students and parents, get the opportunity to tell their story in court.

These closures aren't happening in a vaccuum. The same thing is happening in New York, Chicago and Phildelphia. They even use the same double speak-"right-sizing the district'".

SCUSD Supt. Raymond and Board President Cuneo are quoted in this article, complaining that the closures were necessitated by the district's financial position and now the lawsuit could potentially cost the district more. The closures would only save $1.2 million dollars a year. The district will waste more than that moving portables to the receiving schools and trying to upgrade the bathrooms, which are insufficient to serve all the students.

The closures aren't  about better serving students or the district's financial straits (which are improving given the state budget). It's about reducing the power of the teachers union by closing schools and shedding jobs.  

The Bad Business of Education Reform | EduShyster

The Bad Business of Education Reform | EduShyster:

The Bad Business of Education Reform

by edushyster2012

An MBA student says that the business-based ideas creeping into education are based on principles that are as outdated as the Model T.
As someone with an understanding of what current companies consider “good” business practice, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The  “business-based” assumptions and strategies being used to justify much of contemporary education reform are as outdated as the Model T. Which makes me wonder,  would these ideas even be taken seriously by mainstream operations experts in any other industry?
First, following standard operations practice, we must establish whether education reformers see education as a service or a product.  (As an educator, every bone in my teacher body screams service to all humanity with adamn it thrown in for good measure). If the reform crowd agrees with me, they should, according to my nifty Pearson textbook, endorse “a high degree of customization, a move away from standardization, and focus on 

No Child Left Behind Rewrite Hearing Starts With Senators Divided Over Education Policy

No Child Left Behind Rewrite Hearing Starts With Senators Divided Over Education Policy:

No Child Left Behind Rewrite Hearing Starts With Senators Divided Over Education Policy

by Joy Resmovits

As the Senate's education committee began hearings on a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act Tuesday, partisan divides over the role of the federal government in America's schools quickly revealed themselves as the sticking point.

"There is, in some ways, a philosophical difference," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "Should we just say to states, go it on your own? Whatever you want to do, just go it on your own? Or are we going to set up a partnership with the states."

"This is what I think we're debating: Who's in control for ensuring every child is prepared for college or career?" said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

Last week, Harkin released his bill to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. The bill would keep the NCLB's testing regime, while adding some flexibility. It would also back off the law's much-derided "Adequate Yearly Progress" reports, but still include performance targets for schools.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former Secretary of Education who now serves as the committee's ranking member, followed up with a competing bill. Alexander's bill would shift more power to states, and relies on data 

Fifty years ago today: George Wallace's misbegotten Stand in... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Fifty years ago today: George Wallace's misbegotten Stand in... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Get Schooled: Fifty years ago today: George Wallace's misbegotten Stand in the Schoolhouse Door

View Larger 

Stand in the Schoolhouse Door

Previous Posts

• School asks kids to trade toy guns for books, prizes. Good idea? 
  June 11, 2013
• DeKalb's proposed school budget: Are spending priorities in order? 
  June 11, 2013
• Panel with state school chief tonight in Fayette on Common Core
  June 10, 2013

By Maureen Downey

 Today marks the 50th anniversary of Alabama Gov.  George Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door," where he symbolically stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama to defy a federal desegregation order to allow the enrollment of two black students.

In Alabama.com, there is a wonderful interview with Wallace’s daughter Peggy Wallace Kennedy, who spent June 11, 1963, at the lake with her mother. She was 13 at the time.

Reflecting back, Peggy Wallace Kennedy says:

It has taken me a lifetime to step out from the shadow of the schoolhouse door. I just found my voice. I was inspired by President Obama a lot when he said that change can come, and we need to move forward. 

I decided I wanted to leave a legacy for my children ... one of change. If you have the courage to find your own voice, you can make change. I 

Report Card: Students sue to block Sacramento City Unified school closures

Report Card: Students sue to block Sacramento City Unified school closures:

Students sue to block Sacramento City Unified school closures

Updated at 11:50 a.m. with district response.

A dozen low-income minority students and their parents have filed suit in federal court to block closure of seven elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Attorney Mark Merin filed the suit late Monday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on behalf of the students, their guardians and three parent-teacher associations at closing schools. The suit complains the schools designated for closure were chosen because they are in an area "without political influence or organization" - south Sacramento - and have disproportionately low-income and minority populations.

The schools' selection "was motivated by an intent to discriminate against minority populations which dominate in these schools," the suit states. The closures, unless halted, will have a "disastrous discriminatory effect on the poor, disadvantaged population" that relies on the campuses, the suit said.

District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and Board President Jeff Cuneo called the action "an

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/06/suit-filed-over-sac-city-school-districts-campus-closings-plan.html#storylink=cpy

Latinos are majority in Texas schools, but can the state handle them? | NewsTacoNewsTaco

Latinos are majority in Texas schools, but can the state handle them? | NewsTacoNewsTaco:

Latinos are majority in Texas schools, but can the state handle them?

by NewsTaco

By Tony Castro, Voxxi
Latinos are now the largest ethnic group in Texas public schools, surpassing non-Hispanic whites in Lone Star State enrollment for the first time in history.
The dramatic change, though, has not been without major pressures on the already financially stressed school systems throughout the state, which ranks 48th in per-student spending. Many of those Latino students are from poor families – including recent immigrants – with major repercussions in classrooms.
And those pressures on the Texas school districts and teachers are expected to heighten as the Hispanic population continues to grow in the state.

“From the start, immigrant and working-class families and people of color don’t have the same opportunities,” says Kandace Vallejo, of the nonprofit Workers Defense Project in Dallas and Austin.

Latinos now comprise more than 50 percent of students in the Texas public schools. Newly released statistics by the Texas Education Agency, show there are 2,480,000 Hispanic students in the state’s public schools, representing 50.2 percent of the total enrollment, which is 4,933,617.
These numbers are forcing some Texas school districts to question just how equipped they are to teach a 

Charter Schools and The Camel's Nose In The Tent.

Charter Schools and The Camel's Nose In The Tent.

The Camel's Nose In The Tent.

One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.

A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.

Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.

Charter schools for all in Philadelphia?

Published by Andrew McGill on Tuesday, 11 June 2013 11:01 am.

From our partner paper, The Inquirer, an interesting post on the possible coming dominance of charter schools in Philadelphia:

Could all of Philadelphia's school-aged kids soon be destined for charters?

As the district struggles with a serious cash deficit, a top Democratic senator saidMonday there has been talk in Capitol halls of turning all of Philadelphia's schools into privately-run charters.

Sen. Vincent Hughes says he heard from "high-placed sources" over the weekend of "charterizing Philadelphia's school district in its entirety," a plan he likened to "a holy war."

"That's untenable, unacceptable," Hughes told reporters during a press availability. "That abrogates contracts, that changes the entire dynamic of what would happen in a school environment. And it takes the school discussion to a whole other level."

He would not give details on just who those high-placed sources are, or whether they are even in the Corbett administration.

"They don't get too much higher," Hughes would only say.

Read the rest here.

A Republic of Republics: How Common Core Undermines State and Local Autonomy over K-12 Education | Truth in American Education

A Republic of Republics: How Common Core Undermines State and Local Autonomy over K-12 Education | Truth in American Education:

A Republic of Republics: How Common Core Undermines State and Local Autonomy over K-12 Education

by Shane Vander Hart

The Pioneer Institute in cooperation with American Principles Project and Pacific Research Institute released late last month a white paper written by Robert Scott, the former Texas Commissioner of Education.  It is entitled “A Republic of Republics: How Common Core Undermines State and Local Autonomy over K-12 Education.”

Here is the executive summary:

In three years’ time, the United States has witnessed a sweeping effort to dramatically alter how educational systems are governed and standards and curricula are developed. With the 2009 announcement of an initiative to develop and implement common standards and assessments across all states, and with subsequent federal incentive programs designed to encourage states to sign on to this new initiative, the federal government has succeeded in fundamentally altering the relationships between Washington and the states. The United States has a history of state and local control in K-12 education, and that local control has always translated into diverse systems of educational governance and diverse standards.

By signing on to national standards and the assessments that will accompany them, participating 

A new ‘Education Declaration’ for genuine school reform:

A new ‘Education Declaration’ for genuine school reform

By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 11, 2013 at 11:00 amE-mail the writer

A coalition of educators, researchers, parents, activists and elected officials issued what signees are calling an “Education Declaration” on Tuesday that lists seven key principles on which genuine school reform should be guided for the 21st century and starts from the premise that public education is “a public good.”

The document offers a progressive approach to school reform that includes ensuring that teachers are properly trained and respected, that opportunities to learn for all students are paramount and that  learning must be “engaging and relevant.”

The authors and supporters of the document believe their approach is distinct from the current corporate-influenced wave of reform. Among those who signed it are Stanford University Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, education historian and activist Diane Ravitch, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, and National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel.

The declaration is on the Education Opportunity Network website. Here it is:

An Education Declaration to Rebuild America

Americans have long looked to our public schools to provide opportunities for individual advancement, promote social mobility, and share democratic values. We have built great universities, helped bring children out of factories and into classrooms, held open the college door for returning veterans, fought racial 

Jump in May revenue collections argues against Brown’s austerity budget SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Jump in May revenue collections argues against Brown’s austerity budget

 For the first time since the onset of the recession, the monthly revenue report from the state Controller’s office, released Monday, showed collections outpaced budget estimates for all of the state’s major indicators.

Total revenues exceeded projections made just a few weeks ago by more than 12 percent, or nearly $800 million, led by income tax collections, which came in almost $600 million, or 20 percent, higher than estimates the Brown administration made as part of its revised May budget.

While the report is clearly an important milestone in the resurgence of the California economy, the state’s top fiscal officer also warned that May accounts for only 7 percent of the California’s annual revenue. This month, June, which brings in closer to 12 percent of the total, will provide a much clearer picture of the where the economy is heading.

“California continues to show strong signs of recovery. May’s higher revenues reflect growing employment, increased consumer spending, and a resurgent housing market,” said Controller John Chiang in a statement. “However, this good news should be tempered by nagging questions regarding its sustainability and by the need to repay years of accumulated debt.”

The numbers would have tended to support legislative leaders in their argument that next year’s budget should include a higher amount of spending than what had been proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

But that argument appears to have been won by the governor, after announcement of an agreement on the budget 

Budget compromise calls for LCFF next year, raises base grant for all schools

Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders reached agreement on a budget plan Monday that will usher in sweeping changes to school funding that give local officials far more control over spending decisions.

Surprise: Bridgeport Board of Education votes 5-3 to ask Pryor to waive Paul Vallas’ Certification - Wait, What?

Surprise: Bridgeport Board of Education votes 5-3 to ask Pryor to waive Paul Vallas’ Certification - Wait, What?:

Surprise: Bridgeport Board of Education votes 5-3 to ask Pryor to waive Paul Vallas’ Certification

by jonpelto

Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, can now officially claim that he has the authority to waive Paul Vallas’ certification requirements following last night’s vote of the Bridgeport Board of Education.

With certification purportedly waived, Paul Vallas, the self-described Michael Jordon of Education, can become the only non-certified permanent superintendent of schools in Connecticut.  Steven Adamowski is also non-certified but he is “only” the special master of the Windham and New London School Systems.

The highlight of the meeting was when the Chairman of the Bridgeport School Board, Kenneth Moales, Jr. told his fellow members that the board should not question the 

Common Core "As A Scientist" — Whole Child Education

Common Core "As A Scientist" — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Common Core “As A Scientist”

June 11, 2013 by Nicole D. Nearor

Although there are no Common Core State Standards that are specifically written for science content, science teachers will be using the fundamental skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking within their science content to help students become college and career ready.

One of the focuses of Common Core for English/Language Arts (ELA) is informational text. Interesting enough, as students transition from elementary to middle to high school, they encounter more informational text because of the core courses they are taking. The majority of the literary texts are only taught in the English and language arts classes. Therefore, students are required to read more informational text within their specific content areas. Further, students who are struggling readers are placed in reading classes in middle school and even high school. Is it only the job of the English and language arts teachers or the reading teachers to teach the students how to read informational texts?

Essentially, science teachers have challenged that struggling students that are taking reading classes in the middle school and high school are not engaging in "complex text" that is required in the science classrooms. These students can have such reading deficits that the reading teacher has to spend time on teaching the 

Support All Students to Close the Achievement Gap

by Mary E. Walsh

More than 16 million children in the United States live in poverty, which dramatically affects their ability to come to school ready to learn and thrive. The latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics' The Condition of Education 2013 (PDF) report shows that one in five schools was considered high poverty in 2011, an increase from one in eight schools in 2000.

Even the significant investment the United States has made in developing strong curricula and talented teachers is not adequate to ensure that all children can succeed.Research shows that only one-third of the achievement gap can be attributed to the quality of a student's in-school experiences. The other two-thirds is linked to the nonacademic factors that impact children, many of 

At our annual celebration: Portraits of closed schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

At our annual celebration: Portraits of closed schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

At our annual celebration: Portraits of closed schools

by thenotebook on Jun 11 2013 Posted in Latest news

 

Photo: Katrina Ohstrom

The auditorium at Charles R. Drew Elementary, which closed last year.

Katrina Ohstrom's photos of closed school buildings can be at once dreamy and sobering. Her images of empty classrooms, quiet hallways, and vacant auditoriums once filled with the clamor of hundreds of students depict the stark reality of a District in upheaval while conjuring the cherished stories of the people who once attended the schools.  

A selection of her photos, taken for a series on closing schools commissioned last year by Temple's Tyler School of Art, will be displayed at the Notebook's annual celebration tonight. 

Ohstrom photographed three Philadelphia schools that closed last year, following the final day of classes but before the buildings' closing. The images show a matter-of-fact approach in documenting the final moments of a highly emotional event. A school's last days captured through an impartial eye.

Ohstrom said this was by design. She wanted to capture the spaces themselves without the presence of students, teachers, or staff.

Adult Learning and Common Core Implementation | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Adult Learning and Common Core Implementation | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Adult Learning and Common Core Implementation

by Cheryl S. Williams

I recently attended an event showcasing state initiatives that focus on the goal of ensuring all third grade students read on grade level – a lofty and perfectly reasonable goal.  The participants in the program included three governors as well as a panel of state superintendents of education.  One of the governors kept mentioning that in her state too much attention has been paid to the adults in the system to the detriment of the students.  Her belief in this root cause of the disappointing literacy rate of her state’s third grade students struck a cord and reminded me of another event hosted by Learning Forward and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) last month. That event, Advancing the Common Core: State Strategies for Transforming Professional Learning, showcased a set of resources to improve teacher practice developed under the leadership of Learning Forward with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Sandler Foundation, and the MetLife Foundation. It included a panel of education leaders at the state and local level who have participated and contributed to the project.
One panel member, Cynthia Cash-Greene, superintendent of the Orangeburg (SC) Consolidated School District #3, was especially impressive, and her message resonated with me.  She said district leaders need to be bold and know what they stand for.  She has focused on
read more

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Fensterwald: It’s a deal - Brown, top lawmakers raise base funding in finance formula

Education Headlines

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Some Lucia Mar programs return to students

Trustees of the South County’s school district have taken steps to restore some programs and positions that were curtailed during the past few years of budget cuts.

SUSD assistant near appointment

Kirk Nicholas, a Stockton Unified assistant superintendent, is in final negotiations to become the superintendent of Lammersville Unified in Mountain House, Lammersville announced Monday afternoon.

Hayward school's toy gun trade-in elicits support, including from Newtown

An elementary school principal says he was overwhelmed by the response to his school's toy gun trade-in Saturday, when children lined up to turn in dozens of play weapons.

Mongeau: Majority of California districts offer transitional kindergarten in first year of program

An estimated 39,000 students enrolled in transitional kindergarten this school year, the first year districts were required to offer the program, according to a new report.

Fensterwald: It’s a deal - Brown, top lawmakers raise base funding in finance formula

In a nod to suburban districts that argued they would be shortchanged, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders negotiated a new version of Brown’s plan for school finance reform that will increase the base funding level for all students and lower the extra dollars for some high-needs students.

California state revenues beat estimates by 12 percent

California took in $7.27 billion in revenues during the month of May, exceeding estimates by 12 percent, Controller John Chiang announced today.

Walters: Jerry Brown 2.0 gets his way on state budget

The school plan that emerged Monday does change Gov. Jerry Brown's plan somewhat, providing $3 billion more in "base grants" and less in the "supplemental grants" and "concentration grants" to targeted districts. However, it retains the core of what Brown wanted, avoids the fatal delay that some critics sought and thus provides the wherewithal to prove – or disprove – his theory that such a shift will, indeed, generate a marked improvement in achievement.

Jerry Brown, lawmakers come to terms on key budget issues

Gov. Jerry Brown and top lawmakers have reached agreement on some of the most contentious issues in the state budget, granting the governor significant victories on the redistribution of school money and expectations of revenue.

Monday, June 10, 2013

'Satellite' lunch program to grow

Thirty-one Fresno Unified elementary schools will soon replace their hot-meal programs with pre-packaged breakfasts and lunches, a plan the district says could save costs. Cafeteria workers argue the plan violates employee contracts.

San Juan superintendent seen as bully, reformer

Glynn Thompson's defenders say he is a change agent and that some administrators just didn't like that he was shaking things up, demanding that principals in the 47,000-student district get more involved in shaping classroom instruction. His critics, including former administrators, counter that Thompson is mean-spirited, a bully who unfairly retaliated against people who challenged his authority.

South County grand jury transcripts posted

U-T Watchdog presents here several volumes of grand jury transcripts from secret proceedings in November and December leading up to hundreds of corruption charges against 15 officials and contractors in South County school districts.

A.J. Duffy, still-feisty former teachers union chief, retires

His career in education ends after two years at Phoenix High, working with students who need a second chance. He said he could relate.

Anti-Ed Reform History – from my perspective (Part I) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Anti-Ed Reform History – from my perspective (Part I) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Anti-Ed Reform History – from my perspective (Part I)

by crazycrawfish

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jason France. I am a product of the Louisiana public school system, an LSU graduate, a father of public school children in Louisiana, an erstwhile Louisiana Department of Education employee, and a blogger. While I am sometimes jokingly characterize myself as an intrepid anti-education-reform revolutionary, I am anything but! Until very recently I’ve kept my identity secret; to keep myself, my family and my friends from being targeted by the forces that seek to profit from and annihilate our public education system.
But I get ahead of myself, first let me start at what I consider the beginning.
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina reminded us all just how fragile life can be. In just days New Orleans, one of America’s oldest and most revered cities, was drowned in a sea of death and hopelessness. Many of us nearby, but outside the worst of the destruction, watched helplessly as the storm blew ashore, watched as color drained from the faces of evacuees who took refuge with us. After losing TV signals we used our hand cranked radios to listen to reports trickling in. There was nothing we could do for our friends. Many good folks had to relocate, many never to return even to this day. Amidst this destruction the Recovery School District (RSD) was born.
Politicians took to the airwaves pledging support and renewal; a second chance; a new beginning. New Orleans