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Post-Katrina Education Coverage

October 2006

New Orleans Charter Schools Closely Watched Associated Press, Baltimore Sun, Maryland, October 22, 2006 If the world is a classroom, New Orleans is a petri dish. The city, notorious for having one of the worst public school systems in the country, has emerged from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as an experiment in education: Privately run charter schools, relatively limited before last year's storm, now outnumber government-run public schools. Also appeared in the Arizona Daily Star, Kansas City Star, and other papers.

Charter Schools To Provide Bus Service Times Picayune, Louisiana, October 20, 2006 New Orleans public schools will make sure all 12 of its charter schools provide school bus service to their students, resolving a lawsuit filed last month challenging Lusher Elementary's decision not to provide transportation to children.

Recognized For Education Efforts The Advocate, Louisiana, October 16, 2006 The Center for Education Reform held its 13th anniversary gala in Washington last week. Among the 39 state and local leaders recognized during the festivities were Landrieu, State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard and Carolyn and Tom Crosby, retired co-directors of the International School of Louisiana.

September 2006

New Orleans School Called Bias Victim Houston Chronicle, Texas, September 7, 2006 With several New Orleans schools scheduled to reopen today, scores of parents, children, educators and community activists gathered Wednesday to protest the continued closure of another one: Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science & Technology in the Lower 9th Ward, deemed unfit for occupation since Hurricane Katrina.

Several New Orleans Recovery District Operated Charter Schools Are Delayed Bayou Buzz, Louisiana, September 6, 2006 Most of the Recovery School District operated charter schools will be able to open as scheduled, however several are experiencing anticipated construction delays and have revised their opening dates, officials announced today.

August 2006

Orphaned New York Times Magazine, NY, August 27, 2006 I spent the Christmas of 1984 in the St. Thomas housing project, a parcel of low-rise New Orleans blight tucked beside the Mississippi River. It was a glorious day. Neighbors sat on stoops with their stereos loud, swapping plates of corn bread and shrimp-stuffed squash.

Stream Of Politicians To Visit To Commemorate Katrina Anniversary Biloxi Sun Herald, Mississippi, August 24, 2006 Separate tours Thursday by the Senate's top Democrat and the U.S. education secretary to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina will begin a string of similar visits, including a scheduled stop by President Bush next week.

Charting a New Course Wall Street Journal, August 24, 2006 As students streamed through the halls of recently reorganized O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans last week, Principal Mary Laurie waded into the crowds. "Come on, young people! Two minutes! Quickly!" she bellowed, prowling the corridor with an old-fashioned hand bell. "Where are you going, young person? Hurry up!"

Rough Start for Effort to Remake Faltering New Orleans Schools New York Times, August 21, 2006 On Debra Smith's third attempt to enroll her younger sister in a public high school here last week, patience evaporated. For the student, disappointment turned into tears.

Katrina Gives New Orleans Schools A Chance Reuters, August 15, 2006 New Orleans is rebuilding what was the worst major school system in the United States, and many hope that what rises from the mud and debris will be a system that is both fair and offers parents and teachers more control.

Algiers Charter Schools Get Early Start Times-Picayune, Louisiana, August 8, 2006 Raising the curtain on what will undoubtedly be a wildly different year for New Orleans public education, more than 3,100 students arrived in Algiers classrooms Monday, becoming the first batch of public school children to resume classes this year and launching the first full term for the fledgling Algiers Charter School Association.

Students Are Ready, But What About The Schools? Times Picayune, Louisiana, August 6, 2006 Moton Charter Elementary School Principal Paulette Bruno sat at home on Wednesday, fielding calls from the parents of her 214 registered students, a group still waiting to hear whether they would have a place to start school this week.

July 2006

Teachers Union Leader Vows To Boost Activism Boston Globe, Massachusetts, July 20, 2006 The American Federation of Teachers opens its annual convention today in South Boston with plans to increase dues, boost activism, and battle antiunion efforts in states like Louisiana, where thousands of teachers lost jobs and union status following Hurricane Katrina.

56 New Orleans Schools to Accept Students for New Year Civilrights.org, July 20, 2006 The Louisiana Department of Education has issued a list of 56 New Orleans public schools that will be accepting students for the coming school year, more than double the 25 that were opened this past year.

Big Easy Schools Prepare For Fall Houston Chronicle, Texas, July 15, 2006 Fall registration is under way for New Orleans public schools, as officials scramble to reach dispersed families and hire 400 teachers to fill the classrooms taken over by the state of Louisiana before school begins Sept. 7.

June 2006

New Orleans On Track To Open Charter Schools Baltimore Sun, Maryland, June 18, 2006 The nation's first charter-only school district is taking shape in New Orleans - an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent an urban district that was in an academic and financial sinkhole long before Hurricane Katrina.

Charter Schools Await One Last OK Times Picayune, Louisiana, June 14, 2006 Wrapping up its first major phase of selecting new operators for struggling New Orleans public schools, the state is poised this week to approve the opening of four more charter schools for next school year.

Education Secretary To Announce Big Charter School Grant For Louisiana Times Picayune, Louisiana, June 12, 2006 "Charter schools were not something that New Orleans or Louisiana was very high on prior to Katrina," said Jeanne Allen, founder of the Center for Education Reform. "New Orleans is such a great example of what you can do if you start over." Also appeared in the New York Sun, Indianapolis Star, Washington Post, USA Today, and the Chicago Tribune.

Big Easy Taps Windy City Aid: Chicago Experts To Help Effort To Create Unique Charter School System Chicago Tribune, Illinois, June 11, 2006 The nation's first charter-only school district is taking shape in New Orleans--an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent an urban district that was in an academic and financial sinkhole long before Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans Schools Aim Higher USA Today, June 11, 2006 The last lesson Gil Wilson taught before Hurricane Katrina still fills a chalkboard inside abandoned Lafon Elementary School. Recently, on a warm Sunday morning, he donned a jacket and tie and interviewed for another job within the same school system.

Parents Choosing Charter Schools; Early Enrollment Shows Strong Interest Times Picayune, Louisiana, June 10, 2006 Several charter schools are already filling up as they prepare to open for the first time in Orleans Parish since Hurricane Katrina, officials at those campuses said Friday, even as some await word on where their locations will be.

State, Local Officials Piecing Together School System After Makeshift Year Shreveport Times, Louisiana, June 2, 2006 A patchwork of public schools will greet families returning to New Orleans and its suburbs this summer and fall. Demographers working with the state Department of Education project 24,000 students on Aug. 1, down from a projected 28,000.

For Many, Education Is Another Storm Victim New York Times, June 1, 2006 For hundreds of children at Renaissance Village, this is their lost year. After fleeing Hurricane Katrina, they have landed in a vast gravel moonscape of government trailers, lacking even a playground.

May 2006

Schools That Took In Displaced Students Get Break On Test Scores Shreveport Times, Louisiana, May 19, 2006 Schools in six states that took in thousands of students displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year won't have to worry that the influx of disaster-weary children could hurt their school's academic standing.

Spellings Hopeful Funds To Educate Evacuees On The Way Houston Chronicle, Texas, May 12, 2006 Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said today the federal government was working to get funds to local schools that are educating hurricane evacuee students, but officials said it's still less than they expected or need.

April 2006

22 More Charter Schools Up For OK Times-Picayune, Louisiana, April 20, 2006 Another 22 charter schools, run by fledgling local groups or out-of-state education agencies, could debut in New Orleans next school year if Louisiana education officials approve their applications today.

March 2006

Charter Schools Extend Contracts Times-Picayune, Louisiana, March 29, 2006 The Algiers Charter School Association shored up two critical personnel decisions this week, extending the contracts of both its chief executive officer and the firm handling its business operations.

NEA President Visits Erath High KLFY-TV, Louisiana, March 23, 2006 While the association is not offering direct financial assistance, Weaver vowed to lobby hard in Washington for solutions to problems the school system is facing in the wake of Hurricane Rita.

New Orleans Schools Open Slowly But Strongly New Orleans City Business, Louisiana, March 13, 2006 Teenage girls gossip in the hallways, boys push each other while racing to make it to class on time and teachers talk above the loud, raucous sound of young people, telling them, "Alright now, get to class. Don't be late."

New Orleans Public Schools 'Abysmal' Before Katrina NewsMax.com, March 7, 2006 With just one-sixth of its schools capable of operating and the rest deemed unsafe or unready for use as a result of Hurricane Katrina, educators in New Orleans are struggling to get the entire school system up and running in the face of opposition from the City's teacher's union.

New Orleans Teachers Union Loses Its Force In Storm's Wake Times Picayune, Louisiana, March 5, 2006 When the Orleans Parish School Board gathered last month and voted to fire virtually the entire work force of 7,500 teachers, custodians, bus drivers and kitchen staff, union brass might have been expected to clamor loudly in opposition.

Mardis Gras Gratitude Christian Science Monitor, March 3, 2006 … The city's public school system, one of the worst in the country, is experiencing somewhat of a rebirth. While only 20 of the city's 128 public schools are open, almost all of them are charter schools. First indications are that this decentralized, flexible approach is an improvement….

Displaced Student Money Flowing: 1st Of 4 Outlays Winds Up Less Than Expected New Orleans Times Picayune, Louisiana, March 3, 2006 Schools that took in students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are getting the first of four installments in promised federal aid, but a shortfall in financing means the allotment will be less than the $6,000 per student authorized by Congress, the U.S. Department of Education said Thursday.

Federal Coordinator Powell, Secretary Spellings Announce $1.1 Billion for Hurricane-Affected Students and Schools Press Release from Homeland Security, March 2, 2006 Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding Donald Powell and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings today announced the availability of more than $1.1 billion in hurricane relief funds to help states meet the education needs of displaced students and also restart school operations in the Gulf Coast region.

3 Algiers Charter Schools Planned; Group Seeks To Run Them Independently New Orleans Times Picayune, Louisiana March 02, 2006 Proposing year-round classes and a focus on discipline, an Algiers civic group is pushing to open three charter schools this fall that would be run separately from a network of charter schools launched last year.

February 2006

Charter Schools Get Royal Treatment From Krewe Times Picayune, Louisiana , February 27, 2006 When the New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School opened last month, its director suddenly realized she and her staff were on their own.

Algiers Charter School Gets Set To Open Times-Picayune, Louisiana, February 18, 2006 The Algiers Charter Schools Association announced Friday that it will open a sixth school, Fischer Elementary, on March 30 to accommodate 600 more students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

School Ties: Students Raise Funds For Sister School Milford Daily News, Massachusetts, February 4, 2006 School administrators loosened the normally strict dress code yesterday as an incentive to raise money for charity. Students who brought in at least $5 or the cash equivalent in school supplies to aid a fellow charter school -- Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina last August -- were allowed to don their choice of athletic wear.

January 2006

First Lady Visits Schools In Louisiana, Mississippi Biloxi Sun Herald, Mississippi, January 27, 2006 First Lady Laura Bush visited one of the first New Orleans public schools to open after Hurricane Katrina hit then traveled to another school here in St. Bernard Parish, where devastation was so great that students from 20 different public and private schools are attending classes in one partially repaired building.

Plan Shifts Power to New Orleans Schools New York Times, January 18, 2006 Vowing to further change an education system already transformed by Hurricane Katrina, a mayoral committee set out a plan on Tuesday to decentralize this city's troubled schools.

How a Principal In New Orleans Saved Her School Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2006 …The school's destiny is being driven by Ms. Christen, 59 years old, a tenacious ex-nun who rubs some people the wrong way. She's reconstituting Franklin as a charter school that will be nonunion and largely free of New Orleans's broken-down city bureaucracy. Her plan is financially risky and union leaders hate it. Alongside the principal are hundreds of parents, teachers and other supporters who refused to let the school die….

Added Hurdles Toughen Resolve Times-Picayune, Louisiana, January 9, 2006 Before Hurricane Katrina, state school Superintendent Cecil Picard, a man who made his political career as a patient negotiator, had spent months pulling together an unprecedented agreement among the state, the Orleans Parish School Board and the high-powered New York corporate turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal.

Students Return to Big Changes in New Orleans New York Times, January 4, 2006 But for those who ventured back, the educational landscape was much different from the one they had left: New Orleans is now a smaller system dominated by new charter schools in the same buildings that housed traditional public schools before the storm…

Bush To Sign 'Monumental' School Voucher Law New York Sun, December 30, 2005 President Bush will soon sign into law what is being described as the largest school voucher program in American history, providing about $1.6 billion in federal money for students affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Louisiana Won't Run New Orleans Schools By Itself Times-Picayune, Louisiana, January 3, 2006 State education officials aren't rushing to open any of the 102 New Orleans public schools in the recently approved recovery district this semester, or even this fall.

December 2005

Starting From Scratch Times Picayune, Louisiana, December 23, 2005 "Charters don't need more money than traditional schools, but they need startup funds because they don't have the existing infrastructure," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, a charter school advocacy group.

Storm Aid Bill Heads To Bush's Desk Times Picayune, Louisiana, December 23, 2005 In addition to $2.9 billion for levee repairs and upgrades, the bill provides $1.6 billion to help rebuild and repair schools damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and to reimburse schools, both public and private, that took in students displaced by the storms.

Public Schools Approach Capacity Times-Picayune, Louisiana, December 21, 2005 The two campuses that will be operated as New Orleans public schools this school year have nearly reached capacity, but district officials say it's doubtful they'll open more before next fall.

Five Charters In Algiers Set To Open Today Times Picayune, Louisiana, December 14, 2005 Facing several hundred jobless teachers and parents frustrated by most New Orleans public schools' inability to open more than two months after Hurricane Katrina, there seemed a high likelihood that the newly hired academic chief of the startup Algiers Charter Schools Association could get eaten alive in a matter of minutes.

Capdau-UNO Charter School to Reopen in January BizNewOrleans.com, Louisiana, December 9, 2005 Pierre A. Capdau-UNO Charter School, Louisiana's first "takeover" charter school, will reopen on Monday, Jan. 9. The school will be configured as grades K-8 and will operate from its original campus at 3821 Franklin Ave. Registration will begin immediately.

The Promise of Vouchers Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2005 Most New Orleans schools are in ruins, as are the homes of the children who have attended them. The children are now scattered all over the country. This is a tragedy. It is also an opportunity to radically reform the educational system.

A Louisiana Education Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2005 Jeanne Allen of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform says making Louisiana even more charter-friendly would help. "The fact remains that the state still controls the purse strings," says Ms. Allen, "and the concept of charters is having autonomous -- not state-run -- schools that can provide a variety of models and work independently."

November 2005

News And Views From The Louisiana Capitol Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 28, 2005 At the very end of the session, the House refused to bring up legislation that would have allowed an unlimited number of charter schools to be created in Louisiana. Current law caps the number of charters at 42 statewide.

New Orleans Public School First to Reopen Since Storm Washington Post, DC, November 29, 2005 After two years of trying, Ronald Coleman was at last delivering his children Monday to one of New Orleans's best public schools -- thanks in large part to a catastrophe.

New Orleans Puts Charter Schools To Big Test USA Today, November 28, 2005 An education movement that gives individual schools the power to hire teachers, set policy and write curriculum is gaining an unprecedented foothold in an unlikely place: New Orleans.

State To Run Orleans Schools Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 23, 2005 The state Department of Education is poised to take over another 102 public schools in New Orleans as the House gave final approval Tuesday to legislation to strip the Orleans Parish School Board of its authority over all but 13 campuses.

New Orleans School To Debut On Nov. 28 Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 19, 2005 The New Orleans public school system will open its first campus since Hurricane Katrina on Nov. 28 at Ben Franklin Elementary, accepting as many as 500 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, officials announced Friday.

Seeing Life Outside New Orleans Alters Life Inside It New York Times, November 21, 2005 "What's wrong with our school system, and what's wrong with the people running our school board?" asked Tess Blanks, who had lived here all her life before fleeing with her husband, Horace, to the Houston area, where they discovered that the public schools for their two children were significantly better.

New Orleans Schools Reflect The Slow Pace of Recovery Washington Post, DC, November 17, 2005 Christina Simmons, all smiles and flashing, smart eyes, is a rare spark. Not because of her 3.8 grade-point average and high test scores, though those certainly set her apart in one of the nation's worst-performing public school districts. Not because she actually likes going to class.

Legislature OKs School Takeover New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 15, 2005 Signaling the overwhelming frustration in the Legislature with the New Orleans school system, both the House and Senate voted to approve Governor Kathleen Blanco's proposal to shift responsibility for reopening and running most of the city schools to the state Department of Education.

Algiers Charter Schools To Open Dec. 14 The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 9, 2005 Five charter schools in Algiers will open Dec. 14, the schools' newly hired academic director announced Tuesday, if they get a nod from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education today.

Forum: Mythology Versus School Choice Washington Times, DC, November 6, 2005 …opponents of school choice should realize the Supreme Court in 2001 ruled vouchers are neutral, neither endorsing nor rejecting religion, and their use is dictated by independent parental choice….

In New Orleans, Doors Start to Open at Catholic Schools New York Times, November 6, 2005 In a neighborhood where they once seemed banished, as if in a fairy tale, children returned this week to a Catholic school in a squat brick building. And for a little while, it was possible to forget about those cursed levees and the crumpled houses and the harrowing evacuations and all the rest.

Charter Schools Will Get A Federal Grant The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 5, 2005 Opening up to eight recently chartered schools in Algiers by Nov. 28 could be possible financially, officials said, but a newly formed oversight board needs to balance its ability to hire quality staff against the community's desire to get schools open quickly.

Senate Votes $1.66 Billion for Storm-Displaced Pupils New York Times, November 4, 2005 After years of bitter, often partisan clashes on broadening federal assistance to private and parochial schools, the Senate approved by a unanimous voice vote on Thursday a $1.66 billion aid package for public and private schools across the country that have taken in students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Blanco Wants New Orleans Schools Chartered Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, November 4, 2005 Almost all New Orleans public schools, now closed because of Hurricane Katrina, could eventually be reopened by the state as charter schools under proposed legislation to wrest power from the city's fractious school board.

Katrina Brings Winds Of Change To New Orleans Schools Associated Press, The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 3, 2005 Jeanne Allen, president of the pro-charter Center for Education Reform in Washington, said there was plenty of motivation for the board to take the unprecedented step of approving 20 charter schools.

3 Systems, Baton Rouge School To Ignore Test Waiver The Advocate, Louisiana, November 1, 2005 At least three public-school districts and a Baton Rouge charter school plan to require students to pass a state test for promotion in the spring despite a waiver of the rule.

Monday, October 31, 2005

Board Approves Charters For 20 Schools The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 29, 2005 In a move that could signal the eventual balkanization of much of the New Orleans public school system, the board unanimously approved charter applications for 20 district schools, including seven on the east bank and another 13 on the west bank that, although previously approved, had been blocked by a court order.

Officials' Fears Over Storm And School Costs Delay $655 Million For Other Needs The Houston Chronicle, Texas, October 30, 2005 But concerns about long-term costs from the recent hurricanes and the impact of a school finance ruling expected soon from the Texas Supreme Court have stalled action on Gov. Rick Perry's request to spend at least $655 million on textbooks, nursing home care, trauma center funding and some higher education programs.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Cisco Offers to Aid Gulf Coast Schools New York Times, October 26, 2005 Cisco Systems and some of its executives plan to donate $40 million in cash, equipment and services to install wireless Internet access and other high-tech services in Gulf Coast schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the chief executive, John T. Chambers, said yesterday.

NEA Opposes Proposed Katrina Relief Plan for Schoolchildren The Heartland Institute, Illinois, October 26, 2005 The debate on Capitol Hill over how the federal government ought to help restore schooling quickly for those displaced students (and presumably for the smaller numbers uprooted by Hurricane Rita) exposed how far some Big Education interest groups and their political friends will go to oppose anything they can label a school voucher.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Charter Schools Urged For New Orleans District The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 25, 2005 New Orleans should not open any public schools this academic year unless they become charter schools, state Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard said Monday, because of the district's tenuous finances and what he called problems with the current leadership.

Friday, October 21, 2005

GOP To Seek Student Vouchers; Plan Targets Pupils Displaced By Katrina Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 20, 2005 Legislation that would provide vouchers for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina will be introduced today by House Republicans. The vouchers, proposed by President Bush, could cover up to $6,700 per child for one year in a public or private school.

New Orleans School Board Yanks Charter Plan Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 20, 2005 An application to charter 13 West Bank schools was pulled from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's agenda Wednesday in the face of a court order that, at least for now, bars the district from moving forward with the plan.

Katrina Legislation Renews School Voucher Debate Newsday, New York, October 20, 2005 Senate education leaders on Thursday unveiled a hurricane relief package intended to prevent a bitter fight over vouchers. Instead, it seemed to start one.

Federal Aid May Bail Out School Systems The Advocate, Louisiana, October 21, 2005 The state has a good chance of landing a major federal aid package to help public school districts housing 40,000 displaced students, state Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard said Wednesday.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Once Again, The Teachers Union Seeks To Deny Choice In America The Free Lance-Star, Virginia, October 19, 2005 When they deliver catastrophic destruction, hurricanes do not discriminate between children who attend public schools and those who attend private schools.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Charter School Proposal Halted Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 16, 2005 An Orleans Parish Civil Court judge has ordered the School Board to stop its plans to charter public schools on the West Bank or anywhere else in the city, granting a motion by an Algiers community group that alleges the decision was made without adequate public input.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Displaced Students, Teachers Together At Charter School Fort Worth Star Telegram, Texas, October 13, 2005 Far from the French Quarter, students displaced by Hurricane Katrina are getting a chance to study amid some of the comforts of home.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

National Education Reform Organizations Urge Congress to Pass Katrina Relief Package October 13, 2005 The 370,000 students displaced by Hurricane Katrina deserve the full support of the federal government with a Hurricane Katrina education relief package that allows families to choose the education most appropriate for their children.

Charter School Debate Delayed Washington Post, DC, October 13, 2005 The D.C. school board last night pulled from its agenda a proposed resolution calling for the closure of Jos-Arz Therapeutic Public Charter School after members were told that the resolution had not met the guidelines of the board's legal counsel.

Federal Aid May Bail Out School Systems The Advocate, Louisiana, October 13, 2005 The issue will win more attention today when US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings makes a joint appearance with Picard at Cedarcrest-Southmoor Elementary…

No Disaster Big Enough to Permit School Choice FoxNews.com, October 12, 2005 Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever strike the United States. Federal, state, and local governments' responses to it, sadly, were almost as calamitous. For some politicians, though, there has never been a disaster big enough to convince them to loosen government's grip on the people.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Time To Make A Move Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 10, 2005 ...In reaction to the can't-do attitude of Mr. Sanders and Ms. Watson, some parents and public officials on the West Bank asked to break away and form a charter system. The school system was planning to open eight West Bank schools Nov. 1, but who can blame parents for doubting the system's ability to succeed. The School Board approved the request Friday afternoon for all 13 schools on the West Bank....

Monday, October 10, 2005

Continuing School after Katrina U.S. News & World Report, October 8, 2005 ...We've never seen a situation where so many people are being forced to move and where a consistent education is very difficult," says Jeanne Allen, president of...

Editorial: Katrina Kids/Eject Vouchers From Aid Plan Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota, October 10, 2005 ...many public opinion polls reject the idea of a national voucher program....An estimated 60,000 Katrina kids were private school students before the hurricane hit...

Friday, October 7, 2005

Views Range Widely On Vouchers Gannett News Service, October 7, 2005 Here are the excerpted views of a voucher critic and a voucher supporter. Their comments touch on key controversial issues over the Bush administration's proposal to use tax dollars to provide vouchers, or scholarships, to students displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita so they can attend private schools.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

'New' New Orleans, 'New' Schools Washington Times, DC, October 5, 2005 The people of New Orleans, the residents of Louisiana and the taxpayers of America should think long and hard about how to rebuild the city's schools after the deluge. Maybe before we rebuild these schools, we should rethink what public education in the "new" New Orleans might look like.

KIPP Academy To Break Ground For High School Houston Chronicle, Texas, October 5, 2005 ...On Monday, KIPP opened a new charter school catering to Hurricane Katrina evacuees living within the Houston Independent School District....

Ben Franklin High School To Apply To For Charter Status BizNewOrleans.com, Louisiana, October 5, 2005 ...the board said the school had not previously considered the charter school option, but the board determined that it would be in the best interests of the school given the impact that Hurricane Katrina has had on the New Orleans Public School system...

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Vouchers & Vitriol: Education Statism Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pennsylvania, October 2, 2005 From the administration's proposal to offer school vouchers for a year to students forced from their classrooms in Gulf Coast states arises the predictable....

Monday, October 3, 2005

Charter Schools Get Big Grant 2theadvocate.com, Louisiana, September 30, 2005 The federal government on Friday awarded Louisiana $20.9 million to help reopen 11 hurricane-damaged charter schools, create 10 new schools, and allow five ...

HISD Gives Charter School Lease To Serve Katrina Kids Houston Chronicle, Texas, September 30, 2005 A mothballed Houston school building that served as a temporary campus for Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in the Reliant Center will reopen Monday as a tax-funded charter school catering to the displaced students....

Still Separate, Still Unequal Village Voice, New York, October 3, 2005 Katrina forced the largest ever removal of black kids from a failed school system. Now the ghost of segregation threatens their second chance...

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Support For School Vouchers Decatur Daily Democrat, Indiana, September 29, 2005 ...But the vouchers bill is an emergency measure that makes sense. Looking ahead, it's an investment worth making -- and a debate on school choice long overdue....

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

The Squall Over Aid To Students Fort Worth Star Telegram, Texas, September 25, 2005 With billions of dollars pouring into the Gulf Coast, you might expect that the $488 million in federal money designed to help displaced families pay for private school tuition would elicit no more than a perfunctory nod.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Now is Not the Time to Argue Over Vouchers Nashville City Paper, Tennessee, September 27, 2005 In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, good people are disagreeing on how to fund the education of displaced students. The argument...

Katrina and Rita's kids Washington Times, DC, September 27, 2005 Whenever President Bush and other school-choice supporters push vouchers, the teachers' union starts barking, arguing that publicly financed vouchers will soak...

Volunteers Bring School to Young Evacuees 2theAdvocate.com, Louisiana, September 27, 2005 For about 50 evacuee children, school is just a quick climb up the switched-off escalators in the main lobby of the Baton Rouge River Center.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Georgia Governor Calls For School Holiday Boston Globe, Massachusetts, September 26, 2005 The governor's request that Georgia public schools take two "snow days" and close to conserve fuel did not sit well with parents who had to scramble to find baby sitters and day care for their children.

Rebuilding Plan Paving Way For Conservative Goals Boston Globe, Massachusetts, September 25, 2005 ...Both public and private schools have opened their doors to children displaced by the hurricane, and federal support should recognize the importance of all schools, he said. ''For heaven's sake, this is not the beginning of some big new voucher program," said Alexander, a vouchers supporter. ''Katrina didn't discriminate among children, and neither should we."...

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Vouchers Justified As 'Narrowly Focused' Houston Chronicle, Texas, September 21, 2005 U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Wednesday defended the Bush administration's aid proposal for students and schools affected by Hurricane Katrina, addressing complaints from Democrats and a national teachers' union that it amounts to a voucher program.

Voucher Jousting The Washington Post, DC, September 22, 2005 In education funding as in much else, the devil lies in the details -- and no more so than in the case of the administration's proposal to pay 90 percent of the costs of educating students displaced by Hurricane Katrina

School Vouchers Intended As Temporary Aid USA Today, September 22, 2005 Responding to critics of a proposed federal voucher for children fleeing hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast schools, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on Wednesday said the aid only would be offered temporarily, but it would provide taxpayer dollars to public and private schools, or "wherever students show up."

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

In The Gulf Zone The Wall Street Journal Editorial, September 21, 2005 Leave it to the National Education Association to let its own monopoly interests trump the welfare of kids, even in the wake of a disaster.

Katrina's Children Find New Schools, and Fears The New York Times, September 21, 2005 While much of the federal response to Katrina has been its own epic disaster, a rare bright light is the McKinney-Vento Act, federal legislation passed in 2002 to ensure that homeless children are quickly enrolled in school. The law requires that every school district in America have a homeless liaison worker like Mr. Schrandt; that children are registered immediately, even those without records; and that transportation is provided.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

CER Education Reform Newswire Washington, DC, September 20, 2005 Katrina's Kids...The Charter School Reaction...The Blob Responds...The Media Gets It...Washington's Reaction...Rights and Choices...NEA's NCLB Dodge

Making Adjustments: Education Officials Address Options For Newest Students, Offer Tips For Parents The Courier Gazette, Texas, September 20, 2005 In a Sept. 15 letter to school administrators, Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley said the Texas Education Agency is working with Louisiana officials to figure out whether students who return will receive credit for classes taken here, and if those graduating will be able to take Louisiana tests and be issued diplomas from their home state.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Don't Bind New Orleans In Red Tape San Francisco Chronicle, California, September 19, 2005 ...Public education in New Orleans is an embarrassment. Some 65 percent of the public schools in the city failed the state's performance standard this year, compared to 11 percent of schools statewide. To help solve that problem, the federal government should make all its K-12 funding portable, giving parents control and allowing them to use it in any public or private school. That will help students while they're attending schools elsewhere and will give them real choice when they return to New Orleans....

Sims Tries Katrina Relief, Barbecue Oklahoma Daily, September 18, 2005 ...Sims, the 1978 Heisman winner, said he is excited about charter schools the AmericaCan organization is setting up in the Dallas area. AmericaCan is a program to help troubled youths. He said 10 schools are running, and that they are taking in Katrina victims....

Law Requires Homeless Children Have Access to Public School New York Times, September 17, 2005 …The law, passed in 1987, was strengthened considerably in 2002 with passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. It says that if students show up at a school claiming to be homeless, the school should admit them. Students do not need to prove they are homeless and do not need to provide immunization records on the spot....

Friday, September 16, 2005

Bush Pledges Federal Role in Rebuilding Gulf Coast New York Times, September 16, 2005 President Bush said the government would provide help on taxes, housing, education and job training for the hurricane victims.

Schools Welcome Katrina Students CBS News, September 16, 2005 ...at least 28 states and Washington, D.C., have classrooms that are teaching children displaced by Katrina....

After Katrina, Republicans Back a Sea of Conservative Ideas Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2005 ...Some of the proposals are attracting fire from Democrats. "They're going back to the playbook on issues like tort reform, school vouchers and freeing business...

Mega-Rebuild Forces Bush To Forget Budget Newark Star Ledger, New Jersey, September 16, 2005 ...Hurricane Katrina also opened the floodgates to proposals in Congress -- some embraced by Bush -- building on a host of long-cherished Republican themes. These include proposals for school vouchers for storm-displaced children...

Officials: Many Evacuee Students No-Shows 2theadvocate.com, Louisiana, September 16, 2005 ...On Wednesday, the school system conducted a head count to see who was actually in class and found 2,808 children. That's 36 percent of the 7,737 children who have registered for school and not quite half of the 6,008 children who have been assigned a school....

Schools With Evacuees Risk Academic Rankings San Antonio Express, Texas, September 16, 2005 ...will not be administered until spring 2006, it is premature for us to consider this request at this time," US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings wrote to...

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Families Need More Choices in Katrina Education Plan Statement by Jeanne Allen, CER President, September 15, 2005 This Administration needs to be more aggressive in ensuring that parents receive critical emergency education funds and in demanding that charter school states waive charter enrollment limits so that they too can take in children who have been displaced.

Hurricane Bush Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2005 … parents should be given vouchers for the equivalent of their tuition, with the option of using it at any school where they can find an opening, public or private. Charter schools should be allowed to expand immediately, and the Bush Administration could seek an emergency federal waiver of state charter laws to let them accept New Orleans kids now swamping other public schools....

Vouchers for New Orleans National Review Online, September 15, 2005 ...School vouchers get aid directly to the student, and empower parents and children take real control over their education. The federal voucher could follow each young evacuee student to their new school, whether they are settled in a district in northern Louisiana or Texas or beyond....

Schools, After Katrina National Review Online, September 15, 2005 ...Through chartering and contracting, the city (or the state - which already has authority to charter schools in high-need areas) could create such a network, holding each school to rigorous academic standards while giving them room to innovate. Finally, parents should be able to choose which school in the city (or state) best suits their children's needs....

Katrina's Displaced Students Washington Times, DC, September 15, 2005 ...The school system's problems were so severe that earlier this year, the state's heavily Democratic House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve a school voucher program for New Orleans schoolchildren, which would have allowed them to choose private or religious schools....

Pines Students, Parents Form Human Flag Miami Herald, Florida, September 15, 2005 ...More than 1,200 students, parents and faculty from all the charter schools in the...attacks, and announced they have raised $20,107 for Hurricane Katrina victims...

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Charter Schools Seek To Educate Displaced In Baton Rouge 2theadvocate.com, Louisiana, September 14, 2005 ...Jeanne Allen, executive director of the Center for Education Reform, which supports charter schools, railed against government bureaucrats and regulations preventing charters from stepping into the fray. She singled out Baton Rouge for special blame....

Separate but Equal? Schooling Of Evacuees Provokes Debate Wall Street Journal, September 14, 2005 The 372,000 schoolchildren displaced by Hurricane Katrina are stirring an old debate about whether separate education can really be equal.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

CER Education Reform Newswire Washington, DC, September 13, 2005 Katrina Update: Placing Kids, Placing Hope; Success Shall Rise Again; Waive of the Future; Call to Action

Fund The Lifesavers Washington Times, DC, September 13, 2005 ...The Center for Education Reform has identified charter schools that can accommodate displaced students, and the Council for American Private Education is doing the same...

Feds Won't Cover Costs For Teachers Houston Chronicle, Texas, September 13, 2005 With nearly 29,000 hurricane evacuee students already enrolled in Texas schools and more expected this week, state education officials are disappointed that the federal government has said it will not pay for additional teachers and textbooks at this time.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Some Displaced Students Turn to the Internet College Journal from The Wall Street Journal, September 12, 2005 "It could be a turning point" in the history of online education, says Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C., which also advocates for educational alternatives such as charter schools and voucher programs.

Schooling the Displaced Letter to the Editor by Jeanne Allen, The New York Times, September 9, 2005 The education reform community's response to the schooling needs of Katrina's victims is a generous offer to embark on and an aggressive, workable solution that can be achieved quickly - if we can get bureaucracy out of the way.

Charter School Students, Staff Doing All They Can To Help Hurricane Victims The Village Daily Sun, Florida, September 11, 2005 Every pair of blue jeans inside The Villages charter schools on Friday generated some much-needed cash. A one-day deviation from the school's uniform dress is just one of the multiple ways that The Villages charter school system is reaching out to its counterparts displaced by Hurricane Katrina and flooding that resulted from a broken levy.

Metro Has Shelter Space In School Nashville City Paper, Tennessee, September 12, 2005 The Highland House School currently houses a KIPP program …

Students Chip In, Learn Lesson In Compassion: Schools Find Way To Help Katrina Evacuees The Herald and Review, Illinois, September 12, 2005 Bishop G.E. Livingston, president and CEO of Robertson Charter School, said evacuated children would be given priority enrollment at his school, which plans to waive fees and provide clothes and school supplies for any children who enroll.

School Board Meets Tonight Daily News, Georgia, September 12, 2005 The Clayton County Board of Education Meeting tonight may prove interesting as the county addresses recent evacuee student enrollments and charter school petitions.

Friday, September 9, 2005

Scattered, Katrina Evacuees Back To School The Associated Press, September 9, 2005 Derwinique Sylvester clung to her father's leg outside the Astrodome on Thursday, waiting for the bus that would take her to her first day in one of two schools opened for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Weighing The Cost Of School Trips The Asbury Press, New Jersey, September 9, 2005 The rise in gasoline prices over the last year, aggravated by the recent spike following damage to refineries by Hurricane Katrina, has school districts re-evaluating their transportation plans for field trips, extracurricular activities and sporting events.

La. Teacher Comes Home To Tiers; She Fled Just Ahead Of Hurricane And Floodwaters, But Is Eager To Return The Star-Gazette, New York, September 9, 2005 It became a charter school run by the University of New Orleans and began to make real progress, Wood said. Staff members set a goal of increasing test scores by 5 percent during the first year, and test scores actually rose by more than 20 percent, she said.

No Longer Out Of Sight The Washington Times, DC, September 9, 2005 But New Orleans schools are a dismal failure. More than 40 percent of the city's adults are functionally illiterate, and the school dropout rate is estimated between 35 and 50 percent. Yet the state has repeatedly rejected attempts to give students in failing schools more choice. The state has one of the nation's weakest charter-school laws. The legislature has regularly killed proposals for even limited voucher programs, most recently in June of this year. Even public-school choice is weak and limited.

Thursday, September 8, 2005

Special Edition Newswire: Katrina Relief Efforts Continue Washington, DC, September 8, 2005 Waters Recede, Red Tape Rises...Cutting Through That Red Tape...No Stopping the Support: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, And Last But Not Least, Louisiana...Newsmaker Julie Durand

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Across Nation, Storm Victims Crowd Schools New York Times, September 7, 2005 Experts said the movement of students from storm-ravaged areas could become the largest student resettlement in the nation's history.

Students in Baton Rouge, Lafayette Schools 2theadvocate.com, Louisiana, September 7, 2005 ...Charter school advocates like Baton Rouge's Jim Geiser were lobbying to increase enrollments and set up new schools to take in displaced students. The Center for Education Reform, a national pro-chart group, has persuaded the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation to set aside $20 million to pay for these new schools. No school districts, however, have allowed charter schools to expand or allowed new ones to open, according to a spokeswoman for the center....

Local School Districts Eye Newcomers San Antonio Express, Texas, September 7, 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuees continued to enroll in San Antonio schools and colleges...Superintendents from 50 school districts and 27 charter schools are set to...

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Special Edition Newswire: Katrina Relief Efforts Washington, DC, September 6, 2005 Immediate Help for Families...Responding to the Tragedy...A Plan...Children's Emergency School Hotline...Districts Respond...Private Schools Respond...Newsmakers of the Week

Education Reformers Establish Plan To Get Children Of Hurricane Katrina Survivors Back In School CER Press Release, Washington, DC, September 6, 2005 The Children's Emergency School Hotline at 1-800-291-7809 helps Hurricane evacuees locate schools for their children, and is part of an action plan presented to the United States Department of Education to provide immediate education assistance for the child survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Federal Aid Is Offered to Schools New York Times, September 3, 2005 Education Secretary Margaret Spellings telephoned the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama state school superintendents and other top Gulf Coast educators yesterday, offering broad federal assistance to stricken schools and universities.

Friday, September 2, 2005

Schools Accepting Students Taking Refuge From the Storm Washington Post, DC September 2, 2005 Ruth Schwartz's home sits on one of the highest bits of ground in the New Orleans region and came through Hurricane Katrina with just a little wind damage.

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