Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans serves as a model for the idea that charter schools can power an entire school system. The latest testament to the benefits of the transformation of that city’s schools may come from the parents who are considering public schools for the first time.
Legitimate questions remain. Some wounds opened by the storm remain unhealed. But it’s important to remember just how dysfunctional the system was before, and that there are thoughtful efforts underway to help the system work better for all children.
At the same time, another state is building a new system that looks completely different. Thousands of parents have already applied to take part in Nevada’s new education savings account program. There will surely be some stumbles at first, as there were in New Orleans. It will be important to evaluate these experiments in school choice fairly, to learn from what goes wrong, and to replicate what goes right.
Meanwhile…
The Tampa Bay Times publishes the second installment of its “Failure Factories” investigation. See our reaction here.
Students in the nation’s capital lose bus service that helped them access higher-performing public schools.
Tax credit scholarships remain the most popular form of private school choice. More here.
Massachusetts charter school advocates try to combat inaction with a ballot initiative.
Seattle sees a wave of demand for new charters.
Miami-Dade’s superintendent calls for systemic transformation.
Quote of the week:
Violence is black children going to school for 12 years and receiving 6 years’ worth of education.”
– Civil rights activist Julian Bond, who was laid to rest on Saturday, a week after his death.
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