Public School Reform in New Orleans Is Working

As The Times-Picayune recently reported, a handful of individuals and groups opposing school reform in New Orleans have recently been gaining ground. These critics, including the newly formed Coalition for Louisiana Public Education, argue that the Recovery School District (RSD) has been a failure and ought to be abolished. With state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) elections coming up this fall, reform opponents have the potential to create significant road blocks for those trying to overhaul the state’s public schools.

However, this year’s LEAP and GEE test scores make one thing abundantly clear: public school reform in New Orleans is working.

The percentage of students in RSD schools in New Orleans who met grade-level expectations on these tests increased by 25 percentage points over the past four years – more than four times greater than the state average increase over the same time period. Five years ago, 62 percent of public school students in New Orleans attended failing schools. Today, that number is 18 percent. Among RSD charter schools, fewer than 12 percent of students attended a failing school last year.

Certainly the RSD has much room for improvement. To that effect, the Cowen Institute looks forward to working with new RSD Superintendent John White to ensure that the public school system in New Orleans meets his principles of “excellence, equity, and community.” The reform effort will not be complete until every child in New Orleans has access to a high-quality public education.

But even as we push for a better, fairer, and more transparent RSD, we should not overlook the dramatic improvements seen in public schools in New Orleans over the past four years. New Orleans children cannot afford to go back to the failing public schools of the pre-Katrina system.

Last week in the Legislature, a handful of bills that could have set back school reform were defeated in the House Education Committee. But even as those bills lost steam, the Senate Finance Committee is debating budget legislation that would cut $11 million from the RSD’s operating budget, traditionally used to cover the costs of property insurance on its school buildings. If action isn’t taken to restore full funding, RSD schools could face additional expenses of almost $400 per student next year – a significant financial hurdle.

Louisiana once again has the opportunity to compete in the federal Race to the Top grant competition. In order to have a shot at winning, it is critical that Louisiana maintains its commitment to public school reform.

Therefore, reforms must be supported and protected so that students can continue to succeed. At the end of the day the “proof is in the pudding” or test scores. It’s hard to argue with numbers so those who refuse to accept progress have very little or no ground to stand on. So, onwards and upwards to the students who are improving day by day