1. education

OP EN P ublic Edu cation Awar ds 2 0 1 4
En d ur i ng Im pact Awardee
M ar y H ayne s - Sm i th
P r i n c i p a l , Be thune E le m e ntary
Distinguished Prod uct Awa r dee
Ja mes "Jim" S in gleton
Ch a irma n , N ew Orlea n s Redevelop me nt Au t hor i t y
education, economic security
and employment. Until our city
works for ALL New Orleanians,
we will not turn the tide.
Ta b l e o f Co n t e n t s
Community Q&A: Jump Start Career
Education..................................................................................1
Louisiana Education Policy Fellowship
Program.....................................................................................5
The Parent Leadership Training Institute
Graduation 2014.................................................................6
In the midst of our own
local pain, we too have been
unsettled by the national
landscape and the failure to
bring forth trials in the Eric
Garner and Michael Brown
cases, calling this nation to
examine the most fundamental
tenets of our democracy and
Public Education Day @ the Capitol 2014...10
Louisiana Legislative Recap......................................11
OPEN Participatory Action Research..................14
The OPEN Public Education Awards...................17
FEATURED PARENT LEADER: Amauunet Ashe
and the Color Garden.....................................................8
OP-ED: The Search for a Superintendent,
Deirdre Johnson Burel.................................................20
State of the Young Child Early Development
Instrument Data Release...............................................9
In Memoriam: George Carter, III, Carolyn
Green-Ford and Norbert Rome..............................22
OPEN would like to take a moment to thank our funders:
Without the generous support of these funders, who have shown their
commitment to inclusive education dialogue and to the students of New
Orleans, we would not be able to do the work that we do. Thank you.
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Reflections on 2014
Dear Friends of OPEN,
this side of life.
As I look back on this year, I
am full.
We have grieved with the New
Orleans community on the
losses of too many, including
Elder
Carolyn
Green-Ford,
Community Organizer Norbert
Rome, and young activist
and organizer George Carter
III. Their lives mattered. They
each worked for a more just
and equitable city, and their
lives offer invaluable lessons
for us on the work left for us
to do in taking care of our
elders, loving our community
even through disagreement
on the issues, and making
steps to fix the rampant gun
violence that plagues our city.
The violence is inextricably tied
to a breakdowns in systems –
There has been elation,
joy, frustration and deep,
provocative pain that is hard
to contain. This year at OPEN,
we were honored and proud
to celebrate excellence in all
its forms, providing a platform
to two exemplary leaders –
Mary Haynes Smith and Jim
Singleton - four exemplary
schools, and two outstanding
community organizations. We
are so proud to have been
a part of telling the powerful
history of our city through
their narratives, giving them
just a share of their roses on
its applicability to every person
regardless of race, creed, or
religion “We hold these truths
to be self =-evident, that
all men are created equal,
endowed by their creator with
certain inalienable rights and
that among them life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.”
For us, these issues strike at
the very essence of the work
and call us to re-examine and
double-down on our efforts in
as we work for excellence and
equity for all.
There is much to reflect on in
this year. So we have taken
this first issue of OUT IN
THE OPEN to look back on
the progress toward our 2014
policy priorities, examining
the evolution of our work
on Early Childhood, High
School Transformation and
Governance. Celebrating the
accomplishments of exemplars,
including new parent leaders
who have taken the charge
of working for change on
behalf of children. Honoring
the memories of our beloved
fellow New Orleanians.
We look back and look forward
to 2015, as we celebrate a
historic set-aside of funds to
support facilities. We are proud
to have supported this effort.
OPEN is committed to leading
on implementation, and turn
our attention to making sure
we deliver on the promise to
lead on ensuring efficient use
of resources, working for one
consolidated facility authority
with transparency in its policy
and processes and clear
accountability
lines
under
Orleans Parish School Board.
We invite you to stand with
us and join us in this work as
we launch our efforts at the
Legislative Breakfast in March
2015 and beyond.
We’ve got work to do in
2015
Education in New Orleans
needs a different type of
leadership and voice. You can
expect even more from us
in the upcoming year as we
double down on our values
of equity and excellence. I
look forward to sharing with
more with you in the new
year as we roll out policy
positions and tackle difficult
issues, bringing OPEN’s unique
commitment to “robust, yet
respectful conversation” will
are not afraid of to have the
most important conversations
OUT IN THE OPEN with all
perspectives in the room.
I’m proud to announce the
launch of our Community
Educators
Network.
This
network of engaged citizens
took form after the 2014
Annual Convening, and are
banding together to foster
community action in creating
real change for and with
young people.
Civic engagement will be the
cornerstone to the long-term
viability and sustainability of
our city. As we walk into the
new year, New Orleanians
know better than anyone that
WE are the change! OPEN’s
commitment to supporting
and building civic capacity
starts within the village. In
2015,
we’re
joining
with
several other partners — the
Alliance Institute, Neighborhoods
Partnership
Network,
and
others — to create a physical
and figurative space for
building and supporting the
civic infrastructure that is
essential in achieving the
transformative outcomes we’re
working towards. In 2015, we
will formally open the doors
to the Civic Community Hub, a
space to accomplish all these
goals and more. Stay tuned!
Thanks for being a friend of
OPEN, and we look forward
to joining you in the work
throughout the new year.
With warm regards,
Deirdre Johnson Burel
Executive Director, Orleans
Public Education Network
OPEN is a New Orleans
nonprofit
committed
to
realizing excellence and equity
for every child in the city's
public schools by EXPANDING
awareness, ENGAGING citizens,
and AMPLIFYING community
voice.
3321 Tulane Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 821-4004
www.opennola.org
COMMUNITY Q&A
Jump Start Career Education
Criketa Matlock, Policy & Research Analyst
Orleans Public Education Network
I
n
fall
2014,
incoming
freshmen entered high school
with a new set of options.
The class of 2018 is the first
Louisiana's new program for school districts, colleges, and
cohort to be eligible to take
businesses to collaborate in providing career courses and
advantage of Louisiana's new
high school diploma, which
workplace experiences to high school students, certifying them
offers students the opportunity
for the career fields most likely to lead to high-wage jobs.
to gain certification in career
fields that are likely to lead to
louisianabelieves.com/courses/jump-start-career-education
high-wage jobs in their region
of the state.
In
February,
OPEN
hosted a public comment
session highlighting the new
career diploma option initiative,
also known as Jump Start.
Speakers
included
Adam
Hawf, Assistant Superintendent
of Louisiana Department of
Education; Dr. Vicki Mack,
Senior Research Fellow of The
Data Center (formerly Greater
New Orleans Community Data
Center); David Durand, Director
of Community Partnership
of FirstLine Schools; and
Dr. Taisha Williams-Payne,
Assistant Principal of LB
Landry-O. Perry Walker.
Attendees had a lively
Q&A with the panelists and
submitted written questions
and comments that were
presented to the Board of
Elementary and Secondary
Education prior Jump Start's
deciding vote. Below are
responses to all questions
L - R: Dr. Vicki Mack; David Durand; Dr. Taisha Williams-Payne;
raised by attendees about the initiative and
Adam Hawf; Deirdre Johnson Burel
its ramifications for Louisiana students, as
sourced from the Louisiana Department of
Education and its publications.
JUMP START CAREER EDUCATION
ACCOUNTABILITY
Q. How will high schools be held accountable to make sure career paths are being offered?
A. Specific rewards for career credentials are available for high schools on every level of the accountability
system.
Q. How will post-secondary success from the career track be tracked and monitored? Collecting
accurate and consistent data will be much more challenging than college matriculation data.
1
A. The high schools are required to be a part of a Jump Start Regional Team: public private partnerships
made up of school systems and their governing authorities, two-year and four-year colleges, local industry, and
economic and workforce development experts.
All regional teams must register through the Louisiana Department of Education, which will maximize sharing
of—and hence access to—proven-effective CTE courses and workplace experiences.
Q. Will children working toward a career diploma be required to take all parts of EOC and ACT?
If so, how does this impact schools’ SPS (school performance score)?
Yes, students taking the career diploma path will be required to take all parts of the End of Course test.
Students must score a least “fair” on three of the six courses. Students must take the EPAS test: Explore, Plan,
and ACT. Jump Start teams may elect to have students take the WorkKeys test in addition to the ACT.
MOBILITY
Q. Is there any room for a hybrid diploma (i.e. college track diploma getting career training or
vice versa)?
A. Jump Start will be a required path for students pursuing a career diploma. Jump Start will be an
elective path for students pursuing a university-preparatory diploma.
Q. What happens when the industry sectors of the region change?
A. Regional teams must submit new proposal to add additional industry sectors.
Q. What happens to the student whose circumstances changes in 11th and 12th grade and they
have to move to another part of the state, and that industry is different?
A. The student would have to select from the industry options within the region.
INFORMED DECISION MAKING
Q. For young people that select the jump start program, how well are we preparing them to select
the right career? How far behind would they be if they changed to the university program?
A. The LDE is working with each Jump Start Regional Team to develop the type of career counseling
necessary to help students and families understand the universe of career options open to Louisiana high school
graduates. The principals of Career Compass are part of the team the Department has formed to work directly
with regional teams on this challenge.
Students can pursue the career and TOPS course requirements simultaneously. Students completing a
CTE graduation pathway should be immediately qualified to continue pursuing their post-secondary education at
an LCTCS campus, or conceivably (depending on the student) a university. There is no required or inevitable
trade-off between pursuing a CTE graduation pathway and continuing post-secondary education. In fact, quite
the opposite - our vision of career education has, at its core, the integration of a solid academic foundation
with a meaningful career credential that together provide students with lifelong value.
Q. Is there going to be career education/exploration beginning at kindergarten to help prepare
students to make an informed decision at the junior year check point?
A. Regional teams will determine how and when career education and exploration will take place. LDE
agree that career awareness can
start literally at the beginning of
each student's academic journey.
They are also looking forward to
- and will enthusiastically support
- innovative initiatives by regional
teams that include parents and
families in career exploration.
REGIONAL TEAMS & BUSINESSES
Q. How and when will
Regional teams be formed?
A. Each region is required
to develop Jump Start Regional
teams by the end of 2015-16 school
year with approved proposals. Each
team must include:
a) one or more representative
from each school system involved
b) one or more representative from
each post-secondary institution
offering technical degrees involved
c) industry leaders from major
2
regional industries; and/or
d) one or more regional workforce development and
economic development expert.
"...our vision of career education has,
at its core, the integration of a solid
academic foundation with a meaningful
career
credential
that
together
provide students with lifelong value."
Q. Will entrepreneurship training be an
option?
A. Louisiana has developed a list of Jump
Start CTE Pathways/Certification, which does not
currently include entrepreneurship. However, regional
teams exist to be creative rather than to accept the list provided as the extent of all Jump Start offerings.
Q. What incentives will be in place to get businesses involved?
A. Industry understands it is manifestly in their self-interest to get involved with Jump Start.
representatives are founding members of each one of the regional teams forming around the state.
Industry
TEACHER PREPARATION / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Q. What will the teacher preparation and qualifications be to ensure that the transition will work?
A. The Department of Education will train career educators statewide at summer academies to receive
professional credentials that will be required in five years for all career educators.
Q. Are there plans to offer additional resources to help students that would be remediated on
high school campuses?
A. The Department of Education will support legislation to focus the required Individual Graduation Plan
process on a one-year time horizon, rather than requiring a predication of coursework from 8th grade through
the senior year.
Q. How will the change in diploma requirements/pathway affect or transfer to teacher preparation
requirements?
A. The Department of Education is proposing changes to teacher certification policies to facilitate industry
professionals’ entry into teaching positions, giving greater credit to workplace experience and expertise and
providing essential training on instructional strategies.
COMMON CORE
Q. How does the new diploma track line up with Common Core?
A. The career diploma option will have a rigorous curriculum to prepare students for high-wage, highgrowth jobs in Louisiana.
MISCELLANEOUS
Q. Life skills (soft skills) were mentioned as being placed in high schools, but how it is being
addressed on all levels?
A. "Soft skills" can be taught in a variety of ways - integrated into core academic courses, separated into
one or more for-credit junior high school and/or high school courses, included in internships and apprenticeships,
etc.
How career readiness is addressed will be determined by regional teams, with the collaboration and
support of the Department. One of the Department of Education commitments is to make sure that the "best
practices" created in one region of the state are immediately available for review and adoption by schools across
Louisiana.
Q. The career diploma will provide the students with certain levels of certifications so they can
move straight into a job or will they need to go to a tech school or community college? If the latter,
what happens with state financial assistance for those students such as TOPS Tech Awards?
A. The state-approved credentials earned through Jump Start will qualify students to continue their studies
in college or begin a professional career immediately upon graduating high school.
Q. How will high schools be funded to assist during the transition period?
A. The Jump Starting Jump Start grants are available to districts in regional teams wanting to invest
immediately in innovative career course curricula and other initiatives critical to the success of Jump Start for
the 2014-2015 or 2015-2016 school years.
Q. How are parents being engaged?
A. It is up to schools and community stakeholders to ensure that parents are staying engaged and informed.
Q. How dedicated and committed is the BESE Board to the Jump Start program?
A. On March 7, 2014 the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) agreed to pass the Jump
Start program. “Addressing Louisiana workforce development needs while expanding career opportunities for our
high school students is a win-win,” said Chas Roemer, BESE president.
3
COMMENTS FROM THE
PUBLIC
• "New Orleans without a unified
governance system will have challenges"
• "The representative from the
State Department of Education appeared
unable to answer critical questions about
this decision that has already been made"
• "Community voice has NOT been
respected"
• "New Orleans is an international
city, but we're not requiring our children
to learn and speak more than one
language."
• "STOP trying to report old ideas
as new"
• "I am in full support of the
newly proposed college track or career
track diplomas. The expectations for our
children must be raised."
• "Great Public Comment Session"
• "Thank you for offering this
program - High School Transition may
seem well thought out, but the speaker’s
response too often included “I Think,
Possibly, and That’s a Good Question,”
as if he didn’t want to say simply “I don’t
know!”"
• "High School Transition starts
too late in terms of career development."
• "Can Orleans Parish develop local
governance, not a school board, necessary
to regulate charter schools, specifically in
the area of attendance monitoring?"
4
Dr. Vicki Mack of The Data Center (formerly Greater
New Orleans Community Data Center) presents on
the coming Louisiana "Energy Boom"
"We need carpenters, we
need crane operators, we
need welders — and we're
not prepared."
The massive petrochemical and manufacturing
industry expansions in South Louisiana are
expected to create about 40 thousand
jobs in coming years for the area — many
of which require a high school diploma
complemented by career training. Most of
these career options offer family-sustaining
wages — high median rates between $15
and $35 per hour — and appealing stability
to discouraged workers. On a macro level,
they offer the opportunity for the region to
scale up its collective skillset, creating a
strong, sustainable workforce to bring the
community into the future.
Want more information on trade craft
careers in Southeast LA? Visit
louisiana.byf.org
Source: The Transformative Possibility of the
New “Energy Boom” in Southeast Louisiana,
George Hobor and Elaine Ortiz. http://www.
datacenterresearch.org/reports_analysis/thetransformative-possibility-of-the-new-energyboom-in-southeast-louisiana/
5
PA R E N T
LEADERS
Take the Stage
On April 8, 2014, The Parent Leadership Training
Institute (PLTI NOLA) celebrated the graduation of
its second class of parent leaders!
PLTI enables parents to become effective advocates for
children through a 20-week course on leadership, politics,
policy and media. Parents define the curriculum and participate
in its evaluation and outcomes. Family supports, such as child
care, are included. Each class of parents mentors the next class,
creating a pyramid effect of community caring and developing a
coalition of parent leaders that bands together for collective impact.
L - R: Nancy Freeman (Institute of Mental Hygiene), Linetta Gilbert (Foundation For
Louisiana), Rev. Dr. Dwight Webster (Christian Unity Baptist Church)
LaToya Cantrell (Councilmember, District B) delivers
the Welcome Address
Become a parent leader: apply at opennola.org today!
Rev. Pat Watson (Family Center of Hope) shares Words of Inspiration
The graduates walk down the aisle. Front: Yvette Martin
PLTI 2014 graduate Tarsha Davis shows off her diploma!
Julius Feltus (New Orleans City Hall), Linetta Gilbert
The PLTI 2014 class at the Louisiana Children’s Museum
6
The Hon. Ernestine S. Gray (Chief Administrative Judge, Orleans
Parish Juvenile Court) gives the Civic Responsibility Address
Photos courtesy of Avant Soul / AshleyLorraine
7
Act 3, The Child Care Assistance
Program,
STAT
E and LouisianaOFamilies
F THE
YO U N G
CHILD
EARLY DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENT DATA RELEASE
2014
At a time when it is apparent that test scores are an insufficient measure of student
progress, OPEN’s work with the Early Development Instrument (EDI) is outlining new
ways of looking at child development and school readiness. On May 8th, we released
in-depth data profiles on 44 neighborhoods across the GNO area, as well as a
comprehensive New Orleans report on the state of the city’s five-year-olds.
P
Parent leader and student learners partner to bring community garden to life
arent
Leadership
Training
Institute
graduate Amauunet Ashe has big dreams
— and colorful ones, too. Her "Color
Garden," opened in 2014 at Young Audiences
Charter School, offers kids hands-on
experience planting, nurturing, and harvesting
healthy food as part of her Nutrition
Adventure community project.
This colorful patch of flowers, fruits and
vegetables serves as a site for children to
learn about biology, teamwork, nutrition and
more! Under the supervision of horticulturist
Valorie Polmer, learners manipulate the soil,
plant and care for the seedlings, and finally
harvest their crops to serve students and
families fresh green onions, carrots, broccoli,
lettuce and kale!
Research
shows
that
community
gardens are immensely beneficial in creating
a "ripple effect" in neighborhoods, reducing
crime rates and causing people to take care
of their own properties*. Sometimes called the
‘new’ greenspace, these gardens have in fact
been around for hundreds of years. In the
Color Garden's case, it's not just vegetable
seeds that are planted in the ground: it's the
*Groenewegen, Peter P. "Vitamin G: effects of green space on
health, well-being, and social safety." BMC Public Health (2006)
seeds of a thoughtful, ecologically-aware new
generation planted in kids' minds.
In addition to reducing crime rates,
community gardens teach youngsters about
the importance of sustainability and where
food comes from, plus math skills and
teamwork. Being inside green spaces like the
Color Garden is proven to reduce stress and
promote healthy eating habits, and they both
reduce air pollution and help communities
recycle compost items such as food scraps
and grass clippings that would otherwise go
to waste.
Amauunet is looking forward to
expanding the Nutrition Adventure concept
over the next few years, whether in
communities or schools. "I'm so proud of the
Young Audiences kids and the beautiful crops
we've grown together," she says. "These days,
it's important to bring kids closer to nature,
and I know we're helping create community
leaders too. Special thanks to Valorie Palmer
for being so hands-on with this community
vision and taking it to the next beautiful,
nourishing and fun level."
The EDI presents a path to measuring holistic child development in every domain:
Physical Health & Wellbeing • Social Competence • Emotional Maturity• Language
and Cognitive Development • Communication Skills & General Knowledge
Get your neighborhood profile and view the report at www.opennola.org today!
TWEET BEAT
So how does EDI measure school
readiness? Five domains: physical,
social,
emotional,
language
&
cognitive, and communication skills
#nolaed
Over just 3 years, OPEN has gone from
data on 2% of NOLA's kindergarten-age
children to 65% over 44 neighborhoods
#earlychildhood #nolaed
Our goal is to set a common agenda
and create shared measurements,
investments and resource direction for
our young children #nolaed
In NO, 22 neighborhoods have a
greater vulnerability rate in physical
health than national norm. Holy
Cross has the highest rate with 33%
#nolaed
How do we address this? Tulsa
has included more movement in
pre-K
programs
and
increased
pedestrian access to parks #nolaed
#earlychildhood
In social competence, BW Cooper has
the highest vulnerability rate with
a full 55% of children vulnerable
#nolaed #earlychildhood
Putting the roadmap to use: in
Hattiesburg, MS, EC professionals &
parents get training on whole child
8
8
care + Conscious Discipline #nolaed
In the emotional maturity domain, again BW
Cooper has 70% of children either vulnerable
or at risk of vulnerability #nolaed
On the positive side, Florida (53% ) and
Navarre (50%) kids are ranked as Very
Ready in emotional maturity domain #nolaed
#earlychildhood
Exciting news: contrary to popular belief, NOLA
has more "very ready" kids in language & cog.
development domain than any other #nolaed
Major theme: poverty can be overcome & isn’t
the only factor in vulnerabilities (in fact, may
be insuff. proxy for supporting needs) #nolaed
Saturation rates in 44 nbrhoods provide
significant opportunities to target interventions,
aligning greatest need w/ greatest impact
#nolaed
Important: while data tells us what’s happening,
it’s important to go deeper to determine *why*
(i.e. working w/ communities) #nolaed
OPEN has generated neighborhood profiles
for all saturated neighborhoods — see them
today at http://www.opennola.org ! #nolaed
#earlychildhood
Don't miss an update: follow
us on Twitter today at
@OPEN_NOLA
9
OPEN continually works to keep the community
connected to public education, from providing
legislative updates to hosting community
information sessions to bringing citizen voices
into the dialogue. One of our annual events
connecting citizens and policymakers is Public
Education Day at the Capitol, a yearly trip that
brings parents, students and engaged citizens
to the Louisiana Capitol to get engaged in the
democratic process.
Bright and early on March 20th, a cadre of parents, students,
OPEN members and staff and engaged citizens boarded a
bus to Baton Rouge for this year's Public Education Day.
Participants sat in on several live committee meetings,
including a session on teacher retirement, and the group was
recognized on the record at the committee meeting by Austin
Badon, Chairman of the Municipal, Parochial and Cultural
Affairs committee.
Before the trip, participants received extensive advocacy
training supported by the OPEN Policy Toolkit, a comprehensive
guide for citizens to advocate for their cause at all levels of
the public process. It includes a top-to-bottom overview of
the policy and legislative worlds, plus valuable tips on making
your voice heard at the highest levels of the government.
Free copies are available for download at www.opennola.org.
Quotes from PUBLIC
EDUCATION DAY STUDENT
PARTICIPANTS
“My favorite part of Public
Education Day at the
Capitol was going to the
top of the Capitol building.
It was really breathtaking.
The trip was phenomenal.”
-Milton Taylor
“What I learned from
Public Education Day at
the Capitol is that a bill
just doesn’t become a law
automatically. A bill has to
go through a process to
be passed as law. I learned
that Legislators are very
educated people.”
-Skylar Barnes
“The Public Education Day
at the Capitol allowed
me to learn more about
processes. I enjoyed the
trip and noticed lots of
different things like the
Capitol. It was a very
great experience and very
different.”
-Kasey Hunter
"Public Education Day was
a great experience for both
myself and the students.
Holding community members
accountable for our kids'
education is crucial, and
part of that is teaching
students about these issues.
We have to be responsible
for ensuring the capacity
to make change is built in
them, that they have the
tools to continue on in the
journey and fight to ensure
excellence for themselves
and their classmates."
— Peter Davis,
Administrator
Above: The Public Education Day group examines the
1.5-ton bronze relief map of Louisiana embedded in the
floor of the Louisiana Capitol rotunda.
10
Louisiana Legislative Recap
2014
Criketa Matlock, Policy Analyst
Orleans Public Education Network
Orleans Public Education Network (OPEN)’s policy priorities serve
to advance the critical objectives of each area of focus. Below
you will find a brief overview of the 2014 Louisiana legislative
session as the outcomes of the session in alignment with
the 2014 Policy Priorities: Early Childhood, School Governance,
High School Transformation, and the Common Core. The laws
discussed below are not listed in any particular order.
Early Childhood
Senate Bill 533
This bill provides for a Coordinated Local Enrollment Process for publicly
funded early care and education programs. It also provided for a neutral
entity to inform families about all publicly funded early childhood care and
education programs in their community, collect family preferences, develop
and use a common application process, and make recommendations to
the Department of Education for the distribution of the available slots.
After amendments, the local enrollment coordinator no longer must be
neutral, and the bill now specifically permits the school districts to be the
coordinators.
Another important set of amendments will ensure that the funding for the
new local enrollment coordinators will not be disproportionately taken from
the Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant; rather, now the bill
states that the funding for the Local Coordinators will be proportionately
taken from each funding stream based on the number of children enrolled
from each program. Senate Bill 533 was passed into law and now is known
as Act 717.
Senate Bill 524
This bill moved responsibility for the licensure of child care centers and
registration of family child day care homes from the Department of Children
and Family Services (DCFS) to the Department of Education (LDE). The bill
maintains from the law passed in 2013 the creation of three new Types of
licensure: Type I (roughly current Class B), Type II (roughly current Class
A not taking Child Care Assistance) and Type III (roughly current Class A
taking Child Care Assistance and Head Start/Early Head Start programs).
It also tightens the state central registry and criminal background check
requirements. This bill was passed and signed into law.
As passed, there are a number of different effective dates for the provisions
of the bill.
• The move of licensure of child care centers to LDE is effective October
1, 2014.
11
OPEN Partners with Legislators
to Develop Bill for School
Governance Study
At
OPEN's
legislative
breakfast, the issue of
unified governance and
the need to craft a
path forward came up.
In honoring its ongoing
commitment to unified
Sen. Morrell
school leadership, OPEN
worked with J. Krentel
and Senator JP Morrell to craft a bill
calling for study commission on the future
of New Orleans school governance. Crafted
collaboratively by OPEN leadership and
policymakers, Senate Concurrent Resolution
89 provided for the creation of the Local
Schools Commission of Orleans to study the
feasibility of returning control of all Recovery
Schools District schools located in Orleans
Parish back to the Orleans Parish School
Board.
The bill made it the Senate Education
Committee, where it was stopped pending
conversations to work with the OPSB to
develop a local committee. Unfortunately, the
work with OPSB has not moved forward.
• The move of registration of family child day care
homes is effective February 1, 2015.
• Finally, the move of the CCDF Block Grant will take
place no later than July 1, 2015, with a cooperative
endeavor agreement between the two departments
A number of important amendments were added to this
bill, including an amendment that will allow child care
programs that do not have public funds to participate
in the new quality rating system. Given the drastic cuts
in the Child Care Assistance Program, many centers
are not able to access public funding for their families.
Another amendment reinstated the Advisory Council
on Early Childhood Care and Education as CCDF block
grant moves to the Department of Education. The
new Council will advise the Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education (BESE); all regulations, standards,
the state plan for the CCDF block grant and other
matters related to early care and education must be
presented to the Council before they are considered
by BESE. The bill now requires in-depth reporting on
CCAP participation rates and funding, as well as child
care centers’ licensing violation history, to be posted
on the Department of Education’s website.
SB 622
This bill provides that the state Department of Education
(LDE) shall develop and implement a statewide
educational technology plan that ensures that every
public elementary and secondary school and classroom
has the infrastructure and capacity necessary to
provide a high-quality, digital instructional environment.
Presumably pre-K classrooms in the schools will be
covered by this plan; however, community based
programs such as child care centers and Head Start/
Early Head Start programs will not. This bill was passed
and signed into law.
House Concurrent Resolution 61
HCR 61 urges and requests the state Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education to develop a
statewide model for the equitable funding of quality early childhood care and education for Louisiana children
ages birth to five, and to submit a report with recommendations to the legislature no later than sixty days prior
to the 2015 Session. This bill was passed and signed into law.
House Bill 957
This bill repeals the current LA 4 statute but maintains the current funding structure of LA 4, whereby only school
districts can apply to the state for the program. The bill does, however, delete the old formula for determining
how much each district will receive, and provides that the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
will develop a method for equitably distributing the LA 4 funds based on demand. This bill was passed and
signed into law.
articulation and transfer policies and agreements. This bill was passed and signed into law.
High School Transformation
House Bill 944
This bill is also referred to as the Jump Start bill. Jump Start is the state’s effort to provide high school students
with career education that leads to high-wage jobs. HB 944 puts several parts of the initiative into law.
The bill:
• Gives the career diploma equal standing with the traditional high school diploma.
• Requires school districts to develop at least one Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved
career major program aligned with state and regional workforce demands. Local business and industry
leaders, higher education leaders, and economic development agencies will collaborate to match local needs.
• Allows students to enter this track as late as 10th grade, rather than eighth grade.
• Strengthens career major programs by requiring them to lead to an industry based and nationally recognized
credential.
Awarding of a career diploma will count the same as a traditional diploma in school performance scores. It
allows career diploma seekers to take the WorkKeys job skills assessment, in addition to the required ACT test,
and use the higher of the two scores for school and district accountability purposes.
All Louisiana public postsecondary institutions will be required to recognize the career diploma. This bill sponsored
by Representative Jim Fannin was passed and signed into law.
House Bill 968
This bill provides that each school district and charter school that provides instruction to high school pupils
may offer a dropout recovery program for eligible pupils. It further states that the State Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education (BESE) shall prescribe standards and achievement testing requirements for dropout
recovery programs that attempt to ensure that the programs are compatible with public school education goals
and requirements. This bill was passed and signed into law.
Common Core
House Bill 953-Leger
As the 2014 Louisiana legislative session concluded on June 2, 2014, House Bill 953 relative to Common Core
was vetoed by the Governor after it was passed successfully through the legislature. The Common Core State
Standards establish clarity about what students should know and be able to do when completing each K-12
grade in math and English language arts. Louisiana and most other states adopted the standards a few years
ago, but a few states are backing off.
The legislation was seen as a compromise on Common Core and an effort to make sure Louisiana kept the
educational benchmarks overall. Common Core proponents were concerned that lawmakers wary of the penalties
associated with Common Core testing might vote with more persuasive anti-Common Core legislators to repeal
the standards. So Leger's bill was designed to delay any effect of the Common Core-related test, to address the
concerns of lawmakers who were on the fence. Teachers and schools would have had three years to get used
to the test before they would be penalized for poor scores. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
(BESE) currently has given them a two-year reprieve.
Want to keep up with the latest policy shifts in Louisiana education?
Sign up for our Policy Alerts at www.opennola.org!
Governance
Senate Bill 36
This bill requires notification to certain elected officials regarding submission and status of certain charter school
applications. This bill was passed and signed into law.
Senate Bill 56
This bill requires secondary and postsecondary education boards to participate in regular meetings regarding
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I
OPEN Participatory Action Research Results
Published in Educational Action Research Journal
n 2007, two years after Hurricane Katrina,
education and child advocacy groups convened
to discuss what it would take to create a
sustainable education reform movement in postKatrina New Orleans. From this dialogue, Orleans
Public Education Network (OPEN) emerged
as a network of educational advocacy and
grassroots organizations and civically engaged
community members. OPEN members realized
that sustainable reform requires the engagement
of a broad and diverse citizenry. This realization
presented an opportunity to address the longstanding disengagement and disempowerment
of the majority of families whose children
attended and attend New Orleans public schools.
OPEN joined community groups and outside
university researchers to implement a multi-year
participatory action research (PAR) project to
engage historically marginalized populations and
parents in a dialogue about their impressions
of and hopes for public education, and have
released the results of that study in an upcoming
article in the Educational Action Research Journal
(Spring 2014).
The study found that in order to create a
collective vision for what quality public education
looks like, the New Orleans community needs
to resolve perceived challenges with quality
school access, who is governing those schools,
inconsistent teacher quality, inequitable resource
distribution, and strategies for serving challenging
students.
Background on the Issues
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
state legislators placed many previously failing
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New Orleans schools under the jurisdiction of
the Recovery School District (RSD). The takeover
resulted in the creation of a decentralized network
of schools, many of them public charter schools,
overseen by a number of local and state entities.
However, the vast majority of schools were run
by the RSD, with Orleans Parish School Board
(OPSB), the previous governing entity, operating
fewer than 20 schools.
To put it plainly, even before Hurricane
Katrina, poor black children did not have access
to high quality educational environments. This
was evident in the high levels of enrollment of
wealthier, educated blacks and whites in magnet
and private schools compared to the majority
poor and black children, making up the largest
demographic group in the New Orleans public
school population.
Post-Katrina, the hope was that finally,
families would have a choice in where they sent
their children to be educated and that they could
have a say in how schools were redesigned and
reconfigured with quality education in mind. This
did not become reality. Instead, a ‘feeding frenzy’
began, resulting from the national focus on the
need to open and operate a large number of
schools, accomplished through chartering* many
of these schools. Opening new schools is a huge
undertaking in itself: when you add the dynamic
of enrolling students who have experienced
significant trauma, many of whom were historically
academically behind, the challenge exponentially
increases.
Engaging A Diverse Cross-Section of the Community
If schools are going to work to become high quality, at the heart of their design should be the
interest, concerns, and aspirations of the families and children they serve. The PAR study was designed
to interrupt the trend of systemic exclusion, opportunism and marginalization by engaging discounted
consumers of public education in the active reimagining and reconstruction of public education in New
Orleans.
It was in this context that OPEN concluded that a community engagement process using
principles of participatory research was the best conduit for this engagement. Over several months,
a partnership between the university-based researchers, the OPEN board of directors, and OPEN’s
executive director was developed, leading to collaborative work on a pilot participatory research study
launched in 2009.
We employed the PAR study to directly address the disempowerment of many New Orleans
community members and delve deep into participants’ lived experiences with public education and their
hopes and dreams for the future. The goal of the pilot project was to frame core issues of educational
inequity and identified strategies for bringing best practices to bear to realize the black community’s
vision for a quality public education.
The respondents included OPSB and RSD representatives, charter school advocates, parents, parent
advocates, students, community members representing various New Orleans community organizations
interested in public education, and teachers in RSD public schools. A total of 99 individuals participated
in interviews and focus groups, expressing a range of frustrations, fears, and hopes for the future of
public education for New Orleans` most marginalized children.
The Results
Across the board, the diverse views of different stakeholders communicated the real need to
ensure that community members who are impacted by policy decisions at the state level have a voice
at the decision-making table.
The participants expressed the hope and desire for quality public education for all. They also
expressed their concern with the current system or systems, viewed as confusing and difficult to
navigate. Many school and parent participants expressed the belief that the system(s) were confusing
by design, to prevent poorer, black children, and children with special needs from accessing the more
successful schools. Parents were confounded by the different application procedures, admissions
policies, and discipline policies. Those who could not “figure it out” had to settle for sending their
children to schools with poor resources, underprepared teachers, and lower expectations. Those who
were able to opt out of the system enrolled their children at well-established charter schools or private
ones, similar to pre-Katrina.
Conclusions & Next Steps
A key finding that arose in this study is that school reform resulting in real, sustained positive
change in educational practices and realities requires a high level of parent engagement. This
engagement is especially critical in the New Orleans context, where parents have clearly communicated
their sense of exclusion from the pulse of the landscape. Barriers to engagement must be removed so
*Charter schools are defined by the U.S. Department of Education as “autonomous public
schools, bound by some local, state, and federal laws, but freed from many policy restrictions
imposed on other public schools to make decisions about school operations, with limited public
control but substantial public and market accountability." As a result, charter schools can innovate
to improve instructional quality and student achievement. Charter schools are approved through a
charter authorizer who is responsible for holding charter schools accountable to the goals listed in
their charter, which is usually granted for a term of around 3 to 5 years.
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that parents can be active members of the creation of a shared vision for the school system.
OPEN continuously works to keep parents and other community members engaged and committed
to public education as equal partners, because realizing the vision for New Orleans children requires
the commitment of all parties. The study began as an equal and inclusive exchange of experiences
and ideas, and will fuel continued partnerships for decisions that impact the public education of their
future generation of citizens.
This article is an abbreviated version of the full study, co-authored with Dr. Elizabeth Drame and
Dr. Elise Frattura. The study will be available for viewing in the Educational Action Research Journal
(tandfonline.com) Spring 2014.
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
THEMES
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF THEMES
Respondents conveyed conflicting perspectives on the
Theme 1: System or Systems or System(s): Navigating benefits and challenges of having multiple types of
the evolving governance reality in New Orleans
schools governed by different entities operating under
different rules.
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Theme 2: Where you go decides what you get
Hurricane Katrina and the state takeover of schools
resulted in a myriad of choices of schools governed
by different entities. These choices did not result
in pervasive improvements in quality and increased
parental choices has led to increased confusion
Theme 3: Closed doors, open doors, cracked doors:
Concerns about access to quality public schools for
all learners
Despite the elimination of rules governing what
schools students can attend, access to all schools is
still not a guarantee for many.
Theme 4: What it is and what it shall be:
Characteristics and determinants of school quality
Respondents described the characteristics of quality
public education, including challenges with ensuring
quality. They highlighted the need for including the
need for instructional rigor and high teacher capacity,
in particular.
Theme 5: The haves and have nots: Impacts of
inconsistent resources on quality public education
New Orleans public schools faces challenges with
facilities, materials, staffing, the significant needs of
students with disabilities, and the presence of large
numbers of financially stressed families, to name
a few. Lack of equitably distributed resources is a
significant barrier to quality.
Theme 6: Who takes the fall when our kids fail?:
The need for distributed accountability
Accountability for all stakeholders operating across
all types of schools is needed to ensure quality.
Many felt that some groups and schools are more or
less accountable than others for student performance.
Above: Ellen Balkin of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art accepts the 2014 Outstanding Community Partner Award
The OPEN Public Education Awards are about showcasing good work: providing clear
examples of what excellence looks like and telling the story of amazing educators and
public school graduates. They are about education’s past, its present and its future.
On November 15, we were honored to present the 2014 OPEAs to a particularly distinguished batch of
honorees. With music, dancing, food and fun, it was a night for the ages — a night for the education
community to come together as one and applaud the people who are doing the work and doing it well.
OPEN dreams of a city where all of New Orleans citizens are provided with a quality education that
allows them to fully realize their gifts and talents, and allows them access to the fullest opportunities
our rich city has to offer. The OPEA winners provide us with a road map that gets it done, from the
schoolhouse to the City Council chambers.
The 2014 OPEN Public Education
Award Winners
Absolute Achievement, Elementary School
Edward Hynes Charter School
Absolute Achievement, High School
Warren Easton Charter High School
Fast Growth, Elementary School
McDonogh #32 Literacy Charter School
Teacher Quality Award
Alice Harte Charter School
Outstanding Community Partners Award
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans
Distinguished Product of New Orleans Public Schools
James "Jim" Singleton, Chairman, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
(NORA) and Total Community Action (TCA)
Enduring Impact Award
Mary Haynes-Smith, Principal, Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary
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2014 OPEN Public Education Awards Photo Gallery
Above: Outstanding Product of New Orleans Public Schools James "Jim" Singleton
accepts his award with Total Community Action (TCA) CEO Thelma French (L) and Bright
Moments CEO Bill Rouselle (R)
Below: Edward Hynes Charter School Principal Michelle Douglas accepts the Absolute
Achievement: Elementary School Award, accompanied by Renee Carter of Martin
Behrman Charter School (Middle) and Urban League CEO Erika McConduit (R)
Above: Alice M. Harte Charter School Principal Robert Hill (L) shows off
the Teacher Quality Award with Jamar McKneely, CEO of InspireNOLA (R)
Below: Former Mayor of the City of New Orleans Maurice "Moon" Landrieu
(L) enjoys the reception with Dennis Joseph of the Happy Media Group (R)
Above (1): District B Councilmember LaToya Cantrell (R) smiles at the OPEA reception with
Jasmine Haralson of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (L)
Above (2): Warren Easton Principal Alexina Medley accepts the Absolute Achievement:
High School Award
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Above: McDonogh #32 Principal Lee Green (L) accepts the Fast Growth
Award from Maria Vibandor and Lamont Hayes (R)
Beiow: Patrick Anderson of 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans accepts
the Outstanding Community Partner Award
Below: Enduring Impact Educator Mary Haynes-Smith (Principal, Mary McLeod Bethune
Elementary) tells the crowd what brought her to her prestigious teaching career
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OP-ED: Orleans Parish School Board can’t advance
a collective agenda, and we all share the blame
This op-ed by
OPEN Executive
Director Deirdre
Johnson Burel
originally appeared
in The Lens (the
lensnola.org) on
October 13, 2014
The Orleans Parish
School Board has
been at loggerheads
for
two
years,
unable to select
a new superintendent. For ideas on how to
break the impasse, The Lens invited educators
and advocates — including all members of the
school board — to weigh in. We are publishing
their thoughts in the next week.
My analysis is rooted in the ah-ha moment
I had at a recent school board meeting. I
have sat in on these meetings for the past
several months, and I have to admit, I suffered
through each one. This ah-ha moment was my
sudden awareness that every school board
meeting feels like a rerun of the previous one.
At each meeting there is tension, there are
antics, there are important decisions that get
delayed and, with some exceptions, there is
a 4-3 split.
Yes, the topics change (hiring a superintendent,
developing a cooperative endeavor agreement,
advancing a facility millage) but each meeting is
a rerun because each meeting is a referendum
on our democracy and the courage to lead
— or the lack of it. For democracy to work,
citizens must be engaged and speak up in
ways that encourage — indeed require — our
elected officials to respond in alignment with
The basic question: What does the board our values. They do, or fail to do so, at their
need to do to break the logjam and convince own peril. So, perhaps more disconcerting than
a top-notch educator to take charge as the 4-3 bloc is what it says about the fissures
superintendent?
that
divide
our broader "In the main, the board
The Orleans Parish School Board: If you community.
has consistently fallen
have attended a meeting or watched one on
short when it comes to
cable access in the past nine months, you Here’s
what bringing their individual
undoubtedly have an opinion. How can we I
know,
best describe the current state of the school democracy is insights into cohesion and
board and its implications for public education? slow, but its advancing a collective
agenda. And moreover,
What insight does it offer about the most fundamental
fundamental tenets of our democracy, the premise
is our ability as a community
state of public education and our collective just.
While to call on them to do so
community at large?
has also fallen short."
its processes
make
us
I’ll warn you in advance, this isn’t going to read uncomfortable, they require us to work beyond
like you think. This is not a statement that our own self-interest, face our demons and
serves solely as an indictment of the board. make room for more people at the table
Instead it’s a call for a deeper examination of opportunity. History suggests that when
of us (the collective us). What do we believe?
democracy works as it should it is anchored in
What do we value and what does the way the
values of access, opportunity and, yes, equity.
current board behaves say about the value we
place on the students and families the board
Each and every school board meeting is a
represents?
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referendum on those values. Each member of
the board has had moments of insight and
illumination — reflecting a renewed commitment
to the premise that the whole is truly bigger
than the sum of its parts. However, in the main,
the board has consistently fallen short when it
comes to bringing their individual insights into
cohesion and advancing a collective agenda.
And moreover, our ability as a community to
call on them to do so has also fallen short.
Our general silence is deafening. Perhaps it’s
because we are partial to one side of the 4-3
bloc. Is it because we’ve determined the board
to be irretrievably broken — and that we’ll
to
"Outside of board meetings have
we
privately
applaud wait until
whichever side of the 4-3 2016 to
split we agree with and fix it? Or
publicly shame the seven worse, is
it because
for being split."
the board
not working, actually works?
We do not consistently call on this board to
be deliberative and effective. We do not pack
the meetings when members grapple with dayto-day policy issues. We are not consistently
challenging them to develop legislative
processes and cvompromises that work.
Yet, when important issues are raised —
superintendent search, cooperative endeavor
agreements and millage votes — we want and
expect them to land on the right side of
the decision. We expect them to do what
heretofore we have accepted their inability
to do. I, too, am guilty. It is not sufficient to
expect them to make the most advantageous
decisions in the absence of deliberative and
well-vetted processes. And what is certain is
that there are no such processes in the OPSB
playbook.
to “write the vision, make it plain” and lead
accordingly.
The 4-3 bloc is doing exactly what we’ve
allowed them to do — simply say yes or no.
We have not done our part in the democracy
to hold them accountable to writing a vision
that would render us a superintendent, a
unified board to advance a millage, or the
cohesive leadership to effectively execute a
cooperative endeavor agreement. And in the
face of the board’s intractability, democracy
tells us we should not have to wait.
We face important decisions. And in my humble
opinion, our ability to significantly change
the life outcomes of young people requires
system-level decisionmaking that addresses
critical, citywide concerns. We need to build
safety nets for all children and build systemic
solutions that are bigger than the sum of
their parts. Our most pervasive and difficult
challenges require collective solutions.
We have a new status quo: Autonomous
schools — charters — are here to stay. That
being said, we do need citywide solutions and
a citywide safety net. We need a school board
to help us build the net.
If we are dissatisfied with the continuing
indecision, we are faced with a referendum on
democracy and our collective courage to lead.
It is up to us to declare how important it is
to have an effective superintendent, a unified
school system, a facility fund, and systemwide policy solutions that meet the needs of
our most vulnerable students. We must decide
what will do to ensure that those decisions
are made.
This editorial originally published in
Outside of board meetings we
privately applaud whichever
side of the 4-3 split we agree
with and publicly shame the
seven for being split. With
few exceptions we have not
enabled or called on them
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IN
MEMORIAM
OPEN Board and Staff
OPEN BOARD
Flozell Daniels, Jr., Chairman
President and CEO, Foundation for
Louisiana
Robert Reily, Vice-Chairman
Retired, Standards Co.
Thelma French, Secretary
President and CEO, Total
Community Action
Carolyn Green-Ford
Carolyn Green-Ford was a true trailblazer for
her community and a champion for good causes.
She worked tirelessly for Central City and the City of
New Orleans. She was a proud member of the Black
Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD). She
was also a gracious, humble, and dedicated public
servant as President and a member of the Orleans
Parish School Board representing District 5.
Carolyn loved and honored her family, friends
and the community. It seemed as though everyone in
New Orleans knew Carolyn Ford. Anyone who had the
pleasure of meeting her instantly knew that she was
a very caring, approachable, and genuine person who
never hesitated to help if you needed her. She was
often seen with a “yellow tablet and sharpened pencil”
-- ready to take notes and “case manage you.”
OPEN salutes and thanks Carolyn Green-Ford
for her legacy of unwavering dedication to the
education community of New Orleans.
George D. Carter, III
SON | BROTHER | STUDENT | FRIEND
RETHINKER | ACTIVIST | VISIONARY
New Orleans high school student and activist
George Carter III was a rethinker and an inspiration to
many. He envisioned the possibility of a reality much
more equitable and prosperous than his own.
Only 15 at the time of his death, George served
as an inspiration to everyone who crossed his path.
"To me I think all schools should have gardens
because you can use the plants, and plants give you
oxygen. I like to go out in the garden because it calms
me down. … If you just had a fight, you can just go
in the garden, calm down, eat some strawberries, and
you’ll feel safe because you’ll be around nature. And
nature, it won’t hurt you."
Frank Williams, Treasurer
President, Lower 9th Ward
Neighborhood Empowerment
Network Association (NENA)
Wilmer Cody, Ph.D.
Former State Superintendent,
Louisiana & Kentucky
Angela Daliet
Founder and Executive Director,
A-Team Consultants
Lloyd Dennis
Founder and Executive Director,
The Silverback Society
Victor Gordon
Representative, Committee for a
Better New Orleans
Lamont Hayes
Senior Development Officer, Xavier
University of Louisiana
Mary Joseph
Former Assistant Secretary and
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the
Office of Family Support, LA Dept.
of Social Services
Maria Vibandor
Schools Manager, EverFi, and
Parent Leadership Training Institute
New Orleans alumn
Erika McConduit
President and CEO, Urban League
of New Orleans
Rosalind Pijeaux Hale, Ph.D.
Division of Education and
Counseling Professor, Xavier
University of Louisiana
William Rouselle
President, Bright Moments
Timolynn Sams Sumter
Executive Director, Neighborhoods
Partnership Network
Michael Stone
Co-CEO, New Schools for New
Orleans
OPEN STAFF
Deirdre Johnson Burel
Executive Director
Zakenya Perry
Director of Programs
Saundra Reed
PLTI Coordinator
James Singleton
Community Organizer
Julia Ramsey
Communications Coordinator
Olivia Ding
Organizational Capacity VISTA Intern
OPEN joins with the Rethinkers in mourning
George's loss and demanding a cessation in the
violence on the streets of New Orleans. We can
and we must do better for our children.
Norbert P. Rome, Senior
Norbert P. Rome, Sr. transitioned to his heavenly home
on October 24, 2014 surrounded by his family. He will
be dearly missed by his sons: Norbert, Jr., Nicholaus,
Norvell Rome, grandchildren Natalie, Nathan and Noah,
and devoted friend Terryun Morgan and her daughter
Camille, his brothers Joseph, Roy, Jr., his sisters Belinda,
Lanier, his aunts: Sarah Druhet and Mora Haynes, and a
host of nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.
OPEN salutes and thanks Mr. Rome for his tireless
work organizing the community of New Orleans and
serving his city with grace and dedication.
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