The redesigned two-district New Orleans public school system isn't living up to the hype that it would be a national model for other urban school districts because of flaws that are obstructing chances of success, according to a report released Nov. 21 by the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO), the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

"National Model or Flawed Approach?" details evidence that the restructured New Orleans public school system is unlikely to deliver on promises made when the state took over most of the city's 128 public schools in November 2005.  The state takeover plan was promoted as a vehicle to create "world-class" schools and a "new national model" for urban schools in which "every decision focuses on the best interests of the children."

"There's plenty of blame to go around for the mess we're facing, but we've got to move on to focus on real solutions," said UTNO president Brenda Mitchell.  "This report isn't about settling scores.  It's about the need to make changes so that we can have the best plan to educate students in quality neighborhood public schools."

"This unfortunate experience carries a very important lesson—leaders can't work in a vacuum and attempt to create an effective school system without input from people with expertise and a stake in the schools—parents, teachers and other community leaders," said AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour and former longtime UTNO president.

Added LFT president Steve Monaghan:  "The system was promoted to be a national model but has become a troubled experiment at best.  This time around, teachers and other community leaders need to be part of the solution."

The report finds three major flaws that impede effective quality education: Student access to quality neighborhood schools is inadequate, a severe teacher shortage is affecting quality classroom instruction, and the balkanized school system is a bureaucratic nightmare.  UTNO and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers are calling for legislative fixes during the upcoming special or regular legislative session.

The key problems that must be corrected:

• Student access.  Many children still do not have a neighborhood school to attend or are unable to get to a school each morning because there are no school buses to and from their neighborhood.  There was a gross underestimate of the number of public schools that would be needed for the school year.  UTNO had advocated for more schools to be re-opened than were approved.  In addition, inadequate transportation is a serious problem.  Of the students who do use a school bus, some are dropped off at dangerous intersections—even alongside a railroad crossing—and must walk many blocks to get home.
• Teacher shortages.  The serious teacher shortage should come as no surprise since virtually all  pre-Katrina teachers were fired.  "It's analogous to disbanding the Iraqi Army without thinking of the consequences," Monaghan said.  "Schools are now left understaffed and the Recovery School District schools incredibly are lowering qualifications to get warm bodies into the classroom.  This is outrageous when there are scores of certified, experienced teachers who wanted to teach but were ignored."
• Two-district school system.  The dual system of state-run public schools and charter schools might look good to President Bush, who remarked that competition is good.  He surely didn't navigate the system to discover the disarray and confusion confronting parents and others. "There's a maze of state, parish and charter-operated schools with separate processes for applying and registering with different rules and regulations. This balkanized, chaotic system is a bureaucratic nightmare that shouldn't be copied elsewhere," Mitchell said.

Phyllis Landrieu, president of the Orleans Parish School Board, admitted in an interview with Education Week, "If anyone wanted to establish a very complicated system, this would be the one to do."  UTNO and others had urged officials to create a one-stop location where parents and others could get information for all city schools, but this suggestion has been ignored.

The report puts the current New Orleans public school system in perspective.  Before Katrina, constant turnover of superintendents and severe financial shortfalls created an educational environment in which too many children were not receiving a rigorous, high-quality education. While too many students in many public schools performed poorly, there were bright spots, including the high-performing Ben Franklin Elementary Magnet School, which became a charter school.  Little noticed was that progress was being made during the 2004-05 school year, when 80 percent of New Orleans public schools improved their scores on statewide tests.

"National Model or Flawed Approach" is the first in a series of reports to be issued over the next several months outlining problems and solutions for New Orleans public schools. [Source: Joint press release of AFT, LFT and UTNO]

November 21, 2006