Posted 9/24/09
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
NEW ORLEANS COLLEGE OF LAW
THE JOURNAL OF PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
AND
THE LOYOLA INSTITUTE FOR QUALITY AND
EQUITY IN EDUCATION
PRESENT
RECONSTRUCTING EDUCATION IN NEW ORLEANS POST-KATRINA:
LESSONS IN EDUCATION REFORM
Loyola University College of Law, Room 405
October 16, 2009
OVERVIEW:
Hurricane Katrina virtually razed the already broken
education system in New Orleans. State and local leaders
took advantage of the blank slate to create an entirely new
education system based on the education reforms sweeping
the nation: school choice, accountability, state takeover
of failing schools, and charter schools. The reforms took
root and today Orleans Parish School District is the only
school district in the United States with a majority of
students attending charter schools. It is also one of the
few school districts where the state has taken control of a
vast majority of the schools under state accountability
laws. The city is now ground zero for education reform and
is the Petri dish for educational experimentation in the
United States. But is the experiment working? The answer to
this question is critical to New Orleans and the rest of
the nation which is slowly moving toward the reforms
entrenched in the city since Hurricane Katrina. The
mistakes made and lessons learned in New Orleans over the
last four years can act as a roadmap for states and
districts moving toward choice plans, charter schools and
greater state involvement in education. The symposium
panelists will examine the education reform laws and
practices in New Orleans post-Katrina and make suggestions
for these reforms moving forward both within the city and
in other states and school districts. Speakers will
discuss the treatment of special needs students in charter
schools, state charter legislation, charter revocation, the
efficacy of the reforms, the treatment of immigrants,
suggested reforms and parental participation in the new
school system.
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE:
October 16, 2009:
1:00 PM3:15 PM Panel:
The Recovery School District
- Paul Vallas, Superintendent, Recovery School District
Is Education Reform in New Orleans Working?: A Few Facts
Swimming in a Sea of Unknowns
- Michael Schwam-Baird, Assistant Director for Research,
Cowen Institute, Tulane University
- Laura Mogg, Research Analyst, Cowen Institute, Tulane
University
Special Education from the (Damp) Ground Up
- Mark Weber, St. Vincent de Paul Professor of Law, DePaul
University
The Education of Homeless Students: Children of Katrina and
Immigration
- Augustina Reyes, Professor, University of Houston
3:30 PM-5:45 PM Panel:
After Katrina: Poverty, Politics, and Performance in New
Orleans Public Schools
- Nghana Tamu Lewis, Professor, Tulane University
The Unique System of Charter Schools in New Orleans After
Hurricane Katrina: Distinctive Structure, Familiar
Challenges
- Paul O'Neil, Deputy General Counsel & Senior Vice
President, Edison Schools
- Renita Thukral, Advocacy and Policy Director, New Schools
For New Orleans and Policy Director, Louisiana
Association of Public Charter Schools
Brokering Education: Charter Receipt, Revocation, and
Renewal in Louisiana
- Amy Moore, Assistant Professor of Law, Faulkner
University
Adding Autonomous Schools to New Orleans' Menu
- Sonja Ralston Elder, Clerk
- Hon. David Tatel, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.
Circuit
REGISTRATION/FURTHER INFORMATION:
The conference is free and open to the public so
registration is not necessary. For further information
please contact:
CONTACT: Professor Robert Garda
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
526 Pine St.
New Orleans, LA 70118
Email: MAILTO:rgarda@loyno.edu
Tel: 504-861-5994