A 2015 PUBLICATION OF THE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
Celebrating 20 Years
of Charter Schools
page 3
Opening One
of LA's First
Charters
page 4
Directory of
Charter Schools
page 6
e
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C
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20
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(504) 274-3651 | www.lacharterschools.org
Education
Reform
Timeline
page 10
Legislator
Voting Records
page 13
Mythbusters
page 14
2
A Message from Caroline Roemer Shirley
Caroline Roemer Shirley
LAPCS Executive Director
[email protected]
As I travel across Louisiana, I’m proud that this state’s passion for great public
education is building! Some of that passion comes from business and civic
groups like our Chambers of Commerce, the Louisiana Association of Business
and Industry, and the Council for A Better Louisiana. They have stood with us
on important legislative reforms.
We have embraced change.
Sometimes the arguments were heated. Inside this issue, you will see the
results of this hard work and how what was once controversial is now the norm.
Leaders like Representative Stephen Carter, for example, for years took on the issue of school board
reform, because parents and school leaders were complaining that elected boards were micromanaging
school districts, even to the point of interfering with hiring and firing decisions. School Boards are
supposed to be visionaries, directing where a school district should be in five or 10 years. Rep. Carter took
on this issue, building a consensus for action until he was successful in passing legislation that is today
known as Act 1.
We have to do whatever is necessary to ensure that every youngster in this state has the opportunity to get
a good education. I’ve very proud of our state’s charter law for that very reason. The strength of our law,
the fact we have a healthy road to charter authorization, has helped our state attract good schools and good
teachers. When I travel around the country, educators are excited to hear that I’m from Louisiana because
we have made so many bold changes. We’re on the move and it is good to set high goals and give educators
the tools to meet them.
I’m glad to be a part of this movement. If you haven’t already, come on and join us!
Don’t Give Up on
Education Reform
M. J. “Mike” Foster, Jr.
Governor of Louisiana
1996-2004
It is difficult to believe we
are already celebrating
the 20th Anniversary of
charter cchools in Louisiana. The bill that established charter schools
was authored by my good friend, the late Cecil Picard.
cHe and I were on the same page when it came to the
importance of improving education in Louisiana. It
was a mission of sacrifice and hard work. To reinforce
my commitment, I refused to take a governor’s salary
until teachers were paid a salary equal to the southern
regional average.
Charter schools have played an important role in our
state’s educational system. I know many parents who
have selected the charter school option and they have,
on many occasions, voiced to me their appreciation for
that opportunity.
Employers across our state are complaining that they
cannot find home-grown talent for the technological
jobs available in the energy and the health industries
because our graduates do not have the right skills.
That does not mean our students cannot learn. It is an
indication that our schools are not doing the job quite
right. That is why, when we were trying to lay out a
strategy for public education in Louisiana, we focused
on accountability - holding the adults responsible for
their students’ test outcomes. In order to succeed, we
must stress accountability, teacher evaluations, parental choice in school options and curriculums that raise
the bar.
I encourage the people of Louisiana not to give up.
Things are changing in education. It’s an uphill battle
and we have a steep hill to climb to get to “average.”
But it is possible. Possible because we have chosen to
do things differently.
We have nothing more important in which to invest...
than our children.
Mike Foster was elected as the 53rd Governor of Louisiana in 1995 and made improving public education
one of the focal points of his two terms. The state’s first
charter schools opened in his first year as Governor.
From left to right: LAPCS Executive Director Caroline Roemer Shirley, Crescent City Schools CEO Kate Mehok,
Crescent City Schools Board Chair Jean-Paul Hymel, LAPCS Governance Initiatives Director Makiyah Moody,
and 4th Sector Solutions CEO Joe Keeney. Crescent City Schools was the 2014 LAPCS Excellence in Governance
Award winner.
3
Louisiana Celebrates 20 Years of Charter Schools
This year, Louisiana’s Charter School Law turns 20
The law, considered one of the top two in the nation for promoting charter school authorization and funding by the National Alliance for Public
Charter Schools, was originally enacted in 1995 (Act 192) as a pilot
program allowing up to eight school districts to volunteer to participate.
These districts could either grant charters to eligible groups or apply to
the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to operate a charter school themselves. The law also required 75 percent of
charter school teachers to be state certified and 85 percent of students
to be eligible for free or reduced lunch programs.
In 1996, three charter schools opened in
Louisiana, all serving students with academic and/or behavioral problems. Interested applicants complained about the
difficulty of gaining charter school authorization from local school boards.
The law was thus substantially revised
in 1997 (Act 477) to allow all school districts to participate, and the number of
charter schools statewide was capped at
42. The 1997 act also allowed an “appealstype” procedure under which an eligible
group could submit its charter proposal
directly to BESE if a local school board
failed to approve it or if the local school
board placed conditions on the approval
of the charter which were unacceptable to
the group.
By 1999, the number of charter schools
in Louisiana grew to 13. The first charter school approved in Orleans Parish, the
New Orleans Charter Middle School, had
900 families applying for 117 spots.
In 2003, a constitutional amendment
(Act 1293) and four bills (Act 9, Act 260,
Act 381 and Act 944) impacted the operation of charter schools.
The constitutional amendment authorized the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education to take over failing
public schools or provide for others to do
so; it also authorized BESE to receive,
control and spend the state and local per
pupil share of the Minimum Foundation
Program (MFP) for those schools. Thus,
the Recovery School District was established and a “failing school” was defined
as a school with a School Performance
Score below 60.
Companion legislation (Act 9) spelled out
the procedure BESE is to follow to implement the provisions of the constitutional
amendment; created a new “Type 5” category of charter schools as one option
BESE has for providing for the operation
of a failing public school it takes over;
and included special provisions for the
creation and operation of Type 5 charter
schools.
Until 2003, Louisiana had four types
of charter schools, with the categories
dependent on which entity authorized
the charter for the school to operate and
whether the charter was a new school or
one converted to a charter.
In 2003 a new type of charter (Type 5)
was created to identify a pre-existing
school transferred to the jurisdiction of
the RSD. Capdau charter in Orleans became the first RSD school in 2004.
There were five charters in the Orleans
RSD in August 2005. Then Hurricane
Katrina and the aftermath of the levee
failures decimated Orleans Parish.
In November of 2005, the Louisiana
Legislature passed Act 35. Act 35
changed the definition of a failing public
school and the terms under which the state
could assume control of a school. The definition of failing became “below the state
average.” In the 2004-05 school year, the
state average School Performance Score
(SPS) was 87.4. Using the new criteria,
the RSD took over 102 of the 118 public
schools in New Orleans, converting the
majority of takeovers to charter schools,
shifting management to a system of
schools. This followed announcements
by the Orleans School Board that it was
unable to open public schools during the
2005-2006 school year.
In 2009, the Louisiana Legislature
voted to remove the cap on how many
charter schools can operate in the state.
The legislation was introduced to help the
state in its bid for “Race to the Top” federal stimulus dollars, as well as recognize
the growing number of charters now operating in Orleans Parish.
In 2010, The Red Tape Reduction and
Local Empowerment Act that was
signed into law by Governor Bobby
Jindal in July had the intent to make
traditional public schools more like
charters. Among other things, the law
allows local school districts to seek a
four-year waiver of state laws and BESE
policies, with some exceptions. Academically unacceptable schools covered by
the waiver are required to make certain
changes, based on best practices, designed to improve school performance.
During the waiver period, they will not be
subject to state takeover and placement in
the Recovery School District.
continued on page 15
There are five different types of charter schools in Louisiana
4
What It Was Like to Open One of Louisiana’s First Charters
the transition has been difficult for us as a community, the academic progress of the
open admissions schools over the past 10 years has been beyond what any of us would
have predicted back then.
Jay Altman
CEO, FirstLine Schools
Seventeen years ago, I had the privilege of being part
of the team at James Lewis Extension School when it
converted to charter status to become the first charter
school in the city with the new name of New Orleans
Charter Middle School.
Admission was by lottery, with a wire bingo ping-pong
ball cage that you turned by hand.
Back then New Orleans, like nearly every large city in America, had three school systems – private, selective public school programs, and open admissions public schools.
The first two categories – private and selective public – were strong schools, with students performing well above the state average on state tests, with high college attendance rates and high graduation rates.
Now, the gap between New Orleans students scoring proficiency and above on state exams has narrowed to less than 6 percent, and the number of students in failing schools
has dropped to approximately 10 percent.
We’ll never know how much more success teachers and school leaders would have
been able to achieve in the years prior to the 2005 levee breaks if they had been able to
work in a different system, one that protected their autonomy and promoted the evolution of practice by expecting results.
Now we have this opportunity.
It is tempting to imagine a future where New Orleans students of all backgrounds perform far above the state average, and where every child in New Orleans goes to a great
school. We have a long way to go, but we have made significant progress, and we are
heading in the right direction.
FirstLine Schools has five authorized open admissions charter schools operating in
Orleans Parish. Their website is firstlineschools.org.
“ The open admissions schools, while
filled with many dedicated teachers and school
leaders, were not able to adapt to meet the needs of
the students and families being served, most of
whom were economically disadvantaged.
”
SAVE THE
DATE
The open admissions schools, while filled with many dedicated teachers and school
leaders, were not able to adapt to meet the needs of the students and families being
served, most of whom were economically disadvantaged.
SAVE
THE
There were a handful of strong open admissions schools, led by exceptional leaders
with classes taught by exceptional teachers, but overall the academic performance and
graduation rates were extremely low when compared with the rest of the state. In fact,
in 2000, New Orleans students performed 26 points below the rest of the state in the
percentage of students scoring proficiency or better on state tests.
Outside observers and many within the system blamed the students and their families for their challenging needs; others blamed teachers, principals, and school board
members. This is not to say that families and students should not take personal responsibility for themselves, but the unmet challenge was to create a system that effectively
partnered with families to help students achieve personal and academic success.
The public school system was not able to evolve to meet that need.
By its very structure, the public school system did not give educators the autonomy
and support needed to make the necessary adaptations to create great schools. It also
did not hold schools accountable for results. As a result, there were few quality school
options for parents, with more than 60 percent of the schools labeled as failing by the
state.
This lack of quality options for parents was why we had created James Lewis Extension in the first place, when it was organized in 1992 with a group of parents from the
New Orleans Summerbridge program (now Breakthrough) and why the school’s leader,
Dr. Tony Recasner, decided to convert James Lewis Extension to a charter school when
that opportunity became available. The school’s leadership team sought to have the
autonomy to make the school even more successful.
Thus, James Lewis’s cafeteria became packed every year on lottery night, because
there were not enough options for parents in Orleans.
We still have a long way to go to create high quality options for all students, and while
DATE
8TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
CROWNE PLAZA BATON ROUGE
$150
LAPCS MEMBER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
$175 NON-MEMBER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
www.lapcsconference.org
5
Source: Louisiana Department of Education Annual Report, 2014-2015
A Directory of Louisiana Charter Schools
6
TYPE
1
2
Chartering
Authority
Charter School
Grade
Level
School Address
City
Parish
Phone
Students
Served
2014 School
Performance Score
LPSB
Bayou Community Academy
K-5th
800 East Seventh Street
Thibodaux
Lafourche
985-446-3011
431
121
OPSB
Bricolage Academy
K
4238 St Charles Ave
New Orleans
Orleans
504-784-0248
150
did not receive a score
EBRPSB
Career Academy
9th-11th
4375 East Brookstown Drive
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-388-5252
307
13.4
EBRPSB
Community School for Apprenticeship Learning
PK-5th
1143 North Street
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-387-9273
268
44.7
EBRPSB
Community School for Apprenticeship Learning
6th-8th
1555 Madison Avenue
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-336-1410
227
81.5
OPSB
Einstein Charter School
PK-8th
5100 Cannes Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-609-2279
996
91.9
OPSB
ENCORE Academy
PK-6th
2301 Marengo St
New Orleans
Orleans
585-455-7987
430
73
MCSB
Excellence Academy
6-8
811 Washington St
Monroe
Ouachita
318-801-0143
238
62
OPSB
Homer A. Plessy Community School
PK-2
3820 St. Claude St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-232-7981
182
did not receive a score
EBRPSB
Inspire Charter Academy
K-8th
5454 North Foster Drive
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
866-642-3676
684
57.3
JPSB
International School of Louisiana - Jefferson
K-8th
822 Clearview Pkwy
Elmwood
Jefferson
504-934-4875
427
83.4
EBRPSB
J. K. Haynes Elementary Charter School
PK-5th
8600 Elm Grove Garden
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-774-1311
486
865
JPSB
Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy
9th-12th
475 Manhattan Blvd.
Harvey
Jefferson
504-410-3121
137
40
JPSB
Kenner Health Discovery
PK-3 & 5-6
2504 Maine Ave.
Kenner
Jefferson
504-233-4720
583
95.5
CPSB
Magnolia School of Excellence
K-6
2290 Clyde Fant Parkway Service Road
Shreveport
Caddo
225-773-4618
752
58.2
EBRPSB
Mentorship Academy of Digital Arts
9th-11th
339 Florida Street
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-346-5180
227
50.2
EBRPSB
Mentorship Academy of Science and Technology
9th-11th
339 Florida Street
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-346-5180
262
44.8
CPSB
Pathways in Education - Shreveport
9th-12th
8999 Mansfield Rd.
Shreveport
Caddo
312-560-8701
115
Opened in fall 2014
EFPSB
Slaughter Community Charter School
7th-9th
2944 Hwy 412 W. P.O. Box 364
Slaughter
East Faliciana
225-654-4527
459
83
EBRPSB
South Baton Rouge Charter Academy
K-6
9211 Parkway Dr.
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-349-7489
489
Opened in fall 2014
EBRPSB
THRIVE
6th-7th
1120 Government St
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-239-7820
80
87.5
LPSB
Virtual Academy of Lafourche
K-12th
142 Laura Drive Suite E
Thibodaux
Lafouche
985-446-2877
454
75.4
JPSB
Young Audiences Charter School
K-3
1407 Virgil St
Gretna
Jefferson
504-523-3525
509
57.1
BESE
Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy
K-6
600 Savoy Road
Lafayette
Lafayette
504-919-1040
675
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Advantage Charter Academy
K-5
14740 Plank Road
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
616-464-3648
360
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Avoyelles Public Charter School
K-12th
201 Longfellow Road
Mansura
Avoyelles
318-240-8285
721
126.9
BESE
Baton Rouge Charter Academy at Mid-City
K-8th
1771 N. Lobdell Blvd., Suite 311
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-928-4683
621
36.2
BESE
Belle Chasse Academy
K-8th
100 Fifth Street
Belle Chasse
Plaquemines
504-433-5850
933
114.9
BESE
D'Arbonne Woods Charter School
K-9th
1002 Sterlington Highway
Farmerville
Union
318-368-8051
806
93.5
BESE
Delhi Charter School
K-12th
6940 Hwy 17
Delhi
Richland
318-878-0433
832
92.8
BESE
Delta Charter School
K-10th
300 Lynwood Dr.
Concordia
Concordia
318-789-1511
382
80.1
BESE
Glencoe Charter School
K-8th
4491 LA Highway 83
Franklin
St. Mary
337-923-6900
377
110.9
BESE
Iberville Charter Academy
K-6th
24360 Enterprise Boulevard
Iberville
Iberville
504-919-1040
274
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Impact Charter
K-3
4815 Lavey Lane
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-308-9565
149
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
International High School of New Orleans
9th-12th
727 Carondelet Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-613-5703
546
83.6
BESE
International School of Louisiana
K-8th
1400 Camp Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-654-1088
908
114.1
BESE
Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy - East
8th-12th
3330 N. Causeway Blvd
Jefferson
Jefferson
504.410.3121 x103 105
50.6
BESE
JS Clark Leadership Academy
5th-7th
1517 Statesman Rd
Opelousas
St. Landry
337-212-3549
220
68
BESE
Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy
K-6th
205 Vienne Lane
Lafayette
Lafeyette
504-919-1040
534
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Lake Charles Charter Academy
K-7th
2750 Power Center Parkway
Lake Charles
Calcasieu
337-475-7900
860
81.8
BESE
Lake Charles College Prep
9th
3160 Power Center Parkway
Lake Charles
Calcasieu
504-919-1040
103
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Louisiana Connections Academy
K-12th
8281 Goodwood Blvd
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-372-8389
1723
74.3
BESE
Louisiana Key Academy
K-3rd
3172 Government St.
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-802-9941
181
did not receive a score
BESE
Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy
K-12th
4962 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
504-322-7543
1900
75
BESE
Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orleans
K-4th
5951 Patton Street
New Orleans
Calcasieu
504-861-1601
467
91.5
BESE
Madison Preparatory Academy
9th-12th
1555 Madison Avenue
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-336-1410
346
73.9
A Directory of Louisiana Charter Schools
TYPE
2
3
5
4
5
7
Chartering
Authority
Charter School
Grade
Level
School Address
City
Parish
Phone
Students
Served
2014 School
Performance Score
BESE
Milestone Academy
K-9th
2021 Jefferson Hwy
Jefferson
Jefferson
504-894-0557
428
67.3
BESE
New Orleans Military/Maritime Academy
9th-12th
425 O’Bannon Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-227-3810
540
83
BESE
New Vision Learning Academy
K-6th
507 Swayze Street
Monroe
Ouachita
318-338-9995
383
80.1
BESE
Northeast Claiborne Charter
K-12th
786 John Kelly Road
Summerfield
Union
870-924-4577
144
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Northshore Charter School
K-2nd, 9th
111 Walker St.
Bogalusa
Washington
225-288-6797
407
did not receive a score
BESE
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
K-8th
1700 East McNeese St.
Lake Charles
Calcasieu
337-475-7910
864
79.3
BESE
Tallulah Charter School
PK-5th
1206 N. Cedar St
Tallulah
Madison
318-574-1587
364
38.8
BESE
The MAX Charter School
1st-8th
100 Afton Drive
Thibodaux
Lafouche
985-227-9500
110
52.8
BESE
Vision Academy
9th-12th
1411 Sherrouse
Monroe
Ouachita
318-381-6781
200
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Willow Charter Academy
K-5th
1818 Northeast Evangeline
Throughway
Lafayette
Lafayette
616-464-3648
483
Opened in fall 2014
OPSB
Alice M. Harte Elementary School
K-8th
5300 Berkley Drive
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6281
750
106.6
OPSB
Audubon Charter School
PK-8th
719 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-324-7110
802
118.4
MPSB
Beekman Charter School
PK-6th
15190 A M Baker Road
Bastrop
Morehouse
318-283-5100
775
69.1
OPSB
Benjamin Franklin High School
9th-12th
2001 Leon C Simon Dr.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-286-2600
894
140.1
UPSB
Downsville Charter School
K-12th
4787 Hwy 151
Downsville
Union
318-982-5318
367
82.8
OPSB
Edna Karr High School
9th-12th
3332 Huntlee Drive
New Orleans
Orleans
504-398-7115
1080
96.7
OPSB
Edward Hynes Charter School
PK-8th
990 Harrison Ave
New Orleans
Orleans
504-324-7160
684
108.6
OPSB
Lake Forest Elementary Charter School
K-8th
12000 Hayne Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-826-7140
546
124.6
OPSB
Lusher Charter School
K-5th
7315 Willow St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-862-5110
OPSB
Lusher Charter School
6th - 12th
5624 Freret St
New Orleans
Orleans
504-304-3960
1691
131.5
OPSB
New Orleans Science & Math High School
9th-12th
5625 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans
Orleans
504-324-7061
415
94.3
OPSB
Robert Russa Moton Charter School
PK-7th
3774 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-245-4400
398
86.7
OPSB
Warren Easton Senior High Charter School
9th- 12th
3019 Canal Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-324-7400
990
96.2
JPSB
Celerity Woodmere Charter School
PK-5th
3191 Alex Kornman
New Orleans
Jefferson
504-348-2410
372
Opened in fall 2014
BESE/
APSB
Louisiana High School for Agricultural Sciences
7th-12th
5303 Highway 115
Bunkie
Avoyelles
318-346-8029
356
73.5
BESE/RSD
Akili Academy of New Orleans
K-6th
3811 N. Galvez
New Orleans
Orleans
504-355-4172
487
80
BESE/RSD
Algiers Technology Academy
9th-12th
6501 Berkley Drive
New Orleans
Orleans
504-302-7076
299
51.7
BESE/RSD
Andrew H. Wilson Charter School
K-8th
3617 General Pershing St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-822-4117
628
49.1
BESE/RSD
ARISE Academy
PK-6th
3819 St. Claude Avenue
New Orleans
Orleans
504-615-6354
425
58.3
BESE/RSD
Arthur Ashe Charter School
K-8th
1456 Gardena Drive
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6267
694
81.2
BESE
Baton Rouge University Preparatory Elementary
K
4055 Prescott Road
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-400-2174
88
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Capitol High School
9th-12th
1000 N. 23rd St.
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-362-1534
365
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Celerity Crestworth Charter School
K-2nd, 6-8th
10650 Avenue F
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
323-493-4315
324
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Celerity Dalton
PK-5th
3605 Ontario Street
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
225-357-0244
425
Opened in fall 2014
BESE
Celerity Lanier Charter School
K-5th
4705 Lanier Dr.
Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge
323-493-4315
434
Opened in fall 2014
BESE/RSD
Cohen College Prep
6th-12th
3520 Dryades Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-522-0100
464
72.9
BESE/RSD
Crescent Leadership Academy
7th-12th
2701 Lawrence St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-940-2701
162
14.4
BESE/RSD
Crocker College Prep
PK-5th
2300 General Taylor St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-304-4470
426
66.1
BESE/RSD
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and
Technology
PK-12th
1617 Caffin Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-940-2243
801
85.5
BESE/RSD
Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School
PK-8th
3700 Tall Pine Dr.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-398-7125
795
67.7
BESE/RSD
Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy
K-8th
2503 Willow Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6230
387
75.9
BESE/RSD
Esperanza Charter School
K-8th
4407 South Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6272
453
85.6
BESE/RSD
Fannie C. Williams Charter School
PK-8th
11755 Dwyer Road
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6228
597
64.8
* insufficient number of testers to legally report data
Source: Louisiana Department of Education Annual Report, December 2013
A Directory of Louisiana Charter Schools
8
TYPE
5
Chartering
Authority
Charter School
Grade Level
School Address
City
Parish
Phone
Students
Served
2013 School
Performance Score
BESE/RSD
G.W. Carver Collegiate Academy
9th-11th
5552 Read Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-256-9561
305
70.6
BESE/RSD
G.W. Carver Preparatory Academy
9th-11th
5553 Read Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-256-9561
287
80.6
BESE/RSD
Gentilly Terrace Elementary School
PK-8th
4720 Painters Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-708-2053
485
67.3
BESE/RSD
Harriet Tubman Charter School
K-8th
2013 General Meyer Avenue
New Orleans
Orleans
504-227-3800
543
63
BESE/RSD
James M. Singleton Charter School
PK-8th
2220 Oretha C. Haley
New Orleans
Orleans
504-568-3466
514
80.3
BESE/RSD
John Dibert Community School
PK-8th
2300 Dumaine Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6205
627
82.1
BESE/RSD
Joseph A. Craig Charter School
PK-8th
1423 St. Phillip Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6298
428
39.8
BESE/RSD
Joseph Clark High School
9th-12th
1301 N. Derbigny St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6202
427
45.4
BESE/RSD
Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School
6th-8th
7600 Boone Drive
Baton Rouge
East Baton
Rouge
225-766-8111
564
65.7
BESE/RSD
KIPP Believe College Prep and Primary School
K-2nd, 5th-8th
1607 S. Carrolton Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-304-8857
797
83.5
BESE/RSD
KIPP Central City Academy
5th-8th
2524 Third St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6290
418
95.2
BESE/RSD
KIPP Central City Primary
K-4th
2625 Thalia St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6290
516
78
BESE
KIPP East Community Primary
K
4617 Mirabeau Avenue
New Orleans
Orleans
504-309-0397
94
Opened in fall 2014
BESE/RSD
KIPP McDonogh #15 Primary School for the Creative Arts
K-4th, 5th-8th
720 St. Phillip St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-566-1706
918
85.7
BESE/RSD
KIPP New Orleans Leadership Academy
K-3rd, 5th-8th
2300 St. Claude Ave
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6256
834
49.9
BESE/RSD
KIPP Renaissance High School
9th-12th
5316 Michoud Blvd
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6255
445
61
BESE/RSD
Lafayette Academy
PK-8th
2727 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-861-8370
955
81.7
BESE/RSD
Lagniappe Academies of New Orleans
K-4th
1501 St. Louis Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-355-0950
180
82.3
BESE/RSD
Lake Area New Tech Early College High School
9th -12th
6026 Paris Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-267-8811
698
64.5
BESE/RSD
Langston Hughes Academy Charter School
PK-8th
3519 Trafalgar St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6251
844
77.6
BESE/RSD
LB Landry - OP Walker College & Career
Preparatory High School
9th-12th
1200 LB Landry Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-302-7170
1316
89.7
BESE/RSD
Linwood Public Charter School
6th-8th
401 West 70th Street
Shreveport
Caddo
318-865-4800
533
50.9
BESE/RSD
Martin Behrman Elementary School
PK-8th
715 Opelousas Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-302-9030
719
93.3
BESE/RSD
Mary D. Coghill Accelerated Academy
PK-8th
4617 Mirabeau Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504.373.6237
637
69.7
BESE/RSD
McDonogh #28 City Park Academy
K-8th
2733 Esplanade Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-363-6285
448
66.4
BESE/RSD
McDonogh #32 Elementary School
PK-8th
800 de Armas Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-302-7144
671
64.4
BESE/RSD
McDonogh #42 Elementary Charter School
PK-8th
3019 Higgins Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-942-3660
453
58.3
BESE/RSD
Medard H. Nelson Elementary School
PK-8th
3121 St. Bernard Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-343-1311
519
67.3
BESE/RSD
Mildred Osborne Elementary School
K-6th
6701 Curran Blvd
New Orleans
Orleans
504-400-0614
423
52.9
BESE/RSD
Miller McCoy Academy for Mathematics and Business
5th-12th
7301 Dwyer Road
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6215
365
49.7
BESE/RSD
Morris Jeff Community School
PK-5th
3368 Esplanade Ave.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-373-6258
522
83.5
BESE/RSD
Paul Habans Elementary School
PK-6th
3819 Herschel St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-941-1810
472
42
BESE/RSD
Pierre A. Capdau Learning Academy
K-8th
4621 Canal St
New Orleans
Orleans
504-942-3634
405
89.9
BESE/RSD
ReNEW Accelerated High School (1/City Park)
9th-12th
3649 Laurel St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-267-3882
178
16.4
BESE/RSD
ReNEW Accelerated High School (2/West Bank)
9th-12th
3649 Laurel St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-267-3882
164
21.9
BESE/RSD
ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy
PK-8th
3128 Constance Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-487-0737
686
55
BESE/RSD
ReNEW Delores T. Aaron Elementary School
PK-8th
10200 Curran Blvd
New Orleans
Orleans
504-717-6543
806
62.5
BESE/RSD
ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary
PK-8th
9501 Grant St
New Orleans
Orleans
504-367-3307
840
55.7
BESE/RSD
ReNEW SciTech Academy
PK-8th
820 Jackson Avenue
New Orleans
Orleans
504-487-0737
745
81.6
BESE/RSD
S.J. Green Charter School
K-8th
2319 Valence St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-304-3532
522
74
BESE/RSD
Sci Academy
9th-12th
5552 Read Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-241-0037
460
79.8
BESE/RSD
Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy
6th-12th
1800 Monroe St.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-304-3915
399
73.9
BESE/RSD
Success Preparatory Academy
K-7th
2011 Bienville Street
New Orleans
Orleans
504-909-6275
506
74.7
BESE/RSD
Sylvanie Williams College Prep
K-5th
3127 M. L. King Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-522-0100
386
52.8
BESE/RSD
The NET Charter School
9th-12th
1614 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
New Orleans
Orleans
504-228-4294
164
22.2
BESE/RSD
William J. Fischer Elementary School
PK-8th
1801 L.B. Landry Ave,
New Orleans
Orleans
504-302-7111
650
56.8
9
A Conversation with Former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu, who served in the U.S.
Senate from 1997 – 2015, was considered one of the strongest supporters of
education reform and charter schools in
Congress. The following is a partial transcript of her appearance on “Educating
Louisiana” hosted by LAPCS Policy Director Veronica Brooks. See the full episode online at vimeo.com/lapcs.
During your time in the Senate, you
were an incredible leader and advocate
for education. Why was education a
priority for you?
Senator Landrieu: You know my passion for education didn’t start when I got
to the U.S. Senate. It came many years
earlier, in fact as a teenager, and I became
interested in the differences between what
I observed as a young child between parochial education and public education in
New Orleans. I was a little bit concerned
about the physical condition of some of
the public buildings and then I tutored
when I was a high school student and was
a little bit alarmed that I was tutoring kids
that were my age and they didn’t even
know how to read. So that kind of sparked
my initial interest as a kid.
Then as I grew older I realized how important education was for everyone. I’m
the eldest of nine siblings. Our parents
ness and joy at every school level.
So it was a life-long passion?
Senator Landrieu: I think it’s really
important for us to push well resourced,
well led schools. I’ve seen the results.
Right now in the State of Louisiana, but
also nationally, what do you think the
biggest issues facing the education system are? And what should we be doing
about them?
Senator Landrieu: Well, in Louisiana’s case, we have truly been a leader in
the school reform and transformational
reform movement. We’ve done that by
trying to better resource our schools and
trying to implement appropriate accountability.
I think too much emphasis is put on
testing but I believe in accountability so
we are refining the measurements of accountability. Louisiana had an accountability system before the federal government had an accountability system. I
think as much flexibility with accountability, not focused on process but results,
is what we really need to do. One size
doesn’t fit all. Louisiana has really been
a great leader.
Of course, Orleans Parish particularly
has been a transformational leader with
“ I tried to use every office that I held to promote and
push for what I would consider mainstream education
reform: Opportunities for every child to have access to
a quality teacher, less bureaucracy, more results, higher
graduation results and a broader sense of happiness
and joy at every school level.
”
were not wealthy. Yet, we all went to a
neighborhood Catholic school, I think our
tuition was maybe $300 a year. There was
just always a lot of books in the house,
college was a must, education was important.
I’ve seen education result in so many
outstanding opportunities for my family
and others. So my passion for education
started long before I got to the Senate.
Then, as a legislator, a state treasurer, and
as a U.S. Senator, I tried to use every office that I held to promote and push for
what I would consider mainstream education reform - opportunities for every child
to have access to a quality teacher, less
bureaucracy, more results, higher graduation results and a broader sense of happi-
the changing of our top down system to
bottom up, from a monopolistic system to
a multi-provider system with public charter schools, which has the benefit of leaving money in the public sphere and also
the advantage of choice and opportunity.
Are there challenges that concern you?
Senator Landrieu: There are downsides as well. There’s not the same stability issue which some people clamor for,
but on the other hand I feel if we keep
moving forward and building on success
we can continue to see tremendous results. Now around other parts of the state,
including Baton Rouge, it’s been a bit of
a mixed bag. There’s nothing ‘magical’
about charter schools. They’ve got to be
good! They’ve got to have the right team,
the right mission, the right principal. I
think instituting public charters is one
way to transform a school system, though
not always the only way. For instance,
in St. Bernard Parish, it was completely
destroyed after Katrina just like New Orleans and both parishes rose in a different
way. Doris Voitier, an excellent superintendent in St. Bernard, had a spectacular
team around her, rebuilt all of her nine
schools in a traditional way and they’re
all excellent. Orleans had different leadership and it wasn’t the right leadership.
We rebuilt our system with public charters and both are now moving towards
excellence. So you can build excellence
through a traditional model with the right
leadership, flexibility, accountability, and
superintendent. But, if that’s not in place,
I think the fastest way to get there is
through a public charter model and that’s
what I’m promoting here in Louisiana.
A lot of Democrats have chosen not to
support public charters and the idea of
having quality options for families…
Senator Landrieu: Well actually, public charters has been used as a political
tool which I think is unfortunate. Governor Bobby Jindal has done this himself,
for example. But about Democrats and
Republicans, I find a great deal of support
for education reform among all leaders.
The leader of our state Democratic Party,
State Senator Karen Carter Peterson for
example: She and her husband are literally leaders in the education reform movement. I can name many other leaders, like
my brother New Orleans Mayor Mitch
Landrieu or Alexandria Mayor Jacques
Roy and Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover
who have all been outspoken about the
need for excellence in education. So I
think there’s broad support happily between the Republicans and Democrats for
education reform. I’d like to try to help
keep it that way. I think it’s important for
this issue to not be politicized but for parties to be united.
But there are challenges for that political unity, don’t you think?
Senator Landrieu: I think it is important to keep public money in public
schools. That’s why I had limited support
for vouchers. They should be used only
strategically and used in conjunction with
other efforts within a parish to transform
schools. So if you do it parish by parish,
and have each parish come up with a plan,
school reform can be part traditional,
part charter, part voucher, but the plan is
to quickly get each child into the highest
quality and best place for that child because a year matters in a child’s life.
continued on page 15
10
11 Tenants of Quality Education Policy
LAPCS believes certain principles are essential
to the development of quality public education
options for all Louisiana students.
The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools celebrates lawmakers who have
stood up consistently for the principles central to education reform in our state:
Why are we concerned about education reform in Louisiana? The answer is simple: Old
state academic standards were not rigorous
enough for most students to master important
subject matter nor for many graduates to solidly prepare for high-skill career training, or
the technical, college, and university courses
needed in our dynamic economy. A public education was not enough, in other words, to make
our young people employable.
1. Supports the Louisiana Charter School Law
Thus, the State of Louisiana has passed several laws over the past 20 years designed to
completely rebuild the public education system.
As these reforms have started to be implemented however, the old school guard has become
increasingly aggressive in fighting back against
these reforms and trying to dilute them.
8. Minimizes/eliminates unfunded mandates
2. Promotes parent choice in public education
3. Supports the principle that public school dollars follow the child
4. Allows for duplication of successful charter schools
5. Provides for an appeals mechanism for charter applicants rejected at the local level
6. Supports decision-making as close to the classroom as possible
7. Provides Superintendents and Principals with autonomy in achieving outcomes
9. Promotes and supports higher standards in public education, including public grading of schools and school
districts for academic performance
10. Supports annual teacher evaluations
11. Supports strengthening pre-K programs to promote school readiness
A Timeline of Louisiana’s Public Education Reform Movement
BESE adopts Accountability Commission report and moves
to upgrade state curriculum, provide High Stakes testing,
and help failing schools with Distinguished Educators
Governor Foster appoints Ms. Jacobs and fellow
reformer Paul Pastorek to the Louisiana Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
Teacher pay increases begin; Alternative Certification
program for Principals created
High-stakes testing and
SPS expanded to include
high schools in Louisiana
BESE appoints Senator Picard as Superintendent
of Education for Louisiana
1996
State Senator Cecil Picard,
Chair, Education Committee
passes the Louisiana Charter
School Law
Mike Foster is elected
Governor; promises not to
take a salary until teacher pay
is increased to the Southern
State (SREB) average
Governor Foster appoints
Education Reformer Leslie
Jacobs to chair his Education
Transition Team
All students, including special education
students, are now included in testing
Constitutional Amendment passes allowing
BESE to take over failing schools; creating
the Recovery School District
Legislature creates the Type 5 charter
school for charters under the jurisdiction of
the RSD
Three charter schools open in Louisiana
1995
Louisiana upgrades its School and District
Accountability plan and laws to reflect the
federal No Child Left Behind standards
1997
Legislature creates the
School and District
Accountability Commission
and issues comprehensive
report about how to
improve student academic
achievement in Louisiana
Legislature increases cap on
charter schools to 42, and
allows charter applicants
denied by local school
boards to appeal to BESE
for authorization
1998
1999
2001
2002
2003
2005
Louisiana Legislature works out strategic plan to
consistently increase teacher pay and double the
amount of public education dollars spent per child
Department of Education
administers high-stakes
testing and issues first School
Performance Scores (SPS) for
grades K-8
Failing schools are identified
for corrective academic action;
Orleans Parish has most failing
schools in Louisiana
Hurricane Katrina and levee failures in greater New Orleans area
Five charter schools in Algiers are only public schools to reopen in
2005 following the storm
Governor Kathleen Blanco issues executive order allowing Orleans
Parish School Board to convert existing schools to charters without
public input
BESE allowed by law to transfer failing schools in Orleans to the
Recovery School District of New Orleans
BESE phases in End of Course tests to replace the GEE; Career-tech
diploma approved
11
her the freedom needed to execute said plan. Likewise,
Superintendents should empower their Principals to
make decisions as close to the student as possible.
What do these concepts mean?
Principles 1-5
School Choice
Education reform requires that Louisiana continue to
offer to parents and students increased choice options
in public education. Competition for students within the
public education system promotes better academic options and empowers families.
Principles 9-10
School Standards
Louisiana needs higher academic standards and rigorous assessments that prove learning is taking place
within our schools. Students ranking at the bottom in
the critical subject areas of reading and mathematics
will not allow our state to fully participate in the new
technological and global economy. When academic
standards and expectations in public education are commensurate with states and nations that compete with us
for jobs, our people will do better.
Principles 6-8
School Autonomy
Much of what makes charter schools unique and successful is the flexibility they are given to innovate, and
develop a school culture and mission that is unique to
a given school. Autonomy is essential to the success of
charter schools. While the idea of independence is inherent to charter schools, we believe that good education
policy extends the same concept to traditional public
schools as well. School boards should provide their Superintendent with certain benchmarks, then give him/
grams in the state vary greatly in terms of quality. A
unified strategy is necessary for publicly funded early
childhood programs, and new legislation will require
accountability and performance objectives in return for
state tax dollars.
Principle 11
Enhanced Early Childhood Education
Early childhood learning can provide tremendous
benefits to student academic achievement, but pro-
Charter schools in Louisiana did not grow up in a vacuum. The state has been trying to devise a consistent strategy toward public education reform since Governor Buddy
Roemer stated in 1987 that the Department of Education needed to be bricked up in order to rebuild the state’s method of educating young children. Louisiana consistently rated
last in national comparisons on academic performance by public school students, and even today, the state has climbed only to 48th place.
Regardless, it is over the past 20 years, and the last eight in particular, that the state has seen the most concerted efforts to reform public education. Here is a brief review of
this history, which features charter school growth as a key component of a public education overhaul.
John White becomes
Superintendent of
Education; Patrick
Dobard becomes RSD
Superintendent
Governor Blanco
appoints Paul Pastorek
as Superintendent of
Education
Pilot scholarship or
“voucher” bill passes for
Orleans Parish only
Public schools begin alignment of curriculums
with Common Core standards
Recovery School District of Orleans becomes first
all charter district in the nation
Legislature removes cap on how many
charter schools can operate in Louisiana
Instituted new “baseline” test to measure
student performance in Louisiana
Louisiana has 134 charter schools
2006
2007
2009
2010
Paul Vallas becomes
Superintendent of
Recovery School District
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Comprehensive Education package passes, which:
• Underscores that educators are in charge of hiring and firing not elected school boards;
Red Tape Reduction and Local
Empowerment Act passes which allows
traditional schools to operate more like
charters in order to avoid state takeover
• Empowers parents with more public school choices when they live in a failing school district;
• Allows for duplication of successful charters;
• Creates the dual enrollment program in Louisiana to encourage college track graduates;
• Strengthens Louisiana’s Pre-K program;
• Identifies High Performance, High Poverty Schools for replication of successful models in Louisiana
State provides first baseline
assessment of teacher
quality in public schools
Louisiana has 2nd
strongest charter school
law in the nation and
2nd most favorable
environment for parent
choice, according to
CREDO
12
True Accountability Means Parents Can Choose
Rep. Stephen Carter
State Representative
Chair, House Education Committee
There is no shortage of buzz words surrounding education these days: data-driven, best practices, transparency, choice… Underlying all these concepts is the critical
notion of accountability.
When most people think of accountability in public
education, they probably think of test scores or teacher
evaluations. While these are valuable benchmarks, they are exclusively top-down.
These top-down accountability measures are important to allow the Department of
Education, the Legislature, parents, and students to know how well their school is doing relative to a school the next city over, or on the opposite side of the state. Once we
get PARCC fully implemented across Louisiana, we’ll be able to measure our students
against the best and brightest of over 40 states nationally, but that’s a different conversation for a different day.
Top-down accountability measures are necessary to know where one school stands
in relation to another, at least academically. But what good does that do the parent of
a student who is stuck in a failing school, when the family who lives across the street
is assigned to a higher-performing school? Giving families that level of top-down
accountability information without empowering them with real educational options
doesn’t do those families on the wrong side of the street much of any good.
In my time serving on the House Education Committee, I can proudly say that we
have had many successes in providing “ground-level” accountability in our education
system. Whether through the course choice program, supporting high quality public
“ As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of
Charter School Law here in Louisiana, it is
imperative we continue to build upon the principle
of ground-level accountability.
”
charter schools, or through the state scholarship program, Louisiana families have
more options in education than ever before. Ground-level accountability really is
about parental choice for their families.
As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Charter School Law here in Louisiana, it
is imperative we continue to build upon the principle of ground-level accountability.
Not just parents being able to vote with their feet when it comes to choosing a public school that fits their child, but also with decisions in educational delivery being
pushed into the classroom.
The realm of conventional public education – teachers unions, local school boards –
would be better served by worrying less about Louisiana’s families choosing public
charter schools over their traditional public schools, and working toward systematic
change that encourages the same level of pro-active autonomy in all public schools;
to stop looking at public charter schools as a problem, and more as a challenge or
template even of how to get better.
Charter schools have been a change agent for good in our public education system.
From parental empowerment, to mission driven education and classroom-level decision making, charter schools are providing us a glimpse of what the future of public
education can be, and that future is bright.
National Charter School Week is May 3-9
The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) will join the state’s 134 charter
schools, serving over 70,000 children across Louisiana, in celebrating National Charter Schools
Week, May 3-9, 2015.
This year will also mark the 20th anniversary of Louisiana’s groundbreaking charter school law,
ranked as the second strongest in the U.S., benefiting public school students across the state with
nation’s second strongest charter school movement.
A recent study by the Stanford Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found that
New Orleans public charter schools significantly outperform their conventional public school
counterparts, equating to an additional 40 school days in math and 28 in reading over the span
of a school year.
For more information on Louisiana’s public charter schools visit www.lacharterschools.org.
For national information on public charter schools visit the National Alliance for Public Charter
Schools' website at www.publiccharters.org.
13
The Voting Record:
Major Charter School Related Bills Over Past Three Years
= Positive impact on charter schools
= Negative impact on charter schools
A
= Legislator not yet in office
Bills that have made it out of Committee for a floor vote in the House and/or Senate
2014
2013
2012
HB HB HB HB SB HB HB HB HB HB
61 941 968 125 206 115 661 466 974 976
REPRESENTATIVES
2014
2013
2012
HB HB HB HB SB HB HB HB HB HB
61 941 968 125 206 115 661 466 974 976
REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Neil Abramson
A
A
A
Rep. Lenar Whitney
Rep. Mike Huval
Rep. Alfred Williams
Rep. Barry Ivey
Rep.Jeff Arnold
A
A
Rep.Austin Badon
A
Rep. Patrick Williams
Rep. Katrina Jackson
A
A
Rep. Thomas Willmott
Rep. Ted James
Rep.Taylor Barras
A
A
2014
2013
2012
HB HB HB HB SB HB HB HB HB HB
61 941 968 125 206 115 661 466 974 976
Rep. Ledricka Thierry
Rep. Marcus Hunter
Rep. Andy Anders
Rep. Ebony Woodruff
Rep. Patrick Jefferson
Rep. Mike Johnson newly elected - no record
SENATORS
Rep. John Berthelot
Rep. Robert Johnson
Senator Robert Adley
Rep. Robert Billiot
Rep. Sam Jones
Senator John Alario
Rep. Stuart Bishop
Rep. Chuck Kleckley
Rep. Wesley Bishop
Rep. Eddie Lambert
Rep. Joe Bouie newly elected - no record
Rep. Nancy Landry
Senator Conrad Appel
Rep. Terry Landry
Senator Sharon Weston Broome
Rep. Bernard LeBas
Senator Troy E. Brown
Rep. Regina Barrow
A
Rep. Chris Broadwater
A
A
A
Rep. Terry Brown
Rep. Richard Burford
A
Senator R. L. Bret Allain
A
Rep. Walt Leger
Rep. Henry Burns
Rep. Christopher Leopold
Rep. Timothy Burns
Rep. Joseph Lopinto
Rep. Roy Burrell
A
A
A
A
Senator Jody Amedee
A
Senator Page Cortez
Senator A.G. Crowe
Rep. Stephen Carter
Rep. Gregory Miller
Senator Jack Donahue
Rep. Jack Montoucet
Rep. Kenny Cox
A
A
Rep. Jim Morris
A
Rep. Jay Morris
A
A
A
Senator Richard Gallot
Senator Elbert Guillory
Rep. Barbara Norton
Rep. Gordon Dove
Rep. Stephen Ortego
Rep. John Bel Edwards
Rep. Kevin Pearson
Senator Bob Kostelka
Rep. Vincent Pierre
Senator Eric LaFleur
A
Rep. Franklin Foil
Rep. A Franklin
A
A
A
Rep. Stephen Pugh
Rep. Brett Geymann
A
Rep. Eugene Reynolds
Rep. Mickey Guillory
Rep. Jerome,Richard
Rep. John Guinn
A
Rep. Lance Harris
A
A
Rep. Joel Robideaux
A
A
Senator Edwin Murray
A
A
A
Rep. Frank Hoffmann
A
Senator Ben Nevers
Rep. Scott Simon
Rep. Karen St. Germain
A
A
A
Senator Jonathan Perry
A
Senator Gary Smith
A
A
A
Senator John Smith
A
A
Senator Gregory Tarver
Senator Francis Thompson
A
Senator Michael Walsworth
Rep. Julie Stokes
Senator Rick Ward
Rep. Kirk Talbot
Senator Mack Bodi White
Rep. Major Thibaut
A
Senator Barrow Peacock
Rep. Patricia Haynes Smith
Rep. Valarie Hodges
A
Senator Dan Morrish
Senator Neil Riser
Rep. Robert Shadoin
A
Senator J.P. Morrell
Rep. John Schroder
Rep. Cameron Henry
A
Senator Fred Mills
Senator Karen Carter Peterson
Rep. Alan Seabaugh
Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill
A
A
Rep. Clay Schexnayder
Rep. Chris Hazel
Rep. Bob Hensgens
Senator Daniel Martiny
Rep. Harold Ritchie
A
Rep. Joe Harrison
Rep. Paul Hollis
Senator Gerald Long
A
Rep. Steve Pylant
Rep. Jerry Gisclair
Rep. Dalton Honoré
Senator Ronnie Johns
Rep. Edward Price
Rep. Raymond Garofalo
A
Senator David Heitmeier
A
Rep. Rogers Pope
Rep. Randal Gaines
Rep. Kenneth Havard
A
Rep. Erich Ponti
A
A
Senator Dale Erdey
Rep. Michael Danahay
Rep. James Fannin
A
Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb
Rep. Helena Moreno
A
Rep. Gregory Cromer
A
Senator Dan Claitor
Rep. Sherman Mack
A
A
Senator Norby Chabert
A
Rep. Nick Lorusso
Rep. Patrick Connick
A
Senator Sherri Smith Buffington
Rep. Thomas Carmody
Rep. Charles Chaney
= Bill did not come before that chamber
REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Frank Howard
Rep. Bryan Adams
= Legislator absent
A
A
A
14
Mythbusters: The Facts about Charter Schools in Louisiana
MYTH: Charter schools “drain money” from district
public schools.
TRUTH: Charter public schools, like conventional public schools, receive state and local funding through the
Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), which is allocated on a per pupil basis. In other words, the money follows
the child. If parents decide to send their child to a charter school, those MFP dollars will follow the child to the
charter school, they will not remain at the conventional
school the student no longer attends. This is the most equitable way to fund public education.
While some local school districts have chosen to frame
this as charter schools "draining" money from conventional schools, the fact of the matter is that families are
choosing charter schools in overwhelming numbers
when given the option. Schools are - and should be - allocated funds based upon the students that are in their
classrooms.
MYTH: Charter public schools are privately run and are
trying to make a profit on Louisiana’s students.
TRUTH: All charter schools are public schools governed
by a nonprofit board of volunteers. They are tuition free
and must participate in the state’s accountability system.
Data
Charter School Performance Scores
100
95
Just as traditional districts outsource services, charter
school boards may choose to outsource certain operations to an Education Management Organization (EMO).
These EMOs have contracts with and must report to the
charter school board.
95.8
90
85
89.8
88.5
86.7
85.3
80
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
MYTH: Charter public schools accept only the “cream
of the crop” and reject underperforming students.
SCHOOL
Academic
GainsSTUDENT COUNTS BY YEAR
TRUTH: Charter schools are schoolsLOUISIANA
of choice. No CHARTER
one
Though only six percent of Louisiana schools were
is assigned to a charter school, and any student may apcharters in 2012, they accounted for 24 percent of the
ply. If enrollment requests exceed the
number of seats,
50000
49190
schools with most School Performance Score
(SPS)
the school holds a public lottery to determine who will
44387top performing
40000
growth, and 15 percent of the state’s
attend. Enrollment is reflective of the educational
choices
37030
schools. The chart above
indicates charter School
parents make for their children.
30000
Performance31549
Scores have increasingly grown over the
MYTH: Charter public schools do not provide special
26093
past
five years.
20000
21695
education services.
17617
TRUTH: Charter public schools are under
10000the same state
and federal obligations to provide services to special
0
needs children as other public schools. Furthermore,
the charter. Unlike traditional public schools, public charter
2007
2008 2009 2010
2011 2012
percentage of special education students found2006
in public
schools can be closed swiftly if they are failing to meet
charter schools in Louisiana is largely similar to that of high standards inside and outside the classroom. All
district public schools.
charters are reviewed after three years and again in
MYTH: National studies have shown repeatedly that
charter public school students do no better than district
public school students.
TRUTH: Various national studies have been conducted
that show conflicting results for public charter schools.
Independent studies of Louisiana charters have confirmed that charter schools in the state are achieving at
high academic levels.1 Louisiana has a particularly strong
charter program as a result of setting a high bar to obtain
and keep a charter: standards are elevated and oversight
their fifth year. At any time, if a charter fails to meet
is strict. Because of this, only strong charter applications MYTH: Charter public schools play by different rules.
its academic, financial or operational obligations, it can
TRUTH: Charter public schools must
follow the same SCORES
are approved and low-performing charters are closed.
face consequences
including
closure.
LEAP/ILEAP/GEE
BY SUBJECT,
2007
TO 2013
the same standardFor example, a report released by Stanford University’s educational standards and administer (Social
Studies)
ized tests as all other public schools. The big difference MYTH: Local communities have no meaningful say in
CenterLOUISIANA
for Research on
EducationSCHOOL
Outcomes STUDENT
(CREDO)2 COUNTS
CHARTER
BY YEAR
CHARTER
SCHOOLS
IN LOUISIANA
ALL
CHARTERS
STATE
is the school management. For example,
charters can VSthe
charterAVERAGE
public school process.
found that:
to provide TRUTH: Local communities are at the heart of public
• Louisiana public charter schools are outperforming lengthen their school days and school years
70.0%
50000
in the classroom, establish their
own educa- charter schools. Schools are often founded by67.4%
parents,
their non-charter school peers on student achieve- more time
49190
66.2%
tional
culture,
hire
and
fire
teachers
for
performance,
tie neighbors, and citizens
65.2% and65.5%
governed by local64.4%
public
44387
ment.
40000
teacher pay to performance, and set high standards for nonprofit63.5%
boards
made
up
of
people
who
live
in
the
• African-American students, as well as students
in
37030
their students. In exchange for this additional flexibility,
60.3%
59.9%
30000 performed significantly better
community.
59.4%
poverty,
in
Louisi59.6%
31549
58.5%
the expectations for charters are extremely
high, and if a
60.0%
ana charter schools compared
26093to their non-charter
56.9%
20000
charter
fails
to
meet
those
expectations,
it
can
be
closed.
21695
References
school counterparts.
17617
State CA:
1.
Charter School Performance in Louisiana. Stanford,
53.6%
• Statewide,
Charters
10000 Louisiana charter schools overall are im- MYTH: Public charter schools are not held accountable
Stanford University’s Center for Research on All
Education
51.7%
proving student achievement at a faster rate than
Outcomes, 2009.
for performance.
0
2.
Charter School Performance in Louisiana. Stanford, CA:
50.0%
non-charter
schools. Additionally, students in their
2008 Stanford
2009University’s
2010Center2111
2012
2013
2006 and2007
2008in a2009
2012
TRUTH:
Charter schools are subject to annual 2007
for Research
on Education
second, third,
fourth year
charter 2010
school 2011
Outcomes, 2009.
saw significantly more positive achievement gains monitoring by their authorizer and must be approved for
renewal. It is extremely difficult to obtain and retain a
than their non-charter school counterparts.
pct basic or above
Data
12
LEAP/ILEAP/GEE SCORES BY SUBJECT, 2007
77TO 2013 (MATH)
ALL CHARTERS VS STATE AVERAGE
LEAP/ILEAP/GEE SCORES BY SUBJECT, 2007 TO 2013
(Social Studies)
ALL CHARTERS VS STATE AVERAGE
63.5%
60.3%
60.0%
59.4%
56.9%
65.2%
58.5%
65.5%
59.6%
2007
64.4%
59.9%
State
All Charters
53.6%
51.7%
50.0%
66.2%
2009
2010
2111
2012
2013
69.8%
67.9%
64.9%
62.3%
60.0%
61.6%
61.3%
60.8%
50.7%
58.2%
NUMBER
OF CHARTERS
120
100
2008
61.2%
66.7%
67.4%
pct basic or above
pct basic or above
70.0%
69.7%
70.0%
120
53.7%
52.0%
80
50.0%
60
40
20
90
90
2007
2008
64
64
51
41
41
51
90
77
2009
77
98
2010
104
2111
2012
State
All Charters
2013
15
Senator Landrieu continued from page 9
It’s really important for kids and parents to understand that when they get
their diploma, it’s not that piece of paper
but what the piece of paper represents:
that children will be competent in math,
science, history, geography, English, and
more. It really has been too politicized
and blamed on President Obama when
he’s probably had the least bit to do with it
out of anybody in the country!
system and a white system, and when the
system was integrated, integration failed
to a large extent because many of the
whites went to private schools while African Americans stayed in the public school
system. Now there’s an opportunity with
school reform to attract middle school
families of all races back to the public
school system and have it be a real foundation for the growth of our communities.
I know that’s how New Orleans is grow-
“ You can build excellence through a
That’s a tall order for any district!
Senator Landrieu: I’m hoping that a
benefit of being out of the Senate is that
now I have more time to focus on this
issue. I really think for our state and nation’s future, having a high quality and
excellent education opportunity for every
child, is absolutely essential.
There has been a political debate going on about standards in our state and
around the nation, particularly focused
on the idea of the Common Core State
Standards. You’ve been supportive of
that, as has our organization, but why
have you have chosen to support this
and why do you believe it's important?
Senator Landrieu: Well I think it’s
important that you used the word that
actually describes what this whole commotion is about: standards. Every profession…lawyers, accountants, barbers, doc-
tors, nurses…there is a core standard of
accountability in every profession. Even
teachers themselves have to have a core
competence. I don’t think people would
put up for one minute if the core curriculum was thrown out for teachers and that
anything would go. And the same goes
for our students, there’s standards or core
elements that every 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…8th
grader should have to master.
This Common Core “process” was not
put together in Washington, or directed
by the White House, or President Barack
Obama. This was started at the state level
with the governors. Governor Jindal was
for Common Core until he realized it
wouldn’t be helpful to his presidential ambitions so he took a 180-degree turn for
political reasons. But the Common Core
Standards were developed at the state
level so that’s why I support it and will
continue to support it.
traditional model with the right leadership, flexibility,
accountability, and superintendent. But, if that’s
not in place, I think the fastest way to get there is
through a public charter model and that’s what
”
I’m promoting here in Louisiana.
Your support for Common Core should
encourage others.
ing, using new and exciting schools as an
opportunity to do just that.
Senator Landrieu: Common Core
was really developed at the local level so
I hope the legislators here support it but
most importantly I hope it doesn’t distract us from the work at hand which is
to build the best schools in every community, encourage diversity--especially
in Louisiana. It’s been a real struggle in
Louisiana as a southern state. We’ve had
a divided school system for years, a black
To view this interview with Senator
Landrieu, and an extended conversation
led by LAPCS Policy Director Veronica
Brooks on the Cox Cable Channel 4 TV
show “Educating Louisiana”, please go
to: https://vimeo.com/lapcs. The show
airs every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
20 years of Charter Schools continued from page 3
Recent recognitions for Louisiana’s reform efforts:
2014: NAPCS (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools) 2nd strongest charter school law in the nation. Louisiana’s law does not cap public charter school
growth, includes multiple authorizers, provides a fair amount of autonomy and
accountability, and provides relatively equitable operational and categorical
funding to charters. See report at: http://www.publiccharters.org/get-the-facts/
law-database/states/la/
NAPCS 2nd strongest charter school movement in nation. See full report
here: http://www.publiccharters.org/get-the-facts/health-of-movement/states/
LA/
Orleans Recovery School District - New Orleans becomes the first all charter school district in the United States. There are 134 charter schools in 20
Louisiana Parishes during the 2014-2015 school year.
2015: ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council): Grades Louisiana B For state-by-state comparison on educational achievement levels, performance,
and gains for low income students, academic standards, school choice, and
charter schools. See report at: http://www.alec.org/publications/report-cardon-american-education/
Watch
Educating Louisiana
Thursdays, 8:30 p.m.
Cox Cable 4
NOLA, BR, and Lafayette
www.vimeo.com/LAPCS
Educating Louisiana Host
Ms. Veronica Brooks
Help the LAPCS Support High Quality Charter Schools
YES! I am interested in partnering with the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools to
support high quality education in Louisiana.
I want to work with the LAPCS to support, promote, and advocate for high quality charter schools in Louisiana for the 2015 fiscal year. I
would like to:
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ADDRESS
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E-MAIL PHONE
Mail or fax to: Louisiana Association Of Public Charter Schools,
1555 Poydras Street, Suite 750
New Orleans, La 70112
(504) 274-3651 | fax (504) 274-3690
The mission of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools
is to support, promote, and advocate for the Louisiana charter school movement,
increasing student access to high quality public schools statewide.
Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools | lacharterschools.org
504-274-3651 | 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 750 New Orleans, LA 70112