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in Politics

Quick Take: Beebe Gets An “F” On Her Campaign Finance Report [Updated] BESE Member Filed Report On Time, But Didn't Disclose Anything

by Peter Cook 15 September 2015, 17:15

Update – 9/15/15: Lottie Beebe sent the following tweet in response to this piece: @petercook The date error has been corrected (human error) and no campaign funds were raised/spent in that time. — Lottie P. Beebe (@beebeforbese) September 15, 2015 Lottie Beebe, who is running for reelection as the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s […] More

in Louisiana

Education Reform in Louisiana is Working So Why Are Some Politicians Denying It?

by Peter Cook 15 September 2015, 15:04

With all of the attention given to New Orleans this summer around the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, you may have missed the good news that’s come out about the performance of students from across Louisiana. The positive results released over the past several months show that the policies advocated by Superintendent John White and […] More

in Media

Inaccuracies, Misrepresentations & Glaring Omissions of Fact Setting The Record Straight On Andrea Gabor's Latest Attack

by Peter Cook 23 August 2015, 17:03

Well, Andrea Gabor is at it again. A few years ago, Andrea Gabor wrote an article for Newsweek that maligned the transformation of New Orleans’ public schools since Hurricane Katrina. At the time, I wrote a response that exposed the “inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and glaring omissions of fact” in her Newsweek piece – issues that made […] More

in NOLA

The Backstory on Going Backwards Learn More About The Troubles in NOPS Before Katrina

by Peter Cook 22 August 2015, 14:26

Google Earth Tour of Locations in Going Backwards John McDonogh: Shooting Cop Criticizes Dead Teen – Mary Foster, Associated Press: April 14, 2003. 1 Slain, 4 Hurt At N.O. School – Brian Thevenot, Times-Picayune: April 15, 2003. One Killed and 3 Are Wounded at New Orleans School – Rick Bragg, New York Times: April 15, […] More

in NOLA

Going Backwards: A Year in the Old New Orleans Public Schools

by Peter Cook 18 August 2015, 18:32

“Dozens of employees indicted or convicted on corruption charges. Tens of millions of dollars unaccounted for. Eight superintendents in seven years. Rock-bottom test scores. Shootings, sirens and police uniforms, often. The threat of bankruptcy and bounced checks, constantly. “In the dismal gallery of failing urban school systems, New Orleans may be the biggest horror of […] More

in Policy

Annotating Edushyster Clarifying Jennifer Berkshire's Piece On New Orleans' School Reforms

by Peter Cook 6 August 2015, 03:48

In case you missed it, on Monday Salon published a lopsided piece (In Salon? No kidding.) by Jennifer “Edushyster” Berkshire on New Orleans’ school reforms that painted a very misleading portrait of things on the ground in the Big Easy. I thought I would add much needed clarifications and context to the piece (which I’ve […] More

in NOLA

It Worked. Case Closed. A New In-Depth Study Finds NOLA Reforms Worked

by Peter Cook 4 August 2015, 06:31

With the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching, the nation’s attention is once again turning to New Orleans, seeking lessons from city’s rebuilding efforts, and in particular, from the revolutionary transformation of its public school system. After a decade of increasing academic performance, including significant jumps in both high school graduation and college acceptance rates, […] More

in NOLA

Quick Take: Expulsions in NOLA Schools Fall 14% Falling Expulsion Rate Undermines Critics' Portrayal of Schools

by Peter Cook 30 July 2015, 17:02

On Wednesday, the Recovery School District (RSD) released data showing that expulsions fell 14% across the city’s schools between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. In total, 199 students were expelled last year out of 45,803 enrolled in New Orleans schools; in S.Y. 2013-14, 231 students out of 44,306 were expelled. In 2012, the RSD […] More

in NOLA

My Interview With Citizen Stewart on Rock The Schools Chris Stewart and I Sit Down To Discuss the Past, Present & Future of NOLA Schools

by Peter Cook 28 July 2015, 10:22

A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of sitting down with blogger, activist, and New Orleans native Chris Stewart (a.k.a., Citizen Stewart) in an interview for his podcast, Rock The Schools. Over the course of our conversation, we reflected on the progress New Orleans has made in public education since Hurricane Katrina and the challenges we encountered along […] More

in NOLA

Quick Take: ERA NOLA Researcher Reveals Her Bias Huriya Jabbar Sabotages Her Own Credibility With NEPC Attack On NOLA Reforms

by Peter Cook 20 July 2015, 02:58

Last week, the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a virulently anti-education reform “research organization” at the University of Colorado, released issued a press release that called into question the significant academic improvement seen in New Orleans schools since Hurricane Katrina. While it’s not necessarily newsworthy that NEPC (a beneficiary of AFT & NEA funding and […] More

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