Comments for Pastorek chairing reform group on urgent mission at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 2 out of 2 comments http://www.theind.com Tue, 21 May 2013 07:41:11 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7393-pastorek-chairing-reform-group-on-urgent-mission#comment-12847 Layne, from the same story: As a whole, RSD schools have improved rapidly. Five years after Katrina, 42 percent of New Orleans public schools are rated "academically unacceptable" by the state -- still a high number, but a significant reduction from the 64 percent before the storm. None of the 68 schools is currently eligible to leave the district under Pastorek's criteria. Some have not been in existence long enough to show two consecutive years of improvement, and others have not quite cleared the performance bar. Pastorek expects that in another year, when the plan would begin to take effect, at least a dozen schools could qualify. And we should certainly keep in mind the RSD's challenges. Also from the story: The Orleans Parish School Board, known before Katrina as a den of corruption, interpersonal strife and abysmal academic performance, was left after the state takeover with only 16 relatively high-performing schools, most of them charters. The entire story can be read here: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2010/09/education_superintendent_outli.html - Leslie Turk Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:00:46 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7393-pastorek-chairing-reform-group-on-urgent-mission#comment-12836 From NOLA.com, September of this year: "The plan also provides that schools still underperforming after five years in the RSD should be either restructured or closed. Most of the district's 22 direct-run schools fall in this category, setting the stage for most of them to either close or become charters." This is despite an increase in per-pupil spending of 65%. You can also read a recent article about the "dismal results" of the RSD's high schools at the same site. This wins Paul Pastorek national accolades? - Layne St.Julien Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:47:46 +0100