New leaders bring new hope to New Orleans

The schools in New Orleans have fresh paint, the bathroom stalls have doors, the library at the largest high school has books again and the angry demonstrations that met last school year’s chaotic opening have not been repeated. For all the problems remaining in the battered public school system here, a wind of renovation is blowing through it. Despite the improvements, the underlying reality is a bleak social breakdown decades deep.
Click here to read The New York Times article.

EARLIER: While acknowledging problems with school attendance, student data and special education, among other persistent issues, Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas gave his staffs' opening of schools in New Orleans a passing grade. Some of the main challenges included incorrect parent phone numbers and street addresses, little or no data about the district's students, and the "complete absence" of federally required special-education paperwork--all of which complicated opening-day registration.
Click here to read The New Orleans Times-Picayune article.

The first day of classes in New Orleans' Recovery School District -- the first year under new Superintendent Paul Vallas -- saw many improvements over school openings in recent years. But the day was not without major snags, most involving students who were not yet registered or who hoped to attend neighborhood schools other than the ones to which they were assigned.
To read The New Orleans Times-Picayune article, click here.