On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans, leaving in its wake flooding, destruction, death, and the collapse of a corrupt and bankrupt public school system (Polier, 2006). Katrina left the city of New Orleans without physical school structures, without school organization, and most significantly, without a population capable of paying taxes to fund new schools. In response to this problem and the existing problem of a bankrupt school system, the United States government offered substantial financial assistance to organizations and districts that would open charter schools (Garda, 2011). Hurricane Katrina was seen by some as a blessing to the New Orleans school district, allowing for a complete reconstruction and reform of education. The reform was seen as an opportunity to improve prominent race and class inequalities, along with issues centered on teachers and teacher unions. The post-Katrina charter school reform taking place, however, undermines social and educational equality with respect to race and class, while also reflecting historic debates over American education and teachers. Through competition, open-enrollment, and a corrupt power structure, New Orleans school reform is exacerbating prominent race and class issues, rather than addressing them. New Orleans school leaders and numerous charter school organizations were excited about the opportunity that Hurricane Katrina brought them: a chance to make changes, but more importantly, a chance to make money (Kimmitt, 2015).
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The New Orleans school district and United States government used money to entice organizations to build and run charter schools for multiple reasons, but the most prominent justification of charter schools was the competition that comes with them. The principle argument is that competition between charter schools, in respect to enrollment and overall yearly progress, would in turn increase school quality, safety, and student satisfaction (Hutchinson, Ferrell, Broussard, Brown, & Chrestman, 2014). The district and government believed that charter schools would bring equity for the diverse population of New Orleans. “Rather than promoting education equity, [charter school reform] provides a means for … entrepreneurs to raid the public schools treasury and create new markets at the expense of the poor,” (Dixson, Buras, & Jeffers, 2015, p. 290). In 1954, the United States Supreme Court passed a ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Spring, 2015). This case ruled that separate schools for black and white students was unconstitutional; it ruled that separate is not always equal or equitable. The charter school reform has been argued to be a market-driven reform which will fund specialized schools, capable of bringing equity to the diverse population of New Orleans. In other words, leaders assert that they can create a school system where separate can be equal, and eventually, superior (Garda, 2015). This aspect of reform, while reflecting the debates of America’s past, also undermines educational equality. Creating schools that specialize in helping specific populations, in this case races, to become equitable, undermines the progress of over 100 years of public school transformations and reforms. It is a step backwards, and the conflicts that arise from school competition are taking away from what matters in this conversation - the students. School competition could not exist without parents and students having the opportunity to select a number of schools they wish to attend, which is know as open-enrollment. Polier (2006) argues that if open-enrollment did not exist, charter schools would be inequitable. This is because each charter is autonomous; the only rules they must abide by is that they must have an open-enrollment period (Kimmitt, 2015). Regardless, some charter schools have found ways to remain inequitable and undermine social and educational race and class equality. New Orleans is broken into two districts, the Recovery School District (RSD) and the Orleans Parish School District (OSPD). Both operate under a different set of rules, and both contain a majority of inequitable charter schools. American schools and the educational system in general have historically given favor to white students. Over recent years, however, great progress has taken place in teacher education programs and schools themselves to become more inclusive, to value diversity, and to become a multicultural environment (Spring, 2015). While this progress is not complete or
The New Orleans school district and United States government used money to entice organizations to build and run charter schools for multiple reasons, but the most prominent justification of charter schools was the competition that comes with them. The principle argument is that competition between charter schools, in respect to enrollment and overall yearly progress, would in turn increase school quality, safety, and student satisfaction (Hutchinson, Ferrell, Broussard, Brown, & Chrestman, 2014). The district and government believed that charter schools would bring equity for the diverse population of New Orleans. “Rather than promoting education equity, [charter school reform] provides a means for … entrepreneurs to raid the public schools treasury and create new markets at the expense of the poor,” (Dixson, Buras, & Jeffers, 2015, p. 290). In 1954, the United States Supreme Court passed a ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Spring, 2015). This case ruled that separate schools for black and white students was unconstitutional; it ruled that separate is not always equal or equitable. The charter school reform has been argued to be a market-driven reform which will fund specialized schools, capable of bringing equity to the diverse population of New Orleans. In other words, leaders assert that they can create a school system where separate can be equal, and eventually, superior (Garda, 2015). This aspect of reform, while reflecting the debates of America’s past, also undermines educational equality. Creating schools that specialize in helping specific populations, in this case races, to become equitable, undermines the progress of over 100 years of public school transformations and reforms. It is a step backwards, and the conflicts that arise from school competition are taking away from what matters in this conversation - the students. School competition could not exist without parents and students having the opportunity to select a number of schools they wish to attend, which is know as open-enrollment. Polier (2006) argues that if open-enrollment did not exist, charter schools would be inequitable. This is because each charter is autonomous; the only rules they must abide by is that they must have an open-enrollment period (Kimmitt, 2015). Regardless, some charter schools have found ways to remain inequitable and undermine social and educational race and class equality. New Orleans is broken into two districts, the Recovery School District (RSD) and the Orleans Parish School District (OSPD). Both operate under a different set of rules, and both contain a majority of inequitable charter schools. American schools and the educational system in general have historically given favor to white students. Over recent years, however, great progress has taken place in teacher education programs and schools themselves to become more inclusive, to value diversity, and to become a multicultural environment (Spring, 2015). While this progress is not complete or