Dive Brief:
- The last five traditional publics schools in the New Orleans Recovery School District are closing their doors for good, making the district the nation's first all-charter system.
- After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, the state-controlled Recovery School District took over almost all of the city's public schools, and they have slowly been transformed into charters over the last 9 years.
- This shift is celebrated by charter advocates, who believe education opportunities have improved, but opponents see the elimination of traditional public schools as undemocratic due to the shifting of power from the hands of elected school boards to those of private charter companies and contractors, who don't have the same accountability to the public.
Dive Insight:
New Orleans' transition to an all-charter system is bound to stoke debate surrounding charter schools. The city’s high school graduation rate was 54.4% before Katrina, significantly lower than 2013's 77.6% rate under the Recovery District. For supporters of charter schools and the recovery district, that's a big deal.
However, opponents are still concerned about the long-term repercussions of privatizing all of the city's schools, since for many it signals a shuttering of community voice and input.