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These Schools Are Out — Forever New Orleans The second-graders paraded to the dumpster in the rear parking lot, where they chucked boxes of old worksheets, notebooks and other detritus into the trash, emptying their school for good. Benjamin Banneker Elementary closed Wednesday as New Orleans’ Recovery School District permanently shuttered its last five traditional public schools this week. With the start of the next school year, the Recovery School District will be the first in the country made up completely of public charter schools, a milestone for New Orleans and a grand experiment
in urban education for the nation. The creation of the country’s first all-charter school system under the Recovery School District — the Louisiana state agency that seized control of almost all public schools after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city in 2005 — has improved education for many in New Orleans, but it also has amplified concerns about racial equality and loss of parental control. Critics of the all-charter New Orleans model say it is undemocratic, because leaders of charter schools are not accountable to voters. They also say the system is challenging for parents, who have to figure out logistics that were not an issue when their children walked to neighborhood schools. Advocates say the all-charter model empowers parents. “We’ve reinvented how schools run,” said Neerav Kingsland of New
— SE A N JOHNSON, DEAN OF STUDENTS AT BENJAMIN BANNEKER ELEMENTARY, WHICH
Schools for New Orleans, which promotes charter schools. “If I am unhappy with service I’m getting in a school, I can pull my kid out and go to another school tomorrow.” Opinion surveys show support for charter schools but unease about the shuttering of all traditional schools, with just 41 percent of New Orleans residents backing the idea in a poll commissioned by the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University in New Orleans. At Ba nneker Elementa r y, Sharell Washington was absorbing the school closing. “I’m sad. I like this school,” said Sharell, a bright-eyed 8-year-old. “I’ve been here since kindergarten, and I know a lot about this school. I have friends here. They always have my back.” LY N D S E Y L AY T O N
IS A NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOL CLOSING TO MAKE WAY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS
(THE WASHINGTON POST )
PHOTO CREDIT
Charter-only era in New Orleans begins, but not all are happy
A student at Benjamin Banneker Elementary packs up boxes at the end of the year.
“They don’t answer to anyone ... They have their own boards, make their own rules, accept who they want and put out who they want to put out.”
Shinseki Resisting Pressure to Step Down Amid VA Scandal Washington Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is facing increasing political pressure to resign following release of an independent review that has determined that Department of Veterans Affairs officials falsified records to hide the amount
of time former ser vice members have had to wait for medical appointments. But Shinseki shows no signs that he is planning on stepping down any time soon. He is planning on speaking Friday morning to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, an address that admin-
istration officials described as “significant.” Shinseki is expected to acknowledge that there has been “a breach of trust” between veterans and the department responsible for their care and he is expected to discuss plans to fix problems across the department, the officials said. House Speaker John Boehner,
What can bring a lifetime of love?
The Weekend Pass story “Join the (Supper) Club” on page E10 in Thursday’s edition incorrectly stated when reservations for the next Rose’s Luxury rooftop dinner will go on sale. It is 11 a.m. Monday. Spot an error? Let us know at corrections@readexpress.com.
AND JOSH HICKS (THE WASHINGTON POST )
Your neighborhood Unleashed by Petco urges you to Think Adoption First®, which encourages people to consider adopting a pet rather than purchasing one.
the happy tails adoption event Saturday, May 31 11 am–3 pm
R-Ohio, said Thursday morning that he would “continue to reserve judgement” on Shinseki. “Is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? Is it going to help us find what’s really going on? And the answer I keep getting is no,” he said. ED O’K EEFE
Correction
Come to your Unleashed by Petco store for: • Lots of adoptable dogs and cats • A variety of pet experts • Fun games and free giveaways • Free pet food samples Arlington Unleashed by Petco 5400 Lee Hwy. • 703-237-2055 Go to unleashedbypetco.com/happytails for more details!
sit. stay. connect.