Democracy Prep Baton Rouge, whose building was damaged by recent flooding, holds “Constant Learner Academy” at the Baranco Clark YMCA to get their students back to school and learning.
It’s been great to see communities across Louisiana pull together to begin recovery efforts after the floods in the past few weeks. Thank you to all of you who have supported and will continue to support our affected schools, students, staff, and communities — the recovery has just begun, and our communities face a long road ahead.
A few updates for you on the state education front: As many of you may know, BESE has a number of different councils, committees, and commissions to work through critical public education issues, including ones focused on accountability, science standards, transportation and safety, and student behavior and discipline. We are pleased that these critical commissions include representatives from the LAPCS community, including educators from Beekman Charter School, The Choice Foundation, Homer Plessy, Kenilworth Science & Technology Charter School, KIPP, New Orleans College Prep, and others.
We’ll keep you posted on the progress of these commissions and workgroups, but please note that a priority for the Accountability Commission in the next few months will be to create accountability proposals in accordance with the Louisiana 2025 Plan (the state plan for education) as well as the federal government’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This commission will take into account four key areas: (1) measuring fundamental skills, (2) rewarding progress, (3) non-assessment measures, and (3) K-2 accountability.
Finally, I want to end with a plug for our Annual Conference happening in New Orleans on December 12-13 at the Hyatt. We’re working on some great sessions and speakers which we hope to unveil to you soon — and this includes an invitation out to Governor John Bel Edwards to deliver our keynote address. If you’re interested in hearing from the Governor on his vision for education and “Leading Together” in ensuring Louisiana is a great place to live for all of us, please join us in letting him know! Send him a tweet @LouisianaGov or click here to email him. And, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to register for our conference today. Thank you for your support of LAPCS and the charter school movement.
Caroline Roemer Executive Director, LAPCS