Prom 2020 getting a savage virtual remix amid Covid-19

May is the month of the year that every high school senior is waiting for all school year long because it’s filled with celebrations like awards banquets, prom and graduation. For the class of 2020, May has been filled with disappointments because those and many other events have been canceled amid the statewide stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New Orleans lifestyle influencer, mom and wife Tracey Wiley is giving prom… Read More

Strong Connections

Jim Mustian of The Advocate writes about Xavier University and New Schools of New Orleans joining forces in an unprecedented way to develop a program dedicated to educating and preparing college seniors to become public school teachers.  This first of its kind partnership between a charter school and an HBCU will be called the Norman C. Francis Teacher Residency and its mission is to diversify the teaching force in New Orleans Public Schools… Read More

Working within a Charter School Network: We Are The Solution.

  One year ago,  I wouldn’t have been able to tell you ANYTHING positive about charter school systems because all I’d ever heard was nothing short of a pile up of negativity. Too strict. Too many white teachers. Too few qualified teachers. Harsh discipline. The list goes on. And now, I work for one. And I love it. The Background During my prior job serving children with a local Mental Health Rehabilitation… Read More

Breakfast with Steve Perry

  100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans recently hosted a breakfast with Steve Perry, CEO of Capital Preparatory Schools, in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a commentator on CNN, MSNBC and a motivational speaker. Given Perry’s upbringing, it is surprising he has accomplished all he has. His mother was 16 when he was born and he grew up in the projects of Middletown, Connecticut. Despite such adversity, Perry has become a leader… Read More

Governor Edwards’ anti-reform agenda goes cold at the legislature

Well, Gov. John Bel Edwards aimed to roll back school choice, but missed. Back in March the governor made a high profile pitch to curb the growth of charter schools and to limit publicly funded scholarships to private schools for students in public schools rated C, D, and F. For the Louisiana Association of Educators and other groups with interests in traditionally operated public schools it looked like a break from school reform…. Read More

No More “No Excuses,” Please

  Critical thinking, logic and reasoning are a few skills I believe should be taught to our children in order for them to be productive. Our children should meet high expectations and they should conduct themselves in a manner that represents them well. I want our children and teenagers to be challenged to the point of discomfort. But in the end, when they look back over the tough road they traversed to… Read More

Should Charters Go Back to the District? The Things We Should Be Considering

As I prepared to participate on a parent panel for family engagement hosted by the National League of Cities, I came across an article, “Why should New Orleans charter schools return to the Orleans Parish School District?” Given that two of my children attend charter schools that are now under the Orleans Parish School District (Edna Karr and Andrew H. Wilson) and one of my sons attends KIPP Renaissance, a school contemplating… Read More

How to Play the Political Game: Putting the Interest of Kids First

Education is so political and all about personal gain. The only time representatives come around to speak to parents is election time—and when I say come around, I mean they make appearances at schools their friends’ children attend. It’s a struggle to make sure your child receives the best education possible when they are in public schools. Why is it that individuals who don’t have any ties with public schools, or to… Read More

The Transition Through Aaliyah’s Eyes

As a parent you never want to feel as though you have failed your child when it comes to their education. We were given the news that our school was issued a failing grade and would be taken over by a Charter Management Organization (CMO). Questions and scenarios run through your mind. How do you explain this to your child? Who will get your school? Will they bring all new staff in?… Read More

Reaching and Inspiring African-American Students: A Case Study in New Orleans

Instead of finding a calling as an educator, I almost ended up as another sobering statistic about black men. Spring 1994: I found myself as a hopeless graduate from a Louisiana high school with a mediocre GPA, low ACT score, and limited options. Though I enrolled in college, I was quickly tracked into remedial classes, where I watched many of my classmates run into academic and financial barriers and drop out of… Read More