Since Hurricane Katrina, groups such as the National Economic & Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) and May Day New Orleans have led campaigns to secure the housing rights of displaced New Orleanians, as well as others affected by the disaster. Now, the major buzzword is “forced evictions,” in which residents are instructed to vacate their homes in order to make way for other post-Katrina development initiatives. Often times, families affected by forced evictions aren’t given the proper resources to obtain new housing, leaving them with few options.�This week, the UN Advisory Group on Forced Evictions (AGFE) is conducting a fact-finding mission in the city, bringing two international experts to meet with citizens, organizations, and elected officials. In a NESRI press release about the mission, the organization states:

The forced evictions being investigated in New Orleans come as a result of a rebuilding process that favors private sector interests over the interests of residents. This emphasis on private sector development is being felt across the country with devastating effects including the current economic crisis, which has its roots in the housing sector. While post-Katrina redevelopment policies have had a disproportionately adverse impact on poor and low-income African American communities, the ongoing lack of affordable housing, and the evictions to make way for private sector development, is a significant issue for all residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.     

Throughout New Orleans’ history, the city has had difficulty maintaining the balance between private and public interests.  Hurricane Katrina has only amplified this challenge.  Now, with this issue of forced eviction, the city again finds itself struggling to determine how to satisfy its business needs and spur economic recovery without adversely affecting its neediest populations.  Hopefully, the presence of an international watchdog will help to move things in the right direction.

An interesting project I came across recently is the Open Sound New Orleans site, a dynamic online exhibit which aims to “make more accessible the authentic, unedited sounds and voices of New Orleans.”

Essentially, New Orleans residents are encouraged to record the sounds around them, whether they’re the voices of neighbors, musical celebrations on the streets, or more “ambient” sounds, such as the chirping of crickets. The sounds are then plotted on a map of the city, and tagged based on their contents. It’s an interesting digital taste of the environment, whether you’re looking to get a sense of some gritty, authentic, New Orleans jazz or listen to a serious interview about the recovery effort. Check it out here.

As the end of 2008-09 school year retreats into the distance, I thought it might be a good time to put together an update on the continuing reform efforts within New Orleans’ educational system.

A quick recap: the system explained
Still baffled by New Orleans schools? Here’s a short explanation of N.O.’s increasingly complicated system: Faced with a state-wide schools crisis and rock bottom test scores, the state of Louisiana created the Recovery School District (RSD) in 2003. The new state-run district began to handpick the lowest-performing schools (most of which were located in New Orleans), transferring them out of the local infrastructure and (in many cases) hiring charter school organizations to boost their performance.

After Katrina, most of New Orleans schools reopened under RSD jurisdiction (67 currently), while a small number remained within the Orleans Parish School Board system (19 at the moment). In addition, 60% of New Orleans’ schools are charter schools. RSD superintendent Paul Vallas (in picture) and state superintendent Paul Pastorek (both hired post-Katrina) have expressed confidence in the charter school concept and described plans to increase the number of charter schools operating in New Orleans. However, experts have disagreed over whether the charter school-centric, fragmented education model in has led to any concrete success.

So what happened this year?

Well, a few things. Here are some highlights:
In the fall, 7 new charter schools opened in the city, launching a massive effort to compete for new students. This was covered in an excellent article in the New York Times here.

Officials also announced a major master plan for RSD school reform, outlining ambitions to build 28 new schools over the next 5 years. This plan, however, was hotly contested amongst the public.

In November, data emerged from the first full assessment of the city’s educational system since Katrina. While some schools made large gains, 24 still received an “unacceptable” rating, including all but 2 of the school board-run institutions.

In February, RSD superintendent Paul Vallas announced that he would leave the district after the 2009-10 school year to pursue politics in Illinois. However, he has since decided that he would not run after all, citing the need to continue his efforts in the city.

Finally, in May, LEAP test scores showed three years of continuous improvement in New Orleans. While these scores are not necessarily comprehensive in the least, they do provide a small measure of hope that something in New Orleans’ jumbled experiment of a system may be succeeding.

For more coverage, check out www.nola.com or the non-profit Save Our Schools New Orleans.