Ask Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration about its frequent failure to comply with public records law and it will tell you that it thinks it’s doing a good job – or, well, a better job than the previous administration under Ray Nagin. Maybe so, but the letter of the law – which requires release of public […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Corporal punishment and expulsions targeted; debt to Edison Learning discussed
The board of the Intercultural Charter School met at 6 p.m. Sept. 15, with five members present and an audience of 16, including a reporter from The Lens. A development report by the board acknowledged the legal obligation to provide the public with complete records of board meetings and activities. Board member Al Alcazar said […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Reading scores show promise; new website goes live next week; fund drive hits halfway mark
The board of Akili Academy held its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 26, in the teachers’ annex. One member of the public, a reporter from The Lens, was present. The meeting began with a report on student reading levels. Details were not disclosed, but the assessments were called positive. Enrollment is at 306, eight […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Student assessments show improvement; free health services touted; Lens report denied
The board of Morris Jeff Community School met at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 in the second-floor community space. Patricia Perkins, acting principal, began the meeting with a report on the first wave of student assessments. Currently 60 percent of kindergartners who were in the school’s pre-K program last year are performing at grade level, while […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Steve Gleason, Rafael Delgadillo tragedies test faith: vigil at 6pm
I can understand prayers of thanksgiving. Clearly we should be grateful for all our blessings. They’re “heaped up and overflowing,” as my dad would say. I can also understand prayers of confession. We should acknowledge our sins — serious, or otherwise — and commit to living better lives. Prayers of intercession have always confused me, […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board meeting cancelled
The Board for Fannie C. Williams Elementary, Community Leaders Advocating Student Success, Inc. (C.L.A.S.S) did not have a quorum for their meeting on the 15th, and promptly cancelled it.
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Tougher national standards welcome, Early says; extra-curricular activities are on the rise
The board of Lake Forest Elementary Charter School met Sept. 20, at 1:30 p.m. with all members present except Donald Plate. The meeting was an occasion to review the year ahead. Started in 1988 as a selective admissions school for pre-K through eighth-grade students, Lake Forest has been one of the city’s best-performing and most improved […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Gusman to consider action on $7 million tax
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer A little-scrutinized but powerful government body is holding a special meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the tax rate it charges city property owners. The notice from the Orleans Parish Law Enforcement District provides scant information on the purpose of the meeting, though it says this will be an […]
Posted inOpinion
Street legal: Let’s make law fit our culture, not the other way around
By Alan Williams, The Lens contributing opinion writer | The Landrieu Administration is making a valiant effort to give some meaning to the letter of the law in New Orleans. They seem to understand that inconsistent enforcement makes it only more difficult to tackle our crime problem. But the effort to make New Orleans a […]