New Schools for New Orleans announced Tuesday that Einstein Group, Inc. will receive $1 million from the federal government to turn around an academically failing school next year. At the behest of Recovery School District officials, Einstein is taking over Intercultural Charter School, an F-rated school currently serving 425 students. The federal grant should help. Shawn Toranto, principal […]
Author Archives: Marta Jewson
Marta Jewson covers education in New Orleans for The Lens. She began her reporting career covering charter schools for The Lens and helped found the hyperlocal news site Mid-City Messenger. Jewson returned to New Orleans in the fall of 2014 after covering education for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with majors in journalism and social welfare and a concentration in educational policy studies.
Jewson has covered New Orleans schools for 15 years through the nation's largest education reform experiment. She was a founding member of the outlet's Charter School Reporting Corps and was instrumental in holding schools accountable to sunshine laws during the rapid expansion of charter schools in the city.
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Lycée board violated open meetings laws in ousting principal
For days before the charter school board voted to accept the resignation of principal Jill Otis, board members emailed back and forth about how they could force her out. Board president Jean Montes acknowledges that the discussions violated public meetings law but said the board dealt with the problem in a subsequent executive session.
Posted inCharter Schools
ENCORE hopes for 32 percent enrollment increase
The school plans to add two more grades next year and boost enrollment from 181 to 240.
Posted inCharter Schools
Milestone leaders unsure about adding 10th grade in 2013-14
Rising 10th graders could soon be applying to Milestone SABIS Academy.
The only trouble is the school’s leaders aren’t sure they’ll have that grade next year.
Posted inCharter Schools
Lycée leader banned at Audubon school after 2010 threat to student, records show
The acting chief executive officer of Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orleans charter school was previously banned from another charter school’s campus for threatening a student, records show. Gisele Schexnider was a parent of an Audubon Charter School student in January 2010 when, according to school records, she arrived at a teacher’s classroom, pointed to someone […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Einstein opts for OneApp, fine-tunes plan for takeover of Intercultural Charter
Einstein Charter School’s board of directors met Tuesday night to proceed with plans to take over operation of Intercultural Charter School.
Posted inCharter Schools
Lycée is dealing with its challenges, rival parent group responds
Following the explosive letter one group of parents filed with the Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orleans board last week, another school faction has sent its own petition to the board.
Posted inCharter Schools
Audit: Ex-Lycee chief paid nearly $30,000 without board vote
After a budget overhaul and a change in principals, Lycee Francais’ board of directors probably could have anticipated the blemished audit they received at their monthly meeting Monday. Though many of the issues resulted from policies and procedures that, according to the audit, have since been improved, the financial analysis revealed several shortcomings, including the […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Einstein votes to run a school at Intercultural’s address
Einstein Charter School’s board of directors met briefly Saturday to approve a resolution to expand to two schools.
Posted inCharter Schools
Einstein poised to take over second school
The Einstein Charter Academy board is poised to ask the Orleans Parish School Board to amend its charter so that it can expand to operate two schools. Without naming the school they hope to begin operating, the board of directors on Wednesday approved asking permission to add another school site to their charter in order […]