Seven New Orleans charter schools are up for renewal this winter as their charter contracts come to an end.
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 inSchools
Kennedy HS working to avoid repeat of 2019 graduation scandal, charter network official tells board
New Beginnings CEO Kevin George said he believes the problems discovered at Kennedy are not unique to the school. The New Orleans school district has promised a citywide audit of high school records.
Posted inSchools
New Beginnings CFO, director of student services out as Kennedy HS investigations continue
The charter school network has lost eight administrators since last spring, when widespread problems at Kennedy began to come to light.
Posted inSchools
NOLA Public Schools holding four community meetings on plans for school buildings, district properties
District officials will present plans for long-term and surplus property and take input from the public at four meetings over the next two weeks.
Posted inSchools
State special education monitoring errors could impact federal consent decree over New Orleans schools
The Louisiana Department of Education calls the problem a “selection error” and states that because eventually more schools than required were monitored it shouldn’t be a problem. Southern Poverty Law Center lawyers disagree.
Posted inSchools
Lead-removal filters for Orleans Parish school kitchens on tap next
The district’s three-year long project to install lead-removal filters at school drinking fountains is nearly complete. Charter schools will be in charge of replacing those filters. The district is now exploring kitchen filters.
Posted inSchools
‘Gross mismanagement’ at Kennedy HS leads lawyer to expand lawsuit to include all students
The students’ lawyer, initially representing the class of 2019, believes transcript problems have affected all students.
Posted inSchools
Coghill violated federal and state special education law, school district says
The Gentilly Woods school must make up services to at least nine students.
Posted inSchools
State grants graduation waivers to 8 Kennedy HS students
The state granted the waivers due to ‘administrative error’ by the school’s staff. Students who receive the waivers may not be eligible for TOPS.
Posted inSchools
KIPP will run Kennedy HS next school year, Orleans superintendent announces
John F. Kennedy High School’s charter group voted to give up authority of the high school at the end of the school year.