Every child should have access to a high-quality education, ensuring every Louisiana resident has a chance to succeed. Louisiana cannot have a bright economic future without a workforce equipped with the skills and training necessary to compete in a 21st century economy. Revamping Louisiana’s educational system stands as an economic imperative—and a moral one too.
Last week, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education called an emergency meeting to consider waivers of state graduation requirements for the Class of 2022. Current graduation requirements, in place for well over a decade, require students to score an “Approaching Basic” level – two full levels below what is considered proficient – on...
Earlier this week, Louisiana’s House of Representatives Education Committee heard House Bill 526 by Representative Rick Edmonds, which would require all local public school systems to post certain fiscal information online. The bill would provide parents and the public with easy access to school budgets, revenue and expenditure reports, contracts, and audits to help them...
This legislative session, state lawmakers have filed several bills to give families more options for their child’s education in the form of new education savings accounts (ESAs). Several of those bills – HB 33 (children in military families, foster care, and D- and F-rated schools), HB 194 (students with disabilities), HB 452 (bullied students), and...
For years, business and industry have complained that high school graduates aren’t arriving to the workplace prepared with basic skills needed for entry-level jobs. That may explain why unemployment among 16-24-year-olds has historically been higher than older workers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in early 2019, the unemployment rate for workers ages 16–24 (8.4%)...
The Louisiana Legislature has filed several bills to expand educational choice among its proposals for the 2022 legislative session. These bills create education savings accounts (ESAs), which enable families to access public funds earmarked for their children’s education in a public school and use those funds to pay for private school tuition or a customized...
This week’s State of the Union address by President Biden included a brief mention of education that some may not have flagged as all that important. After all, it was one of several items on a long list of accomplishments the President touted to show that he and Congress responded to the needs of the...
Last week, a subgroup of State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) members tasked by the full board to study Louisiana’s K-12 education accountability system had its first public meeting. The group is reviewing information tied to the current accountability system, which was implemented in the 2017-2018 school year, to determine the extent to...
Hope: Noun. “Desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Ask any parent what hope means for their child, and they certainly won’t need a dictionary. They’ll quickly tell you that it represents the life they want for their kid. Opportunity. The chance to grow up and have more options than their...
Two weeks ago, Governor Edwards unveiled his proposed state budget for fiscal year 2022-2023. Given the state’s $1.6 billion surplus, the proposal contains several funding increases, including in education. The proposal calls for an additional $148 million for K-12 teacher and staff pay raises as well as $43 million for early childhood, $17 million of...
For years, people have pointed to parental involvement as the best way to improve K-12 education, yet state and local policies often limit or discourage parents from truly being involved. Instead, the government often tells parents when and how they want them to interact with their community school, assigning their children to one campus program...
Around this time last year, you probably saw the news about Louisiana public school enrollment dropping by just over 2 percent or nearly 17,000 students since the pandemic began. Following weeks of school closures in 2020 and a chaotic 2020-2021 school year that overwhelmed and frustrated students, parents, and educators alike, it was no surprise....
This summer, I penned an article in response to a national study conducted about the ability of parents to address their child’s educational needs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The study revealed that when their child’s education was disrupted, many families simply did not have the ability to act and seek other educational options. As we...
BATON ROUGE— CEO of the Pelican Institute, Daniel Erspamer released the following statement after new officers were elected for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). “Congratulations to BESE members Jim Garvey, Kira Orange Jones, and Sandy Holloway for being elected to serve as officers of BESE. We thank former president Sandy Holloway for...
More transparency leads to better decisions. In all areas of government, we know this to be true. But this fact is especially important when it comes to making decisions that dictate the success of our children. However, in Louisiana, parents have scant access to valuable financial data for our schools. Therefore parents, key decision-makers and...