Debate Intensifies Over Alleged Profit Motive in Public Education

By Kevin Mooney
10/19/2011
Are business interests plotting to take over the public education system and turn a profit at the expense of the public? That is the charge leading figures within the Coalition for Public Education have aimed against Gov. Bobby Jindal and the school board candidates who favor charter schools.

TAGS: BESE, Charter Schools, Coalition for Public Education, election, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Recovery School District, school board, Teach for America

BESE Candidates Sharply Divided Over Letter Grade System Measuring School Performance

By Kevin Mooney
10/07/2011
Letter grades that show a sizable percentage of Louisiana public schools are either failing or under-performing continue to generate controversy. A union-led coalition warns against Gov. Jindal's privatization agenda, while a business group says the unions fear transparency and accountability.

TAGS: BESE, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Coalition for Louisiana Public Education, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, New Orleans, Recovery School District

Commentary: LEAP Results Bolster Case for Charters; Will Legislature Follow Suit?

By Jamison Beuerman
06/11/2010
While State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek is forced to put a positive spin on the minute improvement on statewide test scores this year, there is a silver lining in the form of astonishing charter school success. A small percentage drop in state-wide LEAP scores, accompanied by a single percentage point improvement when all three...

TAGS: BESE, Charter Schools, Frank Hoffman, Jane Smith, LEAP, public schools, Recovery School District