Education Desk

Across the country, there's a new push to bring back an old skill. Last year, the Louisiana Legislature joined 16 other states in making cursive writing a required course in elementary schools, and the law took effect in January.

High school marching bands spend months preparing to entertain Carnival revelers along parade routes and compete for prime spots near the front of the parade. One school with a rich marching tradition is George Washington Carver High School in the Ninth Ward. But the school was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, and it took several years for Carver to restart a marching band. 

In Part One of this series we heard about how one family is navigating the school enrollment process. Turns out, when you're trying to get into the best schools, it's complicated. There are a lot of steps. And it's hard even for someone with resources. WWNO's Jess Clark brings us back to the story of Kate Scheuermann and her son Remy. Kate is a sales manager for WWNO, and she's trying to get Remy into first grade at the district's top schools.

Families across New Orleans are deciding where to send their kids to school next year. Parents can now use the district’s OneApp — an online application that allows you to apply to many schools at once. The district then tries to match students to their first choice. But when you want to get into the top schools, it's not all that simple.

In part one of WWNO's series on early child care and education in Louisiana, we heard about how costs are keeping many families from accessing quality early childhood education. But costs are also having an impact on child care centers themselves.  In part two, we look at whether children are getting quality instruction when families can afford to send them to licensed centers.

Most kids enter the public school system at age five. But scientists say that, actually, it’s the first four years of a child’s life that are the most important for learning and brain development. High-quality early child care and education can set a child up for success in life. But can Louisiana families get access to it? And are child care facilities providing it? We investigate in a two-part series. Part One: How cost is a barrier for families seeking early childhood education.

Listen to Part Two here, on whether New Orleans toddlers are getting quality instruction when they're families can afford to send them to licensed centers.