Education Desk

Education news is a priority for WWNO's expanding local news reporting — providing trusted news for parents, educators and community leaders. 

Support for education reporting on WWNO comes from Entergy Corporation.

Ways to Connect

What Does It Take To Get Into New Orleans' Top Public Schools?

By • Jan 29, 2018
Remy Scheuermann poses with his father Craig Scheuerman after completing his test at Lusher Charter School. The Scheuermanns are trying to get Remy into first grade at some of the highest-demand schools.
Jess Clark / WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

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.

Are New Orleans Toddlers Getting Quality Instruction?

By • Dec 22, 2017
Teachers at Kids of Excellence second location on Higgins Drive start the morning off with songs in circle time.
Jess Clark / WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

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.

Child Care Costs Force Parents To Make Tough Decisions

By • Dec 21, 2017
Shawanda Jefferson picks up her four-year-old son at the unregulated child care center — her only option due to costs.
Jess Clark / WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

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.

New Orleans To Start Funding Pre-K

By • Dec 19, 2017
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed budget ammendments Monday that allocate $750,000 to pre-K.
Jess Clark / WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed a 2018 city budget amendment Monday that appropriates $750,000 for pre-K for low-income children in New Orleans.

The Student Whose Cockiness Tested My Patience

By & Sarah Carr • Dec 17, 2017
Sarah Carr

Teacher Jerome White knew from the first moment he met Donald Meyer that the student was a math whiz —and that Meyer was very aware of his natural abilities. White struggled in his first year teaching Donald pre-calculus at New Orleans' Lusher High School to convince the student to focus in class, do his homework, or recognize that he might have something to learn.

Bethune, Baby Ben Elementary Schools Get The Green Light To Charter

By • Dec 12, 2017
Supporters of the leadership at Bethune and Baby Ben cheer for a student who urged the OPSB to grant Bethune's current leadership a charter.
Jess Clark / WWNO

Superintendent Henderson Lewis says Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary and Benjamin Franklin Elementary are ready to become charter schools. Lewis' approval of the schools' plans mean next year, there will likely remain just one traditional public school in the district.

Some Southeast Louisiana Students Are Getting A Snow Day

By • Dec 7, 2017
Freezing temperatures and possible light snow are prompting schools to close Friday in several parishes.
tookapic / Pixbay Creative Commons

Possible wintry weather is prompting several New Orleans-area schools to close Friday.

OPSB Sues Einstein Charter Schools Over Transportation Policy

By • Nov 30, 2017
Einstein Charter Schools says it doesn't believe they should have to provide transportation for students. Instead it directs parents to private van services.
Jess Clark / WWNO

The Orleans Parish School Board is taking Einstein Charter Schools to court over the school group's transportation policy. The board filed a petition in Orleans Parish Civil District Court Wednesday, asking the court to declare Einstein in breach of its charter contract and allow OPSB to force Einstein to bus students.

School Funding Is Down In Dozens Of States, And Louisiana Is One Of Them

By • Nov 29, 2017
A new report shows per-student spending is down in a majority of the states, including Louisiana.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Louisiana is among 29 states spending less on students than before the Great Recession, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Report: Louisiana Schools Suspend Black, Low-Income Students At Higher Rates Than Peers

By • Nov 20, 2017
Black students were twice as likely to be suspended compared to white students in Louisiana schools.
dcJohn / Flickr

Researchers at the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans have released a new report showing Louisiana's black students and low-income students are more likely to be suspended than white and wealthier students. 

Pages