At least that's how I imagine it. As displaced students return to the Big Easy, the 2008-2009 school year will prove to be mighty interesting. Since Katrina washed away the school system, New Orleans is in a unique situation: it gets to start from scratch. And while "scratch" also includes a host of hurricane-induced problems (post-traumatic stress, homelessness etc.) it also means that more than 50 percent of schools are either new or converted charters. This is good news. The Times-Picayune reports that schools are competing for students , encouraged by reform minded superintendent Paul Vallas. And while the bad will sprout up with the good, there is neither the infrastructure nor the extra cash to keep the failed schools open. Paul Tough takes to the pages of the New York Times Magazine to expound upon the attitudes of young reformer-principals, teachers, and administrators--all of whom know that this is a boom or bust year. A veritable army of 20- and 30-somethings have descended on New Orleans with their market values. To top it off, millions of recovery cash dollars are being spent on school building renovations and construction to support this growth.
While the fire may have killed the tottering ancient phoenix that was the NOLA school system, the baby that emerges from the ashes may prove to be an important step forward in the reform movement. What really happens when most of a city goes charter? No one was willing to take that risk when the system was still limping along--there, or anywhere else. New Orleans had no other choice and now we'll get our answer.
