Parents say N.O. public schools have improved since Katrina

Two-thirds of public school parents in New Orleans feel the city’s post-Katrina school system is an improvement over what existed prior to the 2005 hurricane that devastated the city, according to a new survey commissioned by Tulane University researchers, The Times-Picayune reports. Just 31% of those surveyed in 2009 agreed that schools were better than they were before Katrina; 66% agreed this year. And 74% agreed that they are still improving. Roughly 98% agree that it’s important to be able to choose which public school their child attends—one of the most distinctive and controversial features of the new system—and 86% say information about their options is readily available. Overall, the survey results suggest parents are happy with the system of autonomous charter schools that has evolved over the past six years and are optimistic that things will continue to improve. Yet the drawbacks and contradictions posed by the new system also show up in the results. Although an overwhelming majority of parents appear to value choice, 82% also said it was important that their child be able to attend their neighborhood school, an choice that’s not always possible to grant in a system based on maximizing options. Many New Orleans schools have enrollment caps, and most are required to take students from across the parish, limiting the space for neighborhood students. Read more about the survey and its findings in The Times-Picayune here.