Recovery School District

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The Recovery School District is a special state school district administered by the Louisiana Department of Education. Created by legislation passed in 2003, the RSD is designed to take underperforming schools and transform them into successful places for children to learn. Before Hurricane Katrina, five schools in New Orleans were placed in the RSD.

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[edit] History

As a result of legislation passed during a special session of the Louisiana Legislature in November 2005, another 107 low-performing schools in New Orleans were swept into the Recovery School District. The legislation calls for these schools to remain in the RSD for a minimum of five years, after which they can be returned to local control if student performance is raised to an acceptable level.

The post-Katrina public school landscape in New Orleans is a mix of traditional public schools and public charter schools, primarily with relationships to two systems – the Recovery School District and the New Orleans Public School system.

[edit] RSD Schools

At the end of the 2006-2007 school year, there were 58 public schools open in New Orleans – including 39 Recovery School District schools (traditional and charter) and 17 New Orleans Public Schools system schools (traditional and charter). In addition, there were two schools chartered by the BESE, state Board of Elementary and secondary education

The following RSD schools were opened during the 2006-2007 school year were:

  • Albert Wicker Elementary
  • A.P. Tureaud Elementary (Marie Couvent)
  • Benjamin Banneker Elementary School
  • Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School
  • Frederick A. Douglass High School
  • James Johnson Elementary
  • John Dibert Elementary
  • John McDonogh High School
  • Joseph S. Clark High School
  • Joseph Craig Elementary School
  • Laurel Elementary
  • Live Oak Elementary
  • McDonogh #42 Elementary
  • Murray Henderson Elementary
  • Paul Habans Elementary
  • Rabouin High School
  • Reed Elementary
  • Reed High School
  • Rosenwald Elementary
  • Schwartz Alternative School
  • Walter L. Cohen High School
  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology
  • Eisenhower Elementary
  • Fischer Elementary
  • James M. Singleton Charter School (Dryades YMCA)
  • KIPP Believe College Prep a school [[1]]
  • Lafayette Academy
  • Martin Berhman Elementary School
  • McDonogh 15: A KIPP Transformation School [[2]]
  • McDonogh 28 Elementary
  • McDonogh 32 Elementary
  • Medard Nelson UNO Charter School
  • New Orleans Free Elementary
  • O. Perry Walker High School
  • Pierre A. Capdau Charter School
  • Priestly Charter School
  • S.J. Green Charter School
  • Sophie B. Wright Charter School

[edit] Demographics

The Recovery School District served approximately 17,000 students in its traditional public schools and charter schools in the 2006-2007 school year. Total public school population during during the 2006-2008 school was approximately 27,000 students. That compares to about 62,000 students in the more than 120 public schools in New Orleans pre-Katrina.

Demographers estimate that another 6,000-7000 students will enroll in public schools in the city in the upcoming school year.

In August, 2007, the RSD announced[3] that it will open as many as 23 additional schools,including 9 charter schools, for the 2007-2008 school year.

[edit] Leadership

On May 4, 2007, Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek tapped Paul Vallas, then CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, to head the RSD. Vallas agreed to accept the RSD superintendent's position after Dr. Robin Jarvis announced she would leave the RSD at the end of May.

[edit] Recruiting

To staff new RSD-run schools, the district embarked on a national recruiting campaign [4]in July 2007. The campaign included recruiting trips to several cities, a new Web site [5], and television, radio and print advertising. The $400,000 campaign encouraged displaced New Orleans teachers to return to the city to teach and also encouraged certified and highly qualified teachers from around the country to relocate to the city to teach in its public schools.