My last two posts about the alleged miracle in New Orleans referred to a good news story that appeared–at least online, if not in print–in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The story included a photograph of Senator Mary Landrieu standing with a group of students from the New Orleans College Prep Charter School.
Something about that school rang a bell. I remembered that the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a complaint against the Louisiana Department of Education because of the high suspension rates of children with special needs. One of the schools that was singled out for mention was the New Orleans College Prep Charter School, which had managed to eliminate 52% of its students with special needs.http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/10/06/new-orleans-accused-of-failing-disabled-students.html
Public schools can’t do that. It violates federal law to push out children with disabilities. Senator Landrieu, please call a hearing to find out why so many children with special needs are being excluded by the charter schools in New Orleans.
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Hello Ms. Ravitch,
I just recently subscribed to your blog and am enjoying every word. Thank you for being a voice for public education! As a veteran special education teacher with twenty-six years experience, I find myself demoralized every time I open a newspaper or watch the news. I love my job and the families I serve. I am inching toward retirement age and I know it is wrong to wish my life away, but I can’t help myself.
I registered with New York State and checked my class rosters to ensure that “my” data will be accurate. I felt like a criminal. I sat with my special education students for hours on end as they struggled to make sense of the NYS assessments. Those who took the New York State Alternate Assessments earlier in the year were given busy work or kept home, so they were denied the instructional time they deserve. It might be worth it if I could glean some actionable information from these assessments, but the results will be useless. I need to measure my students’ progress in inches, not miles. And in the end, no one can tell me how my evaluation will be affected by the results. I have a stack of positive year-end evaluations and observations from the principals that I have worked for, but they don’t seem to be worth much now.
Do you have any idea how this will be resolved? The “building the plane in the air” metaphor is getting old. After two and a half decades of conscientious service, I think I deserve some answers from Albany. Thanks for the chance to vent.
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