9486 in the collection
Millions to be given to N.O. schools: Money to be used to train, hire staff
Ohanian Comment: You can predict two of the three foundations funding the New Orleans transformation without reading the article. Yes, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation are pumping money into New Leaders for New Schools and Teach for America. Visit the website of the third foundation, and you read, The Doris and Donald Fisher Fund promotes charter school education through policy-making. They are acknowledged as "KIPP’s largest long-term donor." (NY Times, 3/21/07)
From all accounts, the New Orleans schools were in desperate straits before Katrina. But the disaster left perfect opportunity to get rid of teachers and start over with Teach for America, et al.
The interrelations in these foundations is incestuous: For example, the board of directors for New Leaders for New Schools includes senior officers of the Gates and Broad foundations. Don Fisher is on the board of Teach for America. And so on.
And then there's Paul Vallas. Look at Chicago, the model for so many of the bad things that have happened nationwide in education.
It's too bad somebody in New Orleans didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
By Darran Simon
Three national philanthropic organizations will announce a $17.5 million investment today to bolster public education in New Orleans, the largest private donations yet aimed at improving the city's post-Katrina public school system.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Doris and Donald Fisher Fund and the Broad Foundation will give several grants over three years to three local nonprofits: New Schools for New Orleans, New Leaders for New Schools and Teach for America-Greater New Orleans.
A press conference announcing the grants is scheduled for 11 a.m. at New Orleans Charter Middle School, 401 Nashville Ave.
New Leaders for New Schools will get $1 million to train, develop and support 40 principals over the next three years. New Schools for New Orleans will receive $10 million, mostly to support and strengthen charter schools, as well as to train and develop new charter school leaders. Some of the money donated to New Schools for New Orleans will also go toward financing New Leaders for New Schools and help a group called teach NOLA, an alternative certification program, recruit teachers to the city. Teach for America will get $6.5 million to recruit and train new teachers from clusters of recent college graduates and young professionals nationwide.
"Now we can reach even more schoolchildren in New Orleans through our corps members and create a leadership pipeline that will renew the city for decades to come," said Kira Orange Jones, executive director of Teach for America-Greater New Orleans.
Joint effort
The investment marks the first time the Broad Foundation, which is based in Los Angeles; the Gates Foundation, which is based in Seattle; and the Fisher Fund of San Francisco have collaborated on public education, according to the Broad Foundation. The foundations' efforts have overlapped in other cities.
Local nonprofit leaders said the total investment marks a significant milestone in recognition of the efforts to revamp one of the nation's lowest-performing public education systems. It's also the first time some of the national donors have given to some of the local nonprofits, they said.
New Schools for New Orleans Chief Executive Officer Matt Candler called the investment evidence of "a hope that is possible here, child by child, school by school, to close the achievement gap in New Orleans."
Candler said the donations will enable New Schools to continue offering grants of $25,000 to $50,000 to help new charter schools hire business managers months before opening.
The investment is the second hefty donation from the Gates Foundation and the Fisher Fund. In February, the two foundations gave more than $3 million to New Leaders for New Schools, a national nonprofit founded by New Orleans resident Jon Schnur, who was an education adviser to President Clinton. New Leaders will get another batch of money following the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's approval of a $1 million infusion last week.
"By attracting, developing and supporting high-quality educators, we will build a model that proves to the rest of the nation what's possible for kids," said Tyra Newell, executive director of the New Orleans program for New Leaders for New Schools.
Charter schools proliferate
Since the 2005 flood and a state takeover of failing schools, the charter school movement has exploded in New Orleans. More than 50 percent of the city's children attend 40 charter schools -- half of the public schools open in New Orleans. As many as nine more charter schools could open in fall 2008.
The Broad Foundation and Fisher Fund have heavily supported the nation's charter school movement, including schools operated by KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program. The Gates Foundation has invested in charter schools, though most of its investment is aimed at traditional public schools, said Jim Shelton, a program manager.
Philanthropist Eli Broad said he's been interested in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Broad said he has supported Teach for America and New Leaders for New Schools and worked with Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas in Chicago and Philadelphia.
Broad said he has confidence in Vallas' ability to turn around struggling schools.
"This is a way to have a new beginning," Broad said of New Orleans, adding that the foundation is also interested in investing in Washington, D.C., schools.
"We like to get involved in situations where we think there are change agents that are really willing to make changes in public education. If we can do it places like New Orleans, Washington, New York, Chicago and elsewhere . . . you can show what can happen, how you can improve and change public education in urban America."
Here is the breakdown of the grants:
-- The Fisher Fund will give $2.5 million to Teach for America and $2.5 million to New Schools for New Orleans.
-- The Gates Foundation will give $5.5 million to New Schools for New Orleans and $1 million to Teach for America.
-- The Broad Foundation will give $3 million to Teach for America, $2 million to New Schools for New Orleans and $1 million to New Leaders for New Schools.
— Darran Simon
Times-Picayune
2007-12-13
http://www.nola.com/education/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1197534276159340.xml&coll=1
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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