Community adds to education discussion

Teachers, parents and community members added their input on the challenges facing their schools and what can be done to fix it Tuesday.

The Louisiana Association of Educators hosted an Every Student Succeeds Act feedback session Tuesday evening at the Main Branch of the Ouachita Parish Library. LAE is hosting sessions around the state to ensure the feedback of community members, parents and teachers is taken into consideration in the state's implementation of the law.

Ouachita Parish Association of Educators President Leslie Birdon said ESSA is a bottom to top approach that lets communities speak for and ensure the success of every child. An opportunity dashboard will allow for customization at the school level. She said parents will have the opportunity to audit test questions and give input.

Karran Harper Royal heads the Louisiana Alliance to Reclaim our schools. She cited a Tulane study that said 26,000 New Orleans students have been left behind by the push for more charter schools. She said there needs to be an alternative to charters in communities with troubled schools and advocated for community schools.

Community schools, she said, leverage public school facilities to become hubs of educational, recreational, cultural, health and civic partnerships that optimize learning conditions and help revitalize the community. She also listed some ways to help fund the schools.

Shane Riddle, the legislative and political director for LAE, said this is an opportunity to change the state's accountability system and make the process more transparent for parents.

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