New Orleans
More than 4,500 charter school professionals are expected to attend the sector’s largest annual gathering this week in New Orleans.
This city and time of year hold significant meaning for charter school advocates—this August marks not only 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, but also the launching of a series of education policies that have resulted in the chartering of nearly all the city’s schools.
“We are going down to New Orleans this year to learn from the progress the city has made in the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina,” said Nina Rees, the president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, in a statement. “Coincidently, this year, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the National Alliance, and we couldn’t think of a better place to host our conference than New Orleans—a great example of a strong public charter school system.”
In addition to over 100 sessions on policy and practice, former U.S Sen. Mary Landrieu, managing partner at NewSchools Venture Fund Deborah McGriff, and senior adviser to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers Nelson Smith will be inducted into the Charter School Hall of Fame.
And, last but not least, the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools will be announced later today.
I’m here in New Orleans covering the conference for Education Week both on the Charters & Choice blog and on twitter @ChartersNChoice.
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