Recruiting NOLA High School Seniors for Special Black Male Achievement Initiative @ Southern University

NEW ORLEANS - Imagine having the seemingly enviable task of visiting NOLA high schools this Spring to inform low-income, academically at-risk graduating students about an opportunity for Fall 2012 that could provide them with what some might consider a nearly "free ride" through college, including living accommodations on campus. So, what's the catch? A requirement of the program is that the graduate spends a minimum of two years as a public school classroom teacher as the payback for all the resources invested in his education!

That's the task facing former journalist and erstwhile higher education professional Warren Bell in his latest role as the Interim Director of Southern University's Honore Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement, established last year as the brainchild of Southern's president Ronald Mason. The center was named after Lt. General Russel Honore (Retired) who commanded Task Force Katrina after the devastating 2005 hurricane had ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, and who himself has embraced the program goals and objectives. The overall mission is to implement a pilot program that would not only reverse the declining numbers of African American males graduating from college, but also create in them a cohort of black men who will give back to their community by serving as classroom teachers and likewise become role models at their respective schools.

Says Bell, "Our task is to recruit and ultimately select up to 24 low income black male high school graduates from the Class of 2012 with borderline ACT scores and borderline grades for a program that will provide them with substantial financial support and resources including campus housing & meals at the SUNO campus, textbooks, a laptop and other resources needed to ensure that they will successfully complete their undergraduate degree with classroom teaching certification whether they major in education or some other academic discipline. Their commitment to us is a minimum of two years service as a classroom teacher upon completion of their degree program."

Naturally, says Bell, it is hoped the majority of Honore students will embrace education as a career beyond those minimum two years of classroom teaching that is required of them, adding: "We intend to prove the naysayers wrong about the predictable fate of most of these young Black men, so many of whom are ending up incarcerated instead of educated; so we are determined to produce this first crop of future servant leaders who will give back to their communities."

President Ronald Mason assumed leadership over the Southern University System two years ago, after serving as President at Jackson State University. Mason's larger vision is that the Honore program will establish a model that can be duplicated by HBCU's in other states with similar concerns over increasing the numbers of young men entering the pipeline to a successful college education, versus the alarming pipeline-to-prison trends being revealed in study after study.

Bishop Tommie L. Triplett's Kids Academic Excellence Program

We are writing to offer you an exciting opportunity to join us in enriching the lives of youth at United Fellowship Full Gospel Baptist Church that may not otherwise get an opportunity to see our beautiful country.

We sponsor an academic excellence program named "Bishop's Kids". This program rewards youth (ages 8-17) who are a member of United Fellowship FGBC and have maintained high scholastic grades for the school year with an all expense paid trip to select cities within the United States and now other countries. Previous trips have included visits to Washington D.C., Baltimore Maryland, Chicago Illinois, and Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin, to name a few. This year Bishop's Kids will experience a lifetime opportunity of traveling abroad to CANADA!!

Due to the increased number of kids maintaining high scholastic averages and the increased cost of travel we would like to welcome you to become a sponsor and/or golf participant of the 3rd Annual "Bishop's Kids" Golf Tournament to be held Saturday, April 14, 2012. Your sponsorship or golfer participation will help bring to fruition an opportunity that could change the way our youth view life, community and the rewards associated academic excellence.

Some of the sponsorship benefits include:

Please know in advance that your contribution is greatly appreciated and we look forward to whatever support you can offer and we look forward to speaking with you soon. For more information about the "Bishop's Kids" 3rd Annual Golf Tournament or Academic Excellence Program, please contact me at (504) 909-3255 or visit our website at bishopskids.org.

Sincerely,

Trudy Kent, Program Coordinator, Bishop's Kids Academic Excellence Program

CD Preview Now Available @ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejordanbigband

Please join us for the long awaited debut album by New Orleans jazz vocalist Stephanie Jordan. The Stephanie Jordan Big Band will host a CD Release Party at Café Istanbul during French Quarter Fest weekend in the New Orleans Healing Center located at 2372 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans. Louisiana on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 8:00 pm, doors open at 7:30 pm.

The new CD; "Stephanie Jordan Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena Horne" honors the legendary Grammy Award winner who starred in many films and whose one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), was hailed as her masterpiece.

"The program offers Jordan a magnificent platform on which to showcase her exuberant spirit and abundant talent, but also contains an autobiographical component . . ."

"Great lyrics permeate this beautifully rendered homage, and Jordan has the skill sets to do them justice-a voice that projects from a whisper to a scream, impeccable diction, dead-center pitch, fluid phrasing. Backed by a breathe-as-one 8-piece unit of top-shelf New Orleanians that sounds twice its size . . . melding into a personal argot elements garnered from such distinguished mentors as Shirley Horn, Abbey Lincoln, Nancy Wilson-and Lena Horne herself-while sounding like no one other than Stephanie Jordan."

Admission to this exclusive New Orleans Preview Concert/Party is only $20 and includes a free signed copy of the Stephanie Jordan Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena Horne; Yesterday When I Was Young CD with the first 100 tickets purchased.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Ms. Jordan, please contact us via email at Vincent@SylvainSolutions.com.

Washington, DC - The slaying of Trayvon Martin and other innocent teens was foremost on the hearts and minds of nearly 400 Black women from across the country that assembled recently in Washington, DC for the Black Women's Roundtable (BWR) inaugural National Women of Power Summit, three days of down-to-earth discussions "Amplifying the Voices of Women and Girls in 2012 and Beyond."

"It is important for the world to hear the voices of Black women from all walks of life on the Trayvon Martin issue and other issues that impact our community," said Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (The National Coalition) and convener of BWR. "We are mothers, sisters, aunts and wives of Black men being gunned down on the streets. Enough is Enough. Our voice will be heard today and on Election Day."

To help amplify the voices of the physicians, lawyers, homemakers, labor workers and other attendees, the summit was broadcast live on the Internet (view at: http://tinyurl.com/744254g). Also, during a town hall and rally calling for the arrest of Trayvon's killer, a WUSA reporter aptly captured remarks from participants. Emotions were high as several BWR members were just arriving from protests on Trayvon's behalf in Sanford, Florida. Watch the video at (http://tinyurl.com/83ajt6v).

A kick-off prayer breakfast and civic engagement training featured Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, founder and Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia, who clearly articulated the need for women to come together as our sister's keepers.

"African American women have higher rates of disease and health problems than any other women in the nation... We should be concerned that Black women are more likely to be uninsured because we can't afford it... We need the Affordable Care Act," said Rev. Hale. She continued, "We must stand up, speak up, and not shut up until we turn this thing around."

During her opening remarks for the BWR Mentor/Protégé Luncheon and BWR Leadership Awards, Susan L. Taylor, founder and of CEO of National CARES Mentoring Movement told the standing room only crowd, "The village is on fire and we are the healing waters that our children are screaming for. We don't have to do what Sojourner truth did... what Harriet Tubman, Mary McCloud Bethune or even Dorothy Height did. We just have to think critically, have an agenda and stand behind it. Number one is voting rights."

Honored for their innovating and unwavering commitment to mentoring young aspiring leaders and for their exemplary civil rights, voting rights, women's rights and social justice BWR Leadership Award recipients were: Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, National Council of Negro Women; Tamika Mallory, National Action Network; Thomasina Williams, Sankofa Legacy Fund; Tanya Leah Lombard accepting for AT & T; Honorable Barbara L. Ballard, National Black Caucus of State Legislators; Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, Black Women's Health Imperative; Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Skinner Leadership Institute/The Masters Series; Barbara Arnwine, Esq., Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and Chanelle P. Hardy, Esq., National Urban League

Heather Foster, associate director of The White House Office of Public Engagement gave an update on White House activities of importance to Black women followed by public policy panels on Jobs and Economic Opportunity, Workers' Rights, the Affordable Care Act Two Years Later, and technology and broadband expansion and access in urban and rural Black communities,

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson told the group that the EPA should be on their radar because, "the air that we breathe every day has an impact on our health and an even greater impact on the health of our children. The water we drink has an enormous impact on whether a community can be prosperous."

Other BWR summit highlights include an International Diaspora conversation lead by Rev. Marcia Dyson, an international panel with Nicole Lee of TransAfrica, voter protection and mobilization trainings, and daily health walks and exercise sessions. Inspirational speakers included Dee Marshall of Girlfriends Pray, MESHELLE the Indie Mom of Comedy, Command Sgt. Maj. (ret) Michele Jones, director of the External Veterans/Military Affairs and Community Outreach for President Barack Obama's administration, and Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president Bennett College for Women.

Nearly one hundred local teens from D.C. metropolitan area - many from Maryland-based Teen Sircles led by Sharon Cummings - joined the national youth for Community Day festivities held at First Congregational United Church of Christ.

"We had a health fair and mini expo, health panels as well as financial planning and entrepreneur workshops," said Dr. Patricia Hobson, co-chair of BWR local host committee. "There were also several teen entrepreneurs on hand to talk about starting and maintaining their businesses."

Made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and AT&T Foundation, the summit was the culminating event for a national BWR Healthy Wealthy and Wise Tour that traveled the country promoting a healthy, wealthy and wise lifestyle and educating and uplifting underserved women and girls.

Black Women's Roundtable is an intergenerational network of The National Coalition bringing together diverse women to motivate Black women to engage in all levels of civil society. The National Coalition is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement in underserved communities. For more information visit www.ncbcp.org.

To Be Equal #15: Syndicated Weekly Column by National Urban League President & CEO Marc H. Morial

"The landscape of any Tennessee Williams play is the human heart, and I have a cast of people with heart." - Emily Mann, Director of the new Broadway revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with an all-black cast

APRIL 11, 2012 - Like Hollywood, Broadway has historically been reluctant to cast African Americans in mainstream classics, especially those originally created for white thespians. But, unlike "Tinseltown," the "Great White Way" has moved much more forcefully in recent years to open up new avenues for black actors. The latest example is a new all-black revival of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize winning play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," set to open April 22nd at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre. Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski first screamed the immortal line, "Hey Stella" in 1947 when "Streetcar" originally premiered on Broadway. The other leading members of that original cast included Kim Hunter, as Stanley's wife, Stella; Jessica Tandy as Stella's delusional sister, Blanche DuBois; and Karl Malden as Blanche's scorned suitor, Mitch. The story centers around the emotional unravelling of Blanche, a Southern belle hiding a tawdry past, who moves into Stanley and Stella's New Orleans apartment causing all manner of conflict and tragedy.

In this first all-black Broadway revival, Blair Underwood is cast as the brutish Stanley; Daphne Rubin-Vega plays his wife, Stella; Nicole Ari Parker is Blanche; and Wood Harris is cast as Mitch. Five-time Grammy winning jazz trumpeter, Terrence Blanchard has composed original music for the play.

The revival is being co-produced by Stephen Byrd, founder of Front Row Productions and his business partner, Alia Jones. Byrd and Jones are the African American producers who brought the all-black revival of another Tennessee Williams masterpiece, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to Broadway in 2008. That play, which won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play, starred Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones.

From 1890 to 1910, most of the blacks on Broadway were featured in African American minstrel shows, playing to all-white audiences. In the 1920's composers like Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle popularized the black Broadway musical. But it wasn't until the 1935 production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess that African Americans really hit it big on Broadway. The momentum has continued to build.

In the 1970's we saw Broadway plays like Purlie, Raisin, Ain't Misbehaven, and The Wiz. With the 80s came shows like Dreamgirls and a number of plays by the great August Wilson, including Fences and Jitney. And since the 90s productions like Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, The Color Purple, Fela and Sister Act have attracted mainstream audiences.

While these productions have resulted in more work for black actors, Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones are still a rarity as full-time African American Broadway producers. Black superstar entertainers like Alicia Keys (Stick Fly), Will Smith, Jay-Z and Jada Pinkett (Fela), Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act) and Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple) are making inroads as Broadway producers, but there is obviously room for many more.

We want to congratulate Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones and their award-winning director, Emily Mann, for bringing this new all-black revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" to Broadway. We can't wait to see the usually debonair Blair Underwood in a t-shirt screaming, "Hey Stella."

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Report Details Neglect of People with Disabilities

New Orleans (March 20, 2012) - On Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 the Advocacy Center released the results of a three year investigation into conditions at facilities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state, When A House Is Not A Home: An investigation into conditions, care, and treatment in select group homes for people with intellectual disabilities in Louisiana.

Group home residents in the facilities surveyed for this report live in dismal, unsanitary surroundings, they learn very little and have limited exposure to the community, despite a large amount of state and federal resources appropriated for their care. These residents experience problems with receiving appropriate and timely health care, they face poor transportation opportunities, are provided with unhealthy and unappetizing meals and generally lead a life filled with meaningless daytime activities and no chance of employment.

According to Lois Simpson, Advocacy Center Executive Director, "Thirty years ago, when group homes for people with disabilities, were first conceptualized, they were supposed to be family-like, comfortable environments where people with disabilities could live and be a part of the greater community. Instead, many of these homes exist as isolated, poorly maintained, inadequately staffed, and unsafe environments where people merely exist."

According to Ryan Daigle, "I used to live at the Calcasieu Multi-Handicapped Center. I didn't like it there. It was nasty. I hated it."

The facilities highlighted in this report are located in the following cities in Louisiana:

The Advocacy Center's Community Living Ombudsman program regularly visits five hundred group homes and advocates for the residents. This investigation began after ombudsmen identified a clear pattern of neglect in specific group homes that was allowed to continue, despite repeated complaints and citations in facility surveys. These homes were selected because of problems that never seem to "get fixed" for long and are, in our opinion, the worst group homes in the state. It is clear that the state is not providing services in the most integrated setting possible, as required by federal law and that financial incentives keep group home providers from providing meaningful activities or employment opportunities in the community.

Recommendations include:

• Providers of group home services must be held accountable through regular monitoring and sanctioning
• Individuals with disabilities must be given the opportunity for meaningful activities during the day
• Conditions in group homes must improve
• Individuals with intellectual disabilities must be given the opportunity to live where they want to live

The full report is available at http://www.advocacyla.org/tl_files/publications/CLOPReport32012.pdf.

About the Advocacy Center

The Advocacy Center is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities and seniors in Louisiana to achieve maximum potential and independence. The Advocacy Center employs 50 people statewide who assist people to achieve employment, education, housing, and health care goals.

nola DOWNTOWN music and arts festival 2nd Year

Cutting Edge C.E. (formerly the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference) was started in 1993 as a conference dedicated to educating musicians and music professionals about the latest trends in the music industry. Since its inception, it has evolved into entertainment workshops covering legal issues, filmmaking, interactive applications and media business education.

Cutting Edge C.E. brings together established and aspiring entertainment professionals; it is as much about bringing people in the entertainment business together as it is about the business of entertainment . . .

Join the AARP "Soul Steppers" Walking Club

Participants receive a Walking Club Toolkit, T-shirt and Pedometer

Walking can reduce the risk for stroke, improve cholesterol and reduce high blood pressure. Membership for the "Soul Steppers" Walking Club is FREE and open to individuals walking at all levels. Join a friend or family member and begin walking to better health. Some of the benefits of the "Soul Steppers" Walking Club include:

• Feel more energized
• Learn how to track your steps with a free pedometer
• Sign up for a 10-week walking program to log your steps at work, home or in your neighborhood
• Participate in before and after assessments to document your health progress
• Field trips, nature walks and outings
• Special events featuring various health, exercise and nutrition topics
• Learn how to identify the safest routes in your neighborhood
• Meet your neighbors for weekly or daily walks in your neighborhood

To start a walking club in your neighborhood or at church call Linedda McIver, AARP, 504-827-2958, lmciver@aarp.org

Teachers can register, review charter school vacancies and/or post resumes NOW online at www.eastbankcollaborative.com

NEW ORLEANS - Certified teachers are invited to join the New Orleans charter school movement by attending the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools' (ECCS) sixth annual New Orleans Charter Schools Certified Teacher Fair Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Third Floor Ballroom of the Xavier University Student Center, 4980 Dixon St.

"Full and part-time positions are available for certified teachers and those who will be certified by May, 2012," said ECCS President Kathy Riedlinger. Interested teachers are encouraged to register online at www.eastbankcollaborative.com by April 21.

Teacher candidates who pre-register by April 21 will have exclusive access for the first hour of the event, from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., but are required to bring a copy of their Event Brite ticket for early admission. Walk-ins and candidates who register after April 21 are welcome from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Additionally, pre-registrants will have the option to have their resumes posted for all charter school leaders to review on the ECCS website.

"Principals and administrators will conduct on-site interviews at the Teacher Fair and share information about the benefits of working at charter schools," said ECCS Director Dr. Rose Peterson. "Teachers and aspiring teachers should bring multiple copies of their resume, teaching certificate, references and any other relevant information for immediate consideration."

The fair is sponsored by the ECCS with support from the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS), School Leadership Center (SLC) of Greater New Orleans, and the Pro Bono Publico Foundation. Charter schools from across Louisiana are invited to attend. It is anticipated that over 40 schools will be represented.

Regularly updated charter school vacancy listing are available online at www.eastbankcollaborative.com. For additional information, contact Gina Dupart at gdupart@slc-gno.org or (504) 267-7239.

Rodney & Etter, LLC features a roster of capable and energetic attorneys. The team of talented lawyers has litigated a wide variety of cases, while building a successful courtroom record. With over 25 years of combined legal experience, the attorneys of Rodney & Etter, LLC are a practiced and knowledgeable team, ready for the next challenge.

Rodney & Etter, LLC is a diverse law firm that is recognized by its peers as an extremely successful legal powerhouse in the areas of corporate litigation, class action defense and environmental torts. We work with our clients to ensure that juries understand the facts and implications of cases and decisions. Roy Rodney, managing partner, can be reached at rjr@rodneylaw.com.

Gendered Perspectives: Recent Scholarship on Culture and Social Justice, October 19-21, 2012, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

Conference Overview:

Xavier University of Louisiana's Women's Studies Program introduces students to a comprehensive body of knowledge that critically analyzes the gendering process from a multidisciplinary perspective. Faculty members of the program come from many disciplines. Since 2008, the program offers a minor and hosts experiences that focus on feminist perspectives and engagements for the student body, campus and community-at-large.

The Program will host its first three-day conference. The first two days offer opportunities for scholarly presentations on all aspects of Women's and Gender studies. Proposals are being sought that illuminate gender via themes drawn from the arts, humanities, languages, and the social and health sciences. Scholars, students, public intellectuals, artists, activists, professionals, and advocates are invited to submit proposals on any topic of relevance to the discipline.

The third day of the conference, Sunday, October 21, 2012 will be dedicated to scholarship on Black women in New Orleans and Louisiana in general. There is a serious lack of research on Black women's lives in this region and this conference seeks to bring together researchers and scholars in a dynamic exchange of ideas. We seek papers and panels dealing with the social sciences, humanities, art, health and medical issues, reflecting past, present, and/or future of all aspects of Black women's lives, including but not limited to: cultural, creative, transformative, historical, sociological, psychological, religious, etc.

The conference will consist of plenary sessions, panel and paper breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, creative performances, exhibitions, tables for information exchange, and meet-the-author opportunities.

Deadline for Submissions - June 1, 2012

Deadline for Submissions - June 1, 2012

• Submit Proposals for the General Conference (days 1 and 2) to Kimberly J. Chandler, Ph.D. (kchandle@xula.edu)
• Submit Proposals for the theme on the scholarship of Black women (day 3) to Kim Vaz, Ph.D. (xulasobw@gmail.com)

A project of New America Media (NAM) and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, NOLA Beez culls daily and weekly articles and videos from New Orleans' ethnic media, translates them to English when necessary, and posts them online, creating and opening up new lines of communication among and between ethnic and immigrant

New America Media, News Report, Khalil Abdullah, Posted: Mar 26, 2012

NEW AMERICA MEDIA - A series of first-ever forums brought front line education reformers and community media representatives together in Atlanta, Memphis, Miami and New Orleans. The consensus was clear: improving schools is a civil rights issue but will become a movement only when parents are fully involved -- and a movement in which media must play a more compelling role.

"It's a right for the children to have an education," said Elise Evans, co-chair of Southern Avenue Middle Charter School in Memphis. "It's a civil right." Her demand was seconded by Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Haitian Women of Miami, Inc., who questioned how parents could be adequately informed unless community media are fully engaged in covering education reform issues.

New America Media, a national consortium of ethnic news organizations, convened the forums to foster a better communication exchange between education reformers and news organizations serving communities most impacted by low-performing school systems. The results of the recently released NAM poll, which surveyed 1400 parents of K-12 students in eight southeastern states about the quality of their children's education, served as the impetus to spark the symposium in each city.

Conducted in seven languages, the poll found parents overwhelmingly satisfied with the quality of their children's education and with high aspirations that their children would not only attend college but pursue advanced degrees. However, the data show that six of the eight states surveyed are in the bottom half of math scores when compared to other states within the United States; seven are in the bottom half in reading. Yet, parents showed no sense of urgency or outrage. "How is it possible," asked pollster Sergio Bendixen, "that parents seem to think the quality of their children's education is okay?"

Though the poll did not include questions about where U.S. students ranked internationally, Bendixen's presentation underscored the decline of America's educational competitiveness by showing data that placed the U.S. students 18th in math, just behind Estonia, and, at 17th, trailing Poland in reading. Chinese students now hold the top spot in both categories. The U.S. rankings were markedly lower from only a few decades ago when the country ranked either number one or two respectively.

"The signals are starting to turn in the right direction in terms of how important the quality of education is,' said Kent McGuire, president of the Southern Education Foundation. "We're starting to appreciate that the competition is global in nature."

Atlanta Forum Focuses on Undocumented Students

McGuire, who served as the lead-off panelist in Atlanta, the venue for the first symposium, urged parents to demand accountability and to "ask for the evidence" of whether the school system or purported reforms are working, particularly because of the demographics in the Southeast. "Kids of color are the ones we do the least well with," he said, noting that their numbers will continue to grow.

Angelo Hurtado said the media could assist in dispelling stereotypes ethnic students often embrace about their inability to succeed. However, Hurtado, co-founder and vice president of H.O.P.E. (Hispanic Students Promoting Education, Inc.), said the most pressing issue for many of her peers was the looming passage of a state bill in the Georgia House that will mirror the Senate's SB 458. The legislation would effectively bar undocumented students from receiving an education at Georgia's public colleges and universities.

"Not only undocumented students are being affected by this, but documented students as well," Hurtado said, explaining that, collectively, these students form one community. Other speakers in Atlanta also decried the legislation as short-sighted and contrary to the goals of education to yield productive members of society. Many in attendance agreed that the media should devote greater attention to the legislation and expand their coverage of education in Georgia.

William Teasley, Director of Evaluation and Research at Atlanta Education Fund, challenged ethnic media in particular to become advocates of education reform, in part because it "reaches audiences our traditional media and our traditional organizations have trouble reaching."

New Orleans and Ethnic Media

Though reaching audiences remains an essential priority for all media, the resilience of ethnic media in New Orleans during and since Katrina in 2005 serves as a testament to the art of the possible. Yet, covering education reform there may prove as critical a role for a city experiencing profound changes in the redesign of its school system.

Panelist Neerav Kingsland, Chief Strategy Officer at New Schools for New Orleans, explained that 80 percent of the city's students are now attending charter schools and student test scores, while not a comprehensive measure of success, are trending upward. In terms of academic achievement and preparation for careers, "10 to 20 percent of the open enrollment schools in the state are where we want them to be," Kingsland said, but he was confident that within five years New Orleans schools would soon surpass the state's in terms of performance.

Kingsland said it is useful to remember how far the school system has come, citing the travails of a New Orleans high school senior and valedictorian about ten years ago who had repeatedly failed the then-required 10th grade level math exit exam. "Those stories are increasingly few and far between," he said.

Dr. Andre Perry, Associate Director for Education Initiatives, Loyola University, expressed concern about using test scores as a true measure of a school's success. In his opinion, New Orleans schools have achieved only modest gains.

He was particularly adamant about the need for media to take the time to understand what data means in the context of quality of life issues. "If you increase test scores, what does it mean when you can't get a job," citing lack of access to transportation or other resources that often weigh heavily on a graduating student's success.

"Wealth is a causal factor of educational achievement," Perry argued, not just a correlation, explaining that parents of poor children can less afford books and other resources that could prepare and assist their children at an early age. In addition, he noted that the analysis behind education reform is often miscast as a black-white paradigm and that a media focused on closing the achievement gap will miss the real story, the goal of attaining excellence but one attuned to the cultures of communities. He asked how is it possible to read an article about "success in schools" in a local newspaper and "three kids murdered" in the same edition?

Success Stories in Memphis

At the Memphis forum, attendee Marcus Matthews, University of Memphis Coordinator of "Teen Appeal," a newspaper written by and distributed to the city's high school students, concurred that media's role in helping parents understand data and context is crucial. As an example, he noted that some parents may not know that the ACT exam, a test that measures college readiness, is not scored on a scale of one to a hundred. He recalled a student who scored a 26 on the ACT but, when Matthews asked him about attending college, said, "I haven't applied." Matthews said it was plausible "that the parents may be thinking, '26 out of a 100, that's an F.'" On the ACT scale of 36, a score of 22 in math and 21 in reading indicate college readiness.

Matthews said the media can help assist in finding and documenting the lives of young adults who have the academic capacity to pursue higher education but who never did: "We don't know where they are; we don't know what they're doing," but media also should tell their audiences about the individual success stories of Memphis city school graduates.

Similarly, Paris Byrd, a high school student in Memphis said it is important that media seek out the opinions of students who are "experts on their own education; that's not being paid attention to."

The City of Memphis is slated to merge its public school system with the county's public schools. More than a few panelists and attendees said the media will play an even more vital role in explaining the issues at stake to parents given the scale and complexities of the impending union, especially for immigrant parents who may be unfamiliar with the American public education system, much less the key elements of education reform.

Mark Sturgis, Memphis Director, Stand for Children, said, "Media has a moral responsibility around this issue to advocate for a system to provide equity and equality for all children, and, if the media is not doing that, it's a problem."

College, Job Readiness at Issue in Miami

At Miami Dade College, which also served as the host for the concluding symposium, Lenore Rodicio, Executive Director of MDC3 Student Success and Completion Initiatives, captured part of the disconnect between the expectations of parents in the NAM poll and their children's capacity to perform academically upon graduating high school.

She said more than 70 percent of students coming to Miami Dade for their first year of study are "testing as deficient in one or more academic areas and the greatest number of them is in mathematics." However, she said the recognition of the need for reform has brought elected officials together with business and community leaders to find ways to address education in ways that will enable graduates to be better prepared for the jobs available.

Several panelists, however, stressed that collaboration alone, though useful, will be insufficient in addressing the myriad number of issues that impact education. For panelist Lucie Tondreau, a parent who represented the Haitian community, the failure to pass the DREAM Act results in the inability of many teens from her community to have the legal means to pursue higher education. "Those minds are being wasted," she said.

The Miami dialogue highlighted several issues on display at the other symposia, including the need for more adequate and better directed funding for education as well as the call for media to hold education administrators more accountable to the public. McNelly Torres, Co-Founder & Associate Director of Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, agreed with those objectives but said that media's unique role in explaining the need for education reform could only be achieved by media accurately reporting on what's going on in the schools, talking to students and to parents as well. "You need," she said, addressing media members directly, "to be out there on the battlefield."

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