what is your take on Louisiana's schools and education? (Baton Rouge: houses, magnet schools)

[stacieberry]

So what do yall think of the Louisiana schools? I know that in different parishes and town\cities they might differ but in general? Me personally I think they lack especially in the special education department! In my experience with my son.

[Rainbow Island]

Well I kept thinking someone would reply to this but no one has.

Out of the 5 or so schools in my local area, I would give 2 the thumbs up. The others really don't seem to be up to par. I want go into any details on my opinion so don't ask.

[SBCmetroguy]

Louisiana schools, in general, are pretty bad. But in some areas they're much better than others. I know Bossier Parish Schools are always among the top in the state, and many of them win national blue ribbon awards each year. I believe some schools in suburban Baton Rouge, as well as some in Lafayette, also fall into this category.

[WestbankNOLA]

The only schools that I can talk about are the ones in my area and for the most part they are deplorable. The NOPS district has been almost completely privatized and is beginning to improve. You have schools like Warren Easton that are ok and then you have Ben Franklin which is a blue ribbon school. The state run RSD is horrible and I was told by some teachers that many of the students are undesirables, troubled, and special needs kids that the Orleans Parish District schools rejected. The NOPS charters seem to be the best thing to happen to the district and they seem to me making strides but the application process allows discrimination. As for the true private schools in the city, some are good others and the rest are just a name. Schools in Jefferson Parish are better, although some not by much. They say the St. Tammany schools are excellent but from my understanding, excellent by Louisiana standards is probably just average or good when compared national standards.

[Daisy8]

I think the schools are pretty awful, and I am a teacher who taught in the "top ranking" system in Louisiana for 10 years. That is nothing to brag about, if you ask me.

I think much of the problem is the "good ol' boy system" that carries over to the schools. I saw a lot of people get jobs that they were not best qualified for just because of who they knew or who their parents were. Many teachers, like myself, who have high credentials and a great record leave because we are tired of dealing with the politics.

Add to that the tenure system (making it seemingly impossible to fire bad teachers), administrators bowing to threats of parents and children (fearing lawsuits), and a lack of respect for education in general....and you've got a mess on your hands.

I left the school system when my older son started school. We both went into the private school system where I am very pleased. My younger son is learning disabled. There is really nothing for him here once he hits school age. (I've been staying at home since he was born working with him and using Early Steps.) That is the reason we are moving out of state. He turns 3 this summer. We sold our house just in time.

That being said, I got a great education in Bossier Parish. I don't know if the politics are the same as where I taught, but it never seemed that way to me as a student.

[ceejamon]

In Caddo Parish, terrible. I made it through 12 years of school in Caddo Parish without being diagnosed as dyslexic. I didn't discover it until college. My teachers basically gave up on me and just passed me along. Thankfully, I was bright and eventually taught myself to read and then I played catch-up for several years and was "on level" by high school. The magnet schools get all the smart kids and the rest are shuffled along to graduation. There's some discussion of Caddo Parish schools in the Adjusting to Shreveport thread.

[stacieberry]

I do not know how but I am getting my son out of the school he is in. I want him out before the next school year!

[Rainbow Island]

Originally Posted by stacieberry

I do not know how but I am getting my son out of the school he is in. I want him out before the next school year!

You probably gotta move to achieve that. I don't know. My sister-in-law got her son in the Shongaloo school somehow.

[stacieberry]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Island

You probably gotta move to achieve that. I don't know. My sister-in-law got her son in the Shongaloo school somehow.

That is my plan to move! I wanna look for houses but it is hard to do when you do not have time to look.

[becoming]

We love love love Shongaloo School. I was a third-generation Shongaloo student, and my son is now in first grade there. Safest, most friendly school ever, with an awesome principal, teachers who really care, and a family atmosphere. Love it and highly recommend it to anyone, although we do want to keep it small.