Media Ignores New Orleans Success Because It’s Good News on Charters
This article is part of a series commemorating the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the restoration of New Orleans’ schools. Please read our comprehensive coverage and essays on the topic. Additionally, we encourage you to watch our three-part documentary series that explores the past, present, and future of education in New Orleans.
Imagine if compelling evidence emerged from an indisputable source, demonstrating that one city in the United States had achieved remarkable success in improving the education of underprivileged and minority students. Such an achievement has evaded most other cities in the country. This would surely be major national news, right? At the very least, it should warrant a blurb or a tweet. Surprisingly, this was not the case when Tulane University’s Education Research Alliance for New Orleans released an astounding report detailing the unprecedented advancements made by students in the newly established school district following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Not a single report was published in prominent national publications such as The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or USA Today. The networks also remained silent. The only coverage came from the local New Orleans Times Picayune and a blogger from the trade publication Education Week. A few days later, The Seventy Four addressed the report’s critics in a comprehensive piece to debunk their arguments.
This lack of coverage may be attributed to the fact that it was a slow news day in August, with many reporters on vacation. Those who were present likely attended the TNTP press conference in Washington, D.C. the following day, which focused on a report criticizing teacher professional development. However, education reporter Greg Toppo from USA Today suggests that news organizations may be saving their coverage for the week of the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which begins on August 29th.
Douglas Harris, the author of the report, agrees with this reasoning and believes that media organizations are still figuring out how to approach their coverage of Hurricane Katrina’s tenth anniversary. However, there may be more to this silence than meets the eye. It appears that charter schools have become a contentious issue in education and journalists avoid reporting on it by treating it delicately. If the gains made in New Orleans had been achieved without the use of charter schools, it is likely that the report would have received significant media attention.
This radio silence is not limited to the press; education associations representing principals, teachers, and superintendents have also remained silent. These associations, committed to finding the best strategies for student success, have made no comment on the report. Again, the issue of charter schools comes into play.
Let’s put this into perspective: It has been over thirty years since the release of "A Nation at Risk," a report that highlighted the shortcomings of our education system, particularly when it comes to urban minority students. Since then, numerous disheartening headlines have reminded us of our failure to address this issue. Now, we have the New Orleans experiment, which has been definitively declared a success, and yet there is no mention of it in the media. Are there no lessons to be learned from New Orleans that could be applied to education reform efforts in cities like New York, Washington, and Los Angeles?
It makes no sense to ignore a major study like this, especially one that addresses every objection raised by critics of the reforms in New Orleans. Even if journalists are planning future coverage, it doesn’t mean they should disregard daily stories. If there was a major collapse of an Arctic ice shelf, would a previously scheduled article on global warming in two weeks’ time prevent journalists from reporting on it immediately?
The comprehensive overhaul of New Orleans’ education system may be the largest-ever attempt in our nation’s history to help low-income and minority students. Did it yield any positive results? Surely, this should be worth mentioning.
Now let’s evaluate each publication individually (the networks are not known for covering stories like this unless there is compelling video footage):
The absence of USA Today’s coverage is understandable. Due to resource constraints, the newspaper lacks the capacity for continuous coverage, which is unfortunate.
The Washington Post’s education editor, Josh White, declined to comment on their coverage decisions. However, it is likely that the Post, which produces quality national education reporting, will eventually return to New Orleans.
The Wall Street Journal’s education editor did not respond to my query via email. However, it is evident to any WSJ reader that if an education story does not involve New York schools, elite private schools, or top colleges, it is unlikely to be given much attention.
I received no response from the education reporters or editors at Times, but I wasn’t surprised by the lack of coverage. The New Orleans story doesn’t fit into their typical narrative of covering charter schools, which is to depict them as funded by hedge funders and no better than neighborhood schools. This aligns with the union’s perspective.
To be transparent, I have generally appreciated the Times’ various biases in their coverage over the years. I particularly enjoyed their criticism of SUVs in the past. I only wish that message had a lasting impact. I have also admired their reporting on gay rights, which has been consistent.
Charter schools are the first bias that I have come across where I find myself on the opposite side. It feels strange.
The most recent example of bias was the strangest one yet. In a recent front-page story about New York’s Success Academies, the reporter implied that the impressive student achievement results were a result of test preparation so harsh that it caused some children to urinate in their pants.
The underlying message was that schools cannot overcome the effects of poverty, even to a small extent. This once again aligns with the union’s perspective.
The problem is, any experienced education writer who has observed the comprehensive curriculum in Success Academy classrooms knows that there is much more happening than just rigorous test preparation. After reading the piece in the Times, I wondered if UFT President Michael Mulgrew had been a guest editor.
The Times is not the only publication where coverage becomes questionable when it comes to charter schools. This is somewhat understandable. Reporters from states like Ohio, Florida, and Arizona might assume that charters and scandals go hand in hand. It’s likely that this perception also exists in New Orleans.
Based on the coverage of New Orleans’ school reform so far, it seems that most reporters view charters as inherently controversial, which is strongly encouraged by the unions. This can be seen on Twitter under the hashtag #nolaedwarning. Reporters come to town, visit a couple of schools, and then quote two prominent supporters and two prominent critics based on a pre-visit Google search. They consider it done.
"They never bother to explore the gray areas," said Peter Cook, a former New Orleans teacher whose blog is the go-to place for press analysis, especially when outsiders write about the city.
If you make a major mistake while covering New Orleans, as NPR did recently, you will face public criticism from Cook. He is also not a fan of doctrinaire progressive criticism of charters, as Salon has recently done. Another instance of public criticism.
Cook has a valid point. There is plenty of complexity to report on in New Orleans. The reforms may have led to the most significant improvement in academic performance by minority students ever witnessed, but that doesn’t mean that all the news is positive. Proficiency rates are low, and African American parents are not as supportive of the reforms as white parents.
Questioning whether the progress is sustainable is a crucial question, as is considering whether the lessons from New Orleans can be applied to other cities without a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina.
The latter question is something I can relate to. A few years ago, when I was researching high-performing charter schools for a book, I decided against visiting New Orleans for that exact reason.
In hindsight, I was mistaken, as this report clearly shows. Something extraordinary has occurred. New Orleans has actually achieved it.
The irony is that the focus should be on how the schools are managed, rather than the fact that most of them are charters. However, the fixation on charters prevents most reporters from delving deeper into this aspect.
Certainly, there are flaws that can be highlighted in the New Orleans story, but first, you must acknowledge the obvious headline: These people have truly accomplished something!
Unfortunately, this was overlooked last week.
(Photo by Getty Images)
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