BRIEFS

GENERAL

Louisiana and Mississippi get poor teacher ratings

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A national nonprofit advocacy group has given Mississippi a D-plus and Louisiana a C-minus in recruiting and retaining quality teachers and getting rid of those who are ineffective in the classroom.
The National Council on Teacher Quality recently released its 2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. The report finds that laws and regulations in most states discourage promising new teachers from staying in the classroom while doing little to rid schools of inadequate teachers.
The report gives Louisiana a D-plus in identifying effective new teachers, a C in retaining effective new teachers and a C-minus in getting rid of ineffective new teachers.
Mississippi fared even worse, getting a D-plus in identifying effective new teachers, a D in retaining effective new teachers and a D-plus in getting rid of ineffective new teachers.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.


MANSFIELD


DeSoto superintendent gets contract extension


MANSFIELD, La. (AP) — The DeSoto Parish School Board has granted Superintendent Walter Lee another contract extension.
Lee, who is starting his 30th year as leader of the parish public school system, says he's not ready to retire.
On Thursday, Lee received unanimous approval of his request to extend his contract that was set to expire Dec. 31. The extension will keep the 74-year-old at the helm of the district through June 30, 2011.
Lee also represents District 4 on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The district includes Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Webster and Winn parishes.
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Information from: The Times, http://www.shreveporttimes.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Date: 2/4/2009 5:56 AM
BC-LA--School Takeovers/134
Eds: APNewsNow.
10 apply to take over La. schools
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Ten organizations are vying to run charter schools in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, at the public schools recently approved for state takeover.
The state will take control of eight schools in Baton Rouge and two in Shreveport in July because of their poor performance.
Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek wants to turn them into independently run charter schools. The state education department says 10 groups have applied for the chance to operate the various schools.
Local and national education experts will review the applications. Then, the education department will review those recommendations and submit them to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in March for a final decision.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.


NEW ORLEANS

High school students flock to Tulane


NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The effects of Hurricane Katrina — which sent Tulane students scurrying for safety, flooded more than 70 percent of the campus and caused more than $650 million in damages — have not dampened interest in the elite university.
The school says that nearly 40,000 high school seniors have applied to be part of the university's 1,400-member fall 2009 freshman class. That shatters last year's record-breaking number of 34,125 applicants,
The school says that based on the latest figures, Tulane's applications have now more than doubled since Hurricane Katrina.
Tulane President Scott Cowen credits the increased interest to several factors, including a plan enacted after Katrina that made public service a requirement of graduation. Tulane is the only major research university in the country that has public service as part of its core curriculum.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.


ALEXANDRIA

Rapides school board recommends African American studies classes

ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A committee of the Rapides Parish School Board has recommended that an African-American Studies course be offered as an elective in parish schools.
The full board votes on the issue in two weeks and committee chairman Wilton Barrios Jr. predicted Tuesday that it will pass.
The motion, by board member Janet Dixon, stems from a Louisiana law that calls for all public high schools to offer instruction in black history and historical contributions by all nationalities.
Only two high schools in Rapides — Peabody Magnet High and Alexandria High School — currently offer an African-American studies course, Dixon said.
Dixon said the courses could be offered in other schools quickly and cost effectively through video conferencing. For instance, courses being offered at Peabody could also be offered via video in other high schools.
Dixon said the district's schools are equipped with the technology to offer video conferencing, which, she said, "will afford students at other high schools an opportunity to take that class if they so choose and it will save the board money because we won't have to hire another teacher."