Powerpoint - A powerpoint that team 5 presented to the class pointing out some concerns and answering some questions

Information - Information that Team 5 collected that helped create the proposal

Proposal - Team Five's solution to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans

Contact - E-mail for all the group members as well as links to each member's website

Credits - Thank you to members of the class and those who helped with this assignment.

These were the issues that our group found most important

1) Political climate – Ending Corruption
2) Education – Public Vs. Charter schools, Curricula
3) Preservation of culture and history

1) Political climate

The lackluster response of New Orleans's political leaders to survey the damage shows the prevalent apathy about the city's future. Pre-election data stated that Republicans are likely to take control in the state in the coming election, since much of the black Democratic bloc has moved away and Democratic terms in office are ending. Voters are mostly disinterested and too busy with rebuilding process to vote. The change in demographics (from black to white) was expected to impede black-friendly candidates' election.

"People are more concerned about real-life issues as opposed to politics, particularly black voters," veteran political consultant Ron Nabonne said. "Their homes, their kids' education, health care, the high cost of living in this town: rent, utilities, gas, insurance. Politics and elections are a low priority in most people's minds."

This is not the time to shrug off civic responsibility. Our team believes that if the city of New Orleans is to become vital once again, there should be a specific timeline for reconstruction and a sense of organization founded by a strong leader. Also, education should be promoted so that the law and all its representatives are respected, not feared.

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2) Education

The best way to revitalize any city is to ensure that all citizens have access to a solid education.  Even prior to Hurricane Katrina, the school system in New Orleans was in need of repair.  Twenty-eight percent of adults in New Orleans were illiterate, which was mostly caused by poverty, limited access to a quality education, or illiteracy in the home.  There has been a continuing trend of failure of standardized testing among a vast majority of students in Orleans parish.  Great attention must be paid to raising an educated populus if New Orleans is to survive and thrive in the wake of this disaster.  Here follows a timeline of the long, complicated process of bringing back students back to schools after the hurricane hit.

This timeline makes many references to charter schools, which are independent public schools specifically focused on meeting high academic standards.  While this is a noble cause, all schools, whether private, chartered, or public, should offer the best education to all students, regardless of race or class.  As of this school year, schools have been fighting to maintain a good attendance rate.  As one can see, this has been a difficult feat in the lower-income areas.

What curricula are needed in New Orleans to ensure a stable society for years to come? 

• Basic math, science, language arts, history, and world language will give a solid grounding from which students can continue to grow upward. 
• An introduction to art, music, and physical education will act as an outlet of creative and bodily energy for these people living with so much pent-up aggression and stress caused by the hurricane. 
• Possibly most importantly for the New Orleans area, knowledge of the dangers of living in New Orleans should be enforced.  This includes hurricane and flood preparedness, conservation and environmentally-sound living, local cultural and political history, and diversity acceptance. 

If children are made aware of all there is to learn, a renaissance of intellectualism ultimately will take place, drawing more colleges, employers, and industries to the area, causing a rebirth of a city that was thought to be dead.  Also, with understanding of all issues directly associated with the region, the people of New Orleans will be better equipped to handle any future disasters and how to interact with each other and the world to rebuild their city in a more efficient manner.

There is already an initiative to bring quality teachers to the region, called Teach NOLA:  Rebuilding our city by teaching our children.  Teachers must have at least a Bachelor’s degree and standard certification.  Our team suggests that this mandate be increased to a Master’s degree.  If teachers do not yet have this level of education, any additional school will be subsidized by the school district in order to ensure the best possible teachers.  From reading excerpts of interviews with current teachers on the Teach NOLA website, one can see that those who teach in the area will have a lot to handle, and the more training they have, the better.

What has been the most noticeable change in terms of student behavior and performance since the hurricane?

“I have noticed a significant change in the ability to focus on something for long periods of time.  Homework has been a real issue, a lot of students don’t have the space or light to complete it.  Kids get irritated quicker than usual, and for middle school that is pretty quick.”

“I have noticed students have behavior problems and have not mastered some of the skills required at their grade level.”

“Students are more on edge, easily set off.  They also seem more aware of things to worry about, not as carefree.”

Do you have anything else that you would like to share about your current teaching experience?

“Without the experience of teaching in N.O. post Katrina, I would have lost my mind.  It was the only way I wanted to come back to the city and I thank everyone who helped make it possible.”

“It is important to make learning fun, because our students need school to be a safe, happy learning environment.”

“It was hard- but I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.”

“N.O. is a TRUE educational frontier.”

“The more you put into it, the more you get.”

“Though it has been challenging in many ways, I feel that myself and my co-workers have made life better for some of New Orleans’ inner city youth.  I look forward to the positive changes in our school system.”

Sources:

Louisiana Department of Education.  Retrieved November 10, 2006, from http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/family/523.html.

The Times Picayune online, Education section.  Retrieved November 12, 2006, from

            http://www.nola.com/education/

http://www.nola.com/education/pdf/070306_shakeup.jpg

http://www.nola.com/katrina/pdf/092106_enroll.jpg

Ritea, Steve.  “System has 1/3 its pre-storm students.” [Electronic version]  Times Picayune, Thursday, September 21, 2006.     

“Teach NOLA: Rebuilding our city by teaching our children.”  Retrieved November 12, 2006, from http://teachnola.org/teacher-talk.html

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3) Preservation of culture and history

Culture and history are the top two reasons for why the City of New Orleans should be rebuilt and preserved. The multi-layered history of New Orleans stems from the city’s initial function as a major slave trade port of the United States, which brought in many Africans, some of whom remained in the city as both slaves, and eventually, free men and women. Today’s traditions of NOLA’s neighborhoods grew out of the customs of this wide variety of people in the late 1800’s. The city established its own style of food, storytelling, and religious ceremonies (such as the distinctive burial traditions and cemetery construction practiced in the Lower Ninth Ward and Holy Cross) because its population was so diverse and unique, unmatched in any other American city. Below, we consider just some of the cultural aspects that are vital to the spirit of New Orleans:

PARADES
New Orleans is known domestically and internationally as the “city of festivals,” with the most famous parade of all being Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.” Source: http://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/2006/504/jpeg/13.jpg No one can exactly pinpoint the birthdate of Mardi Gras because the French in New Orleans had been having masked balls and carnivals as early at 1718, until these festivities were banned by the Spanish, and reinstated by the Americans in 1829. Mardi Gras is essentially a collection of “krewes,” or bands of people, who construct their own floats or organize themselves to parade during the festival (this also applies to the other carnivals of NOLA), and the first krewe, formed in 1857, was called the Mystick Krewe of Comus. Today, Mardi Gras entails everything from beads to masks to specialties like King Cake. And yet, there are numerous other festivals that might be less well known to outsiders but are just as important to the people of New Orleans. They include the Jazz Fest and Heritage Festival: