In Greek mythology, Pandora’s curiosity led her to release all the evils of mankind upon the world, leaving behind only hope in the box she held. As disastrous as that was, the effects were undeniable – the realities of the suffering the world was to face were imminent and without question. Like it or not, people were aware of what had taken place. When it comes to accountability in Orleans Parish schools, we may need just that kind of happening to force us to the root of what ails our educational system, even if doing so is a stingingly uncomfortable process. From the depths can come redemption.

Let’s open up our Pandora’s Box.

Despite notable changes in the Louisiana educational system, the fact is, in terms of the big picture, the state still ranks as one of the lowest in the nation in educational performance. In 2005, Louisiana was ranked 45th in the US for performance in 4th and 8th grade math. This year, we ranked 47th for elementary and secondary achievement. One of the saving graces for the Pelican State regarding education has been the recognition it has received for its School Accountability System.

The Louisiana Accountability System was established in 1997 during Mike Foster’s gubernatorial term, and the state was brought into bearing full compliance with Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. Since then, the state has received consistent accolades in terms of meeting the criteria for improving the quality of teachers and equity of resources, but considering low overall performance standards, is the picture really so pretty? More specifically, what is the value of noted achievement in the face of an exceptionally poor national academic rating -- one that has so far been unyielding in its continuity?

Charles Hatfield, former Director of Educational Accountability for the Orleans Parish School District, has some very interesting thoughts about the current state of things. Having 22 years of experience in education under his belt, he has a fascinating level of expertise on the subject. Now a retired administrator, as well as managing partner of Hatfield & Associates, LLC., he spent most of his working years involved in school analysis and data collection, giving him an intimately detailed view of the system and its evolution. Moreover, his history in education has obviously strengthened a passion for seeing the system’s success; he speaks of the subject with a palpable, if slightly discouraged, enthusiasm. And what he has to say is as eye-opening as it is significant.

State accolades aside, Hatfield is intensely focused on the apparent deficiencies that exist particularly in the Orleans Parish school system, which he views as a microcosm of the state system. High stakes testing has been a much debated topic in the New Orleans educational arena since its inception, its stipulations being that 4th and 8th grade students are required to achieve a Satisfactory score on the LEAP (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program) test in order to be promoted to the next grade.

Students that do not pass the test are retained until they are sufficiently prepared to move forward. However, after some time, many retained students simply get passed on to the next level due to lack of classroom space and resources. Thus, these students are not only developmentally behind, they are just plainly no better off for the time they spent in retention. They proceed rather than progress, being ill prepared for what will come next in their educational careers, much less what will befall them when they reach the age at which they should start to pursue jobs and careers.

It is things of this ilk that inspire Hatfield to ask: “If you see that a certain percent of the kids in the city are not mastering this (LEAP exams), the question to me is ‘why?’” It’s a question that must be asked in layers, and doing so requires a serious public investment. We have to be willing to do the work: researching, investigating, and vocalizing those things that we would like to see come to fruition. To start, an investigative eye will turn to one central issue: Grade-Level Expectations (GLE’s) of the current statewide curriculum.

Let’s consider what we know about these Grade-Level Expectations and how well they are being addressed in each and every classroom in Orleans. Basically, these GLEs, which are much more specific statements of the state’s content standards and benchmarks, articulate what the state expects all students should know or be able to do by the end of each grade level in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies (GLE Handbook, 2004.)

If all or at least a majority of Orleans Parish schools are truly enforcing the utilization of these GLEs, why is the number of poorly performing students still a very present and dispiriting matter? “Some of the questions that aren’t being asked by the public that should be asked…are about test content. If we’re to say that things are successful, we must be sure that the kids are being taught what they’re supposed to be taught and that they’re prepared to be taught. Just to say that they’re being taught these standards is meaningless unless there is some kind of way they’re prepared,” asserts Hatfield.

So let’s start asking some tough questions. What is happening during the years before and between the testing periods? How effective are the teaching methods that are being employed from 1st to 3rd grades, formative years for young students who will be faced with taking the LEAP test in the 4th grade? To what extent are equitable resources available and put to use? Furthermore, how well equipped are the teachers who are responsible for preparing our children to progress to the next level? Are they just going through the motions or are they making sure that the kids are really absorbing the material that they are presented? These are questions that we have to answer if we are to move forward in any meaningful direction with this matter.

In essence, monitoring the extent that these GLEs are being achieved is a major part of the bottom line. The handling of these will determine where we can honestly place our expectations.

“How do we really know that we’re making progress?” asks Hatfield. “Have kids profited from the Accountability program over time?”

As with anything bureaucratic in nature, this topic gets sticky, mired in politicking and promises as thin as the glaze they give to an uncomfortable issue. In approaching the heart of this particular subject, a cohesive acquisition of the facts is crucial. Statistical information exists and is certainly accessible, but data are often presented at a simple and non-complicated level. Results usually mask underlying interrelationships among indicators. They are not disaggregated to a level where more complicated relationships can be observed. This becomes extremely important when trying to understand achievement patterns within the context of Orleans Parish’s educational system.

Staggered numbers and figures can be hard to interpret to the unseasoned eye, especially when race and high concentrations of poverty are integrated factors. The dramatic difference instituted by No Child Left Behind is that subgroup scores are publicly reported. This means that the data we now have access to include categories based on ethnicity; one of the most basic patterns is that every year poor Blacks are at the bottom of the testing ranks. Every year, those schools located in areas with higher concentrations of poverty are also at the bottom of the testing ranks. The socioeconomic issue is confounded by race and the fact is that poverty weighs heavily on achievement. We often don’t want to face it because it is difficult, but at some point we have to recognize the framework in which we are operating for what it actually is.

All of this is important because, perhaps now more than ever, the state of the Orleans Parish educational system, especially in a post-Katrina environment, is at a particularly fragile and critical point. Existing alongside ever-present environmental tensions is a swelling tide of change – creative, administrative, and otherwise. It may be hard to grasp all elements of this necessitated development, but we have to get into the flow if we are to have a legitimate hand in managing any part of it.

Regarding the educational climate in the city, Hatfield notes that an educatioinal revolution has occurred in Orleans Public Schools. The previous infrastructure and institutional memory were destroyed and replaced with a plethora of different school management types under the umbrellas of RSD, OPBS and charters. The verdict is still out on the ultimate effectiveness of this revolution. In light of this, he feels that the results that are regularly produced should be available in a palatable fashion, making them easier for the public to understand, reference, and work with.

What we have to realize is that it’s not just about regularly monitoring the success of the accountability system in New Orleans schools, but about this ultimate goal: being able to positively advance the individual successes of our students. Rather than solely focusing on righting the face of a wayward educational structure, our attentions should be directed toward sincerely tending to the needs of our city’s children so they have a fighting chance educationally and professionally.

Simply, it’s about putting the results in context. From there we have a foundation from which to act, a body of knowledge with which we can determine what we, as a community, want to see implemented in the system to benefit our children.

To see this kind of actualization, our community has to have a strong voice in addressing the issue of the value and effectiveness of the Accountability System as it operates in Orleans Parish. Hatfield suggests a greater monitoring by the public, via the community that the schools are in. When tests results are released we should be able to assess and create an active dialogue about how many kids were prepared to take on the content, how successful they were and what their teachers were genuinely able to affect in their development. To encourage this dialogue, we have to utilize our reporting channels and be active in promoting the effective dissemination of information. We need to be able to decipher what’s happening within the system, focusing on the onus; if we don’t make sure that we install the proper foundations and that resources are accessible, then, according to Hatfield, we can consider the whole takeover a farce.
Plainly, if a difference is being made, we should be witness to substantiated progress.

We can’t just depend on what has been proposed and what the system is supposed to be when at the end of the year we still find ourselves at the bottom of academic ratings. What a great disservice that is to our children! Hence, simple methods of reporting should be available for every school as we focus on the big challenge – the under-funded, understaffed Recovery School District. It would be very tough to measure all of the school programs -- but we could for instance, group schools and begin monitoring in small cells.

At the end of the day, what is needed to ensure that our children have a fair chance? And what are we doing for our kids who are coming from poor backgrounds and literally broken homes? Now is the time to seriously address these issues so that our children can be successful in the classroom. We know all too well that change is imminent. However, it is positive change that is the desired outcome.

Without devices such as longitudinal studies in place, how can we be sure that this system is producing what it promises – academic success? What happens to our children who were at some point retained, as they matriculate? Hatfield asks, “Those kids that actually pass the test, five years from now, where are they? One would assume that under the accountability system, the kids who passed the test should still be relatively successful assuming that the system is systematic in delivering resources. But you don’t know that. We focus on test results. To dig deeper beyond those numbers and to investigate the interrelationships among factors such as race, socioeconomics, different educational programs, student preparation, teacher preparation, to mention a few, is too complicated in terms of answers.”

The call is to determine what alternative methods can be generated and implemented to help children with the greatest needs. We, as parents, teachers, administrators and community members are all held accountable and we CAN do something about this.

We have to prepare ourselves to prepare our children. As has been stated time and again, they truly are our future; our legacy cannot be that we forsook them.

Danielle Walker currently resides in New York City and is a Project Manager for a multilingual solutions company. She graduated from Eleanor McMain in 1999. She can be reached at writedaniw@yahoo.com.