A great article about the rise of charter schools in New Orleans post-Katrina (plus a nice plug for one of the KIPP schools there; there are 2 open and the third will open this summer):

It is difficult to visit charter schools in this city without feeling both concern and optimism. Getting publicly funded entities to compete with one another is not easy. And the background of many students isn't encouraging. At the same time, the idealism and energy that has been unleashed is impressive. Teachers believe they can make a difference when they are responsible for their charges and accountable for their successes and failures. Perhaps that will be the decisive change.

Mr. Smith of the National Alliance says the charter community in New Orleans "is showing that it's possible to build an entire system of autonomous schools of choice, with high expectations for all kids." Thanks to Katrina, New Orleans may now definitively tell us how well charter schools can perform on a large scale and on short notice.

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Big Easy, Bigger Test

By TOM BETHELL
June 9, 2007; Page A8

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118134660127829677-search.html

NEW ORLEANS -- It's not often that large, public institutions get a chance to rebuild from the ground up. But that's more or less what New Orleans public schools have had to do since Hurricane Katrina came ashore nearly two years ago. The results may be better than many had feared, when survivors were still being plucked from the flood waters.