Choice Conversations Louisiana: Recent Episodes
Louisiana Federation for Children
Choice Conversations features interviews with education reform leaders, families and members of the faith-based community who make up Louisiana’s education choice landscape.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (La.) introduced the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). This bill would help over 1 million students and complement the work states are already doing to support choice by providing up to $10 billion in annual tax credits for corporate and individual donations to non-profit Scholarship Granting Organizations.
The ECCA would help families with multiple uses – special needs services, addressing learning loss, private school tuition, and career and technical education. Students in any elementary or secondary education setting would be eligible to receive a scholarship, provided they reside in households with incomes at or below 300 percent of the median income level in their area.
Kenneth Campbell is Chief Executive Officer of New Schools for Baton Rouge.
Ken discusses the K-12 education landscape in Baton Rouge, the growth of public charter schools and the Center for Research on Education Outcomes report on the city of Baton Rouge’s public school academic performance in May. The study showed students in charter schools run by charter management organizations outperformed students from traditional school districts within the city in reading and math.
Aulston G. Taylor is president of St. Augustine High School, a college preparatory school for young men in New Orleans, La.
St. Augustine High School has built a legacy serving as the training ground for leadership through academic excellence, moral values, Christian responsibility, and reasonable, consistent discipline.
A recent news headline tells the story:
“Entire New Orleans St. Augustine High School 2022 Graduating Class Accepted To College. Students at the historically Black all-male school rack up $9.2 million in scholarships as 100 percent of their graduates earned college acceptance.”
Gary Briggs is Executive Director/Navigator at EdNavigator New Orleans. He has attended private, Catholic, charter, and traditional public schools. Gary earned a Bachelor’s of Science in political science from Texas Christian University and served as a White House Intern in the Obama administration upon graduation. Afterwards, he joined Teach For America and returned to New Orleans to teach English Language Arts. Gary now leads EdNavigator's New Orleans team. EdNavigator is a a nonprofit organization that helps busy families and students achieve their educational dreams.
Adia Wells is founder and head of school at Ignite Classical School in Shreveport, La. With the school opening in August 2022, Wells discusses Ignite's unique classical curriculum that integrates rich ideas from history, literature, mathematics, science, art, music, nature study, and five languages.
Brandy Williams is Aba Healing Academy's Founder and Head of School. The independent school is located in New Orleans, La., and will open in 2022 for its inaugural class of Pk3 to 2nd graders. Ms. Williams discusses Aba Healing Academy's approach, which encompasses a child's ability to be rooted in strong faith, while also having a sound understanding of self, and their inherent ability to be a social change agent for their passions.
Sonny Lee is President/Executive Director of Son of a Saint. Bivian “Sonny” Lee III has dedicated his life to enhancing the lives of fatherless boys in New Orleans.
Son of a Saint works to provide middle school and high school scholarships allowing Son of a Saint mentees and others to attend tuition-based schools in the New Orleans area. This is primarily done through Son of a Saint Scholars, which is a Student Tuition Organization selected by the Louisiana Department of Education to help facilitate the state’s Tuition Donation Credit Program.
Thomas Moran, President and CEO of The Good Shepherd School, talks about the school's growing mission of providing school choice options to New Orleans families. The Good Shepherd Giving Hope Campus opens in August 2022 in the Desire-Florida Community of the Ninth Ward.
Ann Duplessis, President of the Louisiana Federation for Children and Board Member of the American Federation for Children, looks back at the year like none other. She discusses the profound changes in Louisiana's education landscape and how families can put Zoom in the rearview mirror. Duplessis also talks about a very exciting New Orleans community initiative – the 9th Ward Stadium project at George Washington Carver High School.
Families in Louisiana and our nation have been challenged with ensuring the education of their children, while protecting their health. Bishop Darryl S. Brister and Pastor Joe Connelly discuss how they have guided their congregations down this challenging road.
In 2008, private school choice was a new and controversial idea in Louisiana. Ronald Briggs and Ann Duplessis share their experiences from those "early years". They discuss how schools of choice are helping meet challenges brought about by coronavirus.
2020 was a year of challenge and innovation for K-12 school leaders. Principals discuss successes and lessons learned as they enter the second half of this historic school year.
Dr. Libbie Sonnier is Executive Director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. Her team at LPIC recently conducted a parent poll, aiming to gain a greater understanding of the impacts the pandemic is having on family childcare arrangements statewide.
The Ka'Mauri Harrison Story
In the virtual learning environment, is a child’s home an extension of the classroom? In this edition of Choice Conversations we follow the story of Ka'Mauri Harrison. The nine year old was participating in a class lesson on Zoom, then moved a BB gun into view of the camera. This led to a threatened suspension by his public school district. What follows is a series of actions by the school district that defy common sense.
Kelda Poynot is a Lafayette, Louisiana-based homeschool consultant and author. She has been in great demand as many parents are now considering the option of homeschooling their children. Learn about this popular education option, including the difference between homeschooling and distance learning.
To reach Kelda Poynot:
• keldapoynot@gmail.com
• patreon.com/keldapoynot
• YouTube: Hey, Miss Kelda vlog, Home Education, and Encouragement for Quarantine Schooling
• Facebook: Kelda Poynot, Author
Bivian 'Sonny' Lee is Founder and CEO of Son of a Saint. Each year, Son of a Saint selects a group of boys ages 10-12 to join the existing kids in the program. The boys must be fatherless due to their father's death or incarceration.
Each boy remains an official Son of a Saint mentee until he is 21, but the connections remain. The organization's goal is to graduate self-sufficient, independent thinkers who are leaders and give back to their community.
Denisha Merriweather, Director of Family Engagement at the American Federation for Children, says getting into the right school saved her life. It's a school choice story you have to watch.
Tamela Davis, wife of New Orleans Saints star Demario Davis and co-founder of the Devoted Dreamers Foundation, discusses homeschooling and parenting during COVID-19.
Dr. Michelle Clayton, Superintendent of University View Academy, discusses how the online charter school is continuing its mission of bringing quality education directly into the homes of its students during COVID-19.
During this stay-at-home period, Dr. Clayton advises parents to be prepared. “Spend time a little bit of time before the week starts reviewing what your child will learn that week. And tie in some fun activities that will make it interesting for them along the way.”
Bishop Darryl S. Brister is pastor of the Beacon Light International Baptist Cathedral in New Orleans and Second Presiding Bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International. He is an advocate for parental school choice.
Every Saturday morning, about 50 teenagers skip the skateboards and video games to work on math, English-language arts, science and social studies skills at the Saturday Enrichment Academy, a three-hour Saturday-only program for Kenilworth Science and Technology School students in Baton Rouge.Principal Hazel Regis talks about the genesis of the academy and how it is leading to improved academic outcomes.