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Paul Vallas – Superintendent, Recovery School District
“I like to think that things get better under my watch.”
 Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Paul Vallas was just the type of student he now hopes to reach as superintendent. “I was a special education student for about six years, I was a stutterer and stammerer, almost dropped out of high school, had to go to community college to get my grades up,” says Vallas. The first in his family to go to college, he entered the world of government finance before becoming the CEO of Chicago’s public schools in 1995. Widely credited with balancing the budget and bringing up test scores, Vallas left the position in 2001 and made a competitive, if ultimately unsuccessful run for Illinois governor. He then moved on to the superintendency in Philadelphia, again bringing about large changes. His tenure was not without controversy though, and criticism continues that he left the school system on shaky financial ground.
He comes to New Orleans with confidence. “I’m here to get results,” says Vallas. “I have never had a year in any school district that I’ve managed, Chicago or Philadelphia, where test scores didn’t go up.”
Vallas knows it’s a difficult job though, and he regularly reminds his teachers and principals that in their roles as educators they are also civil rights leaders and homeland defenders, protecting the streets through educating young people. Although he considers the work he’s doing in New Orleans a matter of homeland security, he’s only willing to take the analogy so far. “We've got to watch our terminology,” says Vallas. “You will never get me to say, ‘Mission Accomplished.’” (Episodes 1 - 5)
Paul Pastorek – Louisiana State Superintendent of Education
“There’s no model of education that should be held sacred.”
 Native New Orleanian Paul Pastorek served as General Counsel for NASA before becoming Superintendent of Education for Louisiana. Charged with the task of overseeing education throughout the state, he acknowledges that he spends a lot of time thinking about his hometown. “New Orleans has a great opportunity, probably one of the greatest opportunities of any urban school district in the country,” says Pastorek. “We’ve lost a lot of our existing institutions. And change can come when institutions have been obliterated. And so we now have an opportunity to make a change.”
He admits that with the daunting task in front of them, he and Paul Vallas sometimes feel overwhelmed. But in those situations, he says he encourages his colleague. “I’ll buck him up, and it takes a little bucking up every now and again, and I’ll tell you what, it’s so important and it’s such a great mission, so we can do it.” (Episodes 1, 3)
Recovery School District (RSD)
 Initially encompassing five failing schools, the state-run Recovery School District ballooned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, taking control of the majority of schools in New Orleans. With the virtual dissolution of the teachers’ union and out of the control of the city school board, the administration of the Recovery School District and its leader Paul Vallas are in the unique position of having free reign to make broad changes to the historically failing New Orleans schools.
“The greatest challenge we face,” says Paul Vallas, “is the fact that our kids are so old “so much older than they should be at that grade level, and so far behind.” To address this problem Vallas has expanded technology in the classroom, revamped the curricula, and plans to extend the school day next year for all students. (Episodes 1 - 5)
Cheryllyn Branche – Principal, Banneker Elementary School
“I prefer people who know what they're doing. I prefer people who are going to stay here and work with our children for the long haul.”
 Cheryllyn Branche was a teacher for 30 years before she became principal of Banneker Elementary School in 2003. Banneker was fortunate enough to be in a location that suffered little damage from Hurricane Katrina, making it one of the first three schools that reopened in its aftermath. The school attracted many veteran teachers back to the school when it reopened in April of 2006. Branche couldn’t be more pleased, “What's proven to work here are the veterans who are in this building.”
Although Branche has been a strong supporter of Superintendent Vallas, she has criticized his push for alternative certification teaching programs like Teach for America and teachNOLA. “If you want to be a judge, you have to be an attorney first. If you're going to be a teacher, I think you should at least have some training in teaching. And I don't think five weeks during the summer is adequate. It does not prepare them in any way to face the challenges of a real classroom.”
(Episode 5)
Elizabeth Holloway – Teacher, Banneker Elementary
“Reading is something that always frightened me a little bit, because it is such a responsibility. But I’ve been finding my way along.”
 Elizabeth Holloway taught pre-kindergarten for years before teaching first grade this year at Banneker Elementary. She is one of the tried and true veterans who Principal Branche trusts to teaching reading and maintain high expectations for their students.
Holloway sees self-reflection as the key to teaching. “I don’t know that everyone could teach reading. To be a teacher you need to be able to assess where the children are, and know where you’re headed, and also to look at yourself and say, okay, what can I do to help them move along?” (Episode 5)
Booker T. Washington School
 Booker T. Washington is a school for overage eighth graders who have struggled to pass the state administered LEAP exam required to enter high school. It’s a system that Paul Vallas first used in Philadelphia and that he believes will increase the students’ chances of eventually graduating from high school. Students at Booker T. are focused on math and English, the two subjects required to pass the test. Not satisfied with the job that public schools have traditionally done with alternative education, Vallas recently brought in Camelot, a private company, to run the school.
A primary job of the faculty at Booker T. is changing student attitudes. Says teacher Luke Strattner, “A lot of these kids are just so used to failure and they failed and they failed and they been in a school system that’s failing so success to them is something that is kind of fuzzy.” (Episode 3, 4)
Jeffrey Berman – Teacher, Booker T. Washington School
“I mean, no teacher goes into the job saying ‘I want to teach to the test, this is going to be a fun year, I’m going to teach to the test we’re taking.”
 Jeffrey Berman lived in New York state and California before moving to New Orleans to teach English at Booker T. Washington through the TeachNola alternative certification program.
He says that he spends the majority of his time preparing his students for the LEAP exam that they must pass in order to move on to ninth grade. “I tell my kids all the time, we’re going to be testing a lot,” Berman says. “By the time you leave my class you are at least going to feel comfortable taking a test. If you fail the test it’s because you had trouble with the material not just because you were afraid of taking the test.”
His final judgment of whether Paul Vallas’ transition school initiative is a good one will come with the results of the test. “If these kids pass the LEAP this year I think it’s going to say a lot for the system,” says Berman. “It’s not a traditional school by any means and I think there’s a lot of potential in that.” (Episode 3)
Camelot
 In mid-December of 2007, Paul Vallas brought in the education group Camelot to take over the transition school Booker T. Washington. “We in public education do not do alternative education well,” says Vallas. “Camelot will do a far superior job than this district has ever done managing a very challenged population,” says Vallas. Camelot runs alternative schools like Booker T. as well as residential treatment centers and therapeutic day schools in 8 states across the country.
At Booker T. Washington, Camelot currently has three full-time staff on the ground, with a roster of other specialists visiting the school regularly to make suggestions. After noting frequent discipline problems at the school, Todd Bock, Camelot’s VP of Education Services, says, “The first phase of our being involved at Booker T. Washington was to begin to establish a culture so that learning can take place.” Whether students perform well on their state administered tests will determine Camelot’s future. “Camelot's contract is only for the end of the year,” says Vallas. “It’s a performance-based contract. If they don't perform, they will not stay.” (Episode 3, 4)
Antoine Duplessis – Student, Booker T. Washington School
“You feel school is just a waste of time and you don’t want to do it no more.”
 When Antoine Duplessis was court ordered to return to school this year, the RSD placed him at Booker T. Washington School. Duplessis attends this special school for what Paul Vallas calls “overage underachievers” because he is sixteen and only in the eighth grade.
Duplessis has had trouble staying in school. His behavior in class has put him out on the street numerous times. “I remember one time I walked into school at 8:00 and I got kicked out of school at 8:29,” says Duplessis. “I got sent home.” But at the beginning of the year, trouble on the streets with the law sent him right back to school.
The year started well with Duplessis joining the band and feeling confident about the state-administered test that he must take to move on to ninth grade. However, he is now out of school again. Duplessis is contemplating returning, but can’t make any promises. “I think I’m going to keep going to school, but it might be a challenge because I never know what the future holds.” (Episode 3)
Helen Miller - Parent
“It is a challenge because I never know what he’s going to do next.”
 Helen Miller is a single mother of five in New Orleans’ still devastated 9th Ward. While many pressures weigh on her, her largest concern is her 16-year-old son Antoine Duplessis and the struggle to keep him in school. It’s been a challenge. “He got with the wrong crowd,” says Miller. “I call it thugging. Doing what the thugs do. Smoking, drinking, and I saw a side of Antoine that I had never ever seen.”
This year Antoine is enrolled by court order at Booker T. Washington, a new alternative school. Miller says that gave her some hope at the beginning of the year, although she’s been disappointed with follow-through. Still she wants to try to give Paul Vallas and the RSD a chance to make changes. “I don’t want to have to leave the state to get my kids a better education. So I’m waiting patiently. So we’ll see if everything kind of smooth its way out.” (Episode 3)
Luke Strattner – Teacher, Booker T. Washington School
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, hire somebody who does.”
 When Luke Strattner was assigned to teach at Booker T. Washington School, he really didn’t know what to expect. “We were teachers -- none of us had ever taught in an alternative school before this year. We didn't really know what how to handle the situations,” he says. But he adds that now, “A lot of teachers here like it. I think a lot of teachers here are embracing the challenge.”
Strattner, a first time teacher, came to New Orleans through the alternative certification program TeachNola, and just as he looks to more seasoned educators for advice, he supports Paul Vallas’ decision to hire the private company Camelot to help run Booker T. Washington. “I think Paul Vallas bringing in Camelot shows that he knows when he doesn't know something,” says Strattner. “Paul Vallas felt like he didn’t know exactly what to do with the alternative program, so hire people who do.” (Episode 3, 4)
Rabouin High School
 Rabouin High School is in the middle of New Orleans’ Central Business District, surrounded by office buildings and not far from the infamous French Quarter. Because of its location, Rabouin feels like a city school, with no playing fields and very little in the way of a campus. In spite of its constraints, Rabouin has drawn a large student population, making it the largest high school in the city at almost 700 enrolled. With so many students have come problems – space is at a premium, discipline has been an issue, and when logistical concerns arise, they are more difficult to remedy.
When, at the beginning of the year a district wide scheduling glitch left most students with incorrect course assignments, it took Rabouin longer than the other schools to iron out the situation. “Scheduling was a nightmare, and kids were not in their correct classes 'til mid-October,” says Rabouin teacher Kady Amundson. The struggle with schedules and a lack of a clear discipline plan to deal with the problems that the scheduling crisis created left teachers, 50% of whom were in the classroom for the first time, feeling overwhelmed. “Teachers, you could see it in their eyes,” says Jake Kuhnline. “I got less and less excited to come to work everyday." (Episodes 1 - 4)
Kady Amundson – Teacher, Rabouin High School
“I didn’t come here to pack up and leave. This is my home now.”
 After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Kady Amundson knew that she wanted to be part of rebuilding New Orleans. So she signed up with Teach for America (TFA) and moved to the city to teach science at Rabouin High School.
Immediately popular with her students who jokingly refer to her as the singer Jessica Simpson, Amundson works very long days. In addition to routine planning and grading, she’s also an athletic trainer for school teams, and she tutors students after school. She sees her charge to educate her students as more than just a routine teaching assignment. “New Orleans is a very violent city,” she says. “A lot of things that kids who don’t have a high school diploma fall into here are deadly. It’s not just trouble, I mean it kind of sounds dramatic, but it’s kind of life or death.” She hopes Paul Vallas is up for the task. “The great thing about Paul Vallas is he’s not afraid to go big,” says Amundson. “To add huge initiatives. New Orleans had huge problems, so that’s a really, really good thing.” (Episodes 1 - 3)
Tim Betts – Athletic Director, Rabouin High School
“Some days, you just have pure chaos, and there’s nothing you can do about it, but . . . pray that 3:45 comes quick as it can.”
 Former Troy State football player Tim Betts came to Rabouin High School in October 2006. His first year was challenging. “Kids were all over the place. It made the job a little bit harder.” However, he says, “This year is more of a history-making year.” With Rabouin’s first ever football team and other sports adding to school spirit, Betts believes that students have more incentive to stay in school. “We have a couple of students who were problems last year, and this year they’re involved in the basketball as well as the football and we have had no problems with those students,” says Betts. “I think some of their grades have actually gone up.”
For Betts sports is closely tied to one of Paul Vallas’ oft-repeated mantras. “[The coaches are] holding kids to a high level of expectations. There it goes again. Through Mr. Paul Vallas, through a football program.” (Episode 2)
Adrienell Boyd – Former Principal, Rabouin High School
“Sometimes you’re flying blind and I believe that’s the stress of this job being the principal.”
 Adrienell Boyd had been an educator for 14 years before becoming principal at Rabouin High School in August 2007, but after her first month running a high school struggling with massive scheduling problems and large behavioral issues, she admitted, “I’ve never seen a month like this.”
Boyd attempted to get the school back on track, but five months into the year teachers were still complaining that the school felt disorganized and that little progress was being made. So in January of 2008, Paul Vallas removed her as principal of Rabouin.
Even before she was let go, Boyd was aware of the tenuous nature of her chosen career. “The principal is the first to go, and I can’t think of any other career besides principals and football coaches that you choose and that you can be here today and gone today,” she said. “No one chooses a career just to be kicked in the teeth and kicked aside.” (Episodes 1, 2, 4)
Jason Denlinger – Teacher, Rabouin High School
“We’re definitely trying to make kids’ lives safer, peoples’ lives safer.”
 Jason Denlinger came to New Orleans in 2006 to teach science at Rabouin High School, having previously taught biology in Mozambique as part of the Peace Corps. Denlinger is currently taking courses to gain his certification, but no classes could have prepared him for his first year in the New Orleans public schools. Last year one of his students was murdered. He says that at first he broke down, but he quickly pulled himself together to try to help his students deal with the tragedy. “These kids needed somebody,” says Denlinger. “If it wasn’t to teach them biology, somebody that at least is there.”
Denlinger has had his doubts about some of Superintendent Vallas’ methods. He calls the laptops given to every high school student in the district “$400 iPods.” But he allows that Paul Vallas may have an advantage over past superintendents. “Sometimes an outsider is what it takes though. I mean sometimes an insider has tunnel vision.” (Episode 1)
Brittne Jackson – Student, Rabouin High School
“Some people look at me and they be like ‘Brittne's still in school? Why?’”
 Nineteen year-old Brittne Jackson is a third year senior, something she attributes to a long history of apathy toward education. “School wasn’t where my heart was at,” says Jackson. “I always had the Ds and the Fs because I ain’t never want to go to class and I ain’t never want to do nothing.”
Although she’s dropped out before, Jackson is in school now and is attempting to pass the high school exit exam – a test she estimates she’s taken and failed 14 times. While she is committed to passing, Jackson’s focus is not entirely on school - she works about 70 hours a week at two jobs.
Jackson sees herself as a cautionary tale. “You don’t want to be in the predicament I’m in. That’s what I tell my brothers. You don’t want to be the third time as a senior in high school.” Jackson is awaiting the results of her most recent attempt at the exit exam. And if she passes? “I’m going to do ten back flips,” she says. (Episode 3)
Jake Kuhnline – Teacher, Rabouin High School
“When you first start teaching you're in survival mode a little bit.”
 Illinois native Jake Kuhnline teaches chemistry at Rabouin High School through the Teach for America program. On the wall of his classroom, Kuhnline displays a quote from Nelson Mandela, which reads, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Jake works hard to keep his students engaged enough to take advantage of this weapon, employing methods like climbing on a desk to illustrate changes in energy. “I think it’s important in class to be creative,” says Kuhnline. “As a teacher, I only have my students for 55 minutes a day. And that's the only time that I get with them, everyday. You have to have a sense of urgency”
Kuhnline says that he sees a similar sense of urgency in the superintendent. “He really is an outcomes based person,” says Kuhnline. “He really is here to make these schools successful. And if they’re not successful, he’s not going to make excuses.” (Episodes 1, 2)
Amanda Sias – Teacher, Rabouin High School
“Routine, routine, routine. I’m a strict disciplinarian.”
 Rabouin High School teacher, Amanda Sias grew up talking about education. Her mother and all of her mothers’ friends were teachers. All she heard as a child were “conversations about school, school policies, school rules.” This upbringing, combined with her ten years of teaching in New Orleans and in Texas, has given Sias clear ideas of what works in the classroom and what doesn’t.
So when Paul Vallas moved to New Orleans and announced some of his plans for the Recovery School District, Sias was skeptical of the outsider. “When you hire people from another state to take over the superintendent position here in Orleans parish, Recovery School District, we look at you through the microscope.” She was especially wary of his program to give laptops to all high school students. “Does he really know what kids we’re dealing with?” she asks. “’Johnny, where’s your computer?’ Oh I got jacked last night and somebody took my computer.” In spite of her stark realism, Amanda Sias is popular with her students. She was recently voted favorite social studies teacher by the school’s student newspaper. (Episodes 1, 2)
Daphyne Burnett – Principal, Sarah T. Reed Elementary
“The district had anticipated that I would have 125 kids. I ended up with 400 students. And so the learning environment has not been stable for us . . .”
 After having long careers in both childcare and teaching, Daphyne Burnett moved to New Orleans to become principal of Sarah T. Reed Elementary. Their new modular campus on the east side of New Orleans opened last August, and was quickly overwhelmed by a surge in student enrollment.
Burnett’s staff grew to serve the additional students resulting in 75% of her teachers being brand new, and many in classrooms that were short on materials. Burnett hopes next year won’t be such a challenge. “Closer to the end of the year, we stabled off with students and teachers. And so, I'm hoping that next year will be much, a much better year.”
(Episode 5)
Nicole Tate – Teacher, Sarah T. Reed Elementary School
“. . . we need dedicated teachers to be here, to help those students. I figure 18 years in the military - I believe I'm dedicated, so I can be here about 30 years.”
 Nicole Tate started teaching at Sarah T. Reed Elementary in November, when the school’s enrollment grew, requiring the creation of a new first grade class. After 18 years in the military she came to Reed through Troops to Teachers, a program that helps ex-military personnel transition to teaching professions.
Coming to Reed in November with no prior teaching experience and working with a population first graders already behind in their reading skills, Tate faced many challenges. “Nobody told me. I never had anybody say okay Miss Tate, you're doing this wrong, but let me show you how to do it. Nobody never [sic] came. So I had to figure it out on my own.” Despite these obstacles, her class has shown improvement on their benchmark tests this year. (Episode 5)
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