educational inequality

As 2007 Echoing Green Fellow John Alford kicks off his second year as principal of Langston Hughes Academy Charter School in New Orleans, he is already getting his props in the national news.  Very recently, the New York Times ran a photo of him in an article highlighting the turnaround effort in New Orleans public schools. The article highlights one of the tough problems of lifting New Orleans education out of its funk: where do students from failing schools go once the city shuts down their school?

Photo by Larry Abramson

Above Guan Ai’s scuffed and chalk-covered wooden desks rest dog-eared books, worn as much with age as with use. Despite limited resources, however, the environment is the focus of conversations on conservation efforts, as teachers stress the importance of saving water.  This is just one of many ways the school differs from regular public schools in China.

“Before we talk about all that you have done, and Teach For America, and what its importance is, look at education, Kindergarten through twelve, and tell me, why isn’t it better?” Charlie Rose posed this and many similarly challenging questions to 1991 Echoing Green Fellow and Teach For America (TFA) founder Wendy Kopp in an interview that aired Wednesday night on his show.