Put Louisiana’s most vulnerable families first

The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) has outlined it policy priorities for the 2014 Louisiana legislative session, placing at the top of its agenda the protection of funding for the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP), adoption of the Common Core State Standards, and expanding access to early childhood education programs.

Funding for the Louisiana Scholarship Program must remain intact. Despite multiple challenges to the program in the courts, the fact remains that the program is making a difference for more than 6,000 students. Louisiana legislators must stand with low-income families, for whom the program has been a lifeline, to ensure that the sustained funding, BAEO will continue to work with lawmakers to strengthen the administration of the scholarship program through increased accountability measures.

The new Common Core State Standards have aroused controversy in Louisiana and elsewhere, but BAEO firmly supports sound implementation. Challenges will always arise when we endeavor to raise the bar for our children but shrinking from the challenge would be a grave disservice to our students. If we expect them to compete nationally, we must hold them to the highest standards and identify ways to help teacher and administrators adjust their practice effectively in this new context.

Likewise, BAEO officials recognized the challenges inherent in embarking on a new system of testing. As part of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), Louisiana will start administering in the coming school year a new set of K-12 assessments in English and Math. “The PARCC assessments will be an initial challenge for our children and teachers, but change will lead to long-term gains and that must remain the focus,” said Lewis.

We know the path to college and career begins will before kindergarten; therefore, expanding access to pre-kindergarten programs is a key part of our legislative agenda. The achievement gap begins at the pre-K level where we see devastating inequity in the resources available to low-income and working-class children and their more affluent peers. BAEO is dedicated to leveling the playing field so all our children can start their education journey on equal footing.

We are excited about this new legislative session and look forward to continuing to work with state officials and Louisiana parents to keep the needs of the state’s most vulnerable children front and center.

– Eric B. Lewis
State Director
Louisiana Black Alliance
for Educational Options

This article originally published in the April 7, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.