Education

Gov. Bobby Jindal has called for a state officials to look at safety measures at Louisiana public and private schools, from pre-K through college.

The governor issued the executive order Friday in the wake of the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school last month.

On the day of that shooting, State Police Col. Mike Edmonson, said his department immediately started talking about making sure they would be able to respond if something similar happened here.

A report released Thursday by the LSU/Tulane Early Childhood Policy and Data Center reveals 35 percent of children under  five in Louisiana live in parishes with moderate-to-high risk of factors that could impede their development.

A state judge has upheld legislation tying teachers’ pay and tenure to their performance in the classroom. Gov. Bobby Jindal pushed for the changes as part of his education overhaul.

Judge Michael Caldwell tossed out provisions of the same act that removed authority over hiring and firing decisions from local school boards, and required state reviews of district superintendent contracts.

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Last spring at the capitol, thousands of public school teachers rallied against the bill that would tie their pay and tenure to performance through an evaluation system, which was rolled out at the start of this school year.

A state judge says he will rule Tuesday on whether Act 1 was passed in violation of Louisiana’s constitution.

Before the Mobile County school system reconstituted George Hall in 2004, less than half its students were on grade level. Discipline problems spilled out into the neighborhood. Its reputation had plummeted to the level of its test scores.

But as state Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice puts it, “It’s remarkable to think where they were eight years ago and where they are today. The demographics of the students have not changed at all, but their academic achievement has soared.”