The Experiment
When Hurricane Katrina shredded the levees in New Orleans, the floodwaters took lives, homes and a piece of the soul of the city. But when the water receded, it exposed the problems of the past, most vividly, the disastrous school system that robbed the futures from generations of people. And they decided not to rebuild that system, letting it sink into the soil with the storm water.
Today, there are new schools in New Orleans. Education is by far the most radical change since Katrina. The dynamic transformation of an entire school system has never been attempted on this scale anywhere in the U.S. Some say it will be the model for education reform around the world. Others call it a risky project with children's lives at stake. It has united political enemies and divided lifelong friends. It denounces the status quo. It promises something better. Only time will tell whether it will work. It is an experiment.