“We Don’t Have Any Shortage Areas”
More good news from New Orleans:
“After years of scrambling to find good teachers, many public schools in New Orleans have more aspiring teachers than they know what to do with as the new school year approaches.
“‘We have far more applicants than we have positions for,’ said Paul Vallas, superintendent of the Recovery School District. With more than 1,000 resumes on file, Vallas said the district could easily double its teaching pool, if necessary.
“At Miller-McCoy Academy, a new charter school serving only boys, administrators said they received about 20 applications for every opening at the new school.
“Competition for teachNOLA was just as fierce: About 2,450 people applied for just over 100 spots in a teacher training and recruiting program that does not even guarantee them jobs in New Orleans schools.
“As the surge in applications to local universities like Tulane showed, New Orleans has become a destination for young people who want to live in a place where they feel a unique potential both to make a difference and have fun.
“The explosion of interest in teaching here can also be attributed to the marketing techniques of programs like teachNOLA and Teach For America, which have used the Internet to spread the message among 20-somethings, in particular, that New Orleans is the place to be for young educators bent on change. The city’s growing reputation in education reform circles has fueled that message.”
