Charter school leader, board, teacher, student, innovation, and champion recognized during annual conference

New Orleans - The 1st Annual Louisiana Charter School Awards were announced in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Louisiana Charter Schools Conference this past weekend in New Orleans.  The awards were announced in the following categories:

• Charter School Board of the Year:  Broadmoor Charter School Board (Andrew Wilson Charter School)
• Charter School Champion of the Year: Brian Riedlinger (School Leadership Center)
• Charter School Teacher of the Year:  Kaycee Eckhardt & Rhonda Dale-Hart (New Orleans Science & Math Academy)
• Charter School Student of the Year: Isaiah Simms (Miller McCoy Academy)
• Charter School Leader of the Year:  Mickey Landry (Lafayette Academy Charter School)
• Charter School Innovation of the Year:  The Achievement Network

Charter School Board of the Year went to the board of Andrew Wilson Charter School as a result of their efforts and hard work to provide the children they serve with a quality education.  They rebuilt in a neighborhood devastated by Katrina,  have helped provide the school with the resources it needs to increase LEAP scores tremendously over the past four years, helped secure a 30 million dollar grant as part of the Quick Start Construction program, among many other contributions

Charter School Champion of the Year went to Brian Riedlinger, the CEO of the School Leadership Center and the founding CEO of the Algiers Charter School Association, for his work to reopen some of the first schools  on the Westbank following Katrina, serving more than 5,000 students, and leading those schools to become some of the highest performing schools in the New Orleans area.

Charter School Teacher of the Year went to a team of co-teachers from New Orleans Science and Math Academy who have dedicated their careers to increasing student achievement in reading and writing.  They led the students at Sci Academy, who came in at an average reading level of 4.5 to 7 within two and a half months.  Additionally, during that same time, they increased the amount of students to score basic or above on the iLEAP from 33% to 76%.  In their spare time, they organized a book drive at their school that collected over 3,000 books.

Charter School Student of the Year went to Isaiah Simms, a student at Miller McCoy Academy who has demonstrated dedication and leadership throughout his school career.   He maintained a 3.5 GPA for the 2008-2009 school year. Isaiah is currently the spokesperson for the non-profit youth community outreach group, Rethink. As if this weren’t enough, Isaiah was formerly a member of the community service groups “Young Heroes” and “The Fellowship Foundation.” He is currently a member of the Business Club and the Miller-McCoy football team.  During his summer vacation he also volunteered for several community service activities, one of which was painting the school building and moving furniture and equipment to help prepare for the upcoming school year. Isaiah is an incredible young man entirely deserving of the award he received.

Charter School Leader of the year went to the leader of Lafayette Academy Charter School, Mr. Mickey Landry.  Mr. Landry has put together an amazing team of teachers that have aided in the success of a wonderful school.  Under Mr. Landry’s leadership, the school raised its LEAP scores from 27% basic or above in reading and 29% basic or above in math, to 77% and 82%, respectively.  Additionally, Mr. Landry prioritizes and involves parents in the everyday education of its students.

Charter School Innovation of the Year was awarded to the Achievement Network, an independent non-profit that builds the capacity of school leaders to effectively use real time data to improve instruction and increase student achievement.  The Achievement Network creates networks of schools using common assessments and sharing performance data and practices.

For more information about any of the winners, please contact the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.

About Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools

The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to increase student achievement by supporting, promoting, and advocating for the quality charter school movement.