One of the few (only?) bright spots to emerge after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans was that it became apparent that the storm and subsequent flooding eliminated one of the worst (and most corrupt) public education systems our nation has ever seen. The Urban Institute's Jane Hannaway and the University of Washington's Paul Hill have prepared a brief on what they believe New Orleans must do to make sure that any new system that emerges doesn't sink back to the pre-Katrina hellhole that it was.

Hannaway and Hill argue that the key is a flexible system that funds students, not schools, and can both open new schools quickly to meet emerging needs and quickly close schools that prove ineffective or are no longer needed. The system should provide schools via contracting with colleges, universities, and other capable groups, and should allow schools to hire the teachers they need. Public officials should oversee a portfolio of contracts with schools, not a bureaucracy, they write.

Their brief can be found here. Hopefully, some of these ideas can be replicated in other urban areas of the country before they hit rock bottom.