More than three years after the devastating Hurricane Katrina the New Orleans public schools are still hurting. Truancy has become a major problem and even the majority of students who come to school are woefully behind national standards. On an average day in New Orleans' Recovery School District, about 20 percent of the students miss high school. More than half of all high school students are now chronically truant by state standards. In an ongoing report on schooling in the nation NewsHour Education Correspondent John Merrow talks with students, teachers, truancy police and the Superintendent, Paul Vallas. Quotes "I want to give all the kids hope, particularly the kids who are struggling. I want to tell those kids that I don't care if they're struggling or if they're D-minus student or even if they're a failing student. We'll help them get back on track." - Paul Vallas, Superintendent, New Orleans Recovery School District "Most of the kids we pick up, if they tell us we're not going to see them anymore, we don't see them anymore. So I think apprehending them plays an important role." - Doris Taylor, Police and Public Safety Officer "If the parents don't want you, what kind of message do you think you're sending to the child? I mean, it's frustrating. It's sad. It's very emotional. But at the same time, that's what we're here for." - Joynal Abdin, Police and Public Safety Officer "Tackling the problem is not only tracking the kids down, knocking on the doors, going to the homes, picking the kids up off the street, taking them to the truancy center. At the end of the day, you've got to give children an incentive to come to school." - Paul Vallas, Superintendent, New Orleans Recovery School District Warm Up Questions 1. What is truancy? 2. Why do some students not come to school? 3. Why is this a problem for teachers and other students? Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think there is such a huge truancy problem? Is there a truancy problem in your school? 2. Do you think that the work-study program that the superintendent describes will work? Why or why not? Would you partake in it? 3. In your opinion what is the best way to combat truancy? Additional Resources Read the transcript