One benefit of attending events such as the Resource Bank meeting is the chance to meet people who are toiling away in the freedom movement. Last night I met Kevin Kane, who will head up the Pelican Institute, a research and education organization in Louisiana.

Louisiana has been one of the last states to have a group that participates in State Policy Network, an affiliation of groups with similar interests. Kane pointed out that thanks to the widespread use of charter schools in New Orleans, the state has a unique place in the school reform landscape. Education will be one policy area addressed by the new institute.