CTIA-The Wireless Foundation and New Orleans Parent Organizing Network Announce Free "NOLA Parent's Guide" App with Useful Information for Parents on New Orleans K-12 Schools

NEW ORLEANS, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At International CTIA WIRELESS® 2012 today, CTIA-The Wireless Foundation and New Orleans Parent Organizing Network (NOLA PON), powered by Boopsie, announced the "NOLA Parent's Guide," a free mobile app to inform New Orleans K-12 parents and students about all of the city's open public schools, including independent public charter schools. By making the NOLA PON's "New Orleans Parent's Guide to Public Schools" available on Android, BlackBerry and iOS wireless devices, families may easily locate the closest schools to their homes. In addition, the app provides detailed information, including schools' application processes and deadlines, transportation and before and aftercare, which will be helpful when parents are deciding which school is appropriate for their children.

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The "NOLA Parent's Guide" app will be especially helpful to families who want information about the city's independently-operated charter schools, which has nearly 80 percent of all public school students. Users can search schools by name or by using the app's location functionality.

According to a recent survey by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, more than 44 percent of both African Americans and Hispanics who live in the U.S. own smartphones. Of the smartphone users, 63 percent of African-Americans and 74 percent of Hispanics say they use their smartphones on a daily basis to access the Internet and email.

"By turning the NOLA PON's 'New Orleans Parent's Guide to Public Schools' into an interactive app, we will help reach the residents who rely on mobile devices for Internet access. Since mobile devices are ubiquitous in the U.S. and as studies such as the Pew survey increasingly show, smartphones are used by low income and minority groups to access the Internet. The 'NOLA Parent's Guide' will help provide valuable information to parents so they can determine which school is best for their children," said Kimberly Bassett, Executive Director of CTIA-The Wireless Foundation.    

CTIA-The Wireless Foundation partnered with Boopsie to develop the "NOLA Parent's Guide" app and has committed to supporting and updating the app until 2015.

To download the free "NOLA Parent's Guide" app, please visit http://nola.boopsie.com.

The Wireless Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed by member companies of CTIA-The Wireless Association® in 1991. The Foundation oversees a number of programs designed to put wireless technology to work addressing the challenges of society. www.wirelessfoundation.org

SOURCE CTIA-The Wireless Foundation