Ten Years in New Orleans: Public School Resurgence and the Path Ahead

86 Pages·2015·1.75 MB·English

Ten Years in
New Orleans
Public School Resurgence
and the Path Ahead
Christen Holly, Tim Field,
Juli Kim, and Bryan C. Hassel
public impact
Maggie Runyan- Shefa, Michael Stone,
and Davis Zaunbrecher
new schools for
new orleans
acknowledgments
This report was written by Christen Holly, Tim Field, Juli Kim, Sarah Newell Usdin, founder, NSNO; board member, Orleans
and Bryan C. Hassel of Public Impact, and Maggie Runyan- Parish School Board
Shefa, Michael Stone, and Davis Zaunbrecher of New Schools for John White, Louisiana state superintendent of education
New Orleans. Jason Williams, Councilmember-At-Large, New Orleans City
Council
The authors thank the following interviewees for sharing their
time and insights: We are also thankful to our external reviewers for providing feed-
back on all or part of this report: Jay Altman, Veronica Brooks,
Jay Altman, co-founder and CEO, FirstLine Schools
Mary Garton, Adam Hawf, Neerav Kingsland, Kate Mehok, Kun-
Kelly S. Batiste, principal, Fannie C. Williams Charter School
jan Narechania, Kathy Padian, Josh Perry, Dana Peterson, Macke
Veronica Brooks, policy director, Louisiana Association of
Raymond, Chris Stewart, David Sylvester, and Sarah Newell Usdin.
Public Charter Schools
Ken Campbell, former president, Black Alliance for Educa- Special thanks go to members of Public Impact: Daniela Doyle
tional Options for reviewing this document, Elaine Hargrave and Cassie Fago
Matt Candler, founder and CEO, 4.0 Schools for providing research support, Olivia Perry and Kendall King
Nash Crews, former chief of staff, Recovery School District for help with final details, and Beverley Tyndall for coordinating
Patrick Dobard, superintendent, Recovery School District production support and layout. Thank you also to April Leidig for
Howard Fuller, founder, Black Alliance for Educational design and composition.
Options
© 2015 New Schools for New Orleans and Public Impact
Adam Hawf, practitioner in residence, Center on Reinventing
Public Education New Schools for New Orleans works to deliver on the promise
Doris Hicks, CEO, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of an excellent education for every child in the city. Since our in-
for Science and Technology ception in 2006, we have used strategic investments of time, ex-
Leslie Jacobs, founder, EducateNow! pertise, and funding to support the improvement of New Orleans’
Deirdre Johnson-Burel, executive director, Orleans Public system of charter schools. In the absence of a centralized school
Education Network district, NSNO plays a vital role in proactively monitoring needs,
Rhonda Kalifey-Aluise, executive director, KIPP New developing innovative solutions, and above all, maintaining a
Orleans Schools focus on academic excellence with a range of partners.
Indrina Kanth, chief of staff, New Schools for New Orleans
Public Impact’s mission is to dramatically improve learning
Neerav Kingsland, former CEO, New Schools for New Orleans
outcomes for all children in the U.S., with a special focus on
Nolan Marshall, board member, Orleans Parish School Board
students who are not served well. We are a team of profession-
Erika McConduit, president and CEO, Urban League of Greater
als from many backgrounds, including former teachers. We are
New Orleans
researchers, thought leaders, tool-builders, and on-the-ground
Jamar McKneely, CEO and co-founder, InspireNOLA
consultants who work with leading education reformers. For
Kate Mehok, CEO, Crescent City Schools
more on Public Impact, please visit www.publicimpact.com.
Kunjan Narachania, chief of staff, Louisiana Department of
Education New Schools for New Orleans and Public Impact encourage the
Kira Orange-Jones, executive director, Teach For America— free use, reproduction, and distribution of this paper for noncom-
Greater New Orleans; board member, Louisiana Board of mercial use. We require attribution for all use.
Elementary and Secondary Education Please cite this report as:
Kathy Padian, deputy superintendent for charter schools, Public Impact: Holly, C., Field, T., Kim, J., & Hassel, B. C., and
Orleans Parish School Board New Schools for New Orleans: Runyan-Shefa, M., Stone, M., and
Dana Peterson, deputy superintendent of external affairs, Zaunbrecher, D. (2015). Ten years in New Orleans: Public school
Recovery School District resurgence and the path ahead. New Orleans, LA: New Schools
Rose Drill Peterson, director, East Bank Collaborative of for New Orleans. Retrieved from: http://www.newschoolsfor
Charter Schools neworleans.org/10years.pdf
Aesha Rasheed, founder, New Orleans Parent Organizing
Network; founding board member, Morris Jeff Community The contents of this publication were developed under a grant
School from the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innova-
Margaret (Macke) Raymond, founding director, Center for tion (i3) program. The i3 grant totals $33.6 million — $28 million
Research on Education Outcomes (88.33%) from the U.S. Department of Education and $5.6 mil-
Caroline Roemer Shirley, executive director, Louisiana Asso- lion (16.67%) in private matching funds — awarded to NSNO,
ciation of Public Charter Schools the Recovery School District, and the Tennessee Achievement
Andy Smarick, partner, Bellwether Education Partners School District. However, the contents of this publication do
Gregory St. Etienne, board member, FirstLine Schools and not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of
Collegiate Academies Education, and readers should not assume endorsement by the
Marc Sternberg, K–12 education program director, Walton federal government.
Family Foundation
Photos on pages 5, 45, 56, 67, 69, 74, 76 and Student Performance
Shawn Toranto, CEO, Einstein Charter Schools
foldout courtesy of FirstLine Schools/Maile Lani Photography.
Contents
4 F oreword by New Orleans Mayor
Mitch Landrieu
5 From the CEOs
6 Introduction
10 Student Performance in New Orleans
13 Timeline
14 1. Governance
24 2. Schools
34 3. Talent
46 4. Equity
58 5. Community
68 6. Funders
75 Conclusion
77 Notes
Foreword
by new orleans mayor mitch landrieu
Like the city as a whole, the New Orleans public vate, or refurbish every school in New Orleans. Now,
school system was devastated after the federal le- our kids will have the buildings worthy of their
vees broke following Hurricane Katrina. Our school great promise.
buildings were heavily damaged, and our teachers That is not to say that our new system is any-
and students were scattered. where close to perfect. There is still a long way to
From that lowest of lows, in 10 short years a new go, but we are improving faster here than anywhere
system of schools has emerged. Indeed, we have cre- else in America.
ated a new way — moving forward from what was a Before Katrina, the achievement gap between
broken top- down system. New Orleans and the rest of the state was over
Today, over 90 percent of our public school stu- 25 percentage points. Now, we’ve nearly closed that
dents attend a public charter school, far more wide gap with the state.
than any other city in America. Each public charter Before Katrina, the graduation rate was just over
school is autonomous, so the principal can meet the 50 percent. Now, our young residents are graduating
needs of his or her particular students and freely in- 73 percent of the time.
novate on everything from the length of the school Before Katrina, African- American student per-
day to incentives for top teachers. formance in New Orleans was well below the state
However, what really sets New Orleans’ charter average. Now, we beat the state average.
school system apart is more than autonomy and the Because of this progress, by our 300th anniver-
fact that nearly every student attends a public char- sary as a city in 2018, we can become the first city
ter school — it is also our demanding accountability in America with no failing schools. That would be
system and our special focus on equity. We’ve raised a remarkable milestone not just for us, but for the
the bar, and schools must meet rigorous standards country as a whole.
in order to remain open. Overall, we look at every- We are building the city back not as it was, but
thing from test scores to individual student growth the way we always dreamed she could be, and the
and graduation rates. reforms to our education system are the most im-
Another important part of our new system of portant part of this effort. Now, more than any other
schools is that families who once had only one generation, the pathway to prosperity goes directly
option for their kids can now apply to nearly every through the schoolhouse doors. Indeed, the future
school in the city through a centralized enrollment of New Orleans will truly be decided not at City Hall
process. In New Orleans, it is no longer the case that or in downtown corporate board rooms, but in the
a child’s education options are strictly defined by classrooms of this great city.
where he or she lives.
Our charter schools have also centralized ex-
pulsion hearings with new standardized discipline
policies designed to treat all students equally and
keep struggling kids in school where they belong.
Furthermore, we have demanded that our public
charter schools follow the law so students with spe-
cial needs have a place to attend school and get the
services they need.
In addition to all these reforms, $1.8 billion in
FEMA funds is hitting the ground to rebuild, reno-
4  new schools for new orleans
From the CEOs
Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina tore through our
region, taking nearly 2,000 lives and forever altering
hundreds of thousands more.
Though many of the storm’s scars have healed,
in many ways our city is still recovering. As we ap-
proach the 10th anniversary of that generation-
defining moment, we mourn and we remember.
But we also celebrate our resurgence.
This is the story of education in New Orleans
since Katrina, the remarkable rebuilding of a school
system in the wake of natural and man-made disas-
ter. It is the story of steady progress, challenges, and
breakthroughs, of educators, families, and students
continually pushing toward the system our city
deserves.
We would like to acknowledge the many people
who helped reassemble our schools and our city. We
thank the great educators who returned to New
Orleans in the storm’s wake and who fought to re-
open our city’s schools. We also thank those educa-
tors who moved to this city and made it their home.
We thank the families who came back to the city to
rebuild their communities. We thank our leaders,
who have continually demonstrated through word
and deed that great schools for all children must be
a priority. We thank the people of New Orleans who
continue to push our system of schools to become
more effective and more equitable.
As we close the first decade after the storm, we
begin to look to the next decade and our collective
opportunity to make New Orleans the country’s
first great urban public school system. The past 10
years demonstrate that our city will settle for noth-
ing less.
We look forward to working together to continue
to deliver on that promise.
Maggie Runyan- Shefa & Michael Stone,
Co- Chief Executive Officers,
New Schools for New Orleans
ten years in new orleans  5
Introduction
New Orleans tends toward self-analysis — some “When I was growing up in Port Clinton [Ohio]
would even say self- obsession. We talk constantly 50 years ago, my parents talked about, “We’ve
about our food, our politicians, our festivals, our got to do things for our kids. We’ve got to pay
Saints, our tragedies, and our identity. higher taxes so our kids can have a better swim-
In this report, we’re going to talk about our ming pool, or we’ve got to pay higher taxes so we
schools. can have a new French department in school,”
We’re going to try to answer the question, “What or whatever. When they said that, they did not
will be the story of public education over the past just mean my sister and me — it was all the kids
decade?” This report is about sifting through a here in town, of all sorts. But what’s happened,
messy tangle of events to pick out the threads that and this is sort of the bowling alone story, is
matter most. We bring the essential facts to the that over this last 30, 40, 50 years, the meaning
surface, place stories in their national and local of “our kids” has narrowed and narrowed and
context, evaluate successful efforts, and point to narrowed. . . .” 1
persistent challenges that remain.
Public education is a profoundly complicated Picking up this argument, if the definition of “our
endeavor. The perspective of New Schools for New kids” has narrowed over the past 50 years, does that
Orleans is one among many. Read others. Though mean New Orleans embraced shared ownership for
what follows emerged out of dozens of focused in- all its young people at some point in the past? Was
terviews and a decade of work in the city, we can’t there a golden age when “our kids” meant “all kids”?
hope to capture all the social and political nuances History says otherwise. As a city, what counts as
of a decade of schooling. “our kids” has been narrowly drawn. New Orleans
has always marginalized some families. And with
monotonous consistency, the students whose out-
Prologue:
comes were of less concern were low- income stu-
W ho are our kids? dents of color. Wave after wave of political leaders,
beginning hundreds of years ago, prevented the de-
Harvard’s Robert Putnam released an acclaimed velopment of a school system that served the needs
book in March 2015, “Our Kids: The American of black and poor families in New Orleans.
Dream in Crisis.” Putnam described the heart of It goes without saying that this was the case
the book in an interview: when slavery formed the foundation of the city’s
6  new schools for new orleans
economic life. By the 1870s, however, sustained fed- What does it look like when the circle of “our kids”
eral involvement had fostered a racially integrated is narrowly drawn for so long?
public school system — thought to be the only such White students in New Orleans, just 3 percent of
system in the post- Civil War South. The backlash the student population by 2005, outperformed their
was fierce in the Jim Crow era. In 1900, the president peers in each of Louisiana’s other 67 school districts.
of the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) disman- In contrast, academic performance among low-in-
tled the education system for black children. Pub- come students and black students ranked 66th out of
licly funded schooling beyond the fifth grade was 68 districts statewide.2
restricted to white New Orleanians for a generation. In economic terms, children born into poor fami-
In 1917, McDonogh 35 began offering high school lies in New Orleans in the early 1980s were worse off
grades for a limited number of black students, and than their peers from nearly every other county in
Booker T. Washington added a vocational track in the United States. Of the 2,500 counties nationwide,
the early 1940s. Funding for black schools remained just four left their young people with worse economic
meager, however, never approaching white schools’ prospects in adulthood. If you grew up poor in New
allocations. Orleans in the 1980s and ‘90s, in 2015 you should ex-
It took a steady barrage of lawsuits and petitions pect to earn about $5,000 less each year compared
by local stalwart A.P. Tureaud and his civil rights with a peer growing up in an average low-income
colleagues to force the local board to comply with household elsewhere in America.3
federal desegregation orders in the wake of Brown Ineffective public schools were a primary factor
v. Board of Education in 1954. Again, the reaction in that civic failure. No community wants that for
was dramatic. Most white families disengaged from its kids.
public education in New Or leans. From 1964 to 1974,
white enrollment in New Orleans’ public schools
New Orleans today
dropped from 39,000 to 19,000. Ten years later, it
was below 10,000.
The improvement to public schools in New Orleans
There were few bright spots throughout the 1980s
over the past decade has been nothing short of re-
and ’90s. Reports to Congress in 1995 about the con-
markable. One could argue that New Orleans had
dition of school facilities warned that “New Orleans
the worst urban school system in America before
public schools are rotting away” — the product of a
Hurricane Katrina. Now we’re on par with major
weak economy, lack of dedicated funding, and mis-
districts across the country—in many cases, we’re
management. The introduction of common state-
beginning to surpass outcomes in those districts.
wide assessments showed that student achievement
No city has improved this much, this quickly.
remained heartbreakingly low. Political bickering
Though our schools are far from excellent, this
and outright corruption marred the local board. As
transformation has positively impacted the lives of
mayors, both Marc Morial and Ray Nagin tried to
thousands and thousands of children who would
intervene, but neither gained any traction despite
have been left behind by the old system:
strong citywide voter mandates.
Student enrollment dropped by 25 percent in • M ore students on grade level: In 2004, 31 per-
the city’s public schools from 1994 to 2004. Despite cent of New Orleans students performed on grade
the efforts of many dedicated educators, the level on state assessments, earning a “Basic” or
New Orleans school system was in a downward above rating. In 2014, that figure had doubled to
spiral. 62 percent. Over the same period, the equivalent
The students who had access to excellent public statewide figure increased from 56 percent to
schools typically possessed the right combination 68 percent.
of attributes: good middle school grades, or political • F ewer students trapped in low- performing
connections, or wealth, or racial privilege, or some schools:
combination. The vast majority did not. In 2004, 60 percent of New Orleans students —
ten years in new orleans: public school resurgence and the path ahead  7
40,000 kids — went to a school that performed in
the bottom tenth of all Louisiana public schools.
By any reasonable definition, these were failing
schools. In 2014, just 13 percent of our students at-
tended a school in the bottom tenth in Louisiana.
• M ore students graduating on- time: A ninth-
grader entering a New Orleans public school in
fall 2000 had barely a 50/50 chance to graduate
on time four years later (54 percent). Today,
73 percent of students graduate on time.
• R igorous academic research affirms citywide
improvement: According to the Education Re-
search Alliance for New Orleans, the effect of New
Orleans reform on student learning surpasses the
impact of major reforms studied in other commu-
nities, including preschool programs and reduc-
tions in class- size.4
Revolutionizing the role of government in public
education enabled our transformation. The district
moved from school operator to regulator of school
quality and equity in the system. Nonprofit charter
school organizations led the way on performance
improvement and innovation, while simultaneously
recognizing that they are not niche players—they is this report a how- to guide
are “the system.” They are responsible for ensuring for other cities?
that every child receives a great education.
We don’t confuse progress with success. While No. This report is primarily intended to be descriptive,
growth has been undeniable, we are still a be- not prescriptive. It is a synthesis of a compelling and
low-average school district in a bottom-performing complicated story — not a call to action for other cities.
state. If New Orleans stalled today, the city would
We deeply believe in the principles that inform the
land squarely in the middle ranks of our country’s
transformation of New Orleans schools: educator
underperforming urban school systems. A fraction
autonomy and empowerment, parental choice, and
of students would receive an excellent education,
government transforming into a quality- focused regu-
while many of the rest would be consigned to eco-
nomic insecurity and a host of other negative life lator. Our doors are always open to talk about creating
outcomes because our schools did not deliver. “Bet- more school systems that embody those principles.
ter than before” is not our standard. With continued We encourage readers to explore “New Orleans- Style
momentum, New Orleans can become a city where
Education Reform: A Guide for Cities,” a 2012 collabora-
every child can attend an excellent public school.
tion between New Schools for New Orleans and Public
The road ahead is long but within reach.
Impact. That report includes a rich discussion of how
to move to a decentralized school system. It remains a
valuable resource.
8  new schools for new orleans
This report
Structural reform in New Orleans triggered a
cycle of improvement that is still gaining speed 10
After a review of student performance data in New
years later.
Orleans public schools, this report moves through
On the flip side, this dynamism places unprece-
six essential topics. In each chapter, we pull to-
dented demands on families, educators and citizens
gether the key trends and describe why develop-
in New Orleans. Most school districts manage to
ments in each domain matter to the system as a
push through a handful of incremental adjustments
whole. Notable moments of success receive their
each year. The speed of change in New Orleans can
due, and the discussion closes with an acknowl-
be dizzying.
edgement of persistent challenges and the work
This rapid pace began within weeks of the
to come.
storm’s landfall as the state swept in to seize con-
The six chapters are: trol of most of the city’s schools. Since that time,
1 . G overnance: Highlights New Orleans’ decision to there has been a persistent feeling among many in
refocus the role of government to a regulator of New Orleans that changes to public education hap-
educational outcomes and equity. pened “to” and not “with” communities served by
2. Schools: Focuses on the autonomous public the schools. The anger that some New Orleanians
schools that now serve more than 90 percent of harbor toward “reformers,” the Recovery School Dis-
students in New Orleans’ decentralized system as trict (RSD), charter school organizations, and other
drivers of innovation and system leadership. supportive nonprofits is inextricably linked to larger
3. Talent: Describes the unique environment in issues of race, class, and privilege in New Orleans
which New Orleans educators practice their and in this country.
craft. If we can harness the collective energy of all of
4. Equity: Clarifies the mechanisms adopted by our citizens, the future of New Orleans schools is in-
public schools to ensure that reform created a deed bright. The city’s adults must develop a shared
system that served all New Orleans students well, sense of ownership over education in New Orleans—
particularly the most vulnerable. including acknowledging real wounds, working to
5. Community: Reflects on challenges and suc- heal them, and moving forward together. Our public
cesses in building shared ownership among a schools must become a point of civic pride. There is
diverse group of New Orleanians for the trans- no other path to excellence.
formation of public schools. Our vision is for New Orleans to become Amer-
6. Funders: Outlines how one- time federal funds ica’s first great urban public school system: one
and philanthropic support have contributed to whose schools perform on par with the best sub-
the past decade of reform. urban districts in America; one that personalizes
student experience for all children; one that pro-
vides multiple rigorous pathways through and
The road ahead beyond high school to help every child, regardless
of background, flourish as an adult; and, in a city
We believe that what happened over the past 10 with a dark history of racial segregation, a system of
years demonstrates what’s possible for the next 10. schools that represent the racial and socioeconomic
Above all, New Orleans created a pervasive mind- diversity of New Orleans.
set that big problems can be solved. If something
in the system does not serve the needs of students, We begin with the question that we believe
it can be changed. If stubborn gaps appear, great should ground every discussion of public
educators will step in with innovative solutions. If a schools: How are students performing
school is not getting the job done, another will take academically?
on the challenge.
ten years in new orleans: public school resurgence and the path ahead  9
Student Performance
in New Orleans
System at a Glance
Approximately 47,000 students attend 83 public schools operate in New Orleans’
public schools in New Orleans. decentralized school system.
83%
economically disadvantaged Public Charter Schools 77 schools 44,000 students
Operate under the Recovery 55 schools 29,000 students
93% School District (RSD)
students of color
Operate under the Orleans
Parish School Board (OPSB) 18 schools 12,000 students
11%
Operate under the Louisiana
students with disabilities
Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education (BESE) 4 schools 3,000 students
Traditional Public Schools 6 schools 3,000 students
Nearly 95 percent
Run directly by OPSB
of students attend
(“network schools”)
autonomous, nonprofit
charter schools.
90,000
80,000
t
n
me 70,000 ■ public charter schools
oll ■ traditional public schools
r 60,000
n
e
ol  50,000
o
h
c 40,000
s
c 
li
b 30,000
u
l p public chart er schools
a 20,000
t No data
o
t available for
10,000
2005 – 2006
0
1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
10  new schools for new orleans