Education Silo - New Schools for New Orleans
Service Immersion New Orleans
Scott Benson (NC), Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: Service Immersion New Orleans
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Prior to Katrina, New Orleans was ineffective at educating the majority of its children. By virtually any metric, the public school system was woefully underperforming, both in terms of educating students and managing schools. In a strange twist of fate, the arrival of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 provided an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. Although the pain and destruction that the hurricane caused cannot be forgotten, there is room for hope in the wake of tragedy.
New Orleans currently has the highest percentage of charter schools of any urban school district in the country. With over half of its 54 public schools operating as charter schools, New Orleans has become a focal point of the education reform movement in the United States. If the Crescent City can emerge from Katrina with a more effective school system than it had prior to the storm, two things will happen. On the micro level, the children of the city will benefit tremendously. On the macro level, proponents of charter schools will have the large-scale example they need to push increased reform in other districts around the country.
New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), a non-profit focused on supporting the fledgling charter school network in the ravaged city, is dedicated to ensuring that the reforms are successful. Founded by Sarah Usdin, former Director of Louisiana for Teach For America, NSNO's mission is "to accelerate the transformation of New Orleans public schools by cultivating the best practices of high performing schools, promoting academic and operational excellence, and developing sustainable governance."
Kristy "Powdered Sugar Warrior" McBride (OG), John "Massive" Cannon (NA), James "Good Enough for Government Work" Reinhart (KSG '08), and I worked directly with NSNO for two weeks. Our mission was simple-rewrite the organization's business plan. Armed with an updated business plan, NSNO could more effectively solicit large grants from national foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
New Orleans currently has the highest percentage of charter schools of any urban school district in the country. With over half of its 54 public schools operating as charter schools, New Orleans has become a focal point of the education reform movement in the United States. If the Crescent City can emerge from Katrina with a more effective school system than it had prior to the storm, two things will happen. On the micro level, the children of the city will benefit tremendously. On the macro level, proponents of charter schools will have the large-scale example they need to push increased reform in other districts around the country.
New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), a non-profit focused on supporting the fledgling charter school network in the ravaged city, is dedicated to ensuring that the reforms are successful. Founded by Sarah Usdin, former Director of Louisiana for Teach For America, NSNO's mission is "to accelerate the transformation of New Orleans public schools by cultivating the best practices of high performing schools, promoting academic and operational excellence, and developing sustainable governance."
Kristy "Powdered Sugar Warrior" McBride (OG), John "Massive" Cannon (NA), James "Good Enough for Government Work" Reinhart (KSG '08), and I worked directly with NSNO for two weeks. Our mission was simple-rewrite the organization's business plan. Armed with an updated business plan, NSNO could more effectively solicit large grants from national foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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