Haystack EDU: Spotlight On New Orleans

Arranged behind the green, yellow and purple curtain of Mardi Gras, jazz and jambalaya, are hundreds of schools and thousands of students that are making leaps and bounds in their academic progress every day since Hurricane Katrina swept through the Big Easy.

washingtonindependent.com

Recent History of New Orleans Shifted Education Outcomes

The recent history of the New Orleans education system has greatly influenced its overall improvement. In 2003, two years before Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans, the Recovery School District (RSD) was created to take over failing schools within the New Orleans public school district. For decades before, New Orleans had been known as the lowest performing school district in Louisiana and one of the worst school districts in the country. Eighty percent of public school students were attending a failing school and the corruption within the education system was so high that the FBI set up a field office in the Orleans Parish building. It was the storm that destroyed New Orleans that also turned around the failing education system.

While New Orleans was rebuilding itself from foundation to roof, change was brewing in schools with mission-driven leaders, and new ideas about academic achievement. School leaders and non-profits from around the country flooded in to partake in the opportunity of a lifetime. Educators bound by public school rules and unions could work freely in the mainly charter system. This turnaround from traditional public schools to charter schools had positive and negative effects, but the idea was that schools could make their own rules as long as they met testing standards laid out by the state. According to the Cowen Institute, by the 2011-2012 school year 78 percent of public school students were enrolled in charter schools, and this number has continued to increase.

edweek.org

Benefits of Teaching in New Orleans Schools

Although there are charter schools that have failed, and others that are struggling, there are several positives to working in the successful and blossoming charter schools of New Orleans. First, teachers have the opportunity to make a large social impact and be part of an academically improving district. Over 80% of public school students qualify for free or reduced lunch and in just three years, between 2009 and 2012, these students’ test scores increased from 37% to 51% basic or above (Louisiana Department of Education)

Additionally, a charter system with fewer rules allows for a wide-variety of schools to choose from. For example, teachers at KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools are often required to visit the houses of their students, so that they can build a stronger relationship with families. Enrollment at Sci Academy, a high school, is kept at an enrollment of around 400 so that the staff is familiar with most all of the students.

Finally, an educator can live well off New Orleans’ teacher’s salary, which has increased in recent years. Between 2005 and 2010, the average teacher salary rose from $39,000 to $47,000. With New Orleans’ cheap standard of living, one can comfortably reside walking distance from live music, fresh seafood, street festivals and Mardi Gras parades.

If you’re interested in being part of an education environment that is like no other, in a city that is like none other in the nation, New Orleans may be the place for you. To learn more about schools and education reform in Greater New Orleans, check out the links below.