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20 Years of Reinvention: Education Reform in New Orleans

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Title: 20 Years of Reinvention: Education Reform in New Orleans
Language: English
Authors: Emily Langhorne, Rachel Canter, Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Source: Progressive Policy Institute. 2025.
Availability: Progressive Policy Institute. 600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE Suite 400, Washington, DC 20003. Tel: 202-547-0001; Fax: 202-544-5014; Web site: https://www.progressivepolicy.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 37
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Educational Change, Charter Schools, Public Education, Natural Disasters, Educational Administration, Academic Achievement, Outcomes of Education, School Districts, School Choice, School Closing, School Community Relationship, Barriers, Program Implementation, School Restructuring, Teacher Employment, Job Layoff, Racial Attitudes, COVID-19, Pandemics, African American Students, Population Trends, Discipline, Crime, Equal Education, Student Transportation, Faculty Mobility, Institutional Autonomy, Accountability, Educational Finance, School Funds, Boards of Education, Superintendents, Governance
Geographic Terms: Louisiana (New Orleans)
Abstract: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, accelerating the collapse of an already disintegrating city public school system. Prior to the storm, almost two-thirds of New Orleans public school students attended failing schools, half dropped out, and fewer than one in five enrolled in college. The school system suffered severe financial mismanagement, corruption, and crumbling school infrastructures. Yet in the midst of a national tragedy came an unprecedented opportunity for education reform. Louisiana transferred 80% of the city's public schools to the state-run Recovery School District (RSD), which, over the next decade, converted them all into charter schools. The elected Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) turned most of its 17 remaining schools into charters as well. In 2018, the state "reunified" the RSD schools with the local school board. By 2020, the OPSB had converted its last two schools to charters, making New Orleans the first large U.S. school district composed entirely of charter schools. This sweeping education reform led to remarkable academic gains. Over the last 20 years, student outcomes have grown substantially. Despite harder assessments, students have jumped ten percentage points in reading and math at fourth and eighth grade, and graduation and college enrollments have rocketed by more than twenty percentage points. In 2024, not a single New Orleans school was rated as "failing" by the state accountability system. The New Orleans model will not translate perfectly to all American districts, given the unique circumstances of post-Katrina recovery. Nonetheless, elements of its approach provide a compelling blueprint for large bureaucratic districts. These include (1) Significant school autonomy, so school leaders have the freedom they need to craft schools that meet their students' needs; (2) Accountability for student performance, including the opportunity for schools to expand and/or replicate if successful, and to face replacement or closure if not; (3) Full choice between a diverse array of educational models; (4) Competition for students and dollars among schools; and (5) A board and superintendent largely freed of responsibility for operating schools, enabling them to concentrate on system-wide needs and issues. The reinvention of New Orleans' public schools represents both stunning success and critical lessons. If every major American public school system could achieve similar improvements, the effect on children across the nation would be profound.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED676744
Database: ERIC
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  Data: 20 Years of Reinvention: Education Reform in New Orleans
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Emily+Langhorne%22">Emily Langhorne</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rachel+Canter%22">Rachel Canter</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Progressive+Policy+Institute+%28PPI%29%22">Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)</searchLink>
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  Data: Progressive Policy Institute. 600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE Suite 400, Washington, DC 20003. Tel: 202-547-0001; Fax: 202-544-5014; Web site: https://www.progressivepolicy.org/
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Change%22">Educational Change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Charter+Schools%22">Charter Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Education%22">Public Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Natural+Disasters%22">Natural Disasters</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Administration%22">Educational Administration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outcomes+of+Education%22">Outcomes of Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Districts%22">School Districts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Choice%22">School Choice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Closing%22">School Closing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Community+Relationship%22">School Community Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Implementation%22">Program Implementation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Restructuring%22">School Restructuring</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Employment%22">Teacher Employment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+Layoff%22">Job Layoff</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+Attitudes%22">Racial Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22African+American+Students%22">African American Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Population+Trends%22">Population Trends</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discipline%22">Discipline</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Crime%22">Crime</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equal+Education%22">Equal Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Transportation%22">Student Transportation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Faculty+Mobility%22">Faculty Mobility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+Autonomy%22">Institutional Autonomy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Finance%22">Educational Finance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Funds%22">School Funds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Boards+of+Education%22">Boards of Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Superintendents%22">Superintendents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Governance%22">Governance</searchLink>
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  Data: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, accelerating the collapse of an already disintegrating city public school system. Prior to the storm, almost two-thirds of New Orleans public school students attended failing schools, half dropped out, and fewer than one in five enrolled in college. The school system suffered severe financial mismanagement, corruption, and crumbling school infrastructures. Yet in the midst of a national tragedy came an unprecedented opportunity for education reform. Louisiana transferred 80% of the city's public schools to the state-run Recovery School District (RSD), which, over the next decade, converted them all into charter schools. The elected Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) turned most of its 17 remaining schools into charters as well. In 2018, the state "reunified" the RSD schools with the local school board. By 2020, the OPSB had converted its last two schools to charters, making New Orleans the first large U.S. school district composed entirely of charter schools. This sweeping education reform led to remarkable academic gains. Over the last 20 years, student outcomes have grown substantially. Despite harder assessments, students have jumped ten percentage points in reading and math at fourth and eighth grade, and graduation and college enrollments have rocketed by more than twenty percentage points. In 2024, not a single New Orleans school was rated as "failing" by the state accountability system. The New Orleans model will not translate perfectly to all American districts, given the unique circumstances of post-Katrina recovery. Nonetheless, elements of its approach provide a compelling blueprint for large bureaucratic districts. These include (1) Significant school autonomy, so school leaders have the freedom they need to craft schools that meet their students' needs; (2) Accountability for student performance, including the opportunity for schools to expand and/or replicate if successful, and to face replacement or closure if not; (3) Full choice between a diverse array of educational models; (4) Competition for students and dollars among schools; and (5) A board and superintendent largely freed of responsibility for operating schools, enabling them to concentrate on system-wide needs and issues. The reinvention of New Orleans' public schools represents both stunning success and critical lessons. If every major American public school system could achieve similar improvements, the effect on children across the nation would be profound.
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PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED676744
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 37
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Educational Change
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Charter Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Natural Disasters
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Administration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Outcomes of Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Districts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Choice
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Closing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Community Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Barriers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Implementation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Restructuring
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Employment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Job Layoff
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racial Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: African American Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Population Trends
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Discipline
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Crime
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Equal Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Transportation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Faculty Mobility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Institutional Autonomy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Accountability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Finance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Funds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Boards of Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Superintendents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Governance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Louisiana (New Orleans)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: 20 Years of Reinvention: Education Reform in New Orleans
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