The Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives

The Cowen Institute’s 2008 State of Public Education in New Orleans report, released in April 2008, took a close look at this new “system of schools” and found a number of signs of progress, as well as serious challenges that needed to be addressed. In this new supplement to that report, we investigate the performance of public schools over the last school year and compare their performance to previous years and to other districts in Louisiana and across the country. Both reports can be accessed below.

Our report shows that, compared to last school year and to the period before Hurricane Katrina, public schools in New Orleans have made great strides in student achievement. According to the most recent school performance data released by the Louisiana Department of Education, if schools in New Orleans were still in one district, their district performance score would be 66.4 for the 2007-2008 school year. This represents a significant increase of nearly 10 points from the district’s score of 56.9 in the 2004-2005 school year. Even with these gains, however, the overall performance of public schools in New Orleans remains unacceptably low. We must do more to ensure that our children are provided with the education that they deserve.

We have seen the beginnings of positive change in public schools in New Orleans, yet it still remains unclear which reforms are doing the most to drive increased school performance.

Click here to download the 2009 Supplement to the State of Public Education
in New Orleans report
[Read the executive summary]

In partnership with the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation and the New Orleans City Council's Education Committee, we are proud to release to the second annual State of Public Education in New Orleans report. The report provides an ongoing chronicle and assessment of the progress of public education in New Orleans, including a comprehensive description of the current system and an assessment of public opinion about how well the schools are performing. We believe that the report will again be a definitive source of information on public education in New Orleans for the legislature, governor, educators, media, funders, and the larger community.

This year's report, released in April 2008, is based on a widespread and in-depth analysis of public schools in New Orleans including more than 50 interviews with community leaders, public officials, education experts, and school principals; over 25 focus groups with students, teachers, and community members; and over 1,850 survey responses from parents, teachers, and community members. In addition, Cowen Institute researchers obtained data and information about public schools from the Louisiana Department of Education, the Recovery School District, the Orleans Parish School Board, and other organizations. Because LEAP scores for the current year are not yet available, an addendum to the report will be released in the fall analyzing the 2008 LEAP scores.

Printed copies of both the executive summary and the full report will be available by April 25th and mailed to state legislators, school leaders, education administrators, education nonprofits, civic and business leaders, and a number of others. Members of the general public who would like to receive a hard copy of the report should call 504-274-3690 or email scruz@tulane.edu. Copies are also available at the Cowen Institute’s office, located at 200 Broadway Street, Suite 108, New Orleans, LA 70118.

Our Work: Applied Research:

State of Public Education in New Orleans