I was a member of the 2010 class of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute, during which time I met leaders in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across the region. I was one of the youngest members of the class and the newest to New Orleans, and the experience has truly shaped how I [...]
On a chilly December evening, over forty public high school teachers, administrators, and leaders celebrated the end of an impressive semester. AdvanceNOLA, the Cowen Institute’s college readiness program, has grown each year since its inception in the Spring of 2009, and the success is contagious. Under the innovative leadership of Emily Remington, the Cowen Institute’s Assistant Director of Programming, AdvanceNOLA currently works with over 600 public high school students and over 30 public high school professionals. To celebrate the tremendous progress of the past semester and to discuss the work ahead, AdvanceNOLA hosted a fun and informative evening with the talented individuals that work every day to positively impact the lives of students.
This blog post was written by Tolulope Dawodu, a Cowen Scholar and second year Master of Public Health (MPH) student at Tulane University.
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited to a luncheon with Deborah Bial, founder and CEO of the Posse Foundation. Debbie’s presence on campus is a part of Tulane University’s Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives’ NewDay Speaker Series. Other luncheon attendees included: several Tulane faculty, from various departments of the University; Tulane Posse students; representatives from Urban League’s College Track program; Jones Scholars and other graduate students; and our fearless leader, Scott Cowen.
Public education in New Orleans has come a long way in the past five years: the city’s public schools collectively have seen an increase of over 32 percent in their school performance scores and the percent of failing schools has been cut in half. However, the transformation of the city’s school system has also created new challenges. Harnessing the potential of successful reforms while addressing the challenges created by the current complex system requires a new approach to education governance. Click the title to keep reading.
We'd like to congratulate students from AdvanceNOLA partner sites on their admittance to Tulane's Summer Transition Program (STP). STP targets high achieving students from public schools in Orleans Parish to take an English 101 course in the summer between 11th and 12th grade; if students score a C or higher, they take a Tulane introductory course of their choice during the first semester of their 12th grade year. If they earn a C or higher in this course, they receive automatic admission to Tulane and preferential treatment in the Tulane financial aid process. For more information about STP, please visit their website.
Congratulations to the following students. We hope your time at Tulane will be meaningful and inspiring!
Chanel Brown - Carver
Gernice Brown - Carver
Angelina Landry - Sci High
Kenneth Motley - Walker
Terenise Robins - Walker
Jazmine Wilson - Sci High
Community Conversations about Disconnected Youth
| March 15, 2012Disconnected Youth are young adults aged 16-24 who are neither in school nor working and are sometimes referred to as Opportunity Youth because of their potential value to our communities and economies. Nationwide, 6.7 million (or 17%) young people aged 16-24 are estimated to be disconnected, at the cost of $93 billion annually. The Greater New Orleans area has approximately twice the national average of Opportunity Youth. It is time to develop an action plan for our city and our youth. We are ready and hope that others will join us so young people who struggle to attain meaningful education and jobs in our city will find their paths to success. It will take all hands on deck.