This report, written and developed by the Cowen Institute, provides a brief history and overview of Louisiana’s education accountability system and also provides relevant comparisons between New Orleans school performance and school performance in other parts of the state and the nation. The report is designed to help policymakers, educators, and citizens understand how public schools in New Orleans have progressed over time and also how they compare to schools around Louisiana and the United States.

The Cowen Institute has released the 2010 State of Public Education in New Orleans report which provides a comprehensive survey of quantitative data and public opinion about what is working and not working in our public schools – sharing the voice of the educators, parents, and voters. It is important that decisions affecting public schools and students in New Orleans be informed decisions, based on research and the needs and desires of the people most impacted.

The report also offers a set of successes that schools have achieved over the past two years as well as key challenges that still face public education in New Orleans.  The report is designed to help policymakers, educators, parents, nonprofit organizations, and the community understand how public schools in New Orleans have progressed over time and also how they compare to schools around Louisiana and the United States.

In addition to explaining how the current system emerged after Hurricane Katrina, the report gives detailed information on student demographics, school facilities, school finances, school choice and human capital. The 2010 State of Public Education in New Orleans report also provides detailed student achievement data by school and survey results from a recent public opinion poll on school governance.

[Download the full report here.]

[Download the executive summary here.]

The addendum to the 2008 State of Public Education in New Orleans report (released in January 2009 ) analyzes the performance of public schools in New Orleans on standardized tests and other measures of student outcomes. 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.

[Download the Executive Summary here.]

[Download the Part 1 of the report here.]

[Download the Part 2 of the report here.]

In partnership with the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation and the New Orleans City Council’s Education Committee, we released the second  State of Public Education in New Orleans report in April 2008. 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 the report serves as a definitive source of information on public education in New Orleans for the legislature, governor, educators, media, funders, and the larger community.

The report 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.

[Download the Executive Summary here.]

[Download the full report here.]

In partnership with the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation and the New Orleans City Council’s Education Committee, we released the first State of Public Education in New Orleans report in June 2007. The report provides a baseline of information about how the system was doing and outlines a set of recommendations for the city with the goal of quality education for all public school students. We believe the report served as a definitive source of information on public education in New Orleans for the legislature, governor, educators, media, funders, and the larger community.

[Download the report here.]