SITE VISITS

In a city long known for its failing schools and underserved students, Hurricane Katrina and the breaking of the levees proved paradoxical, destroying communities and infrastructure yet simultaneously providing an unheralded opportunity to create New Orleans education anew. This year’s host committee has designed four site visits within the city, each of which examines important models that can be applied throughout the country.

Partnering to Put Early Childhood at the Center of Community Revitalization

Thursday, October 28: 8:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Strategic local and national investments, combined with innovative state policy and financing, have resulted in sustainable solutions for high-quality early childhood education in New Orleans. The Mahalia Jackson Early Childhood & Family Learning Center (MJC) delivers quality care and education for children from birth to age five, curriculum training and materials to neighborhood childcare providers, and holistic healthcare to low-income families—providing a crucial “one-stop shop” in the revitalization of the Central City neighborhood. Join us to explore the partnerships that have driven development of wraparound early childhood programs at MJC and citywide.

Solutions That Matter: Applying School Turnaround Strategies

Thursday, October 28: 8:30 AM – 11:45 AM

School and civic leaders at all levels stress the need to improve failing schools—but with little consensus about what exactly to do. Over the past five years, New Orleans schools have implemented various strategies to transform failing schools, from co-location of new academies within existing schools, to “whole school” takeovers, to starting up new schools by adding one grade at a time. Join us to learn about the successes and challenges of different turnaround strategies, including a discussion of how the founders of Lafayette Academy, a public charter school, reoriented their strategy when the initial charter program failed to improve student outcomes.

A Learning Lab for Expanded Learning Time

Thursday, October 28: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Efforts to improve student achievement increasingly focus on expanding learning hours by extending school days or increasing out-of-school (OST) learning opportunities. ReNEW Schools, a Charter Management Organization that uses extended schedules along with experiential learning and integrative curricula, partners with the Greater New Orleans Afterschool Partnership, to create a model for aligning enrichment-focused in-school and afterschool instruction. Join us to learn about how the program works and how its impact is expanded through a year-long professional development fellowship for teachers and OST instructors from throughout the region.

Creative Approaches to Creative Arts Education

Thursday, October 28: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

In 2007, Louisiana passed the Art-in-Education Bill, mandating music and art education in every public school—without allocating funding to carry out the mandate. Join us to learn about two programs that exemplify low-cost, high-impact efforts to integrate arts across the curriculum. The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts is one of the nation’s premier arts-focused secondary schools, sending over 95 percent of its graduates to college and conservatory programs every year. KIDSmart partners with public schools to invigorate pedagogy through the arts, providing professional development for teachers and direct instruction to students, all focused on integrating arts with academic instruction to meet national and state standards.