The New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) team helps New Orleans’ schools, educators, and leaders provide the best possible education for our children. We have been grateful for the chance to be there for our schools during a difficult year.
Talent
Curriculum
Policy
Portfolio
Communications
Talent
We help coordinate a citywide strategy to support our educators by providing development, funding, and opportunities to collaborate.
In 2020, we:
- Helped connect experienced teachers and schools with open roles through Teach New Orleans.
- Funded coaching for schools on how they could retain and recruit great educators.
- Helped prepare current school leaders to run charter networks in the future through the E3 Fellowship.
And in 2021, we are:
- Bringing principals together for coaching, community, and professional development through The Principal Collaborative.
- Funding schools’ surveys of their teachers’ experiences.
- Launching the Novice Leader Academy to develop and support new principals.
Curriculum
We help schools make the curricular and instructional shifts necessary to meet more rigorous academic standards.
In 2020, we:
- Provided over $3.1 million in grants to nearly 40 schools for curriculum and educator training, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education.
- Continued and launched professional development “hubs” for educators in areas such as special education, supporting English learners, and using technology in teaching.
- Funded schools to receive curriculum support in planning for reopening schools last fall amidst COVID-19.
And in 2021, we are:
- Launching new “hubs” in trauma-informed support, virtual instruction, and foundational reading skills.
- Continuing to provide grants to schools for high-quality curriculum and professional learning.
- Providing science support to educators to bolster our city’s STEM instruction.
Policy
We advocate for policies to maintain an environment that supports positive outcomes for students.
In 2020, we:
- Worked with NOLA-PS to help address financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and find policy solutions to mitigate the drop in school funding.
- Helped revise school board policy around how school and network charters are renewed due to academic performance, in light of the absence of state testing last spring.
- Advocated to ensure that during all three legislative sessions, no bills were passed that undermined the accountability, autonomy, equity, and choice of New Orleans schools.
And in 2021, we are:
- Establishing deep, positive relationships with newly-elected OPSB members.
- Working with NOLA-PS on a “transformation fund” to support the process of schools undergoing shifts in leadership and charter management.
- Working with state and local decision makers to develop new policies around charter school renewal and accountability.
Portfolio
We invest in schools to improve the quality of New Orleans’ school options.
In 2020, we:
- Invested nearly $2 million to create high-quality school options for over 6,500 students by launching new schools or expanding or transforming existing ones.
- Funded schools to participate in “equity audits” led by Beloved Community in order to improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
- Helped schools create “leadership sustainability” plans to make sure there is always a great leader in charge, even through change.
And in 2021, we are:
- Supporting new and existing leaders to prepare to launch new or transformed high-quality schools in the fall of 2021.
- Working with future charter executive leaders who aspire to launch new schools or start new charter organizations.
- Undergoing an equity audit of our own school investment practices through the lens of racial diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Communications
We provide clear educational data, share the successes and challenges of our system of schools, and offer platforms for voices across our community.
In 2020, we:
- Shared critical information related to education and COVID-19, including resources, funding opportunities, and answers to common questions on the virus.
- Profiled schools and educators and shared how they were operating through the challenges of COVID-19.
- Grew our reach on social media and expanded our newsletter list to share stories with more people.
And in 2021, we are:
- Making sure all the language we use is “people-first” and guided by our commitment to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.
- Continuing to tell the stories of public school teachers and students and sharing clear analyses of data and policy.
- Launching a new website and continuing to grow the community that sees what we share.
The NSNO Team
Many of us have worked in, taught in, or led schools. Some of us have worked in state- or district-level education systems. We bring diverse and varied expertise, but we also know that our students, families, and educators are the real experts. We are committed to listening to them and doing excellent, strategic, impactful, and loving work, guided by the pursuit of equity and anti-racism, to support theirs.
Together, we are fueled by our deep belief in our children and our conviction that they deserve world-class schools.