FAILURE NO MORE ! Transforming A New Orleans Public School

1. FAILURE NO MORE ! Transforming A New Orleans Public School

2. Lafayette Academy

3. New Orleans Public Schools: • New Orleans Schools Pre- Katrina: • One of the worst school districts in country • Lowest performing in state • Valedictorian of Fortier High School failed exit exam 6 times • FBI opened office to investigate rampant corruption • Recovery School District (RSD): • Created in 2003: Academic Failure • 5 schools in RSD • November, 2005: • All but 16 schools placed in the RSD • City shuttered: empty buildings

4. 7 years later: System of Schools: …Not a School System • 2 Governing Authorities • OPSB • BESE • Both can operate or charter schools • 85% Attend Charter schools

5. Most Market Driven System… with a Fence Schools Compete for Students Schools Compete for Employees “At Will” Employer Vendors Compete to Serve Schools • System of Schools • Serves All Students • Enrollment • Expulsion

6. Nonprofits Performing Central Office Functions: • Support for Charters: • Talent recruitment and Development (TFA, Teach NOLA, New Leaders, Leading Educators) • Special Education Support (SUNS Center) • Interim assessments: Achievement Network • Parent’s guide & support for Parent Choice: PONS + Urban League • Lobbying: Louisiana Public Charter School Association • Incubation & scaling of charter operators: New Schools for New Orleans

7. RESULTS

8. Same Demographic Profile of Student:

9. #1 in growth in LA since 2005 District Performance Score: All students, All Tests, All Performance Levels

10. Closing the Gap Percent of Black Students Basic or Above (Proficiency Goal) All Grades, All Tests (E, M, S, SS) * No 2006 data due to Katrina

11. Career and College Ready 2012 100 students 76.5 students with diploma 30 students (39% of grads) 2005 100 students 52 students with diploma 13 students (25% of grads) Entering Freshmen On Time Graduates TOPS Eligible Exceeds nat’l avg. of white students $ $ $ $ 130% increase

12. Highlights of the New Orleans Experience

13. Drivers of Success • Quality Chartering: • Rigorous Authorizing • Performance Requirements • Incubation and Support • The Market Driven System: Autonomy/Charters/Choice • School picking teacher; Teacher picking school • Human Capital, Human Capital, Human Capital • Need exceptional- not just average • School Leaders- most important • 1 in 3 school leaders TFA alumni • Quality Teachers • TFA and TNTP: one in 4 teachers

14. Different Turnaround Strategies • Turnarounds • Fully occupied School • Veteran, proven school leaders or Veteran CMO Leadership providing strong support • More veteran, traditionally certified teachers • “Fresh Start” • “Empty” Building • Build slowly; Focus early on Culture (KIPP) • Many first time principals • TFA, TeachNOLA more prominent

15. Challenges: The Community Voice • School Community • Parents, Neighborhoods, Alumni • Access: Neighborhood schools vs choice • Who Operates Charter: Community Groups vs “Outsiders” • Who Decides: What role/voice for the community • General Community • Vocal Minority: Us vs Them • Return of Schools to the Elected School Board

16. Challenges, continued • Long Term Governance: • RSD not meant to be permanent • New Role of Governing Authority: • Portfolio management: number and types of schools; Equity • Getting from C to A: • Human Capital and energy • Financial Sustainability • Maintaining push for quality: political will to close “D” schools?

17. Choice Foundation

18. Choice Foundation Quick Facts: • Choice Foundation is a nonprofit corporation, founded by James M. Huger in 2004, to promote school choice issues in Louisiana. • Choice Foundations currently has three elementary schools: • Lafayette Academy Charter • Esperanza Charter • McDonogh 42 Charter

19. Opening Day:

20. Our Mission: To prepare students for success in a college preparatory high school in an atmosphere that challenges and supports each student to achieve his or her highest potential.

21. Lafayette Academy: A Thumbnail Sketch • Public charter • Largest elementary • Grades Served: PK – 8 • Students served: 940 • Fine arts, technology, • Athletics • Turnaround with veteran New Orleans natives

22. Lafayette Academy Charter School: • Charter was granted in 2006 to take over a failed New Orleans Public School. • The board is a local foundation. • The board hired a for-profit management firm to run the school for 2006-2007. • That firm failed, and the board hired a new Principal for 2007-2008.

23. Lafayette Academy Charter School is NOT • a selective enrollment/magnet charter school • a school that “creams” neighborhoods • a school that excludes special needs students • a school that requires a parental contract • a school that expels students for poor grades • a school modeled after any national CMO

24. Lafayette Academy Charter School IS a school that • provides as many services as we can to our families and students • follows RTI processes • provides FAPE • partners with our community • works with community groups in poor areas of town to get their schools re-opened • agnostic about the format of education reform

25. Post-Katrina PTSD Jade takes a deep breath and says, “The water started coming so fast, my dad managed to make a hole in the roof. My brother Jay went up first, my sister Monica went up next, then it was my turn to go up. I was scared, I took a long time to get up through the hole and finally got up, then my mom. But when it was dad’s turn the water was so high and he went under and never came up. We had to sit there and watch my father die. After that, we sat in the superdome for three days until we flew to Texas. We met up with my aunt that lived there.

27. Lafayette Academy Charter School Special Programs and Accomplishments • Extensive community partnerships. • Championship sports teams. • Championship Debate Team. • Asked by the state to take over more failing schools. • Only charter school in the state with an automatic charter renewal.

28. Lafayette Academy Charter School Demographics • 940 students, Grades PK-8. • Largest elementary school in New Orleans. • 96% f/r lunch. • 110 IEPs • 96 504s. • 85 homeless students • 99% African American.

29. Albert’s Mom Did Not Cook My mom does not cook. We were hungry so we decided to walk to the corner store. But, when we walked out the door, our mom told us to come back in the house. We asked can we go to the store and mom said, “No.” So we watched TV. Around noontime we played a game. Then it was nighttime and we were very hungry. My mom got up and put on her clothes. We told her we were hungry. She brought us out to eat. It was a happy ending to a very hungry day.

30. Lafayette Academy Charter School July 1, 2007 • There were few teaching materials. • The building was filthy. • There were 327 missing window panes. • Many of the floor tiles were missing, and the subflooring was rotten. • Only 45% of the teachers returned. • Everything screamed, “You are not important to us!” to the students!

31. Lafayette Academy Charter School July 1, 2007 • There was no payroll system, no benefits. • We had to create a business office. • There were no service vendors. • We had to hire 45 people in three weeks. • We had to prepare for a lawsuit with the old management firm. • We had very little time to think about school design or instruction until December.

33. The Problem We All Live With

34. A Thumbnail Sketch: • 87% of our students live in Hollygrove, Pension Town and Gert Town • Total Budget: • $ 9 million • Payroll Budget: • $ 6.3 million

35. Our Foundation’s Values: • Respect • We respect ourselves. • We respect others. • We respect our teachers and our school. • Responsibility • We take responsibility for our education. • We take responsibility for our actions. • We take responsibility for our school. • Reach • We reach for excellence. • We reach beyond ourselves. • We reach to make the world a better place.

36. Our Team: • Employees: 124 • Teachers: 86 • Admin and • Support Staff: 15 • Specials Teachers: 9

37. Lafayette Academy The Lafayette Academy Model Extensive Student Support Data-Driven Instruction Total Instructional Alignment

38. Total Instructional Alignment All aspects of instruction are organized to assure students grasp state’s standards – and beyond.

39. Total Instructional Alignment: Staffing • 9:1 student-teacher ratio • Assistant heads • academics • school culture • Division Heads • Co-teachers • Instructional support

40. Total Instructional Alignment: Classroom • Common grade level planning • Problem-solving sessions • “Deep” lesson plans • Special interventions • reading • math

41. Data-driven instruction Collect data from daily work, weekly tests, standardized tests to drive instruction Software Administrative Oversight Data-Driven Instruction Incremental Assessments Teacher Made Tests

42. Data Driven Instruction: Testing • Student placement at beginning of year • Weekly teacher-made tests • Standardized tests • DIBELS • DRA • TargetTeach Fundamentals • TargetTeach Interim Assessments

43. Data Driven Instruction: Assessments & Software • Formal interim assessments • Pacing calendars • Teacher-made assessments • Software packages

44. Data-Driven Instruction: Administrative Oversight • Division head supervision • Routine classroom visits • Professional development built around student and teacher performance

45. Extensive Student Support A wide variety of in-house and community services support our students and families. Social Work Program Special Education Program Extensive Student Support Community Partnerships Extra-Curricular Program

46. Extensive Student Support: Social Work Initiatives • Healthcare • Mental health • Second Harvest Food Program • Others

47. Extensive Student Support: Sped Programs • Open admissions policy • One special education teacher for every grade level, minimum • One additional instructional support teacher for every grade level, minimum • Utilize inclusion model and resource room

48. Extensive Student Support: Community Partnerships • Volunteer Programs • Junior League of GNO, Tulane University, Junior Achievement, Xavier University, As and Aces • Educational partners • Incarnate Word, Carrollton-Dunbar Headstart, Royal Castle Child Development Center • Others • Second Harvest, Louisiana Outdoor Opportunity Program, Trinity Christian Community, 2nd District Police, 100 Black Women

49. Extensive Student Support: Extra-curricular activities • Sports • Debate Team • Band • Choir • Color Guard • Dance Team • Majorettes • Cheerleaders

50. How We Make the Money Work