Celebration as Resistance

Thanksgiving presented a strange conundrum for me. How could I relate to a holiday that plays into a white supremacist fantasy of the founding of our country, but which emphasizes gratitude? On the one hand, there was the allure of tradition, family togetherness, and a time to remember to be grateful for each other and our food. On the other, there is always a horrific narrative hiding under the globs of whipped… Read More

Disappointments Amid Score Slide

Orleans Parish School District dropped to a C-grade for 2017, which has been a cause of great concern for administrators and advocates.  The Board is working on the ultimate goal of making pertinent changes that will raise the grades once more. “Over the last several years — as you look at our school performance — each year we were actually closing the achievement gap. Last school year that did not happen.” Read… Read More

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a Thanksgiving message from our wonderful blogger, Lamont Douglas. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  

Beating the Odds

Troy Simons is a New Orleans success story. Mr. Simons overcame incredible adversity to graduate from Sci Academy in New Orleans. He is currently in graduate school at Yale University. “When I saw myself going the wrong way, and I saw my friend dying. I realized that I was gonna die and I had to make a decision.” Read more here

When Something Isn’t Right With Your Children’s School, How Do You Fix It?

There is a beauty in the realization that something isn’t right with education in your community. Also, I have never been one to shine light on a situation without engaging and offering a solution. For many of us in the New Orleans community, the post-Katrina education environment has acted as a catalyst to catapult many of us into larger roles within our community. The door to these roles was opened by parenthood… Read More

Five ways teachers can improve their relationships with their students’ parents

By David McGuire It doesn’t matter if you are in your first year as a teacher or your twentieth year of teaching; there is nothing more important than the relationship with your students’ parents. Having a good relationship with parents is essential to ensuring students are receiving the best education. Throughout the long school year, there will be times when the parent and the teacher are not always on the same page,… Read More

Celebrating a Win as the State Rolls Out Changes from ESSA

Some exciting changes are happening in the Louisiana Department of Education as the state begins to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  In particular, as a policy advocate for students of color, I am celebrating some key changes that will impact students of color and which parents should know about.  A number of New Orleans community advocates, including myself, have spent the last year and a half advocating for these changes…. Read More

Millions for Teacher Training

Thirteen million dollars was awarded by the Department of Education to ensure proper training for teachers in New Orleans.  The money will provide training and hopefully bolster teachers’ desire to remain in New Orleans after college graduation. “The money is going to teacher preparation programs at Xavier and Loyola Universities, as well as nonprofits that certify teachers, including Teach For America – Greater New Orleans, teachNOLA, and the Relay Graduate School of Education.” Read more here

BLACK MALE EDUCATOR OF NEW ORLEANS FEATURING: JOHNNIE VANBUREN

Johnnie VanBuren II represents the epitome of what it means to give back to the place that shaped who you are.  As an alum of Marion Abramson Sr. High School, Johnnie made it his business to return to the very place that he attributes to providing him with the discipline and character that has made him the man he is today.  And although the school name is different today, Johnnie continues to… Read More

Early Childhood Education for a better New Orleans. Are you on board Madame Mayor to invest in early childhood education?

When votes were cast in the New Orleans Mayoral primary election and the runoff was set, I could not have been more excited and proud. The runoff on November 18, 2017 will be between two women giving New Orleans its first woman to be elected mayor in its almost 300 hundred year history. Since the results of the primary election, I have seen many reactions to this historic accomplishment. The overwhelming sentiment… Read More