Black Male Educators of New Orleans: An Interview With Charlie Vaughn, Jr.

Exhibit the likeness. Provoke imagination. Instill into minds. Establish perception. The seeds of change are planted with intention. They are nurtured, watered, and cultivated with love. Then the results are set free to flourish and plant seeds of their own. In a city with unemployment for black males at over 50 percent, according to a recent study released by the Urban League of New Orleans, black youth need positive role models in… Read More

Valuing a Connection Beyond the Classroom

Mrs. Turner. Mrs. Brinkley. Mr. Falcone. Ms. Breaux. Coach Dixon. Mr. Ussin. Mr. Cooke. I can recall teachers who have helped to shape my life. Along with my family and key male figures on my block, I am thankful for them. My first-grade teacher, Sister Ann Joachim, still teaches in New Orleans. I am 42 years young. I can still visit her and recall great memories of my childhood. I can remember… Read More

No Matter What, New Orleans’ Educators Press Forward

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. People have been quick to talk about education in New Orleans after the storm, and to the extent that it fosters learning and progress, that’s a conversation that matters. New Orleans’ educators have been working hard for their students, before and after Katrina. And because of that hard work, we’ve seen progress in the last decade. From graduation rates to ACT scores to college… Read More

NOLA Parent Perspectives town-hall meeting

The town-hall meeting moderated by Dr. Andre Perry at Dillard University Georges Auditorium is presented by the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options, Orleans Public Education Network (OPEN), Stand for Children Louisiana, and the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. .   

Coming home to my Roneagle family

Tivonsheia “Tee” Broussard grew up on Galvez and Charbonnet in the Lower Nine in a house her great grandfather built on his own. Before the storm she lived in this house with her mother along with her grandparents. Like most 16 year old kids, she was consumed by social media and the prospect of driving. She recalls a time when hurricane evacuations in New Orleans had little significance and instead, became the… Read More

I didn’t come to New Orleans to change the world, I came to change my world

Hurricane Katrina unfolded via radio and television for me on my younger brother’s 10th birthday.  While home from college, I dropped him off at school with cupcakes for his class and a close listen to what was happening on the Gulf Coast via The Tom Joyner Morning Show.  Listeners from New Orleans and surrounding areas were calling in to share if they “would ride it out” or not.  Little did they know…… Read More

#RealHeroesNOLA Willie Muhammad talks about the #Next10

While at Cohen High School Willie Muhammad learned of Mrs. Jeff’s reputation for academic rigor and her low tolerance for behavior issues, but the “war stories” passed down from other students didn’t deter him from enrolling in her history course. It was in that class that he became aware of the inhumane treatment and atrocities committed against Native Americans, African people, and people of color as a whole across the globe. It… Read More

#RealHeroesNOLA

Students and families in New Orleans have done the hard work of rebuilding and reforming education post Hurricane Katrina and this makes them the real heroes of education reform. They have done the work day in and day out to create student achievement and here are some of their voices. Join the second line and share your #RealHeroesNOLA story. “When parents register I make sure there are documents in their native language… Read More