Teaching in New Orleans
Our Students and Schools
teachNOLA’s mission is to place dedicated and highly capable teachers in the New Orleans classrooms where they are needed most. We work in close partnership and collaboration with both the Recovery School District (RSD) and New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO). Our teachers work in either RSD schools or open-enrollment, public charter schools that we partner with across New Orleans.
Approximately 40,000 students are enrolled in New Orleans public schools, 70% of whom attend public charter schools. These children are among the highest-need students in the entire nation, with the vast majority (84%) eligible for free or reduced lunch. Nearly 90% of New Orleans public school students are African-American, compared with only 45% of students across Louisiana. The community is also home to many students with disabilities: 13% of students in the RSD and 9% of students in area charters are eligible for special education services. Working with such a diverse and high-need population brings rewards and challenges, but our teachers hold high expectations for students and themselves, ensuring that all students get the support they need to succeed in school.
Preparing All Students for Success in College and Careers
As a teachNOLA Fellow or a member of our Master Teachers Corps, you will be working in a community on the leading edge of education reform. Everyone from classroom teachers to district leaders is focused on one goal: creating a “superior learning environment in which every student, regardless of ability, attains education success and graduates with proven skills that will provide them access to quality institutions of higher learning or to the workplace.”
In recent years, New Orleans schools have embraced this challenge, taking bold steps to transform outcomes in the city’s chronically low-performing schools. Recognizing that this kind of transformation required dedicated and highly effective teachers, the RSD and NSNO launched teachNOLA in 2007—bringing new teacher talent into schools that had long struggled to attract and retain great teachers. The district also introduced new curricula and technology into schools, established partnerships with successful charter schools and networks, and offered extended learning opportunities to students, most of whom lagged several grade levels behind where they should be.
These efforts are beginning to bear fruit. In 2007, only 23% of RSD students in New Orleans scored at or above “basic” on state standardized tests; by 2011 that number had more than doubled—with 48% of students meeting that bar. These gains far outpaced those in other parts of Louisiana, representing the highest rate of progress for any district over the past five years. The graduation rate for RSD students has also improved dramatically, rising from just 43% in 2009 to 52% in 2011. While much work remains, things are clearly headed in the right direction, and teachNOLA teachers will continue to play an instrumental role in improving educational opportunities for New Orleans students.
Our Partners
The RSD was created under the state accountability system with the goal of transforming poor performing schools into successful ones. Today, the RSD works most New Orleans public schools, including 50 charters and 16 schools under direct management of the RSD. All RSD schools are open-enrollment, enabling students from any neighborhood in New Orleans to attend. Under the leadership of Superintendent John White, the RSD aims to build a world-class education system in New Orleans, with a sharp focus on student achievement and a deep commitment to quality leadership, innovation, and parent and community collaboration.
New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) is a non-profit organization created in 2006 to champion the recovery and reformation of public education in New Orleans. Since its founding, NSNO has worked to develop the talent and resources needed to ensure that every child in New Orleans has access to an excellent public school. This includes a close partnership with teachNOLA focused on the shared goal of recruiting a critical mass of highly qualified teachers to raise student achievement in New Orleans.