NEW ORLEANS – Black Education for New Orleans (BE NOLA) released Black Brilliance: Field Notes on Black Education in New Orleans today, providing an inside look at the Black educator experience with data analysis, a historical overview of Black education and a performance review of five Black-governed, Black-led schools in New Orleans. Black educators are imperative in providing an education that creates better outcomes and opportunities for Black children in New Orleans as a critical factor in building a thriving Black community that is politically, economically and socially strong.“The progress we are striving for in New Orleans cannot be met without investing in and committing to the growth and development of Black educators in the city,” said Adrinda Kelly, executive director of BE NOLA. “We’re excited to release the Black Brilliance report, expounding on the importance of Black educators and Black-led and governed schools in the city.”
The report includes a historical overview of Black education in New Orleans, experiences of Black educators across the city and how they can be supported, and a strength-based look at the unique challenges and opportunities of the Black-led, Black-governed schools. Individuals and organizations will receive an expanded way of thinking through the report in learning about retaining and developing a diverse educator workforce in New Orleans reflective of the community served.
In New Orleans, 82% of public school students are Black, whereas only 14% of charter management organizations have a Black CEO and a majority-Black board. Black students, Black educators and Blacks schools are marginalized, under-funded, and under-supported compared to white counterparts in the city. With the Black Brilliance report and subsequent campaign, BE NOLA strives to provide Black educators a platform to thrive, explicitly centering Black people at re-imagining how to move education forward amid COVID-19 and beyond.
BE NOLA works to advance educational progress in New Orleans. With an exceptionally low rate of 26% of Orleans Parish public school students able to score at grade-level on state assessments, BE NOLA stands by the belief that Black-governed, Black-led standalone schools are part of the solution in improving education in New Orleans. In 2017-2018, a Black-governed, Black-led independent school in the city had the highest percentage of 3rd-8th grade students scoring Mastery or above on LEAP tests for combined grades and subjects.
For more information on BE NOLA and its programming, visit blackedunola.org.
