A 2005 report put forward by the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University became a framework for the evolution of New Orleans schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Now, the institute has weighed in again with a report that responds to the Louisiana state education agency’s proposal to return some New Orleans schools to city control if they show steady academic growth and performance above state benchmarks.
The report argues that school governance should be transferred directly, rather than through a memorandum of understanding. It also says that the state should create more-detailed long-term plans for schools that have not improved consistently.