In the wake of the tragedy and destruction that came with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, public schools in New Orleans eliminated the traditional public education system and completely replaced it with charter schools and school choice. Fifteen years later, the results have been remarkable, and the complex lessons learned should alter the way we think about American education.
In Charter School City, Douglas N. Harris provides an inside look at how and why these reform decisions were made and offers many surprising findings from one of the most extensive and rigorous evaluations of a district school reform ever conducted. Through close examination of the results, Harris finds that this unprecedented reform effort was a noteworthy success on almost every measurable student outcome. But, as Harris shows, New Orleans was uniquely situated for these reforms to work well and that this market-based reform still required some specific and active roles for government. Letting free markets rule on their own without government involvement will not generate the kinds of changes their advocates suggest.
What People Are Saying
“Harris has penned the authoritative take on the grand educational experiment of post-Katrina New Orleans. Combining rigorous research with a firm grasp of on-the-ground developments, he explains the educational outcomes and explores what they mean for school improvement writ large. He has delivered an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the practice and the politics of urban school reform.”
— Frederick Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
“Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating man-made disaster in American history and exposed numerous public policy failures in New Orleans, including in the city’s education system. Charter School City details the post-storm reform efforts and the radical changes that helped prepare students academically. Through interviews and statistical analysis, Harris also helps us see the more important issue—whether the reforms will prepare residents for life.”
— Andre Perry, fellow at the Brookings Institution and former CMO leader in post-Katrina New Orleans
“The shift to independent charter schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina has come with much hyperbole. Advocates of choice have overhyped the academic results and understated the role of school funding, while skeptics have asserted rising inequities for students and decried the firing of black teachers and their replacement with mostly white, temporary outsiders. This book not only balances these accounts, but it explains the causes of both triumphs and shortcomings. It overturns many simple interpretations and deepens our understanding of the roles of market competition and government. Other cities considering this type of reform should read it carefully.”
- Henry M. Levin, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Education, Teacher’s College, Columbia University
“The schools in New Orleans have gotten better faster than perhaps any other district in the country. To see this progress, in the wake of the trauma and devastation from Hurricane Katrina, is just awe-inspiring. In this ground-breaking book, Harris provides a full and careful picture of how the community did it and what others can learn from it. New Orleans shows us what’s possible, and it gives all of us reason for hope.”
— Arne Duncan, managing partner, Emerson Collective and former US Secretary of Education
“Harris is not a blind advocate for any one school of reform. Anyone interested in diving more deeply into the current school debates without the noise from overheated political rhetoric will find Charter School City an excellent starting point.”
— John P. Loonam, Washington Independent Book Review
“New Orleans has radically restructured its schools and replaced it with an essentially all-charter system. A significant number of children are better off as a result… But, one glaring problem is the impact on the Black community. The firing of school staff wiped out a significant sector of the Black middle class in the majority-Black community. They were replaced by young white people, most of them from outside of New Orleans. So many black people rightfully felt the reforms were done to them, not with them. In Charter School City, Harris does a great service to the ongoing efforts to reform education in this country by adeptly telling the many sides of this complex story.”
- Howard Fuller, distinguished professor of education and founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University
“Every child should have a chance to attend an excellent public school, regard- less of their background or zip code. If you are committed to that goal, as I am, then this book is a must-read. Harris engages readers in the complexities of schooling and provides essential advice on how to get school reform right. The lessons here are not just about New Orleans but about American education as a whole.”
- Gina Raimondo, governor of Rhode Island
UPCOMING
PAST EVENTS
Also Written By Douglas N. Harris
Value-Added Measures In Education
In Value-Added Measures in Education, economist and education researcher Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Drawing on his extensive work with schools and districts, he sets out to help educators and policy makers understand this innovative approach to assessment.
Challenging The One Best System
In Challenging the One Best System, a team investigates the degree to which this model—a system of schools operating under different types of governance and with different degrees of autonomy—challenges the standard structure of district governance famously characterized by David Tyack as “the one best system.”