Reconstruction as opportunity? New Orleans’ Public Schools in the Aftermath of Katrina

Abstract

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the reconstruction of New Orleans was at times described as a “clean slate” or a “green field opportunity” for a city that had been repeatedly singled out for failed integration, entrenched poverty, and corruption among other afflictions. The public schools of Orleans Parish, qualified as “abysmal” on a regular basis, had long epitomized those ills. This article means to explore the first steps undertaken to put New Orleans’ school system back on its feet after Katrina. It examines the reasons that led to the adoption on an unprecedented scale of the charter school model and the national stakes behind this educational revolution.