Students in New Orleans public schools would benefit from community partnerships designed to assist those who have experienced trauma, have special needs, or are learning English as a second language, a report from the Greater New Orleans Foundation finds.

Based on quantitative and qualitative analyses from students, parents, teachers, and community providers, as well as local and national data, the report, New Orleans School Partnership Study: What Our Students Need and How We Can Help (27 pages, PDF), found that the most urgent student needs include mental health counseling, trauma-informed teaching, and support for students learning English and those with special needs. Conducted in partnership with NOLA Public Schools, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Baptist Community Ministries, the study also found that teachers in the district need more support to stay in their roles and develop as professionals. Indeed, the percentage of novice teachers in the district is among the highest in the country, and some schools do not have formalized structures in place to help teachers advance their careers in the classroom. The report also addresses the impact of longstanding racial inequities created by decades of national and local policies and suggests that such issues must be addressed directly in order to provide stronger support and increase educational success for students, teachers, and families.

"This study illuminates the importance of addressing racial equity and meaningfully and authentically engaging families to ensure our children's success in the classroom and in life. It should serve as a clarion call for us to better support all our children," said Rhea Williams-Bishop, the foundation's director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs. "Racial equity is not simply about who we serve but how we do the work. We hope the district and schools will work with urgency to envision and implement an educational system, in partnership with families and communities, that serve all its children, especially the most vulnerable."

"At NOLA Public Schools, we know that there is great potential in the collective power of the New Orleans community's support of our schools citywide," said NOLA Public Schools superintendent Henderson Lewis, Jr. "And that is why we at NOLA Public Schools welcomed the opportunity to work with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to review where more support and coordination is needed to help our schools increase their impact now and in the years to come. The results of the study highlight four areas where our schools need additional resources, coordination, partnership, and investment to improve how we support students citywide. And while I am encouraged that we at the district have efforts underway in each of these areas, I am looking forward to continuing to build solutions with our partners citywide."