NEW ORLEANS, LA—On a hot, humid afternoon this past September, ten youth leaders from VAYLA, the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association, stood outside the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library to unveil their report on conditions at public high schools in the city’s Recovery School District. The report, Six Public High Schools, Six Years After the Storm: Student Voices from Inside New Orleans’ Educational Experiment, contained findings from over 425 student surveys and 50 hours of student interviews. It was the most extensive youth-led, student-centered evaluation of New Orleans public schools since Hurricane Katrina.
Less than 24 hours earlier, New Orleans Superintendent John White—on the occasion of his 100th day in office—had shared an upbeat assessment of the past six years’ accomplishments and his reform agenda for 2011-2012. Like much of the country, he touted post-Katrina New Orleans as an educational “miracle.”
However, the VAYLA youth researchers told a different story about what it means to live and learn in New Orleans public schools. “I’m worried about going to college and not knowing anything, and then flunking out,” Linda Tran, a recent graduate and salutatorian from Abramson Science and Technology Charter School, said. ”I’m already too far behind. Now, I just hope my sisters and brothers don’t have to go to a bad high school. I don’t want them to experience what I had to experience.”
Even before the report’s release, the students had scored a potential victory. Several weeks before, they had shared their alternative recommendations for reform with officials at the Recovery School District (RSD). A representative from RSD was at the rally to present a set of commitments, including: the creation of a student-teacher evaluation system; a student-counselor evaluation system; a peer counseling pilot program; professional development for new teachers focusing on local communities and cultures; a school uniform exchange; and improved services for limited-English proficient families.
Hoping the district would make good on these commitments, Linda Tran took the microphone that September afternoon and spoke for her fellow students.
After Hurricane Katrina, education officials and lawmakers promised to build a New Orleans public school system capable of delivering a “world-class” education to all students. For six years, students in New Orleans public schools have waited patiently for the delivery of this promise. While changes have been made to the way that schools are governed and managed, declarations of the reform movement’s success do not always align with the experiences of students who spend forty hours each week inside our city’s public schools.
As students, we may not know the name of our school’s CEO, or even which school district we fall under, but we do know whether or not our teachers are effective, our counselors are available, or our busses are running on time. Standing on the inside of New Orleans’ educational experiment, we know for certain that it is too early to declare, “Mission accomplished.” Considerable work must be done to ensure that every student has access to a quality education in our city.
Unfortunately, young people, particularly students of color, have had little opportunity to share feedback or influence the direction of New Orleans public schools. In this era of great educational change, we have been acted upon rather than treated as invaluable partners.
Grounded in our belief that student voices must be at the forefront of New Orleans’ educational transformation, youth at the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA) embarked upon an 18-month bottom-up research initiative to assess conditions in public high schools from the student perspective.
Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, we recorded over 50 hours of testimony from students and parents, and administered a survey project that engaged 450 students from six public high schools, yielding over 25,000 student observations. Our study encompasses Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) and Recovery School District (RSD) schools, both direct-run and charter. In total, 450 students have “raised their hands” through either a survey or interview to express their concerns.
On the heels of Superintendent John White’s 100th day in office, as well as the six-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we present our research findings and recommendations as a gift to the city of New Orleans, and to the officials who exercise power over what happens in our schools. At this historical moment, it is critical for the young people who rely on our city’s public schools to raise their voices. In the spirit of Superintendent John White’s 100-day initiative, we hope that this report can contribute to the formation of a system that embodies excellence, equity and community. Until then, we remain highly critical, yet always eager to contribute our ideas and knowledge in the struggle forward.
Six months later, youth leaders at VAYLA continue to raise their hands.
