Become a part of New Orleans schools’ voice of the next. OPEN is seeking a skilled Executive Director who can craft strategic issue campaigns and work collaboratively with other nonprofit leaders in New Orleans, and across the state, to build and fund a powerful education advocacy network.
Click here to access the job description and instruction applications!
Deirdre Johnson Burel and 100 Black Men’s Jonathan Wilson appeared on WBOK’s Good Morning Show with Oliver Thomas to talk about the call for unification in bringing New Orleans schools back to the community, equitable funding, and the critical anchors of equity, transparency, and accountability.
Click here to listen to the full interview:
In a statement released on February 24, OPEN joined with in the movement calling upon the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a more fair and equitable funding formula for our schools.
Click here to read the letter in its entirety.
EXCERPTED: “This March, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will have the opportunity to approve a school funding policy for New Orleans that ensures schools serving significant populations of our city’s students with high-needs receive the funding they need to provide an excellent and equitable education to all their students. The formula currently under consideration would route additional funding to schools serving students with disabilities, English language learners, significantly over-age students, as well as those identified as gifted or talented…
When confronted with decisions on how to allocate limited resources, students in our city who may face a more challenging road to academic excellence should receive the additional resources necessary to provide them with an equitable opportunity to achieve their dreams.
We urge BESE to approve a formula that sufficiently and equitably funds schools based on the needs of their students. Approval of a funding formula that truly differentiates according to our students’ needs is vital to continuing the progress we have made and is a clear demonstration of New Orleans’ commitment to equity for all students.”
Participating organizations include the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, New Schools for New Orleans, VAYLA New Orleans, Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, the New Orleans Parents’ Guide to Public Schools, STAND for Children, Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools and the Youth Empowerment Project.
The StoryCorps is in New Orleans! This independent radio project has a mission to “preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world,” and in December our own Saundra Reed and Deirdre Johnson Burel went on the mic to talk about parent leadership, the Louisiana Children’s Museum and the vital importance of a safe space for family-first learning.
The voices in StoryCorps’ work build connections between people and reveal the importance of narrative. Every person’s story is unique and precious: listening to them promotes compassion and reminds us all of our shared commitment. Thank you to the team for having us on!
Four New Orleans charter schools will be honored this month by the Orleans Public Education Network: Edward Hynes and Warren Easton for high achievement, McDonogh #32 for fast growth and Alice Harte for teacher quality. The network announced the winners Tuesday, with Director Deirdre Johnson Burel calling them “a particularly distinguished group.”
For democracy to work, citizens must be engaged and speak up in ways that encourage — indeed require — our elected officials to respond in alignment with our values. They do, or fail to do so, at their own peril. So, perhaps more disconcerting than the 4-3 bloc is what it says about the fissures that divide our broader community.
The Orleans Public Education Network officially announced the winners of its two top annual honors Thursday. Mary Haynes-Smith, principal of Mary Bethune Elementary, will receive the Enduring Impact Award. James M. “Jim” Singleton, chairman of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and former City Council member, will be honored as the 2014 Distinguished Product of New Orleans Schools.
Click here to read the story on NOLA.com!
Local graduates have already created nutrition gardens in their local schools, run martial arts classes for disadvantaged young men, achieved significant career development in their chosen fields and more. In other communities, graduates have gone on to lead community organizations, serve on local school boards, and win election to the state legislature.
Click here to read the story on NOLA.com!
The Orleans Public Education Network holds its annual “convening” Sept. 20, and the group is warming up with a series of Twitter chats on hot New Orleans education topics.
OPEN Executive Director Deirdre Johnson Burel appeared on WBOK to give an overview of our summer film series and talk a little on the history of public education in New Orleans.
