The New Teacher Project’s teachNOLA program is drawing hundreds of teachers to New Orleans-area classrooms, giving some of the neediest schools and students in the country greater chances to succeed.

 

Even before Hurricane Katrina wreaked destruction on the Gulf Coast, New Orleans Public Schools were floundering. Nearly two out of three students scored below basic on the Graduation Exit Exam, and more than half of schools were considered academically unacceptable by the state. Katrina blew the desperation of the city’s education system into broad daylight, but also created an opportunity for improvement.

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) launched teachNOLA just months later. A highly selective recruitment initiative and cooperative effort of New Schools for New Orleans, the Recovery School District and TNTP, teachNOLA brings already-certified teachers as well as accomplished career changers and recent graduates from New Orleans and around the country to positions in high-need schools. The program specifically targets individuals who are eligible to teach shortage subject areas such as math, science, special education, early childhood education and foreign languages. Not only does teachNOLA bolster the supply of quality teachers in New Orleans, but it gives candidates overwhelmed by the complex nature of the area’s network of schools a clear and direct pathway into some of the neediest classrooms in the country.

Lindsay Enters, a 2007 teachNOLA Fellow, teaches second grade and successfully encouraged her students to read 20,000 pages in the 2007-08 school year. To recognize the accomplishment, Superintendent Paul Vallas announced a new citywide reading initiative from Lindsay’s school. Caitlin Corrigan, also a 2007 teachNOLA Fellow, oversaw a boost in her eighth grade students’ scores on the LEAP, Louisiana’s state test for students in fourth and eighth grades. She currently writes about her experiences on The New York Times’ “Lesson Plans” blog. “I tell my fourth graders that every second of every minute of every day is a chance to make the right choice,” she wrote in October, 2008.

As each month passes, teachNOLA’s impact grows. Today, 96 percent of public schools in New Orleans (including open-enrollment charters and RSD schools) have a teachNOLA teacher on staff. The program has supplied more than 318 dedicated teachers like Lindsay Enters to New Orleans schools to date. In 2008, teachNOLA added a mid-year cohort to recruit and train quality teachers for vacancies that arise during the middle of the school year. “Lafayette Academy Charter School would not have been as successful in starting up the year without the teachNOLA teachers we hired,” said Mickey Landry, Lafayette’s head of school.

Today, TeachNOLA continues to draw talented individuals from New Orleans and across the country to commit to the future of the city: its children.

High-Quality Teachers for High-Need Schools In 2008, teachNOLA drew more than 2,440 applications and hired 102 teachers. Just 1 in 24 applicants went on to teach through the program. These individuals had an average 3.4 GPA, 73 percent were in high-need subject areas and 20 percent were people of color. Every single one took a position in a high-poverty school.

 

Next impact highlight: New York City >