New Orleans’ school reform harmful to black community, scholars say

Study led by Professor Adrienne Dixson explores racial implications of school reform movement in The Big Easy

By most media accounts, education reform in post-Katrina New Orleans is a success. But that’s from the vantage point of New Orleans’ white minority, according to a study led by Professor Adrienne Dixson of the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership.  

From the perspectives of black students, parents, and educators—who have had a nonexistent voice in the decision-making—education reform in New Orleans has exacerbated economic and cultural inequities.

Dixson collaborated on the study with co-authors Kristen L. Buras and Elizabeth K. Jeffers, both of Georgia State University. Each of the scholars has an insider’s perspective on events in New Orleans’ schools: Dixson and Buras as longtime researchers, and Jeffers as a former teacher at John McDonogh Senior High School.

Read the full Illinois News Bureau article.