NEW ORLEANS 鈥� (MAY 27, 2020)鈥�- The 天博体育 (NOLA-PS) Public Education Survey on how COVID-19 has affected public education is now live. The goal of the survey is to gather feedback on the current experience of participants and discover what is most important to them at this time as they think ahead to the start of the new school year. The district invites parents, students, teachers, school staff and the community to share their insights, experiences and priorities on schooling during the pandemic and how to best return to school in the fall. The combined responses will help the district and the newly formed Reopening Task Force understand what is happening in our community right now.
鈥淣ow more than ever we need to hear from our community,鈥� said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. 鈥淭he virus has presented us all with unique and trying challenges. As we plan for what lies ahead for the next school year, we want to be sure we are involving everyone in developing plans to best keep our children and education professionals healthy and supported, while also taking into consideration the needs of families and the community at large. It鈥檚 going to take all of us to do this and I know we can do this. I am eager to hear more from the Task Force and encourage everyone to participate in the survey and have their voice be heard.鈥�
How to Participate in The Public Education Survey
To have your voice heard be heard in the public survey please visit.
The survey is completely anonymous and open to all parents, teachers, school staff and admin, students in grades 6 and above, and community members. The survey takes approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. Participants are not asked which school they attend or work. They are rather simply asked to provide their zip codes. The survey is open now and will close at 5 p.m. on June 5th.
Public Education Survey To Inform Reopening Task Force
In planning for the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year, the district has convened and will lead a 30-member NOLA-PS Reopening Task Force to assist in their development of a Roadmap to Reopening, which is tentatively scheduled for release by the end of June.
The Task Force, which held its first meeting virtually last week and will meet weekly throughout the summer, is focusing on planning for every possible scenario to ensure students, staff and faculty are safe while helping children grow and learn. The group will act as a conduit for various stakeholders including the City, the Louisiana Department of Health, the Louisiana Department of Education, the Office of Youth and Families as well as the district鈥檚 students, parents, retired educators and faith-based community advisory committees. It will advise district administration and the board on the resources and supports that should be available to students, families and educators next school year. In addition to safety and educational considerations, the group will address the needs of diverse learners and the mental and behavioral health of students and staff in various reopening scenarios. The group is comprised of school leaders, teachers, social workers, medical experts, parents, city officials and other key experts.
The launch of this survey and the formation of the Task Force are the first step of re-entry planning for the district鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The response has been organized into four phases - Rapid Response, Assessment, Re-entry Planning and Implementation.
Over the last several weeks the District has been in the Assessment phase of the COVID-19 recovery; working with school leaders to determine what has worked and what will be needed to continue to support teachers and students in the next school year. As the District works through realigning plans and changing budgets for the next school year, it has been sharing various potential scenarios for reopening with school leaders and working with them to develop plans for each step. To better unify the protocols for reopening schools, and to make protocols and guidelines streamlined across the district, the administration has been sharing multiple potential needs to inform schools鈥� planning.
Some of those shared considerations include:
Additionally,鈥疦OLA-PS鈥痠s in the process of hiring a medical and public health advisor who will oversee reentry planning processes and will be available to all schools in the district to advise on actions to take and鈥痟ow to keep our campuses safe.
Citywide Feeding Program to Continue鈥疨roviding Meals to Students
Through the Summer鈥痺ith鈥疪evised鈥疭chedule
NEW ORLEANS 鈥� (May 20, 2020)鈥� 天博体育鈥� (NOLA-PS) Citywide Feeding Program has officially served more than one million meals to students鈥痵ince the program started鈥痮n March 16.鈥疦OLA-PS and Charter Management Organizations launched the full-scale Citywide Feeding Program in collaboration with many charter school leaders, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD), local non-profit organizations, faith-based partners and private businesses.鈥疶he program鈥痠s comprised鈥痮f鈥�39鈥疌ommunity Feeding Distribution sites across New Orleans that ensure families can easily access breakfast and lunch during this prolonged school closure. The鈥�39鈥痵ites consist of schools, NORD facilities and local business locations and the Citywide Feeding Program will continue throughout the summer.
鈥淎s New Orleans prepared for the spread of COVID-19, we as educators quickly鈥痳ealized鈥痶he need to provide鈥痗hild nutrition services and鈥痺orked diligently to build and launch the Citywide Feeding Program,鈥� said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank our school leaders, partners and the food distribution site workers for making the Citywide Feeding Program a success.鈥疶his service is vital for students to receive a proper education.鈥濃�
As a district,鈥疦OLA-PS and school operators recognize the need鈥痶o鈥痯rovide daily meals to鈥痵tudents鈥痸ia鈥痶he Citywide Feeding Program鈥痑nd all parties remain鈥痙edicated to serving鈥痶hose most in need during this trying time.鈥疶his work will continue through the summer to ensure students鈥� health and wellbeing stay on track.鈥疉dditionally, NOLA-PS is working to create a revised鈥痬eal鈥痙istribution鈥痵chedule for the summer.鈥�
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鈥淎s a district, we are committed to servicing the whole child through this entire crisis,鈥� said鈥�Orleans Parish School鈥疊oard President Ethan Ashley. 鈥淥ur top priority is the health and wellbeing of our students. We are thrilled to鈥痓e able to serve鈥痮ur students and families as we鈥痗ontinue our meal distribution鈥痯rogram through鈥痶he鈥痵ummer. This is not only monumental for the families that we serve but we must also recognize the hard work and dedication of our food service providers.鈥�
NOLA-PS worked closely with Charter School Leaders, the City of New Orleans and NORD to execute the鈥疌itywide Feeding Program.鈥疉dditionally,鈥疞YFT鈥痙onated $5,000鈥痠n free rides鈥痜or families to travel鈥痶o and from鈥痜ood鈥痙istribution鈥痵ites in Orleans Parish.鈥疶hese partnerships made it possible for families across the District to鈥痑ccess the food distribution sites.鈥疦OLA-PS is鈥痩eading the way, locally and nationally, by providing students with the鈥痬eals,鈥痟ealth services and remote learning they need to grow and succeed鈥痙uring the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citywide Feeding Program Schedule:
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ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS:鈥�天博体育 is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district鈥檚 elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district鈥檚 administration led by 天博体育 Superintendent Dr.鈥疕enderson Lewis,鈥疛r. 天博体育 currently oversees 78鈥痯ublic schools. For more information,鈥痸isit鈥痺飞飞.苍辞濒补辫耻产濒颈肠蝉肠丑辞辞濒蝉.肠辞尘.鈥疐or updates, follow 天博体育 on鈥疐acebook鈥�,鈥疘苍蝉迟补驳谤补尘鈥�鈥痑苍诲鈥疶飞颈迟迟别谤鈥�.鈥赌赌赌�
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NEW ORLEANS 鈥� (May 14, 2020)鈥� -鈥疶his evening, at the May Board Business Meeting, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) voted to extend the contract of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. The vote, which passed 5-2, will extend the contract by an additional twelve months, extended from ending June 30, 2021 to ending June 30, 2022.
鈥淒r. Henderson Lewis has been an exemplary leader of our public schools these past five years and is the leader we need to move us into the future. Whether he was ushering in the successful return of schools to local control from the RSD, overseeing new initiatives to raise graduation rates, setting high standards for school accountability, or becoming the first local government agency to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Dr. Lewis has risen to the challenge. Even before this global pandemic, he had earned his contract extension. But now, as COVID-19 has ravaged our city, he has demonstrated strong leadership once again, mobilizing technology, food and resources for families and students,鈥� said OPSB Board President Ethan Ashley. 鈥淚 believe that our job in this moment, on the front end of this crisis, is to offer our students, parents and educators as much stability as possible so that we all can focus our energies on the work toward recovery. Our school community should not have to worry about leadership changes in a time such as this, and certainly not when we have a Superintendent who has performed well through many difficult challenges. We are in good hands with Dr. Lewis and I鈥檓 proud to support his continued tenure.鈥�
鈥淟eading the New Orleans public school system is the most gratifying job I鈥檝e ever had and I鈥檓 excited to build on the progress we have been making,鈥� said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. 鈥淥ur students are on a great path, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure every child can graduate, ready for success in college or to attain his or her first job. And now, due to the global pandemic that has presented our schools with new challenges, our charge is more urgent than ever. I鈥檓 proud of how educators and this entire city have stepped up on behalf of our children and look forward to continuing to work with school leaders and board members to overcome and persevere.鈥�
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The Annenberg Learner programming will reach 45,000 local students through NOLA-PS TV
NEW ORLEANS 鈥� (May鈥�18, 2020)鈥撯觳┨逵� (NOLA-PS) and the Annenberg Foundation have partnered to broadcast Annenberg Learner programming on NOLA-PS TV free of charge to help support continued distance learning needs over the summer impacting more than 45,000 local students in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The Annenberg Learner content collection contains K-12 educational materials and videos covering a variety of subjects from math and science to literature and music.
Starting today, May 18, the Annenberg Learner programming can be accessed at: /opsb-tv or NOLA-PS TV on channel 8 via COX Cable now through July 31, 2020.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank Annenberg Foundation for giving our families and teachers the opportunity to experience this educational programming, free of charge to fulfill distance learning needs,鈥� said NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. 鈥淭he Annenberg Learner content is a great way for our students to continue their educational growth, especially during the upcoming summer break. We truly value this partnership and look forward to the entire NOLA-PS community utilizing this content.鈥�
Families and teachers will benefit from some of Learner鈥檚 most popular series including鈥疶he Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science鈥痺hich explores the natural functions of Earth鈥檚 systems and Earth鈥檚 ability to sustain life, and鈥疉gainst All Odds: Inside Statistics鈥痺hich shows the relevance of statistics in real-world settings. In the鈥疉merican Cinema鈥痵eries, over 150 Hollywood insiders document American culture through film. Additionally, The Constitution: That Delicate Balance鈥痵eries is a timely resource that probes beliefs and biases about the Constitution.
鈥淏roadcasting Learner programming via television ensures that all students, whether or not they have access to a computer or an Internet connection, can continue their education remotely as we redefine what learning looks like during this crisis,鈥� said Cinny Kennard, Executive Director, Annenberg Foundation. 鈥淎nnenberg Learner has always known it is critical for teachers to have access to educational materials that supplement their curricula to create deeper learning connections with their students, educators in the midst of a global pandemic are certainly no exception.鈥�
Annenberg Learner 鈥� Week 1 鈥� Daily Schedule 鈥� May 18-23
To access the Annenberg Learner weekly programming schedule now through July 31, 2020 on NOLA-PS TV visit www.nolapublicschools.com.
The Annenberg Foundation is making Annenberg Learner programming available free of charge to any school district in the country to assist with distance learning. Annenberg Learner also has free content resources and coordinated online materials, such as user guides, downloadable textbooks, labs and interactives, that can be used directly at鈥�.
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ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS:鈥觳┨逵� is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district鈥檚 elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district鈥檚 administration led by 天博体育 Superintendent Dr.鈥疕enderson Lewis Jr. 天博体育 currently oversees 78鈥痯ublic schools. For more information visit鈥�www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow 天博体育 on Facebook @NolaPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
ABOUT ANNENBERG LEARNER:
Annenberg Learner is the education division of the Annenberg Foundation, created to advance excellent teaching in American schools. For more than three decades, Annenberg Learner has pursued this mission by funding and distributing multimedia resources, including video, print, and web materials, for the professional development of teachers (K-12 and college levels). These resources in all discipline areas help teachers to stay up-to-date in their fields and to use current learning research in their classrooms. More than 100 multimedia courses and workshops are streamed free through . As the name Annenberg Learner implies, its focus is on the teacher, as well as the student, as a learner.
天博体育 Superintendent Presents Recommendations For Charter Applications to Orleans Parish School Board
NEW ORLEANS 鈥� (May 14, 2020) 鈥� This evening New Orleans Public Schools (NOLA-PS) Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. presented his recommendations on the Spring Charter Applications to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). In total, two organizations received a recommendation to either approve or deny their application to begin a new school (Type 1 鈥� New Start) or transform an existing charter school (Type 1 鈥� Transformation). They are as follows:
鈥淓xpanding our school programs that are doing well is how we continue to ensure the number of seats in quality schools continues to grow throughout the district. Making these decisions with regards to charter applications is a responsibility I take seriously,鈥� said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. 鈥淲e are committed to seeing our top performing schools expand and to embrace exciting new school programs in our district.鈥�
Completed application materials and independent evaluator review documents are available online at /schools/open-a-school.
鈥淲e require a high level of excellence from our operators and are excited to see some of these applications move forward,鈥� said Orleans Parish School Board President Ethan Ashley. 鈥淭o that end, I want to thank everyone involved, from the applicant teams to our independent evaluators along with the NOLA-PS administration, for their tireless work to ensure our schools remain competitive in providing the best quality education to our students.鈥�
Spring 2020 Charter RFA Process
In January, the OPSB issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the spring 2020 cycle. Applications undergo a rigorous evaluation that includes three committees: independent third party evaluation, internal committee of NOLA-PS staff, and a community committee comprised of the Superintendent鈥檚 Parent, Teacher and Faith-Based Advisory Councils. All applicants had the opportunity to present their proposed school(s) to the OPSB Board Members and community during the public hearing that was held on, April 23, ahead of the May 2020 Orleans Parish School Board Business Meeting.
ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS:鈥觳┨逵� is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district鈥檚 elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district鈥檚 administration led by 天博体育 Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. 天博体育 currently oversees 78鈥痯ublic schools. For more information, visit鈥�www.nolapublicschools.com.鈥疐or updates, follow 天博体育 on鈥疐acebook鈥�@NOLAPublicSchools,鈥疘苍蝉迟补驳谤补尘鈥�@nolaps鈥痑苍诲鈥疶飞颈迟迟别谤鈥�@NOLAPSchools.
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