Policy Report: Considering the Impact of Education Reform on High-Risk Neighborhoods The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Urban League, the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, or the National Collaborative for Health for Health Equity. Opinions expressed in National Collaborative for Health for Health Equity publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, officers or governors of the National Collaborative for Health for Health Equity or of the organizations that support the National Collaborative for Health Equity and its research. This work was generously supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. We would like to acknowledge the Equity in All Places core team: Florentina Staigers, Esq., Ms. Yvette Wing Merritt, Dr. Marsha Broussard, Ms. Jamilah Peters-Muhammad, and Mr. Brandon Caples for significant contributions to this work. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: THE POLICY ISSUE .................................................................................................... 4 Background .......................................................................................................................... 4 The New Orleans Education Landscape ............................................................................. 5 Purpose of this Report ......................................................................................................... 6 PART II: FINDINGS ................................................................................................................... 9 How are schools in New Orleans’ highest risk neighborhoods performing? ........................10 What is the stability of the schools and student populations in these neighborhoods? .......15 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................18 Policy Recommendations ...................................................................................................18 APPENDIX A: SCHOOLS BY NEIGHBORHOOD ....................................................................21 7th Ward ................................................................................................................................22 A.P. Tureaud Elementary School .......................................................................................22 Homer A. Plessy Community School (PK-5) ......................................................................23 McDonogh 35 Preparatory Academy (7-8) .........................................................................23 McDonogh 35 Senior High School (9-12) ...........................................................................24 McDonogh 42 Elementary Charter School (PK-8) ..............................................................24 Behrman ...............................................................................................................................26 Crescent Leadership Academy (7-12 and for students experiencing discipline issues) ......26 Harriet Tubman Charter School (PK-8) ..............................................................................27 L. B. Landry-O. P. Walker College and Career Preparatory High School (9-12) .................27 Murray Henderson Elementary (PK-8) ...............................................................................28 O. Perry Walker (9-12) .......................................................................................................28 Paul Habans Charter School (PK-8)...................................................................................28 Central City ..........................................................................................................................30 Cohen College Prep (9-12) ................................................................................................30 Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence (K-8) .........................................................................31 James M. Singleton Charter School (PK-8) ........................................................................31 KIPP Central City Academy (5-8) .......................................................................................32 KIPP Central City Primary (K-4) .........................................................................................32 Mahalia Jackson Elementary School (PK-5) ......................................................................33 Sylvanie Williams College Prep (PK-7) ..............................................................................33 Desire ...................................................................................................................................35 Architecture Design and Engineering Preparatory High (9-12) ...........................................36 Benjamin E. Mays Preparatory (PK-6) ...............................................................................36 G.W. Carver Collegiate Academy (9-12) ............................................................................37 G.W. Carver Preparatory Academy (9-12) .........................................................................37 Fischer .................................................................................................................................39 New Orleans Military/Maritime Academy (9-12) .................................................................39 Fischer Accelerated Academy (PK-8) ................................................................................40 Little Woods .........................................................................................................................41 Lake Forest Elementary Charter School (K-8) ....................................................................41 Mildred Osborne Elementary (K-8) .....................................................................................42 ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron Elementary (PK-8) ....................................................................42 McDonogh ............................................................................................................................44 Martin Behrman Charter School (PK-8) ..............................................................................44 McDonogh 32 Literacy Academy (PK-8) ............................................................................45 ReNew Accelerated High School: Westbank Campus (6-12) .............................................45 Schwarz Alternative School ...............................................................................................46 St. Thomas ...........................................................................................................................47 ReNEW SciTech Academy at Laurel (PK-8) ......................................................................47 APPENDIX B: WORKS CITED .................................................................................................48 PART I: THE POLICY ISSUE Background Health Equity Equity in All Places (formerly Orleans Parish Place is achieved when every person has the Matters) is part of a network of nineteen teams across opportunity to "attain the United States that are affiliated with the National his or her full health Collaborative for Health Equity. The mission of Equity in potential" and no one All Places, Orleans Parish is to use the Social is "disadvantaged from achieving this Determinants of Health framework to advocate for potential because of place-based policies that create equitable, safe and social position or healthy communities. other socially determined In 2012, our Community Health and Equity Report circumstances. (CHER) demonstrated that the lowest levels of (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) educational attainment by census tract correlate with the lowest life expectancy rates and other health risk factors, including violence. Since then, the Equity in All Places team has focused on education as a key factor in achieving health equity; and in particular, has focused on dismantling the school-to- prison pipeline. In 2014, Equity in all Places published a second CHER report addressing the impact of Education Policies (CHER-EP) on eight high-risk neighborhoods previously identified by the New Orleans Health Department and the Community Risk Index.1 These neighborhoods included 7th Ward, Behrman, Central City, Desire, Fischer, Little Woods, McDonogh, and St. Thomas. The 2014 CHER-EP report demonstrated 1 The Community Risk Index (CRI), developed for the New Orleans Health Department, was used to compare risks across neighborhoods. The CRI was formulated by statistically combining a set of measures into a single indicator for each census tract. The CRI incorporated data for population below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level, overcrowded households (more than one person per room), households without a vehicle and vacant housing. the strength of societal factors that act upon children leaving them vulnerable to violence and victimization. The report concluded that New Orleans schools are not protecting children, but are instead making them more vulnerable to violence through their suspension practices. The report also focused on the impact of school choice on students in high-risk neighborhoods and concluded that children who lived in high-risk neighborhoods with low performing schools were being bused to other neighborhoods to attend low performing