What Common Core means for New Orleans and Louisiana
Kids work at Harriet Tubman Charter School, an elementary and middle school located in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. (Photo from the Cowen Institute)
The Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University is urging Louisiana educators, legislators and policymakers to remain committed to using rigorous, nationally comparable standards in public schools. Louisiana currently participates in the Common Core State Standards, but the future of those standards in the state remains uncertain, according to a Cowen Institute brief.
The Common Core State Standards are a set of academic benchmarks that set expectations for what students should know by the end of each grade in English, language arts and mathematics. Louisiana first adopted the standards with Gov. Bobby Jindal"s strong support in 2010. The governor and some legislators have since sought to remove the state from participating in Common Core.
“New Orleans and Louisiana have long suffered from low academic standards,” said Patrick Sims, senior policy analyst for the Cowen Institute. “It"s important that we set higher academic expectations so that the state"s youth are prepared to succeed.”
The brief features an updated look at Common Core participation, a timeline for adoption, and a summary of the legal battles fought in local courts. It analyzes how standards-based education policies originated and how they could contribute to a better-educated workforce nationwide.
A poll conducted by the Cowen Institute found that while only 31 percent of New Orleanians support Common Core, 62 percent support having the same academic standards as other states.
The brief, along with an infographic and a video, can be found on the Cowen Institute"s website.
Launched in 2007, the mission of the Cowen Institute is to advance public education and youth success in New Orleans and beyond by informing stakeholders, decision makers and the public about issues related to K-12 public education, opportunity youth and college and career readiness.
