Dillard University ceiling collapse, mold spark student housing crisis
Dillard students challenge $37k bill to live in "inhospitable" moldy conditions, prompting the New Orleans school to appoint a campus renewal executive.
Author: Vivi Smilgius
- About Vivi Smilgius
- Vivi Smilgius is an education reporter for The Lens. Before she joined The Lens in 2026, she covered education at the hyperlocal outlet Brookline.News, and worked as a metro reporter for the Boston Globe. Vivi has reported on special education, municipal finance, teacher pay and student policy; outside the realm of education, she’s written about local businesses, libraries and Boston’s underground music scene. When she’s not chasing stories, you might find Vivi playing volleyball, reading or baking. She can be reached at vsmilgius@thelensnola.org
Lycée Français de la Nouvelle Orléans faces budget deficit and plummeting enrollment amid turmoil
Despite its “A” rating, the French immersion school has been battling an exodus of students and teachers, and ticking off parents, for several years. Parents say it’s because of the administration.
With a lifelong New Orleanian at its helm, the district’s attendance office chips away at students missing days — but there’s still work to be done
Lerone Crayton, whose aim is to improve attendance in a district where a third of students are chronically absent, says that he is a “living example” of the importance of attending school every day. (Photo by Gus Bennett / The Lens)
The yellow and turquoise school filling a critical gap for kids with autism in New Orleans
Crescent City Schools' Constellations program fills crucial service gaps in New Orleans’ decentralized school system by offering specialized education for students with cognitive disabilities.
As the New Orleans district struggles with low enrollment, Walter L. Cohen High reflects on its big legacy
At this year’s annual alumni picnic, Cohen graduates remembered the school’s lively atmosphere, its music, sports and teachers who forged authentic relationships with students.
Rooted in 7th Ward Black history, The Black Schoolhouse opens new youth art and design hub
Constructed from corrugated steel shipping containers and fitted with solar panels, the sustainable 2,000-square-foot schoolhouse holds digital art classrooms, a gallery, a combination library and meditation room, and an outdoor fruit tree orchard.
‘We’re all in this together’: how New Orleans nonprofits watch over the city’s kids
Nonprofits like YEP, 18th Ward, and Café Reconcile go beyond childcare, keeping New Orleans kids active, connected, and reaching goals.
After three-year push by BE NOLA, Black Education History Week is established in New Orleans
The initiative brings New Orleans’ Civil Rights and education history to life during the third week of November with field trips, reenactments and social events.
As one in five Louisiana families lose SNAP, N.O. schools brace for free lunch impact
More than 90% of Orleans public schools automatically offer free breakfast and lunch to all students due to high SNAP enrollment rates. With Louisiana SNAP cutting 1 in 5 recipients, school cafeterias could also be serving fewer free meals.
Pre-k seats are a scarce resource in New Orleans — and Louisiana budget cuts might make them more difficult to get
New Orleans serves about 84% of 4-year-olds from low-income families. That leaves many New Orleans children entering kindergarten without necessary skills, and hundreds of parents who are not able to work as much as they want to, or at all, creating economic hardship.
