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Category
Schools

Reporting on education in New Orleans and across Louisiana. This category explores how policies, leadership, and community voices shape the experiences of students, teachers, and families—covering everything from classroom challenges to school reforms and success stories.

Will NOLA Public Schools fulfill its promise to the Leah Chase School community?

Leah Chase School, it seems, was never meant to exist—at least, not as a traditional public school. Less than two years later, NOLA Public Schools’ board members are debating whether to close it.  
by Elizabeth K. Jeffers December 18, 2025 Updated December 28, 2025

‘A leap of faith’: parents plead to save Leah Chase School

With OPSB slated to decide the fate of Leah Chase School tonight, school parents, along with the Chase family itself, are asking the board to believe in the school
by Marta Jewson December 18, 2025 Updated December 22, 2025
Assistant principal at Frederick A. Douglass High School smiles and dances among students in a school auditorium after announcing the school earned an A+ rating, with the stage band playing and students celebrating around him.

Compare 2025 school performance scores for New Orleans charters

As a district, NOLA Public Schools improved from a C to a B. The move up appears to be driven by a jump in A-rated schools in the city.
by Marta Jewson November 20, 2025 Updated November 23, 2025

Leah Chase School principal resigns

The school faces a sizable budget gap. Proponents say that it’s expensive to launch a stand-alone school, especially one that aspires to be a “beacon of culture.”
by Marta Jewson and Katy Reckdahl October 9, 2025 Updated December 28, 2025
A cluster of empty black chairs arranged haphazardly in a circle on a linoleum school floor symbolizes disorder and instability.

Success for whom? Twenty years of school reform.

The writers, an educator and a parent who works as an advocate within schools, contend that the state takeover removed Black teachers who provided continuity and did not improve academic outcomes for Black students who too often changed schools frequently.
by Ashana Bigard and Elizabeth K. Jeffers October 7, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
Infographic explaining how parents in New Orleans can request special education evaluations for their children, outlining reasons to request an evaluation and timelines for schools to respond and complete assessments.

Back to school: How and when to ask for a special education evaluation

If parents notice their child struggling academically or facing more discipline in school, it may be time for a special education evaluation. Roughly 15% of students in Louisiana have special education plans.
by Marta Jewson October 6, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025

Tulane changes syllabus, fires manager over Gaza article

Tulane University, facing an investigation by the Trump administration, fired an academic director and pulled an article about polio in Gaza from an infectious disease course.
by Delaney Nolan October 3, 2025 Updated December 28, 2025

Kennedy High grads who were denied diplomas can continue lawsuit, judges rule

Appellate judges certify class-action lawsuit lodged by students who endured Kennedy High School’s graduation scandal several years ago.
by Marta Jewson October 2, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
Abstract photo illustration showing football players in motion blur on a field, symbolizing a New Orleans high school discipline controversy.

Football coach leaves Sarah T. Reed High after alleged paddling incident

Though Louisiana legislators passed a statewide ban against physical punishment in 2023, parents can still give permission for their children to be physically disciplined in school.
by Marta Jewson September 8, 2025 Updated October 8, 2025

A ‘college for all’ push thrived in New Orleans after Katrina. It wasn’t for everyone

KIPP New Orleans pushed 'college for all' in its early years. Schools are now adding career and personal counseling, and offering technical education courses.
by Sarah Carr August 28, 2025 Updated September 5, 2025

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About The Lens

The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region.

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The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region. Staunchly defending the public's right to know and deeply committed to sharing our knowledge with the community at large. We center human impact in all our work.
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