Where We Are Going

First Things First: A New Orleans Literacy Institute

Reading is the fundamental skill upon which all learning depends. Partnering with FirstLine Schools and the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation, we intend to establish a literacy institute for New Orleans schools that will provide professional learning for teachers and teacher leaders. The New Orleans Literacy Institute (NOLI) will bring evidence-based, high-yield literacy practices to educators to ensure that teachers have access to on-the-ground professional learning that is relevant to the literacy needs of their students and teachers. NOLI is a long-term strategy to achieve and sustain high levels of literacy for the children of New Orleans, and thereby increase the life chances of thousands of high-risk students.

The Even Bigger Picture: A Teaching and Learning Institute for New Orleans Teachers

From the moment a child steps into a classroom, the single most important factor in determining how well he will learn is the teacher. Partnering with the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation, we aim to establish a teaching and learning institute that will serve as a clearinghouse, coordinator, provider, and researcher of evidence-based, high-yield professional learning for New Orleans educators. Providing a cohesive system of support, the New Orleans Teaching and Learning Institute will ensure that our children’s teachers and leaders have timely access to professional learning that is relevant to the needs of their students. The institute will serve teachers of all grades and subject areas­. Thus, it will be a more comprehensive institute within which the Literacy Institute may eventually reside (e.g., the National Institutes of Health concept). This is a long-term strategy to achieve and sustain high levels of student achievement in New Orleans.