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Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans schools have become the nation's first all-charter school system. Patrick Dobard, who has worked towards this transformation from multiple leadership roles, reflects on two decades of the largest school improvement effort in U.S. history.
Dobard, a New Orleans native who started as a teacher in 1989, has witnessed the entire evolution of New Orleans schools after Hurricane Katrina. He served as superintendent of the Recovery School District from 2012-2017, overseeing the district's conversion to an all-charter system and the return of schools to local control. He later became CEO of New Schools for New Orleans and currently serves as a partner at City Fund.
Transforming New Orleans schools after Hurricane Katrina included a massive facilities overhaul. Over $4 billion was invested in rebuilding 85% of the city's school buildings, with approximately $1 billion generated through a disadvantaged business enterprise program Dobard established at the Recovery School District.
"Prior to Katrina, the buildings said to our kids and families, 'We don't care about you,'" Dobard reflects. "Those dilapidated buildings are no longer there. That's something worth celebrating."
F-rated schools have been virtually eliminated, and the on-time graduation rate has risen from about 54% in 2005 to nearly 80% today. External evaluations show powerful growth across every metric.
This transformation has greatly improved the outcomes for New Orleans students, but the work is not done.
Dobard hopes to see New Orleans eliminate all D-rated schools, build a robust early childhood system, and have the school board vocally embrace the unique governance structure.
"That's the one do-over I wish I had: To know that 20 years was not going to be enough time. That arguably 40 years may not be enough time," Dobard said. "This is generational work."