The failure of public education in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina is no secret. The New Orleans public school system has been consistently considered one of the worst in the United States. In 2005, only 40% of New Orleans adults could read beyond a fifth-grade level and the majority of public school students failed to score at or above basic levels on standardized tests. In a city where the vast majority of students are minorities and living at or below the poverty line, the failure of the public schools and the inequities in educational opportunity constitute a serious social justice issue.

Today, public education in New Orleans is changing. New Orleans has an unprecedented opportunity to not only change its public education system but also to serve as a national model for the transformation of urban education. This opportunity is too great to let it pass us by; the time for change is now.