Lessons from the First All-Charter School District

J. Celeste Lay’s book Public Schools, Private Governance, explores the overhaul of public education in New Orleans both before and after Hurricane Katrina. She examines why and how the public system became a “system of schools,” eliminating neighborhood schools and shifting governance to private boards. She argues that white school reformers used Katrina as a catalyst to accelerate change by excluding the voices of Black parents and teachers, ultimately threatening democratic control of public schools. Her talk will pull out lessons from New Orleans for other districts, including Silver City.