Orleans Public Education Network

Public education in New Orleans post-Katrina has changed significantly. The New Orleans community has an unprecedented opportunity to significantly improve the quality of education afforded to its children. However, quality public education can only be developed and sustained through the ongoing support of an informed and engaged citizenry. Orleans Public Education Network exists to serve as a catalyst for broad and diverse community engagement to shape the future of public education in New Orleans.

OPEN is committed to ensuring that there is an informed and engaged community that exercises influence on policy and programs to realize excellence and equity for every child in our public schools. With programs like the Parent Leadership Training Institute, which transforms engaged parents into media-trained civic leaders capable of advocating for their children, we hand the agency for decision-making back to those who it affects most.

We achieve our mission by:

1. Analyzing and distributing quality educational research and policy analysis

2. Organizing local residents and groups to collect and analyze data to make Policy Recommendations

3. Supporting participatory decision making

4. Supporting public policy advocacy

We envision a New Orleans where trust and honesty are important in all social interactions and inclusion and transparency are hallmarks of public policy decisions. Residents, regardless of race or economic-status, are assured of a high quality educational experience. Where the fruits of quality education include an informed citizenry, a strong diverse economy, an upwardly mobile workforce and where happy and safe children and families have a bright future.

For more information about our programs, values, or membership, visit http://www.opennola.org.