Tagged: Andre Perry

Did you remember we’re in Black History Month? Whether you’re hobnobbing at a ball, chaired along a parade route, or drinking it up in the Quarter, raise at least one glass to New Orleans history makers. The onslaught of beads, high heal shoes and pink wigs can easily have you forget about Black History Month, but Carnival should always remind us of the tremendous contributions of Ernest “Dutch” Morial.

Mardi Gras season is upon us, which means there are more days that our children are not in school. Between Mardi Gras, Christmas, summer, fall and spring breaks, in-services and professional development days as well as inevitable storms, when are kids in school? Hard rain on the first day of school — cancel it. Have a winning football season — we’ll take off for that too. Absences due to New Orleans’ traditions combined with the archaic custom of an agrarian school calendar are self-imposed barriers to educational progress.

New Orleans has a literacy problem. More than a quarter of the working-age population in the New Orleans metro are low-skilled and likely low-literate.  There is a mismatch between the educational levels of our workforce and the 14 years of education required for available positions.

As important as our current school reforms are to the future of the city, the impact of its graduates won’t be felt for decades. Two-thirds of New Orleans’ 2025 labor pool is working-age adults, meaning — if we want to become a more literate and productive city — we must make significant investments in adult education.