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15 candidates named in New Orleans Public Schools superintendent search; see list

Students play at Akili Academy in the Upper 9th Ward. Nov. 13, 2020.
Aubri Juhasz
/
WWNO
Students play at Akili Academy in the Upper 9th Ward on Nov. 13, 2020.

With an April deadline fast approaching, the Orleans Parish School Board will interview 15 superintendent candidates this week, according to public records released Tuesday.

Candidates include public and charter school leaders from across the country, as well as a few non-traditional applicants. At least two of the candidates are from New Orleans.

Board interviews are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Candidates include:

  • Angela Beck, superintendent of Redesign Schools Louisiana
  • Jawan Brown-Alexander, educational consultant and former chief of schools for New Schools for New Orleans

  • Meria Carstarphen, head of an education consulting group and former superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools
  • Charles A. Grandson, chief equity and strategy officer of Boston Public Schools
  • Torina Lewis, associate executive director for meetings and professional services at the American Mathematical Society
  • Brian Metcalf, CEO of Tindley Accelerated Schools in Indianapolis
  • Orlando Ramos-Domenech, founding principal at REAL Journey Academies, a charter school network in California
  • Thomas Rogers, assistant superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools
  • Marshall Tuck, head of education recovery and strategic advisor at Great Public Schools Now in Los Angeles
  • Cherie Washington, chief of schools and student support at the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas
  • Bobby White, founder and CEO of Frayser Community Schools in Memphis
  • Avis Williams, superintendent of Selma City Schools in Alabama
  • Andre Wright, senior vice president of educational transformation at MGT Consulting in Tampa
  • Jermall Wright, founding superintendent of Mississippi Achievement School District
  • Caprice Young, president of Education Growth Group in Los Angeles

District superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. announced last June that he would leave the position when his contract expired at the end of the 2021-22 school year, giving the board an entire year to hire his replacement.

The board has said it hopes to complete the hiring process by early April so Lewis can help onboard his successor.

After first-round interviews are complete, the board will vote to advance one or more candidates, according to its agenda.

The board is scheduled to interview eight candidates Thursday and seven candidates Friday. Interviews begin at 8 a.m. each day and are not open to the media or the public.

Board president Olin Parker has said the public will have the opportunity to provide feedback on candidates, though when and how that will take place is still unclear.

Prior to the release of the candidate list, the board’s search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates held more than 50 community feedback sessions to help develop the district’s candidate profile. More than 450 people participated.

Aubri Juhasz covers K-12 education, focusing on charter schools, education funding, and other statewide issues. She also helps edit the station’s news coverage.

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