1830 State law made it illegal to teach people of color to read and write.

1866 The Louisiana Educational Relief Association established church supported private schools for people of color. The most famous was the Institution des Orphelins, established in 1846 with funds from Madame Bernard Couvent. During the 1870’s three schools were founded by the Third Order of Mount Carmel and the Sisters of the Holy Family.

1864 African American citizens appealed to Union officials to established the first public schools. The American Missionary Association and other northern Aid Societies supported public education for African American students in New Orleans.

1865 The Freedmen’s Bureau took control of New Orleans Schools.

1867 Robert Mills Lusher, state superintendent of education, argued that all-white schools should be “properly preserved as a bastion of white supremacy.”

1900 Orleans Parish School Board limited Black education to 5th grade.

1900 Louisiana State Constitution introduced literacy test and a grandfather clause disenfranchising more than 150,000 African American voters.

1904-1905 The average school term was 140 days for whites and 95 days for Negroes. The average salary in the white schools was $53.09 for men and $38.09 for women; in the Negro schools, it was $28.62 for men and $24.99 for women (1904-05 Biennial Report of the State Superintendent of Education.)

1920’s-1930’s Louisiana’s education policy sought to maintain white supremacy and strengthen a sharecropper based economy. Curriculums stressed agriculture and home economics in elementary and secondary schools.

1941 Black citizens of New Orleans organized a committee for Equalizing Educational Opportunity.

Late 1940’s The Ninth Ward Civic and Improvement League lobbied the Orleans Parish School Board for equal school facilities for blacks.

1900-1943 Attorney Alexander Pierre Tureaud successfully argued the first teacher salary equalization case in Louisiana.

1948 The Louisiana Legislature adopted a minimum salary schedule without discrimination for public school teachers, a direct result of Tureaud’s legal actions on behalf of clients seeking equalization to teacher’s salaries in various parishes.

1951-1967 Alexander Pierre Tureaud successfully fought for the integration of Orleans Parish Public Schools in Oliver Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board.

November 14, 1960 Two ninth ward schools are integrated. Ruby Bridges is the first African American student to enroll in the formally all white William Franz Elementary School. Tessie Prevost, Gail Etienne and Leona Tate, escorted by U.S. Marshals, enrolled in the all white McDonogh 19 School. Black students and their parents were harassed at both schools. By the end of the school year, all of the white students boycotted McDonogh 19 and two white families remained at Franz School.

1960’s-1970’s Whites abandoned the public school system, establishing private schools in neighboring parishes.

1970’s Integration of faculty began when three African American teachers were assigned to John F. Kennedy Sr. High School

1980’s-1990’s segregation in public schooling continues through housing patterns (defacto segregation) ability grouping and curriculum tracking. These policies place the majority of African American students in lower academic groups.

2001 20,000 4th and 8th grade students were denied promotion after failing the Louisiana Education Assessment Program Exam.

2003 Louisiana Act 193 transferred the Orleans Parish School Board’s contractual authority to New Orleans School Superintendent Anthony Amato.

August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Cost. Levee failures flood 80 percent of the city and displace thousands of residents pursuant to a mandatory evacuation issued by the Mayor.

September 15, 2005 The Orleans Parish School Board voted to place all employees on Disaster Leave without benefits or pay. The School Board approved application establishing Lusher K-12 Charter School converting the historically black Fortier high school into an elite charter school. On their return to the city, many former Alcee Fortier High School students were transfered downtown to John McDonogh High School.

September 30, 2005 U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced a U.S. Department of Education Grant of $20.9 million to Louisiana for the establishment of charter schools.

November 30, 2005 Louisiana Act 35 authorized the state takeover of New Orleans schools which performed at or below the state average in 2004-2005. The school passing performance score was changed from 60 to 87 allowing the state to label 107 of city’s 117 schools as failing. The fact that 88 schools had met the annual progress score for 2004-2005 was not considered. Act 135 established the Recovery School District (RSD) as the operating entity to manage the “failing” schools, leaving only 4 schools under the control of the Orleans Parish School Board.

December 9, 2005 The Orleans Parish School Board voted along racial lines to fire all Orleans Parish School employees effective January 31, 2006. (Anderson, Farenholtz, Landrieu and Moran voted for.)

December 14, 2005 Five Algiers schools opened their doors as charter schools.

January 2006 7,500 Orleans Parish school employees are terminated.

June 2006 Orleans Parish Recovery District announced postponement of school openings due to unreadiness.

January 2007 56 public schools are operating in New Orleans. 31 charter schools, 5 managed by the Orleans Parish School Board and 20 managed by the Recovery District which took control of 107 public schools. 300 returning students are without schools due to insufficient seats between charter schools and open enrollment RSD and OSPSB schools

January 2007 RSD schools experienced a multitude of problems: severe teacher shortages; principals report that the majority of their teachers are inexperienced. The lack of student academic records, documentation, e.g. grades, IEP’s for students with special needs and books are not available. Libraries, hot lunches, science labs and music programs are not ready.

RSD spent $260,823.53 on security for each RSD-Run school in 2006-2007. Orleans Parish School Board spent $23,577.24 per OPSB-run school pre-Katrina.

January 18, 2007 The Education Committee of the Downtown Neighborhood Improvement Association and the FYRE Youth Squad present demands to the Board for Elementary and Secondary Education. (BESE):

• A two-year moratorium on LEAP/GEE testing.
• A reduction in the number of security guards and the hiring of more counselors, social workers and psychologists
• A 15-1 student-teacher ratio
• Compliance with laws protecting students with special learning needs.

March 24, 2007 The FYRE Youth Squad (FYS), a diverse New Orleans youth group, hosts a “Walk Before You LEAP” Meeting, March, Press Conference & Rally for public school students. Students march and hold press conference on the steps of New Orleans Criminal Court Building.

May 2007 More than one half of all students enrolled in RSD schools failed to meet basic in math and english.