Kyla Jones, 16, struggled with a learning disability that her classmates bullied her for throughout elementary and middle school. But when she arrived at Living School, tucked away in a strip mall in New Orleans East, she saw the opportunity to come out of her shell. Taking health science classes and getting more individualized attention from teachers helped Jones feel more comfortable in the classroom. 

“She was just like a cocoon when we started,” said Danielle Smith, Jones’ mother, who believes in the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy. Jones has a comprehension delay condition that makes it challenging to retain information. “Now she’s a butterfly here. I thank the school for that because the learning style helps students like her.”

So Jones and Smith were disheartened when they read an email sent last week from NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Avis Williams, who suggested that Living School be shut down.

“Upon review of multiple data points, including the academic, organizational, and financial performance of the organization, I am recommending that the contract with Living School, who operates this school, should not be renewed,” Williams wrote.

Living School is one of several charter schools facing a “comprehensive evaluation” in front of the Orleans Parish School Board for poor performance in their state accountability scores. This year, the high school scored an “F” on its state report card. It’s one of only three schools, along with Lafayette Academy Charter School and Robert Russa Moton Charter School, whose charter contracts Williams recommends not be renewed. (Robert Russa’s operator, Advocates for Innovative Schools, has surrendered its charter.)

Williams noted that Living School scored the lowest in both school performance and assessment index scores among all high schools in the district. 

Williams is set to present her recommendations to the board Monday (Dec. 4) afternoon. The school will need to convince at least five out of seven board members to renew its charter in order to continue operating next school year. 

But those involved with Living School say the data isn’t reflective of the school’s impact on its students, its academic progress or its efforts to address challenges. A majority of the school’s students are disadvantaged, and the school recently recovered from a teacher shortage, which students, staff and administrators indicated as a reason for the school’s low state scores.

Living School CEO and Superintendent Stefin Pasternak said that about two-thirds of the school’s 180 students have special needs. 

About 10% of the school’s students are experiencing homelessness, and most also face economic challenges, according to the school’s October presentation before the school board. The school also serves mostly students of color and has the highest rate of English language learners in the district, many of whom are new to the country.

Pasternak said issues with teacher turnover during a nationwide teacher shortage also contributed to the school’s low scores on the state-standardized LEAP exams used to evaluate students’ progress. Last year, 19% of Living School students had test scores showing they were proficient in English and 6% in math.

Stefin Pasternak, pictured here on Nov. 30, 2023, is the CEO and superintendent of Living School. Credit: Minh Ha / Verite News

He said there are things the school could have done differently to raise its score at the sacrifice of what’s best for its students, like making them take national standardized tests for the sake of improving the school’s overall state grade. However, the school decided not to use its limited staff to focus solely on test preparation but instead on “things that are authentically good for our young people” — like electives and in-class support for its growing English language learning populations — Pasternak said. 

Pasternak said the school has since filled all its positions and even hired new roles to facilitate growth.

“If you see in years before, we’ve had much stronger outcomes, and we’ve had a stronger teacher in there,” Pasternak said at a school board hearing in October. “And thanks to our new director of talent, who joined our team last year, we have our strongest teaching staff yet. We very much expect to see those scores rebound.”

Pasternak also critiqued the current school-grading system, as this year’s state grade doesn’t take Living School’s graduation data into account. The school graduated more than 90% of its founding class on time this year, but because the school only has one graduated class under its belt, that data isn’t factored into the state report.

Under the district’s new accountability framework, set to go into effect next year, Living School would likely not be under nearly as much district scrutiny, Pasternak said.

Living School, pictured here on Nov. 30, 2023, is located in a strip mall on Bullard Avenue in New Orleans East. Credit: Minh Ha / Verite News

‘I want the Living School to be my legacy’

A closure would dismantle a school community built over the past four years.

A “slow-growth” high school, Living School had just 38 ninth graders when it opened in 2019 on Bullard Avenue in New Orleans East. 

The school has a student and family council that gives input on how Living School is run, Pasternak said. Living School is designed to help every student graduate with college acceptance, trade certification and a living-wage job offer. It also offers dual enrollment and hands-on programs such as carpentry and coding.

Many students graduate with a semester’s worth of college credits, said Shantell Alfred, a college and career advisor at the school.

Both of Alfred’s children attend Living School. A single mom, Alfred wanted a school that would focus on the whole child: not just the academics but also life skills and personal growth. Despite the school’s initial stumbling blocks, Alfred said she never considered changing schools.

Her son, Joseph Davenport IV, initially wanted to study engineering in college but now wants to pursue business after taking an entrepreneurship class his freshman year. Davenport, now a high school senior, wants to go to Villanova University and said going to a smaller-sized school has been helpful with his college application process.

“When you’re at a big school, you got to worry about your teachers doing multiple different recommendations, and then might not be able to give you time, and access and resources,” said Davenport. “But at Living School, your teachers care about you every single minute. You can always talk to your teacher, you can always talk to your counselor and the staff members. And there’s always time for that.”

Davenport is sad and frustrated to see his school facing closure, he said. Despite the school’s track record, Davenport believes the school board is focusing solely on test results while failing to consider how Living School is set to prepare students for life.

If the district decides not to renew the charter, the school will remain open for the rest of the school year. The district will also reach out to students and families to assist them in the transition process.

For Alfred, her job is not the only thing at stake following news of the school’s possible closure. It’s also the future of her students, given Living School’s focus on programs that prepare students for the world after high school.

Her son, Davenport, agreed, adding that Living School is the last option for many struggling students who fail to find success at other schools. 

For Jones, who’s already experienced one operator transition when the K-8 Mary D. Coghill School lost its charter in 2020 during her last year of middle school, finding a new school that accommodates her learning condition could be a lot of work.

“I have to redo all this research again for one year, and who’s to say that we may get a shot to get somewhere close to where we are now?” said Smith, her mother. “Honestly, as a parent, I don’t even see it.”

Like Jones and Smith, Davenport and his mom are also planning to show up at the meeting to support Living School on Monday (Dec. 4), when the board will consider the superintendent’s recommendations. 

“I want the Living School school to be my legacy,” he said. “I [want] to one day come back and be able to grow Living School… To see it being shut down and not given the chance to make it out of infancy is saddening.”

Update: On Monday (Dec. 4), the school board agreed not to renew Living School’s charter, and the school is set to close at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. Students at Living School will be eligible for priority enrollment for this application period as the school district will reach out to support families with the enrollment process, officials said.

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Minh (Nate) Ha is a recent magna cum laude graduate from American University with a Bachelor's degree in journalism. His reporting work includes stories about how second-generation Vietnamese Americans...