Giving Compass' Take:

· In New Orleans, Morris Jeff Community School stands out from the rest of the surrounding charter schools. As the 74 explains, Morris Jeff represents the surrounding demographic—55 percent of the students are black, 36 percent are white, and 58 percent come from low-income families. 

· Why is it important to have a diverse student makeup in schools? What can children learn from this?

· Read more about intentionally diverse charter schools.

In a city where the educational landscape is dominated by charter schools, Morris Jeff Community School stands out. Eight years since its founding, the charter school has become known for its International Baccalaureate curriculum, dedication to ability inclusion and diversity, commitment to teacher voice, and academic consistency. The New Orleans school articulated these principles at its founding, committing to being an institution that not only serves the surrounding community but also involves and reflects it.

Morris Jeff Community School opened in fall 2010 after two years of persistent pressure by a coalition of parents, educators, and community leaders in the Mid-City and St. John neighborhoods. Originally, their goal had been to save Morris F.X. Jeff Elementary School, a high-poverty, well-respected, local district school that primarily served African-American students. But like most of the city’s public schools, Morris F.X. Jeff was closed in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, and when the state-run Recovery School District took control of the old Morris F.X. Jeff building, it decided not to reopen the school.

When it became clear that Morris F.X. Jeff School would not be saved at its current site, organizers turned their attention to designing a new school. Forming standing committees to handle finance, fundraising, community outreach, curriculum, and leadership, they decided to form a different type of charter school, one created through community and emphasizing democratic citizenship as well as academic accountability. As a part of that commitment, the school’s board sanctioned a teachers union, a rarity in the charter school world. The board hired its founding principal, Patricia Perkins, and Morris Jeff Community School opened in 2009.

In both its unionized teaching force and its diverse student body, Morris Jeff is swimming against the charter school tide. In fact, one observer called Morris Jeff “an anti-charter charter.” In its first incoming class, in 2010, 55 percent of students were black, 36 percent white, and 9 percent Hispanic, Asian, or other races and ethnicities. Fifty-eight percent were from low-income families.

Read the full article about diverse charter schools by Kimberly Quick at The 74.