The Cowen Institute

The Cowen Institute 2007-2017

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY IMPACT REPORT

The mission of the Cowen Institute is to advance public education and youth success in New Orleans and beyond.

The Cowen Institute is committed to making the youth of New Orleans more successful. We believe that is the key to the future of our community. - SCOTT COWEN

SCOTT COWEN served as the 14th president of Tulane University from July 1998 to June 2014. He is now President Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor and is currently teaching a course on leadership to undergraduates. He founded the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives in 2007 and serves as chair of its board of advisors.

DEAR FRIENDS,

A Letter from the Executive Director

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Ten years ago, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, then-Tulane University President Scott Cowen, one of our nation’s education innovators, chaired a city-wide effort to develop the rebuilding plan for New Orleans public education. After the plan to rebuild public education was developed, President Cowen realized the necessity for a center—an independent voice— to chronicle the evolution of this new model. That is how the Cowen Institute began.

 RECONNECTING OPPORTUNITY YOUTH INITIATIVES: such as the Earn and Learn Career Pathways program and the Employment and Mobility Pathways Linked for Opportunity Youth (EMPLOY) Collaborative;  COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS INITIATIVES: including Upward Bound, the New Orleans College and Career Counseling Collaborative, College Counseling Training Program, College Persistence Collaborative, and the Tulane Advising Corps.

Today, the Cowen Institute continues to monitor the K-12 public school system in New Orleans by conducting research and sharing key information in an unbiased and accessible way. As we have worked hard to increase opportunities for students, our mission has evolved to include cross-sector collaboration and strategic leadership through which we can make even more of a difference for young people.

In this report, you’ll see the faces

When I became Executive Director in 2015, the Institute employed nine people. At the end of the 2017 fiscal year, we will employ a total of 20 people. This growth is exciting. We have doubled in size so that we can achieve high-quality outcomes in our three strategic initiatives:

The Cowen Institute not only is

 K-12 EDUCATION: such as important and accessible research and policies on the New Orleans K-12 school system that informs our programming;

Warmest regards,

and hear the voices of some of the lives we have touched on our path to empower youth.

As we commemorate the Cowen Institute’s 10th anniversary, this report sets a vision for the future ahead.

We could not do it without your support. Your generosity makes our efforts possible. Without you, we would not be where we are today, and I thank you.

celebrating 10 years of hard work and accomplishments, but also is looking ahead to further successes transforming young lives and, by extension, our community.

AMANDA KRUGER HILL Executive Director, Cowen Institute at Tulane University

“After working with Earn and Learn on job readiness skills, I feel like I can do anything. It gave me a better appreciation for myself and a better respect for who I am and who I’m capable of being.”

- GRACE FRANKLIN

A native New Orleanian, GRACE FRANKLIN enrolled at a university out of state after graduating high school. Due to barriers and a lack of support, she dropped out of school and returned home to New Orleans. She worked a stream of dead-end jobs until she joined the second class of apprentices in the Earn and Learn Career Pathways program. There, she connected with the inaugural Youth Action Team and also became a member of EMPLOY’s leadership team. Recently, Franklin was hired as the Youth Engagement and Community Coordinator at Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights.

RECONNECTING OPPORTUNITY YOUTH

Creating Pathways The Cowen Institute is working to improve communities and nurture potential, one young person at a time.

T

he Cowen Institute’s Reconnecting Opportunity Youth

initiative is about creating such opportunities. The program works to improve the community one young person at a time. It has grown to be widely recognized and its impact continues to garner national attention. This initiative is a clear example of how the Cowen Institute’s research arm and its programs work in tandem.

No Longer Invisible: Opportunity Youth in New Orleans, a report released in 2016, documented

“If we can help someone get a great education or learn a skill, we can ensure that they have the opportunity to get that job that’s going to change their life, change their families’

initiative began after Tulane

the number of opportunity youth

President Cowen served on

in New Orleans and offered

lives, and change their

President Barack Obama’s

recommendations on how to

Council for Community Solutions.

ensure they are linked to viable

kids’ lives forever.”

Cowen collaborated with other civic leaders to help 16 to 24-year-old men and women who are disconnected from school and work get back on a path to a successful future. These young people are called “opportunity youth” because of their vast potential to succeed if they have the supports and opportunities they deserve.

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career and education pathways.

- J.P. HYMEL

 In 2014, there were 6,280 opportunity youth in Orleans Parish. That was nearly three times the number of young people who graduated from all New Orleans high schools in that year.

J.P. HYMEL is a 1996 Tulane

 Fiscal cost to taxpayers: $94.8 million, or $13,900 annually per youth, in increased spending on crime, health care and welfare.

University electrical engineering graduate who is Vice President of New Orleans mechanical contractor, Gallo Mechanical.

He is a member of the EMPLOY Collaborative, and he believes the Cowen Institute’s work to connect young people to education and careers will build a better New Orleans for everyone.

OUR PROGRAMS: Earn And Learn Career Pathways

professional skills and one-onone coaching and mentoring from Cowen Institute staff. Because of the success of the Earn and Learn

In 2016, the Cowen Institute

program, Cowen Institute and

completed the second year of the

Tulane leaders are working with

Earn and Learn Career Pathways

other local employers to replicate

program. This unique initiative

the model in other businesses.

employs opportunity youth as apprentices in high-demand

 Since its 2014 launch,

Employ Collaborative Proving that we are stronger when we work together, the Cowen Institute continues as the backbone of the EMPLOY Collaborative, a group of over 55 people from 30 different organizations throughout the New Orleans area who convene

careers at Tulane University. The

65 youth have been put

to assess, discuss, and plan

program also provides continuing

on a path to careers in

initiatives to support

education in academics and

high-growth industries.

opportunity youth.

“The Cowen Institute facilitates important conversations among national and local stakeholders who are committed to opportunity youth. They are a critical leader in opportunity youth work happening in New Orleans.”

- MELISSA SAWYER MELISSA SAWYER founded the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) in 2004. YEP provides comprehensive services to more than 1,000 young people every year through community-based education, mentoring, enrichment and employment readiness programs.

YEP is a member of the EMPLOY Collaborative.

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“The city needs an external and unbiased validator or reporter of the status of students’ gains and of the overall state of education, and the Cowen Institute provides that.” - JOHN WHITE

JOHN WHITE was named Louisiana State Superintendent of Education in 2012.

Soon after, he founded Louisiana Believes, the state’s plan to ensure every child is on the path to college or a professional career. He praised the Cowen Institute’s compilation of data as “objective and unvarnished.”

K-12 EDUCATION

Charting the Course The Cowen Institute has become renowned for its insightful and approachable research and policy.

T

he Cowen Institute was

The 2016 brief on the new

continuing to monitor the process

founded 10 years ago

“differentiated funding” formula for

and reporting new developments

to chronicle a public

city schools, a controversial issue

for parents, students, teachers, and

education landscape that was,

with vast implications for students,

the wider community.

and still is, unique to New Orleans.

proved to be an accessible primer

Since its founding, the Cowen

important issue.

The Future of TOPS, the Cowen

Also in 2016, the Cowen Institute

in the debate over the future of

released a first examination of the

the Taylor Opportunity Program

New Orleans school unification

for Students (TOPS). The TOPS

plan, which will return state-run

program provides scholarships for

schools to local control. It provided

a large population of Louisiana

important insight for families on

students who otherwise would not

what to expect from the new plan.

be able to afford college due to

Institute has become renowned for its insightful and approachable research and policy. Every year, it publishes reports that monitor the public school system. At the same time, the Cowen Institute remains nimble enough to release briefs and papers on the most

on a complicated and highly

In another significant report, Institute uncovered crucial data

As unification continues over

financial need. Faced with a budget

timely education issues that arise

the next two years, the Cowen

shortfall, Louisiana lawmakers were

throughout each year.

Institute will fill a vital role in

debating defunding the program.

“The Cowen Institute has over the years both validated and critiqued our work, and I think that’s important.

It’s helpful to have an independent voice reflecting on our system’s work in real time, so that we can adjust in positive directions.” - ALVIN DAVID ALVIN DAVID is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Recovery School District. A leadership team member of the EMPLOY Collaborative, which focuses on reconnecting opportunity youth to education, career pathways, and support services, David believes that the Cowen Institute plays an important role as an independent voice that informs the public.

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“The Cowen Institute’s research and publications serve an important role in educating the public about our schools, and equipping all stakeholders with transparent information to aid their understanding and decision-making.” - BEN KLEBAN BEN KLEBAN first engaged with the Cowen Institute through his work as the founder of New Orleans College Prep, a charter school network that educates students from early childhood through high school. He is now a member of the Orleans Parish School Board.

The Cowen Institute found that

 If the minimum GPA increased

is leading the way in advocating

even the smallest change in the

from 2.5 to 2.75, 28% of

for a reinstatement of TOPS

TOPS program would drastically

New Orleans students would

affect students:

lose eligibility in the program.

scholarships for students

 If the minimum ACT score

The TOPS research has been

through the Louisiana College Access Coalition, a collaborative of more than 20 organizations

increased from 20 to 21,

influential in framing the discussion

23% of New Orleans students

about Louisiana’s priorities in

and schools advocating for

would lose eligibility in

education. Armed with the findings

sustainable funding for higher

the program.

of their report, the Cowen Institute

education in the state.

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“Upward Bound makes college accessible to students who wouldn’t otherwise consider it accessible...

They realize how far they can dream.”- KELSEY REYNOLDS

KELSEY REYNOLDS is a senior at Tulane University majoring in Africana Studies.

A Cowen Fellow, Kelsey has worked at Upward Bound since she was a freshman, tutoring high school students, helping with college applications and financial aid forms, and accompanying them on college trips. As a first-generation college student, she is delighted when Upward Bound students report that they are thriving in college.

COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS

Continuing the Journey The Cowen Institute is providing guidance and support for young people to achieve their potential.

A

s the Cowen

resources they need to successfully

The Cowen Institute also oversees

Institute monitored

advise students and their families.

the UPWARD BOUND program,

the K-12 school system

Data shows that counselors play a

which provides support for

in New Orleans, it became

key role in demystifying the college

first-generation/low-income

apparent that there was a need

application process for first-

for programs and initiatives to assist high school graduates in successfully transitioning to college and careers.

This led to the creation of the College and Career Success Initiative, which connects high school students with the right colleges and offers support and resources for them to succeed in their subsequent careers.

generation applicants and provide crucial guidance in matching students with colleges where they are most likely to flourish.

At the forefront of the Cowen Institute’s work in this area are two new programs. The COLLEGE

COUNSELING TRAINING program, in partnership with College Beyond, equips practitioners with the tools and resources they

students to successfully complete college. Fifty students are currently enrolled in this federally-funded program that brings local high school students to Tulane’s campus for weekly tutoring, counseling, and college prep. Tulane’s program consistently outperforms similar programs nationwide.

UPWARD BOUND STUDENT SUCCESS:  100% completed FAFSA, compared with 58% of all New Orleans seniors

The Cowen Institute leads the

need. The COLLEGE PERSISTENCE

NEW ORLEANS COLLEGE AND CAREER COUNSELING COLLABORATIVE to equip college

COLLABORATIVE rigorously tracks

counselors in high schools across

support they need to succeed

 100% accepted to college

the city with the tools and

in college.

 100% enrolled in college

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and supports students after high school, giving them the level of

 100% graduated from high school

“[The College and Career Counseling Collaborative] is a great way to bring together college counselors who are working in silos across the city. We’re building a community and sharing best practices to give opportunities and improve life outcomes for these students.” - PARIS WOODS PARIS WOODS is co-founder and executive director of College Beyond, which helps New Orleans youth enroll in college and then succeed once they get there. She partners with the Cowen Institute to run the College and Career Counseling Collaborative and the College Persistence Collaborative.

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Looking Ahead As the Cowen Institute celebrates the close of a decade of empowering young people, we will continue to advocate for education policy that benefits all students. We will continue to connect young people to opportunities for fulfilling careers and educational experiences. We will continue to seek ways to expand our programs to reach more young people. We will continue to establish trailblazing initiatives that can be replicated beyond New Orleans. From graduation ceremonies to new jobs, the Cowen Institute has commemorated many milestones with the young people whose lives we touch. We look forward to accomplishing even more in the next decade.

THE COWEN INSTITUTE

1555 POYDRAS STREET, SUITE 700 PHONE 504.274.3690

NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112-3701

FAX 504.274.3699

COWENINSTITUTE.COM