The Willow School (Louisiana)

Lusher Charter School is a Kindergarten through 12th grade New Orleans Public School located in Uptown New Orleans and operated by the non-profit Advocates for Arts-Based Education Corporation. Lusher focuses on a high-academic college-preparatory curriculum, with early college credit classes through Tulane University, gifted/talented programs, Advanced Placement courses, and academic challenges in every classroom.

Additionally, the school incorporates the arts throughout the curriculum with comprehensive arts education (CAE) and an award-winning performing arts program in creative writing, dance, drama, music, and visual arts. Lusher offers a strong athletic program and numerous other extracurricular opportunities. These programs combine with a philosophy of decision-making that places student well-being as a top priority of all school staff. The unique educational experiences and proven results of Lusher Charter School make it a leader among schools in the city, state, and nation.

Mission Statement

The mission at Lusher Charter School is to provide a developmentally appropriate learning environment in which high academics, comprehensive arts education, and the celebration of individuality and diversity enable each student to achieve as a learner, a person, and a valuable member of our society.

Lusher Charter School's theme is "Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through High Academics and the Arts".

Lusher's school rules are called the Pride Principles. The 4 Pride Principles are "Be Kind; Be Responsible; Respect People and Property; and Do your Best Work".

Willow Campus

Housing grades K-5, Lusher Charter School's Willow Campus has been the home of Lusher Elementary School since its founding in 1917. Under a canopy of oaks, children gather each morning in the yard for a school-wide Morning Meeting of performances and announcements. The community-oriented Morning Meeting - a diverse gathering of students, parents, grandparents, faculty, and administration - sets a child-centered tone of inclusion and celebration of diversity that permeates the building. At the top of the entrance stairs is a grand gallery surrounded by the library, classrooms, and administrative suite. Parents often gather in the gallery to check in with teachers and staff, volunteer in classrooms, or put together the weekly Lusher Letter.

The nearly 50,000 square foot facility includes 33 classrooms, a library/media center, a full cafeteria, studio space, and offices. Lusher Charter School's annual Crawfish Boil is hosted on the grounds of the Willow Campus each spring, and serves as a celebration of the whole Lusher community.

Fortier Campus

Lusher Charter School's Fortier Campus is home to grades 6-12. The campus, built as a public school in the early 1930s, is the former home of Fortier High School, a storied high school program that was closed following Hurricane Katrina.

As Lusher's new home, the facility is undergoing significant renovations so as to accommodate the unique demands of the middle and high school programs. Once fully completed, the campus will feature newly refurbished laboratory facilities, studios for each arts discipline, including new dance, music, and visual arts studios, wireless networking, and a glorious interior courtyard.

Framing the southern end of the courtyard is the Atlantic Bridge Community Resource Center (ABCRC), a multipurpose gymnasium facility made possible by a generous donation from Germany's Atlantik-Brüecke organization.

The campus suffered approximately $7 million in Hurricane Katrina related damage in addition to decades of deferred maintenance. Together with New Orleans Public Schools, Alvarez and Marsal, Tulane University, and numerous private contributors, Lusher has worked hard to restore the historic facility based on original architectural plans and the demands of a 21st century college preparatory and arts-based school.

Renovations to the 160,000 square foot facility are ongoing.

Fortier Campus Faculty and Staff

Riedlinger, Kathy CEO

Ates, Wiley High School Principal

Bourne, Brenda Middle School Principal

Cherrie, Tiffany HS Curriculum Coordinator

Perkins, Patricia MS Curriculum cooridinator

Perkins Tift, William Director of Development and Special Programs

Hebert, Charlene Dean of Students

Byers, Virgil Dean of Students

DeJean, Kathy Arts Coordinator

Dover, Patricia Administrative Assistant

Landrum, Louis Athletic Director

Gruenig, Shawn Special Education Coordinator

Petrosini, Adrienne Social Worker

Fitch, Linda Student Aid

Fitzpatrick, Brenda Guidance Counselor

Prosser, Charles HS College Counselor

Skelding, Emily HS Teacher Support

Richardson, Lisa Special Education

Nadeau, Ruth Ann Librarian

Taylor, Denise Facilities Manager

Andrews, Michelle Office Administrator

Cromer, Jenny Parent & Community Liaison

LeJeune, Cynthia Data Manager

Waltzer, Toni School Nurse

Swayze, Lynden Chief Financial Officer

Balsamo, Gian Business Office

Breaux, Susan Business Office

Angleton, Sunday English

Archer, Katharine Foreign Language

Ary, Susan Language Arts

Benhaj Amara, Sami Foreign Language

Burt, Steven English

Cerrone, Edward Language Arts

Depp, Michael Language Arts

Gray, Larisa Language Arts

Meneghini, Marco Foreign Language

Nitzkin, Aaron English

Schoen, Marina Foreign Language

Skelding, Emily English

Dagate, Lawrence Math

Greco, Bonita Math

Peterson, Frank Math

Weiss, Toni Math

White, Jerome Math

Greiner, Charles Social Studies

Higgins, Hunter Social Studies

Perkins, Jessica Social Studies

Waddell, Jane Social Studies

Bowling, Jenna Science

Cross, Theron Science

Wanner, Amy Science

Wheland, James Science

Baber, Greg Drama/Theater

Boudreau, Anne Visual Arts

Boyd-Buckels, Nichole Dance

DuBose, David Visual Arts

Early, Meredith Dance

Gallien, Laura Music

Hammons, Jay Dance

Healan, Erin Dance

Jordan, Kent Music

Jurjevich, Marta Music

Marek, Terry Drama/Theater

Mueller, Kelly Visual Arts

Odem, Jennifer Visual Arts

Parsons, Katharine Dance

Richard, Brad Creative Writing

Boudreau, Anne Computer

Flynt, Eric Computer

Jeansonne, Christopher Computer

Johnson, Tanya Health/PE

Irons, Kimberly PE

Landrum, Louis Atheltic Director

Volo, Steven Health/PE

Duffy, Claudia Language Arts

Tunis, Antonia Language Arts

Dunlap, Ruth Loren Math

Harris, Shannon Math

Henry, Kendra Math

Huffstutler, Brenda Math

Landrum, Madeline Math

Manson, Kathleen Math Intervention

Ory, Claire Math

Bravo, Keith Social Studies

Kitner, Jennifer Social Studies

Johnson, Fredette Social Studies

Brown, Madeline Science

Lovitt, Jamie Science

Raudonis, Juli Science

Distler, Tama Visual Arts

Early, Meredith Dance

Flynt, Eric Creative Writing

Gallien, Laura Music

Healan, Erin Dance

Jordan, Kent Music

Jurjevich, Marta Music

Parsons, Katharine Dance

Romaguera, Elizabeth Visual Arts

Verdin, Georgette Drama/Theater

Greenbaum, Edna Computer

Landrum, Louis Athletic Director

Volo, Steven Health/PE

History and Accomplishments

Lusher Elementary School first opened its doors in 1913. Initially, the school provided elementary education to students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Over the years, the school has evolved both in terms of diversity - with the school's PTSA petitioning to have Lusher be the first integrated public school in 1960 - and educational programming that has developed into an award-winning arts-based curriculum. With its evolving curriculum came a change in the school's name in the mid-1970s to Lusher Alternative Elementary School. Subsequently, the school expanded its student population to include 7th and 8th graders in middle school.

More recently, in September 2005, the landscape of Lusher changed yet again when the school applied for and was accepted as a Type 3 conversion charter school in the New Orleans Public School system. The student population is now slated to include those in kindergarten through the 12th grade on two campuses - kindergarten through 5th grade is at the Willow campus and 6th through 12th grade at Lusher's recently acquired Fortier campus. The mission of Lusher Charter School is to provide a developmentally appropriate learning environment in which high academics, comprehensive arts education, and the celebration of individuality and diversity enable each child to achieve as a learner, a person, and a valuable member of society.

Lusher Charter School offers a replicable model of what's right in the New Orleans Public School system. Using a curriculum rooted in visual arts, dance, music, theatre, and other disciplines, Lusher is able to engage its students in the learning process while achieving optimal academic results. In many ways, Lusher has been a pioneer in the arts-based education movement, particularly in the state of Louisiana. The school first began incorporating arts into its curriculum in 1980 and has been honored as one of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' 2003 Creative Ticket National Schools of Distinction, an award given annually to a few select schools the Kennedy Center finds to have an excellent arts curriculum. Lusher's innovative approach to education is further validated through research noting that, "...learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts." The Champions of Change report further indicates that engagement in the arts nurtures the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies.

The school also boasts recognition from the Louisiana Department of Education, as it has been named a School of Academic Distinction as conferred according to its school performance score (SPS). The SPS measure takes into account student test scores and school attendance. Of particular note are Lusher's 8th grade math scores, which are the highest in Louisiana.

For the past several decades, Lusher School has been in the vanguard of innovative and successful educational institutions in Louisiana. The school has implemented cutting-edge reforms in arts-based education, positive discipline programs, the latest neurological development and brain research, a systematic approach to literacy and numeracy instruction, extensive after-school programs, and a collaborative site-based leadership structure. These reforms have produced significant and measurable results, including a steady increase in school performance scores and a 68% reduction in the number of students reading below grade level. In fact, Lusher had the largest percentage of 8th graders in the state scoring at advanced levels on the standards-based Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) tests that measure how well students are mastering specific skills in mathematics, science, and social studies.

Moreover, when compared to district and state institutions over the last 5 years, Lusher's 4th and 8th grade students have consistently outperformed their peers in Orleans Parish and across Louisiana. Data are particularly encouraging for Lusher's economically disadvantaged and minority populations. The Louisiana Department of Education compiled a report on Lusher in accordance with the reporting requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, which holds both states and schools accountable for yearly progress in student performance. This report outlined the proficiency status of Lusher for the 2004-2005 school year and notes that 79.2% of its economically disadvantaged students were proficient in English Language Arts, and 88.9% were proficient in Math. For minority groups at Lusher, proficiency percentiles in English Language Arts were 88.2% for African Americans and 100% for Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders. In Math, 92.8% of African Americans were deemed proficient, and 100% of Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders were proficient. In addition, the report shows that Lusher is meeting or exceeding students' growth targets for all at-risk subgroups.

Results from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) also show that Lusher's students have surpassed both district and state averages for achievement. The ITBS is a norm-referenced test, meaning that it measures how well students in Louisiana scored in comparison to their peers nationwide. The results show that Lusher's 8th graders in all ethnic groups outscored the overall national average and the average within each individual ethnic group.

Lusher's approach to education is clearly one that meets the needs of its diverse student population, as evidenced by its faring better academically than its district, state, and national counterparts. Because the school does not take a one-size-fits-all approach to educating its students, Lusher is able to reach a cross section of racially, socio-economically, and academically diverse youth. Moving forward, Lusher will continue to measure the level of achievement for all of its students using the Louisiana Department of Education's school performance score, LEAP standardized testing, ITBS norm-referenced testing, and No Child Left Behind Act accountability reporting. The school anticipates continued academic achievement for its at-risk populations, including economically disadvantaged and minority students.

About Charter Schools

A charter school is a public school operated by a nonprofit corporation pursuant to an agreement with the local or state school board with public funding. As a Type 3 charter, Lusher Charter School is a "local charter" converted from an existing public school, Lusher Elementary and Extension School, and still part of New Orleans Public Schools. In the summer of 2005, Lusher began pursuing charter status with an overwhelming vote of approval by both the parents and staff of the school as provided by the Louisiana Charter Law. Lusher submitted its charter proposal to the Orleans Parish School Board, who approved the charter application in September 2005. Lusher is operated by the Advocates for Arts-Based Education, a non-profit board in charge of institutional oversight and the hiring of a Principal/CEO of the school.

As a charter school, Lusher exercises greater autonomy with its site-based leadership and decision-making-controlling the school budget, hiring and firing, and curriculum within state guidelines. With the increased control, Lusher also assumes increased accountability and responsibility for its performance, with biannual reviews by the Orleans Parish School Board and a charter renewal process every five years. Essentially, Lusher Charter School is an independently operated, publicly funded New Orleans Public School held directly accountable for its site-based performance.

Advocates for Arts Based Education

Formed as a 501(c)3 corporation in August 2005, the Advocates for Arts-Based Education (AABE) board is the primary oversight board for Lusher Charter School. As such, the board meets regularly to receive reports from the school's Principal/CEO and CFO. The AABE board hires the school's Principal/CEO and serves as the employer of the staff brought on by the Principal/CEO. All major budgetary and operational decisions of the school leadership are brought before the board for final approval, and the board hears any appeals or grievances from within the organization.

The Advocates for Arts-Based Education board takes its name from Lusher's philosophy of including the arts in all facets of education. This process of Comprehensive Arts Education (CAE) and Arts Integration has developed through Lusher's partnership with the Southeast Center for Education and the Arts at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. The entire Lusher faculty is trained in incorporating the arts into the core classes to help deepen and broaden student understanding. Thus, a Lusher student might use dance to better understand the spatial relationships of the planets in science class or music to gain insight into individual experiences during a certain historical time period. The arts help encourage Lusher students to think creatively and critically, to gain self-confidence and accept criticism, and to celebrate theirs and others' accomplishments.

Lusher and Tulane University

Lusher and Tulane have long been partners, and the development of Lusher Charter School's high school program further strengthens and develops that partnership. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when local revenue to operate the school was uncertain, Tulane provided Lusher with $1.5 million to plan for, reopen, and operate the school. In turn, Lusher opened its doors to children of Tulane faculty and staff as well as the faculty and staff of its partner institutions, Dillard, Loyola, and Xavier Universities. Beyond this immediate assistance for one another, Tulane and Lusher have long-term commitments. Lusher is a professional development site for Tulane's Division of Teacher Education, providing placement and training forteacher-candidates from the university in school classrooms and programs. Tulane's Service Learning Department also places university students as tutors and aides for the school. In their senior year, Lusher High School students are able to enroll in classes on Tulane's campus, graduating with both a Lusher diploma and Tulane transcript. Further partnerships include the development of a professional learning center for teachers, shared use of facilities, access to Tulane's library, and help from Tulane's architect and facilities manager in planning for the Fortier Campus renovations.

External links

• Lusher Charter School website