Responding To A Pandemic: Poll of Parents and Guardians on Public Education in New Orleans

December 2020

The Cowen Institute has conducted annual polls on perceptions of public education in New Orleans since 2007. These polls have served to provide insight on how parents and the general public feel about the highly decentralized K-12 public education system in New Orleans. Over time, we have monitored views on a wide range of topics, including school quality, governance, and the prevalence of charter schools in the city. Additionally, each poll has included questions specific and relevant to the particular year in which it was conducted.

Given the ongoing tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s poll includes questions on how the pandemic has impacted New Orleans families and their ability to access education, including their experiences with:

• Remote and virtual learning

• Returning to in-person learning

• The response of our local school district, New Orleans Public Schools (NOLA-PS), and individual schools to the crisis

• The physical and mental health impacts of the virus

To capture the experiences and attitudes of a wide range of parents, we polled 1,000 public and private school parents and guardians in Orleans Parish, as well as those who home school their children. Public school parents and guardians made up the majority (78%) of our sample. We hope this year’s poll provides insight into the educational experiences of New Orleans families during this unprecedented time.