Turnaround: The Reinvention of New Orleans’ Public Education System
A film by David Osborne and Gusto Moving Pictures
Once considered one of the nation’s most troubled public school systems, New Orleans transformed its schools in the years following Hurricane Katrina. Watch how it happened, why it worked, and what lessons it holds for other American cities looking to improve public education.
about the film
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana embarked on a total reinvention of New Orleans’ failing school system. Over the next decade, city and state leaders gradually converted the city’s public schools into charter schools, independent of district bureaucracy but accountable for their performance. They allowed families to choose almost any public school in the city.
When students thrived, leaders encouraged the school to expand and replicate; when students fell further behind grade level every year, leaders replaced the operator with a more successful charter network. The results—the most rapid academic improvement in the country—offer powerful lessons for struggling school systems across this country.
Turnaround is a gripping account of the New Orleans success story. It should be required viewing for school administrators and anyone concerned about our country’s future.
— Al From
Founder and former CEO
Democratic Leadership Council
In-person and virtual screenings are available for classroom, campus, at-home, and community screenings.
meet the filmmaker
David Osborne
Director, Author & Public-Sector Innovation Expert
David Osborne is the director of Turnaround: The Reinvention of New Orleans’ Public Education System and the author or co-author of six nonfiction books, including the influential Reinventing Government and Reinventing America’s Schools.
For more than three decades, Osborne has worked at the intersection of government, education, and public-sector innovation. He served as a senior advisor to Vice President Al Gore’s National Performance Review and later led the Reinventing America’s Schools project at the Progressive Policy Institute. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and other national publications.
Bring David Osborne to Your Event
David is available for select screenings, conversations, and speaking engagements exploring the transformation of New Orleans public education, education reform, government innovation, and the lessons Turnaround holds for communities across the country.
the team
Director
David Osborne
Producer
Darcy McKinnon
Producer
Abraham Felix
Editor
Stephen Pfeil