Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina reshaped New Orleans, the ambitious college-for-all movement that swept through the city’s schools has left a complex legacy. A new look at those reforms, led by charter networks such as KIPP, shows big gains in some areas and enduring hurdles in others, especially when it comes to turning college attendance into degree completion—and into real economic mobility.
After the storm, charter schools grew rapidly and embraced a relentless message: every student should go to college. In New Orleans, KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program, became the emblem of that effort. The network served many low-income Black students and placed college front and center, creating a cultural cue around higher education that stretched from the classroom to the community anthem and beyond.
Geraldlynn Stewart was nine when Katrina struck and later became a KIPP student. She remembers the early days of the movement as a time of high optimism—an era in which college seemed like a guaranteed pathway out of poverty. As time went on, however, the realities of financing higher education intensified.
Stewart eventually finished high school in 2014 and enrolled at Dillard University, a private historically Black college in New Orleans. Balancing study with a near-full-time job, she found the cost of staying in school to be a constant pressure. While she received a scholarship and small loans, the expenses required hard choices. A lab coat for biology class and basic living costs underscored how financial strain can widen the gap between intent and completion. After a second semester, she withdrew to focus on earning money to support her family.
Her story isn’t unique. People who started college with high hopes at KIPP schools found themselves navigating a tuition system that didn’t always fit their economic reality. Across the network, leadership acknowledged that while the pathway to college had become more accessible, the mile markers students needed to reach completion remained elusive for many.
On the broader side, researchers documented a mixed record. Test scores and high school graduation rates improved, and college-going in New Orleans rose to near the top of the state. Yet persistence—whether students could stay in college long enough to earn a degree—lagged. Before Katrina, about one in six New Orleans students didn’t make it past their first semester; by 2016 that share had not meaningfully narrowed. Experts stressed that education alone cannot eradicate poverty, and the pressures students face—family responsibilities, living costs, and personal challenges—still shape outcomes long after the diploma is earned.
The story also reveals how the movement’s mindset evolved. KIPP New Orleans’ leadership shifted away from an unwavering “college for all” creed toward a more nuanced approach: college remains a core option for those who want it, but the system now emphasizes real access to counseling, college and career planning, and expanding pathways into technical fields such as cosmetology and other trades. The idea is to offer a credible, supported pathway that can lead to college—or to a strong career—without trapping students in debt or in a situation where college is pursued without a sustainable plan.
Geraldlynn Stewart’s family remains loyal to KIPP, and her own children are now navigating a similar path. Her oldest, Harmony, and her younger sister Harlem are in school, with Harmony starting third grade this year and Harlem in first. Their mother voices a hopeful but practical view: she wants them to have opportunities in a wide range of fields—doctor, teacher, or even artist—so they can choose a path that fits their interests and life circumstances, not one shaped by someone else’s expectations.
This evolution reflects a broader conversation about the role of college in lifting families out of poverty. While the prospect of a four-year degree can still open doors, the path to degree completion requires support systems that go beyond admission brochures and acceptance letters. Guidance, financial planning, and access to viable career pathways are increasingly viewed as essential complements to college access.
Looking ahead, the New Orleans experience offers a useful blueprint for other cities grappling with similar questions about equity, cost, and meaningful outcomes. The story suggests that ambitious college-going goals can drive improvements in participation, but sustainable success demands ongoing investment in guidance, debt relief where appropriate, and robust opportunities in technical fields that lead to good jobs without mandatory burdens.
Key takeaways
– College-going rates rose in New Orleans after Katrina, signaling genuine gains in access, but degree completion remains a significant hurdle for many students.
– Financial barriers and family responsibilities can derail even highly motivated students who start college, underscoring the need for stronger financial supports and flexible pathways.
– The college-for-all stance has softened toward a more nuanced “college if you want it, with strong career and technical options” approach, including enhanced counseling and broader readiness for multiple postsecondary routes.
– The next generation in affected families, as seen with Stewart’s children, may benefit from a more diversified set of options, preserving choice and reducing pressure to pursue a single path.
What this means for families and policymakers
– families: weigh the true long-term costs and benefits of college, seek schools with solid advising and financial planning support, and explore alternative pathways that align with their goals and resources
– policymakers and educators: invest in debt relief, targeted scholarships, and robust career and technical education programs; ensure that college access is matched with effective supports for completion and postsecondary success
Summary
Two decades after Katrina, New Orleans’ college-for-all experiment produced notable gains in access and student achievement, but persistent gaps in degree completion and the affordability of higher education remind us that education alone cannot solve poverty. The KIPP network’s shift toward a more balanced approach—promoting college for those who want it while expanding career pathways and counseling—offers a more holistic model for helping students build real, sustainable futures. The story of Geraldlynn Stewart and her daughters underscores both the progress made and the ongoing work needed to ensure that every student can pursue the path that best fits their talents and circumstances, without being trapped by debt or circumstance. It’s a message of cautious optimism and clear opportunity for continued improvement.