The Rise and Fall of the Desire Community

After the storm, New Orleans faced two urgent questions: Which schools would be rebuilt, and who would be trusted to run them? In the second episode of Where the Schools Went, we follow the story of George Washington Carver High School, a beloved anchor of New Orleans’ Ninth Ward that became ground zero for post-Katrina education fights. When the state handed the school’s future to a group of idealistic outsiders, protests erupted, students walked out, and a painful clash over culture and mission unfolded. But within Carver’s four walls, something beautiful began to grow. We trace that bumpy path and draw lessons that extend far beyond one school.

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