A Community Response to the Filming of “Blackboard Wars” and the Charter Takeover of John McDonogh High School in New Orleans

• In Event: Leadership, Pedagogy, and Development for Urban and Culturally Responsive Schooling

Abstract

This study investigated a community response to the charter takeover of John McDonogh High in New Orleans, a school that served predominantly Black students, the “docu-reality” series aired on the OWN TV network, "Blackboard Wars," and the school’s subsequent closure. Data sources included field notes, transcripts of community events and board meetings, audio-visual artifacts, and interviews with various stakeholders. Findings indicate that despite the post-Katrina state takeover of the majority of the city’s public schools, which included well-documented neglect of schools that served predominantly Black children, this community persistently opposed privatization and racialized neoliberal reforms. As such, this study suggests an urgent need for researchers and policymakers to work alongside and with community-led struggles for educational justice.

Author

• Elizabeth K. Jeffers, University of New Orleans