Benola Inc

THE MISSION OF BLACK EDUCATION FOR NEW ORLEANS (BE NOLA) IS TO SUPPORT BLACK EDUCATORS AND SCHOOLS TO ENSURE AN EDUCATION THAT CREATES BETTER OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR BLACK CHILDREN IN NEW ORLEANS AS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN BUILDING A THRIVING BLACK COMMUNITY

DESIGN OF THE BLACK IS BRILLIANT INSTITUTE (KELLOGG BBI) WE DESIGNED OUR NEWEST PROGRAM, THE BLACK IS BRILLIANT INSTITUTE, A PAID FELLOWSHIP FOR NEW ORLEANS BLACK EDUCATORS SLATED TO LAUNCH ON JANUARY 2023. WE DESIGNED A LOGIC MODEL FOR THE PROGRAM ALIGNED TO ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES AND WROTE A CONCEPT PAPER TO PURSUE FUNDING AND RECRUIT INVESTED PARTNERS. WE PARTNERED WITH A PROGRAM EVALUATOR WHO SUPPORTED US IN REFINING AND SOLIDIFYING THE INSTITUTE?S CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, OUTCOMES, AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. WE ASSEMBLED AN INTERGENERATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL REPRESENTING EMINENT CULTURAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS NEW ORLEANS TO CO-CREATE THE INSTITUTE?S CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK. AFTER ENGAGING THE ADVISORY COUNCIL IN SEVERAL SESSIONS AND SOLICITING THEIR FEEDBACK ON OUR VISION FOR THE INSTITUTE, WE MODIFIED OUR INITIAL LOGIC MODEL AND DRAFTED A DESIGN BOOK WHICH IDENTIFIED 5 PILLARS OF THE INSTITUTE EXPERIENCE. THESE PILLARS ARE: BLACK EDUCATIONAL HISTORY IN CONTEXT; EDUCATOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS; INCLUSIVE, CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY (CRP); HOLISTIC CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT; AND RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNAL INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDING. THE PILLARS WERE THEN USED TO PLAN THE FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES FROM RECRUITMENT TO SELECTION TO EXECUTION. WE DEVELOPED A PR CAMPAIGN TO LAUNCH THE APPLICATION, RECEIVING NEARLY 80 APPLICANTS FOR THE 20 SLOTS. USING A FLEXIBLE PROTOCOL TO VET CANDIDATES, WE SELECTED 20 FELLOWS IN DECEMBER IN PREPARATION FOR THE JANUARY 2023 PROGRAM LAUNCH.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES

2022 BE NOLA COLLECTIVE (BRAF) WE OFFERED EXPERT SUPPORT FOR THE FOUR SCHOOLS IN OUR BE NOLA SCHOOL SUPPORT COLLECTIVE. THESE BLACK-GOVERNED, BLACK-LED SCHOOL PARTNERS (BGBLS) CONVENED FOR PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING, LEADERSHIP COACHING, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE UNIQUE LENS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BLACK SCHOOL LEADER IN NEW ORLEANS. IN LATE MARCH, BE NOLA COLLECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERS VISITED NEW YORK CITY. THIS WAS PART OF A FOUR-MONTH-LONG BE NOLA SCHOOL SUPPORT PROGRAM IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED DEVELOPMENT FROM NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED EXPERTS IN FUNDRAISING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP. THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF THREE MAIN COMPONENTS: FUNDRAISING ACCELERATOR, SCHOOL LEADER CONVENINGS, AND 1:1 LEADERSHIP COACHING. WHILE IN NEW YORK, THE BE NOLA COLLECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERS ATTENDED TWO POWERFUL LEARNING SESSIONS THAT ALLOWED EACH INDIVIDUAL TO ENGAGE IN BOTH A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY CENTERED AROUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. THE EXPERIENCE WAS CENTERED AROUND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DIALOGUE THAT TAKES PLACE IN BLACK-OWNED SPACES, WITH LEADERS COMMITTED TO PRESERVING, SHOWCASING, CELEBRATING, AND RESOURCING BLACK BRILLIANCE THROUGH THE FORUMS AND SPACES THEY HOLD CLOSE.