The Cowen Institute: About Us
Who We Are | Our Work | History
Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in August 2005, brought an opportunity to reinvent public education in New Orleans, and the education reform model that has emerged in the city is fundamentally different than that of the former New Orleans public school system. This transition has immersed Tulane University - which does not have a School of Education - in the effort to transform public education in a unique way. In March 2007 the Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives (“Cowen Institute”) was established to lead the systemic reformation and transformation of the public education system.
The Cowen Institute takes Tulane University beyond the typical framework in which higher education institutions traditionally interact with preK-12 public education systems. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the Cowen Institute aspires to pioneer a new model for the role of major research universities in public schooling systems.
The Cowen Institute’s initiatives, priorities, and programs are guided by research, accountability to the community we seek to serve, and a desire to foster sustained long-term positive change. In order to achieve our goals for the public education system, we situate our efforts in the context of larger social policy, encourage grassroots advocacy, and collaborate with partner organizations, particularly Tulane entities, to draw on our collective strengths.
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