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| Cowen Institute | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cowen Institute |
| Type | Research institute |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Parent | Tulane University |
| Fields | Urban policy; education policy; early childhood education; community development |
Cowen Institute The Cowen Institute is a New Orleans–based research and policy center affiliated with Tulane University that focuses on local education policy, early childhood education, public school reform, and neighborhood revitalization. It produces data-driven studies, convenes stakeholders from The Broad Center, Teach For America, Education Trust, and municipal agencies such as the New Orleans City Council and Louisiana Department of Education, and operates programs designed to influence practice in New Orleans Public Schools and charter networks like Teach For America partner organizations.
The institute integrates applied research, policy analysis, and programmatic work across domains intersecting with Recovery School District (Louisiana), Orleans Parish School Board, New Schools for New Orleans, and statewide initiatives led by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. It interacts with philanthropic actors including Kresge Foundation, Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and local funders such as Greater New Orleans Foundation. The Cowen Institute publishes reports that inform stakeholders ranging from Mayor of New Orleans administrations to leaders at institutions like Louisiana State University and Southern University. It collaborates with national organizations such as Alliance for Excellent Education, National Education Association, American Enterprise Institute, and Urban Institute.
Founded in 2006 amid debates following Hurricane Katrina and the Road Home Program (Louisiana), the institute emerged within Tulane University during a period of school governance restructuring involving the Recovery School District (Louisiana) and the federal No Child Left Behind Act policy environment. Early work intersected with legal and policy events including cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court and municipal planning led by the New Orleans City Council after Katrina. Over time its research addressed topics tied to charter expansion championed by actors like Merit School of Music partners, the pace of school reopenings coordinated with U.S. Department of Education, and demographic shifts described by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Programs have targeted teacher pipelines associated with Teach For America, principal development supported by Relay Graduate School of Education, early-childhood initiatives linked to Head Start (United States), and parent engagement models compatible with Parent Teacher Association structures. Initiative lists include community school models resonant with efforts by Annie E. Casey Foundation, neighborhood planning aligned with New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, and school quality dashboards compatible with data systems used by Data Quality Campaign and National Assessment of Educational Progress. The institute has convened summits with participants from Urban League of Louisiana, LULAC, YWCA USA, and local nonprofits such as Second Harvest Food Bank and Pride of New Orleans cultural groups.
Cowen Institute reports evaluate metrics tracked by the Common Core State Standards Initiative, graduation trends measured in collaboration with National Center for Education Statistics, and early literacy outcomes comparable to studies by Success for All Foundation and Reading Is Fundamental. Publications have cited comparative frameworks from Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, Center on Reinventing Public Education, and methods used by Harvard Kennedy School. Research topics include accountability systems informed by the Every Student Succeeds Act, school choice dynamics discussed in forums hosted by Hoover Institution, and longitudinal analyses paralleling work by ECLS (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study) teams. The institute issues policy briefs, data profiles, and white papers used by stakeholders including Louisiana Department of Education officials, municipal planners, and leaders at Teach For America alumni networks.
Partnerships span higher education institutions such as Dillard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, University of New Orleans, and Southern University at New Orleans, and community organizations like Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Impact areas include revitalization efforts coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency, census-driven resource allocation discussed with U.S. Census Bureau staff, and neighborhood health collaborations with Ochsner Health. Convenings brought together policy actors from Louisiana State Legislature, municipal agencies, charter management organizations including FirstLine Schools and New Orleans Charter Schools, and national funders like Open Society Foundations and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The institute operates under administrators affiliated with Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Freeman School of Business leadership networks, drawing advisory input from leaders formerly at New Schools for New Orleans, Teach For America, Education Trust, New Leaders for New Schools, and municipal offices such as the Mayor of New Orleans’s education team. Governance involves boards and committees with ties to legal and philanthropic entities including The Rockefeller Foundation, Skoll Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, and regional civic groups like New Orleans Business Alliance and Greater New Orleans Foundation donors.
Funding sources include competitive grants from national philanthropic organizations such as Gates Foundation, contracts with agencies like the Louisiana Department of Education, and research support from federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education and foundations such as Annie E. Casey Foundation. Governance structures reflect affiliations with Tulane University oversight, audit procedures aligned with standards used by Council on Foundations, and collaborative agreements with local bodies including the New Orleans City Council and charter authorizers like the Recovery School District (Louisiana).