Cowen Institute 2021 Poll Brief 1: New Orleans Families’ Response to COVID-19 in K-12 Education 

November 2021

Since 2007, the Cowen Institute has conducted annual polls on perceptions of public education in New Orleans. These polls have served to provide insight on how parents, guardians, and the general public feel about the most relevant issues related to New Orleans’ highly decentralized K-12 public education system. In previous editions of the poll, we have presented findings for a given year in a single comprehensive report. However, this year, we will stagger the release of a series of topical briefs to prioritize the most timely findings. 

The first brief in the series examines perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted New Orleans students, families, schools, and educators — a topic that was also a major focus of our 2020 poll. This brief provides insights into how those respondents feel about a range of topics related to COVID-19 and education, including vaccine and mask mandates, how schools have responded to the pandemic, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the lives of their children. Upcoming briefs will address respondents’ attitudes towards other aspects of New Orleans public education system