Today marks an important day in the history of Community Academies of New Orleans (CANO) because the Superintendent of NOLA Public Schools has formally recommended that CANO be authorized to operate Esperanza Academy and Foundation Preparatory! After a rigorous application process, CANO received this recommendation along with a conditional approval to operate a fourth future school.
Community Academies is a nonprofit organization created in 2020 to bring together Esperanza Academy and Foundation Preparatory Academy with the ultimate goal of strengthening both schools, while also maintaining their unique cultures and communities. The nonprofit boards that governed Foundation Prep and Choice Foundation voted to establish this partnership in 2019 to benefit from the organizations’ shared values, similar programming, and strong leadership, setting operations of CANO to launch ahead of the 2020-2021 academic year.
The recommendation from NOLA Public Schools officially transfers operation from those nonprofit boards to the joint CANO board. CANO Chief Executive Officer, Myrialis Nieves King, Esq., has been a longtime NOLA educator and Founder of Foundation Preparatory Charter School and is prepared to lead this transition.
CANO’s vision is to build a system of exemplary schools, deeply influenced by our students, families, and communities, with graduates who are committed to being community advocates and leaders.
Its mission is to cultivate schools that nurture students’ character and critical thinking ability in responsive learning environments, thereby equipping them to be impactful community leaders. CANO will strive for academic performance at these schools while securing partnerships and programming that use community assets to support the schools and students. In doing this, CANO brings a fresh, yet grounded vision to the New Orleans charter landscape and forges a new path ahead for students, families, and communities alike.