All schools are different. Parents may choose from a variety of schools for their children: public, private, parochial, charter or independent. What makes independent schools uniquely different? Primarily supported by tuition, charitable contributions, and endowment income rather than by taxes or church funds, independent schools are incorporated as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
Independent schools:
- have a clearly stated educational philosophy which is academic in nature,
- are governed by a board of trustees,
- comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws,
- practice non-discriminatory policies,
- demonstrate good faith efforts to diversify the student body, faculty and staff, and
- earn and sustain accreditation from regional organizations such as Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and Independent Education
The following section is an excerpt from the NAIS website: www.nais.org.
The National Association of Independent Schools, governed by a board of directors, represents over 1,100 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad. We offer a broad variety of services to our member schools and associations. Our mission is to serve and strengthen our member schools and associations by "articulating and promoting high standards of educational quality and ethical behavior; to work to preserve their independence to serve the free society from which that independence derives; to advocate broad access for students by affirming the principles of diversity, choice, and opportunity".
The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
The following section is an excerpt from the ISAS website: www.isasw.org.
The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest is a voluntary organization of 79 private, independent preschool, elementary and college preparatory schools in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Once a year, a conference affords the opportunity for teachers to share ideas. If the conference is in New Orleans, all Country Day teachers attend.
N.O.I.S.E. (New Orleans Independent School Educators)
Please visit the NOISE website , for a complete listing of independent schools in the New Orleans area. We meet every other year for one day to try to promote the collaboration between independent school teachers in New Orleans.
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education requires all schools in Louisiana (public, private and parochial) to submit an annual school report to the state. This report includes information about each teacher's education, certification and experience, as well as information about the school's program of studies, calendar, number of students per classroom, days of school and ethnic information about the student body. To meet the requirements, each teacher must meet educational criterion, we must have 182 days of school and no more than 35 students in a class. Each class that is taught must be registered with the state. For more about the details on teacher training requirements, see the Professional Development section.
