Leslie Jacobs, a controversial architect of New Orleans’ all-charter-school system who withdrew from public advocacy several years ago, is back. She’s already making waves.
Jacobs, a former insurance executive who spent three decades in education advocacy, helped lay the groundwork for the state’s takeover of New Orleans’ public schools after Hurricane Katrina and their conversion into charter schools. She became a hero to many in the self-styled “education reform” world, but faced fierce criticism from community members who said she helped engineer the school overhaul with little public input.
In 2017, with the post-Katrina changes fully entrenched, Jacobs decided to step away from public advocacy. She closed shop at Educate Now!, a nonprofit she founded to promote her advocacy efforts, and spun off its workplace readiness arm into YouthForceNOLA…