The sun is about to set on John White’s eight years as Louisiana’s education superintendent. It’s important to look back on the improvements made during that time and the goals that, unfortunately, remain out of reach.

White — who came to Louisiana from New York during Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration — is set to leave the post March 11. Those years at the helm saw major reforms, including a statewide expansion of vouchers, revamping early childhood education, tougher standards for subjects like reading and math, and pushing for required school achievements to get up to par with other states.

Teachers are more prepared before they enter the classroom for the first time. Under White, they became required to work with a mentor for the whole school year.

White’s push for the tougher subject standards, then referred to as Common Core, was done despite Jindal’s opposition. Current Gov. John Bel Edwards was an outspoken critic of White, even saying during the campaign for his first gubernatorial term that he would replace him. However, most of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members backed White and his efforts.

Louisiana has seen improvement. At 81.4 percent, the state’s high school graduation rate is at its highest ever. However, the percentage still ranks among the lowest nationwide.

More students taking the ACT are getting qualifying marks, but Louisiana still ranked 45th on the test in 2018.

Overall, Louisiana’s student achievement ranking isn’t good. We’re 49th in the nation.

It’s going to take longer than eight years to get Louisiana’s education rankings out of the bottom of the list, especially with hundreds of thousands of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. White said in an interview that hundreds of years’ worth of education can’t be changed overnight. He called it a “multigenerational effort.”

White’s time also saw a shift in students seeing college as their only option. The Jump Start program, which focuses on career and technical jobs, saw degrees from 20 percent high school graduates in 2018. Back in 2013, that was only 2 percent.

Like Jindal and Edwards, several public school groups weren’t fans of White or his policies. The Advocate reported last month that Tia Mills, Louisiana Association of Educators president, said she was happy White would not be superintendent anymore.

Not everyone sees eye-to-eye on the policies John White pushed for while superintendent. They aren’t perfect, but the changes in place today have set up Louisiana’s education system to improve.

Reflecting on his time as superintendent, White said Louisiana “has made progress” after setting and pursuing lofty goals. He understands, however, that there’s a long road ahead, saying, “We have to acknowledge that the state is not where it needs to be.”In this file photo from 2018, John White leads a session at a Teacher Leader Summit.

Special to the American Press