NOLA’s 4.0 Incubator Will Nurture 1,000 School Innovations This Year: Here Are Three
Six months following Hurricane Katrina, Matt Candler traveled to New Orleans to participate in a conversation regarding the future of the city’s reconstructed education system. For quite some time, Candler had been involved in the creation of new school models. He served as the initial CEO of New Schools for New Orleans, an organization that aims to do exactly what its name suggests. He also acted as the chair of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools. As schools opened and the quality of education in classrooms improved at an astonishingly fast pace.
However, Candler is someone full of ideas. In 2010, he left his job and established 4.0 Schools, which is an incubator for educational ideas. The idea behind 4.0 Schools was based on the notion that while the situation in New Orleans had stabilized, there was still a long way to go. Candler wanted to create a dedicated engine for launching schools in New Orleans.
There are national and regional programs available for educators who dream of opening innovative public charter schools. However, Candler wanted to try something different. Typically, school creation programs support their fellows for three years: one year for learning about leadership, another year for developing a school concept and obtaining permission to operate, and a planning year.
But what if those three years turn out to be a waste? What if the new school fails to attract enough parents who are willing to take the risk of sending their children to a startup school? Or worse, what if the school opens and then proves to be unsuccessful?
In the midst of all this, Candler noticed the bustling food culture in New Orleans, with many chefs eager to contribute to the New South food movement. A particular chef from Stein’s Market & Deli, a renowned institution in the Lower Garden District, was generous enough to provide his equipment and space for aspiring chefs to try out new concepts through pop-up restaurants. If the idea gained popularity, great! But if the food came back uneaten, there was still room for improvement.
This concept resonated with Candler, who realized that teachers, unlike chefs, often work alone. As a former teacher himself, he felt isolated. The idea of pop-up testing could be applied to his own work. Traditionally, charter school applications rely on conveying the school’s concept on paper, without actually testing whether people would be interested.
And so, 4.0 Schools was born. Its goal was to support individuals who wanted to build something for parents or students, not necessarily limited to schools, and not necessarily exclusive to New Orleans. Some of these ideas would become new school models, while others would address unmet learning needs outside of the regular school day, offer extracurricular activities, or provide solutions to various problems.
The Essentials Fellowship offered by 4.0 Schools includes a design-thinking weekend with other fellows, a $300 grant, and assistance in determining the potential of an initial pop-up idea. Innovators can then proceed to the Tiny Fellowship, which provides $10,000 to further test an idea, such as an after-school program or a recurring community pop-up.
Candler emphasizes the importance of receiving feedback and putting ideas in front of families and children. Individuals can stay involved with 4.0 Schools until they are ready to acknowledge what is not working. By the end of the year, 4.0 will have collaborated with 1,000 education entrepreneurs, creating a network that shares insights from every pop-up and pilot with new fellows.
Bricolage Academy of New Orleans serves as one of the most notable success stories that emerged from the incubator, but there are several others. Here are the stories of four fellows who brought three unique projects to life:
1. A creative writing club that helps children heal from trauma.
2. A high school that ensures every student graduates with a college acceptance letter and the skills needed to secure high-paying jobs in New Orleans’s "Silicon Bayou."
3. A drop-in space where parents can learn from their toddlers’ play.
Your task is to rewrite the entire text using alternative wording to make it unique and flow more naturally. The output should be in English. Here is the text to be rewritten:
"Your objective is to rephrase the entire passage using different vocabulary and grammatical structures to create original content. The final result should be written in English."
