Good morning, CharterFolk
Today we are pleased to share a Contributor Column from Dr. Noemi Donoso, who is the CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge.
We provide a brief bio for Noemi below.
Dr. Noemi Donoso has transformed educational outcomes for hundreds of thousands of students across five states through three decades of visionary leadership and systemic reform. As the current CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge, she continues her relentless pursuit of educational equity and excellence for every child, regardless of background.
Dr. Donoso’s career spans the full spectrum of educational leadership—from classroom teacher and public charter school principal to executive roles that have reshaped entire systems. As Chief Education Officer for Chicago Public Schools and Chief of Innovation and Reform for Denver Public Schools, she helped drive improvements in student achievement and operational excellence. Her leadership as Executive Vice President at The Wonderful Company catalyzed major educational and philanthropic initiatives throughout California’s Central Valley focused on improving outcomes in underserved rural communities.
Most recently serving as Chief Strategy Officer for Linked Learning Alliance, Dr. Donoso has consistently demonstrated her ability to pioneer innovative approaches and drive strategic transformation at scale. A Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow, she earned her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California, her master’s degree from Rutgers University, and her bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary’s College.
Why I Moved to Baton Rouge: A City That’s Figuring Out How to Work Together
When my high school counselor told me she couldn’t waste her time writing a letter of recommendation for a scholarship I likely wouldn’t win, I wrote my own letter and simply asked for her signature. I got that scholarship, and it changed everything—not just for me, but for my children too. That experience taught me something I’ve carried through 30 years in education: sometimes you have to write your own story.
That’s exactly what drew me to New Schools for Baton Rouge last year. After thirty years of working in educational systems across the country—from Chicago to Denver to Los Angeles—I realized I had found something special: a community that had learned to focus its energy on finding solutions instead of getting caught up in the same ideological conflicts. Baton Rouge was quietly writing its own remarkable story, and I wanted to be part of it.
What I Found Here That I Hadn’t Seen Elsewhere
In many of the cities I’ve worked in, education conversations can get complex quickly. Different stakeholders—charter advocates, district leaders, union representatives, politicians, community groups—often have deeply held but divergent views about the best path forward. While passion for education drives everyone, aligning that energy toward common goals can be challenging. I’ve spent countless hours in meetings where well-intentioned adults debated approaches while students waited for solutions.
Baton Rouge can’t afford to wait another generation for every child to have access to excellent schools—and more importantly, this community isn’t willing to accept that timeline. After more than a decade of methodically building our charter school system, Baton Rouge is experiencing a genuine education renaissance. The difference shows up in ways both big and small.
When I arrived, I discovered that Superintendent LaMont Cole had demonstrated the courage to make bold decisions in the best interest of students, including a comprehensive realignment plan that prioritizes effective use of resources over protecting the status quo.. I saw state and local officials working together, rather than pointing fingers.
The data reflects this collaborative spirit. In just this past year, charter schools added nearly 2,500 high-quality seats. Today, public charter schools serve 13,400 students—30% of all public school students in East Baton Rouge. Charter schools hold 8 of the top 10 positions for elementary and middle school academic growth, with seven schools improving by at least one letter grade this year.
What matters most is that this success translates into real opportunities for families. More high-quality options mean parents can find schools that truly fit their children’s needs, and students across our community have access to excellent education regardless of their neighborhood.
Why This Momentum is Different
Louisiana has emerged as one of the leaders in academic recovery following the pandemic. In Baton Rouge, our charter schools are among the state’s top performers, helping drive this comeback.
What gets me up every morning is seeing a community positioned to sustain this progress. We have schools like BASIS Mid City, which jumped from a D to a B in one year. The top three open-enrollment high schools for academic growth are charter schools: Madison Prep, Collegiate, and GEO Next Generation. New schools like Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery Academy earned a B rating in their first year.
The improved performance is giving families more excellent education options they’ve never had before.
Building for the Long Term
Every new seat must be high-quality. That’s why we’ve committed to increasing the number of high-quality seats over the next five years, working with proven operators and maintaining continuous accountability.
Great schools require great people, so we’re investing in a comprehensive talent pipeline that develops excellent teachers, trains transformational leaders, and supports continuous improvement.
But here’s what makes Baton Rouge distinct: when we identify struggling schools, the conversation immediately focuses on how to get kids into better situations. When we plan new schools, we can focus our energy on finding the right operators and locations.
That focus, that clarity of purpose, that ability to put kids first without getting bogged down in adult politics—that’s what positions Baton Rouge for truly transformational change.
A City Ready to Lead
When schools improve, communities thrive. This education renaissance is already attracting families, businesses, and investment to our city. People here aren’t just hoping their schools get better—they’re actively making it happen.
Over the past decade, we’ve added close to 10,000 quality charter seats in Baton Rouge. Our best schools are seeing some of the highest growth gains in the state. Most importantly, we’re graduating students who are truly college and career-ready.
That’s what a real education renaissance looks like—steady, collaborative progress that puts kids first. I came to Baton Rouge because I could see it happening. I’m staying because I want to help write the next chapter of this remarkable story.