New Orleans Good Shepherd School: Ticket to Success

During the past several months, the Louisiana Scholarship Program has endured many challenges. The program’s funding has been under constant threat from opponents who have sought to take advantage of the state’s budget crisis.

In the face of these challenges, parents have voiced their support and appreciation of a program that provides them with the financial resources to send their children to the school of their choice.

It is in this context that Thomas Moran, Jr., president of The Good Shepherd School in New Orleans, discussed the importance and value of state-funded tuition vouchers to families.

“It’s the ticket out. It’s the ticket to success,” said Moran.

“These are young kids who just need access that they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to get – access to a place that is going to push them and expose them to what they need. To not just exist in the world, but to be successful and conquer the world.”

Good Shepherd opened in 2001 with a mission to help low-income, urban youth realize their fullest potential. As a participant in the Louisiana Scholarship Program since 2008, Good Shepherd has consistently ranked among the program’s higher performing schools.

Good Shepherd frequently brings back to the school former graduates who are now successful college students. “These interactions are opportunities to bring those kids back and show how they’ve grown,” Moran noted.

Moran calls the Louisiana Scholarship Program the solution to a problem no one in education should tolerate, “a student and family that is trapped in a failing system, in a failing situation. And that’s just not right.”