‘David Osborne skillfully chronicles the dramatic transformation of the New Orleans public school system after Hurricane Katrina. Seizing on an opportunity enabled by the Katrina tragedy, visionary community leaders took a bureaucratic, dysfunctional, highly centralized education system and replaced it with the nation’s first all-charter-school urban school district. The results in improved student performance are stunning, carrying important lessons for failing urban school districts throughout the country. While the subject matter may sound wonky, this documentary is anything but. In Osborne’s telling, the story is gripping. It will encourage viewers to head for the barricades, demanding change that they will now know is achievable. When it comes to urban education in America, that’s where we all should be.‘

‘Amid so much depressing news in the world, it's inspiring to learn from this fine film about the astonishing and consistent improvement of New Orleans schools, both before Covid and after. The challenge for other urban districts is to do the same without a hurricane--to find the moral equivalent of Katrina.‘

‘Fixing our broken public education system is the key to restoring the American dream for disadvantaged Americans. If New Orleans schools can be turned around, so can the failing schools in every big city. Turnaround is a gripping account of the New Orleans success story. It should be required viewing for school administrators and anyone concerned about our country’s future.‘