CFP and NOCFCHC Preparing to Host Complete Weekend of Events with 2020 National Championship Game
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2019
CONTACT: Gina Lehe, 469-262-5200
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AND NEW ORLEANS PREPARING TO HOST
COMPLETE WEEKEND OF EVENTS ALONG WITH 2020 CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW ORLEANS – More than 100,000 New Orleans residents and visitors from across the country are expected to attend a full menu of events for fans during the weekend of the 2020 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. At a news conference today at Warren Easton High School in New Orleans, plans were revealed for a “championship campus” experience that will create a three-day celebration of college football.
"Championship Campus is the area that encompasses the many fun public events during the weekend," said Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP. "A national champion will be crowned Monday night, but that capstone will be preceded by an entire weekend of activities. It will be an opportunity for fans of all ages to come together to sample what college football is all about. We’ve worked closely with the New Orleans Host Committee to develop a fan-friendly campus that thousands will enjoy."
“On behalf of the many organizations involved with the New Orleans host committee, I’m pleased to say that we’re all very honored for the opportunity to host the city’s first CFP National Championship and 29th college football national champion overall,” said Monique Morial, chair of the Local Organizing Committee and president of the Sugar Bowl Committee. “We’re also very excited for the entire weekend of events; the CFP National Championship will offer something for everybody in the city. Perhaps most importantly, through the wide-ranging efforts of the CFP Foundation and our host committee, we are pleased to be making a commitment to local school teachers that will make an impact on New Orleans for many years to come.”
The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship will be decided at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday, January 13, but the celebration will get started on Saturday, January 11, with the opening of Playoff Fan Central at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This interactive event will feature youth clinics, appearances by some of the sport's greatest legends, pep rallies, marching band performances and hands-on experiences allowing fans of all ages to test their skills.
The Crescent City’s Woldenberg Park will be home to one of the country's largest annual traveling music festivals, AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!, which will also begin on Saturday, January 11. Each year, the star-studded event attracts some of music's top acts, all free of charge to the public. Past talent has included Usher, The Chainsmokers, Sting, Alessia Cara, Darius Rucker, Flo Rida, John Mellencamp, Ciara, WALK THE MOON, The Band Perry, Sting and Lenny Kravitz, among others. This year's talent lineup and dates will be announced in November.
On Saturday, January 11, fans will be invited to Media Day at the XULA Convocation Center on the campus of Xavier University of Louisiana. A free event, Media Day will provide fans the unique opportunity to watch and listen as ESPN and members of the national media interview with coaches and student-athletes from the two participating teams.
CFP Foundation’s Commitment to New Orleans
The CFP Foundation and its Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) platform have one mission: supporting and celebrating teachers. The CFP Foundation is already hard at work in 2019 to help educators in New Orleans. Thanks to the generosity of Eckrich, this morning it was able to fully fund all teacher classroom projects on Donors Choose.org in New Orleans Parish. DonorsChoose.org, is a national nonprofit that makes it easy for anyone to help fund teachers’ classroom wish lists.
Educators from the Orleans Parish School Board who attended today’s press event were also surprised with a $250 DonorsChoose.org gift card that can be used to fund their own classroom projects.
The CFP Foundation has partnered with the New Orleans Host Committee to develop a comprehensive impact strategy to support teachers in Orleans Parish from now through the 2020 CFP National Championship. Entergy New Orleans has joined the New Orleans Host Committee as the lead corporate partner for the CFP Foundation efforts locally. Entergy has had a long legacy of commitment and partnership in its local markets. A description of the initiatives planned as part of this impact strategy can be found as an addendum to this release.
“We support student achievement by supporting their teachers, who are the single most important factor in a quality education” said Britton Banowsky, executive director of the CFP Foundation. “We are excited to work closely with the New Orleans Host Committee and other organizations to recruit more prepared teachers to Orleans Parish and provide some special support to the thousands of dedicated teachers already in the workforce.”
The CFP Foundation will put New Orleans-area teachers in the spotlight throughout championship weekend with a series of events aimed at honoring and empowering local educators. The Extra Yard for Teachers Summit (Saturday, January 11) is a VIP space reserved exclusively for educators that will feature a series of activities and workshops meant to uplift and inspire classroom leaders. More information on how to register to attend the free event will be available in the fall.
On Sunday, January 12, the spotlight will continue to be on educators at the Extra Yard 5K, which will wind its way through the streets of downtown New Orleans. Later that day, the Eckrich Taste of the Championship will serve up a foodie's delight at Mardi Gras World, featuring some of the top chefs from across New Orleans and the nation. Proceeds from both the Extra Yard 5K and Eckrich Taste of the Championship support Extra Yard for Teachers. More information, including how to register and buy tickets, will be made available in the fall.
CFP National Championship: Monday, January 13, 2020
On game day, Monday, January 13, the focus will shift to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the 2020 CFP National Championship. Prior to kickoff, Championship Tailgate Plaza, the ultimate game day experience, will be staged adjacent to Jax Brewery near the Mississippi River. Fans will be encouraged to arrive early and enjoy tasty food, sponsor activities and live ESPN broadcasts. Game day will also see the CFP Foundation, in conjunction with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), host the 2019 teachers of the year from all U.S. states and territories.
For more information on the College Football Playoff and the 2020 CFP National Championship, visit www.collegefootballplayoff.com. To learn more about supporting local efforts and the New Orleans Host Committee, visit www.2020NOLA.com.
-#CFBPlayoff-
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 seed vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 28, 2019, at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 13, 2020, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
About the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the College Football Playoff, supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation’s primary cause platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes. To learn more, visit www.cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.
General Approach
Through a thoughtful collaboration among organizations and engagement with local educators, including the primary partnership between the CFP Foundation and the New Orleans College Football Championship Host Committee (NOCFCHC), the objective is to positively impact teachers in Orleans Parish and support their work as fully as resources permit. The timeframe is April 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 and beyond.
Background and Focus
New Orleans public schools serve 40,000 economically disadvantaged children, more than any other city in Louisiana. In addition, 91% are students of color and 12% are students with disabilities. There are 87 schools and approximately 2,700 teachers in Orleans Parish with an annual turnover rate of 900 teachers (29%). Until recently, student-achievement in the challenging and economically disadvantaged system had been on the rise. According to local leaders, the lack of continued success is a result of the lack of stability in the teacher workforce. Approximately one in three teachers leave their jobs every year, and there is not a clear and focused pipeline from local teacher preparation programs to support the long-term stability of the workforce. Given these expressed needs, the partnership will be primarily focused on teacher recruitment and retention in Orleans Parish. One goal of the impact strategy is to reduce this turnover rate by 5% by 2021.
Additional partners have been identified to help design and implement this work, including but not limited to, New Schools for New Orleans (through its signature initiative Teach New Orleans), the Orleans Parish School Board, the Louisiana Department of Education, the American Institute for Research and local universities.
Primary Initiatives
Teacher Recruitment Coalition (NSNO/Universities/OPSB)
Working with Teach New Orleans, establish a system of centrally coordinating the recruitment of qualified teachers from students at local universities (UNO, Xavier, Tulane, and SLU) and other teacher preparation programs (RELAY, TFA). New Schools for New Orleans will be the local leader of this coalition and should be able to demonstrate sustainability of the coalition for at least two years. The organization would be responsible for interfacing with all of the local coalition partners and the Louisiana Department of Education.
“Go Teach” Project Implementation (Recruitment)
Leverage the CFP Foundation’s new initiative, the Go Teach Project, to support the recruitment and placement of student-athletes at local universities to become teachers in Orleans Parish.
Support for Student Teachers/Mentor Teachers (Teach New Orleans and OPSB)
Evidence suggests that highly effective student teaching opportunities not only result in better prepared teachers, but also result in higher student-achievement and teacher retention. Teach New Orleans will coordinate with local universities and other teacher prep providers in developing a student teaching stipend program to assist students financially during their period of student teaching. The program will also involves provide financial incentives for current teachers who are highly effective in their work as mentors.
Teacher Recognition (OPSB)
Sponsorship of Orleans Parish School Board’s annual teacher recognition event through the provision of grants to the teachers selected to be honored. Timing is the end of each of the next two school years (May 2019 and May 2020).
Celebration Events (NSNO and OPSB)
With the support of local partners and produced by the CFP Foundation, a series of quality district-wide celebration and other recognition events will be planned in an attempt to engage with all 2,700 teachers in the system.
Targeted Professional Development Programming (NSNO)
In conjunction with NSNO and other local partners, a targeted professional development strategy will be designed to support improvement in educational climate and overall teacher satisfaction in the district. This program may include efforts to improve campus culture for both administrators and teachers at campuses with high turnover rates.
DonorsChoose.org Investments (Recruitment/Retention)
Evidence suggests that when teachers get support, they are more likely to stay in their jobs. Utilizing the DonorsChoose.org platform, the partnership will support the funding of projects in Orleans Parish, with special emphasis on supporting workforce diversity strategies. This will ensure that needed resources find their way directly into the classrooms.