President Obama visited New Orleans on Friday to mark the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

“Before the storm, New Orleans public schools were largely broken, leaving generations of low-income kids without a decent education,” he said. “Today, thanks to parents and educators … we're seeing real gains in achievement, with new schools, more resources to retain and develop and support great teachers and principals. We have data that shows before the storm, the high school graduation rate was 54%. Today, it's up to 73%. Before the storm, college enrollment was 37%. Today, it's almost 60%.”

President Bush also made a visit to New Orleans to mark the anniversary.

“Isn’t it amazing?” he asked. “The storm nearly destroyed New Orleans and yet, now, New Orleans is the beacon for school reform.”

It was a remarkable week in the Crescent City, a tribute to the tireless efforts of educators, parents and students over a painful decade of rebuilding. We honor their work and the progress they have accomplished. And while that progress is irrefutable, too much work remains for this milestone to be a declaration of victory. Instead, our hope is that this is a moment of reflection and a time to think about a shared agenda for the second decade of post-Katrina progress.

Last week, I remembered the devastation that struck my home state on a visit to New Orleans, where I discussed what’s happened at RISE: Katrina 10, the Urban League’s productive and inspiring convening that Walton was proud to support. New Orleans students and families are lucky to have education leaders who have skillfully guided it over the past decade – leaders like Erika McConduit-Diggs of the Urban League, Patrick Dobard of the Recovery School District, and Caroline Roemer Shirley of the Louisiana Association for Public Charter Schools. School leaders like Rene Lewis-Carter and Mickey Landry join the many visionaries who have had enough courage to imagine a better, stronger New Orleans.

Their impact is now well documented. To get a sense of the progress, I recommend reading this analysis by Douglas Harris, a professor of economics at Tulane University, and Peter Cook’s truth-telling blog post. For other perspectives, journalist Jonathan Chait wrote this incisive summary for New York Magazine and Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White shared his reflections in the Washington Post last week.

The Walton Family Foundation looks forward to another 10 years of learning, collaborating and pressing forward toward a day when every child growing up in New Orleans — no matter their ZIP code, family history or needs — has access to a high-quality school and a life of opportunity.