Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
The School Impact
The school year for students, teachers, and education staff in New Orleans, Alabama, and Mississippi was decimated by the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This Education Week series covered the hurricanes’ impact at the district, state, and federal levels.
School Climate & Safety
Winds of Change
As their schools reopened after Hurricane Katrina, students and teachers were realizing just how much their lives had changed.
School Choice & Charters
New Orleans Adopts Plan for Charters
Struggling to jump-start education in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the district school board has decided to reopen its first buildings not as regular public schools, but as charter schools.
School Choice & Charters
Catholic Schools Reopening After Katrina
Lots of hugs and stories were shared last week in the Archdiocese of New Orleans as students returned to class in 37 Roman Catholic schools that opened for the first time since Hurricane Katrina blasted the region six weeks ago.
School Choice & Charters
Majority of New Orleans Independent Schools Still Closed
Only one of the 11 independent schools in the greater New Orleans area that were affected by Hurricane Katrina has reopened, though most expect to reopen by January, private school leaders said last week.
School Climate & Safety
Schools Welcome FEMA Aid, But Not Without Frustration
After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency did something new: It created strike teams of education experts.
Federal
GOP Plan Would Relax Rules for Storm-Affected Schools
House Republican education leaders released a proposal last week that they say would help schools and districts affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by easing a number of federal restrictions.
Federal
Gulf Coast Schools Prepare to Reopen Amid Uncertainties
With many Louisiana and Mississippi schools expected to open this week for the first time since Hurricane Katrina savaged the Gulf Coast, school leaders were working hard last week to prepare despite uncertainty over how many students would actually show up.
School Climate & Safety
Rita Closes Many Texas, Louisiana Schools
School districts in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas were still struggling to assess damage, make repairs, and reopen nearly a week after Hurricane Rita swept ashore.
School Climate & Safety
School Buses Answer Calls for Help in Crises
Houston school officials finally got the word from the Louisiana governor’s office at dusk on a humid Saturday evening: Start the buses. We need you.
School Choice & Charters
Kennedy Backs Hurricane Aid for Private Schools
The debate in Congress over the Bush administration’s idea of providing private school vouchers as part of its hurricane-relief efforts is heading in a new direction.
Standards & Accountability
Storms Force Louisiana, Mississippi to Review K-12 Policies
The two states that bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina have started easing their K-12 testing and accountability policies to help students and districts recovering from the storm.
School & District Management
Most Ga. Schools Heed Conservation-Minded Call to Close
Gov. Sonny Perdue spent much of last week explaining to Georgia parents and school officials his unexpected, and perhaps unprecedented, decision to ask school districts not to open Sept. 26 and 27.
Federal
Federal Hurricane Aid for Schools Debated
As schools look to rebuild, and districts welcoming displaced students wonder how to pay for their education, federal officials were still mulling options for providing aid.
College & Workforce Readiness
Louisiana, Mississippi Lawmakers to Weigh Revenue Needs
Mississippi legislators were scheduled to convene in a special session this week, and their Louisiana counterparts are expected to do so in the next month or so, as both states focus on issues of economic recovery and aid for coastal school districts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.