Puerto Rico’s Educational System Is at a Crossroads a Year After Hurricane Maria

A year ago this week, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. And the implications for what had been the nation’s third largest school system are profound. Thousands of children moved to the U.S. mainland, almost 300 schools were permanently closed, and countless computers and textbooks were destroyed. This natural disaster exacerbated deep academic and fiscal problems in what was already a struggling school system. Now Puerto Rico schools are at a crossroads. The island’s schools’ chief says reallocating resources and opening charter schools will help bring about much needed reform, while teachers’ unions say transferring teachers and closing schools is further traumatizing residents of the island. Education Week Correspondent Kavitha Cardoza visited some of the island’s hardest hit areas and has this report on PBS NewsHour.