Educating Children of Katrina
In 2005 the United States experienced one of its deadliest hurricanes. Killing at least 1,836 people Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans when the levy system failed and it was flooded (Wikipedia). With the flood many evacuated the Louisiana to never go back. This leaves many children who must seek education in surrounding states where they have settled. Many states are forced to decisions on where and how they get funding for educating these displaced students.
Approximately 1.5 people evacuated Louisiana and surrounding area after Hurricane Katrina. Research reveals that there was a wide degree of diversity in the demographic characteristics and current economic status of those who returned to where they were living prior to the storm and those who did not. Of the approximately 1.5 million people who evacuated, estimations show that more than 400,000 had not returned to their homes by October 2006, and approximately 270,000 had not even returned to the county that they were living in prior to the storm. Blacks, younger individuals, and single people who never had married were significantly less likely to return their homes after the storm. More likely to return were whites, married couples, and individuals over the age of 55(Groen). This definitely poses many issues for surrounding states. How will these mostly young, black students be educated?
In John Goodman’s article, Educating Children of Katrina, he demonstrates how useful it would be for parents to have a choice what type of school their child should attend and which school should receive the funding. By evaluating schools value-added it would be easier for parents to choose the school that is right for their child. Some schools may be better at advancing slow learners and some better for black students. There are some schools that excel in subgroups of students (Goodman).
With parents having this option it will hopefully be beneficial for students. I do believe that when a disaster like this occurs it is important to make the child feel comfortable in a learning environment. Having the ability to relax makes it easier to learn for the student. As a parent I like the idea of having the ability to choose what best fits my child. Not all children learn the same, so having the option to place your child in a school where he/she can develop more educationally is important.
As I enter the education field as a career, I believe it is important to know that you are dealing with people from different backgrounds and different social and economic statuses. You be able to embrace those differences and attempt to adjust so that all students are able to gain as much as possible.
References
undefined. (November 6, 2011). Hurricane Katrina. In Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina.
Goodman, John C. (October 13, 2005). Educating the Children of Katrina. In National Center for Policy Analysis. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from www.ncpa.org.
Groen, Jeffrey. (April 30,2007). Hurricane Katrina Evacuees:Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Are Faring. In Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from .
