The Track Record of the New Orleans Schools after Katrina

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the nation’s Gulf Coast. Failures in the levees protecting New Orleans sent floodwaters cascading across most of the city, surging into homes, washing away cars and claiming the lives of many residents. Two months after Katrina, when other districts and states were already reopening their public schools and welcoming their evacuee students and teachers, another storm hit New Orleans. But this storm was man-made when the Louisiana Legislature passed the New Orleans school takeover legislation. Like Katrina, it happened quickly. Like Katrina, its impact is still being felt.

Read our research findings:

• Introduction
• High-Quality Research on School Effectiveness in New Orleans Tells the Real Story
• Positive Impact from New Orleans Post-Katrina Reforms or Misleading Accountability Metrics?
• Civil Rights Complaints About Special Education, Language Minority Students and School Closures
• More Busing, Longer Ride Time and Higher Costs In New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina