I have come to find out that many schools/districts held resentments toward the children of Katrina because they felt as though the kids would have a negative impact on their schools. The federal funding that each school ultimately received on behalf of each Katrina student seems to have lessened the pain. Allowing school districts to compete for students was actually a great idea. Although high achieving schools may not want the negative impact that a student from a lower achieving school may bring, the extra funds enable the schools to provide the appropriate resources. (The Houston Chronicle even noted that there were no negative effects on the tests scores of the affected schools most effected. They compare it to a natural experiment where low achieving students are thrust into the learning environment of high achieving students).
As a teacher, one aspect that I do believe is a hard reality to deal with in the classroom is a homeless student. I lived in northern Illinois during the Katrina hurricane – we had several displaced students at the school where I worked. The students themselves were not a problem, but many of them came with troubled lives and were now suddenly homeless as well. School was not really a priority for them. I believe as a teacher it is my responsibility to ensure that my students feel safe and secure; if they do learning will come naturally. As I said, we only had a few Katrina students; I can not imagine the impact that a school with several hundred displaced students would have.
~Melissa
References
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/Katrina_effect_on_students_studied.html Houston Chronicle
https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/orgTools/ouHome/ouHome.asp?ou=1154729 Educating the Children of Katrina
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