Chapter 1. Introduction—Key Issues From Past Crises

While this document reflects experience from a wide range of crises, the vast majority of its recommendations are derived from "lessons learned" by education institutions affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September, 2005. The consequences of these disasters clearly transcended matters of education, but the ramifications for educational services were severe. In fact, these crises combined to cause the largest displacement of students in American history. In Louisiana alone, nearly 200,000 public elementary and secondary students were displaced—more than 26 percent of Louisiana's prestorm enrollment.¹

Crises come in many forms and scenarios, and some can displace families and students. For example, a school or district may quickly lose some or all of its students, staff, buildings, and data after a devastating fire or flood. In such a situation, another school or district might step in to help and, in some cases, gain newly displaced students quite suddenly. When reviewing the data management processes used to track students in this type of situation, three key concerns arise.

• Student displacement within a state: When a student moves within a state, a statewide information system can be very helpful for school reassignment. Transfers within a state should be easier to monitor than movement between states, especially when statewide data standards have already been established. The most useful data standard for tracking students is a unique student identifier, which streamlines the process of providing districts with placement information on new students. In many cases, districts within the same state are subject to the same policies governing credits needed for graduation, grade placement, program eligibility, and accountability measures, all of which make educational placement and the delivery of services for displaced students much easier.
• Student displacement between states: Quickly connecting students with their records is much more difficult when displaced students cross state lines. Disparate procedures and state policies, including issues of privacy, complicate data sharing. For example, because student identifiers are usually unique only within a single state, linking between states requires developing sophisticated matching algorithms and other labor-intensive tasks. Varying state policies on grade placement, testing, promotion, and graduation requirements are all obstacles to student placement.
• Sharing individual student data in a timely manner: After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there was considerable confusion about federal, state, and local rules and policies governing the transfer of student data during an emergency. Because of the massive scale of the two crises, data did not accompany students in a timely manner. Many new students were permitted to enroll in districts without appropriate school records. Without incoming students' official records, enrollment and educational service decisions were often incorrect. Indeed, placing students into an educational environment without access to educational records imposes a significant burden on the receiving school and may be a substantial detriment to the student. For example, children with special needs may not receive the services they require, and some students may not even be assigned to the correct grades.

Top