A student starting public school in New Orleans in the fall of 2005 had little reason to be hopeful about her education. Of her 65,000 schoolmates in the New Orleans Public Schools (NOPS), over half of those taking the state's high-stakes tests (4th, 8th, 10th, and 11th graders) did not have "basic" competence in math and English. 68 of…

Like the resilient residents, city leaders and community boosters battered and displaced by Hurricane Katrina, officials from the Big Easy's colleges and universities vowed early on to come back. For Tulane University, one of the biggest challenges to overcome before resuming classes in January was finding schools for the children of the…

This article outlines a set of recommendations to college and university leaders and governing bodies on how to develop crisis-management systems to ensure that their institutions are as well prepared as possible for a wide range of crises. These recommendations are based, in part, on crisis-management programs developed for various business…

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita displaced thousands of K-12 students and demonstrated that when K-12 schools close unexpectedly and indefinitely, educational chaos results. Events such as deadly flu outbreaks or bioterrorist attacks will have the same impact on education. These possibilities demonstrate the need for state and local officials to begin…

Although schools have implemented school safety plans as a result of the violence witnessed on rare occasions in schools today, schools are less likely to be prepared for emergencies such as Katrina or 9/11; this is true even for schools in locations prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Whereas disaster plans typically involve school…

This article discusses 10 "IT myths": (1) Standardizing on a single computing platform reduces costs and enables better support; (2) Requiring students to own a computer (or laptop) will improve the quality of education at an institution; (3) Having a campus subscription to a music download service will reduce the incidence of online copyright…

This article describes how early childhood teacher education faculty at one university responded in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and used the disaster to enhance their undergraduate and graduate programs. They explain how they modeled developmentally appropriate practices while responding to community needs. Four companion articles…

This preparedness guide explains and describes tornadoes, and includes safety information for schools. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The guide explains the cause of tornadoes, provides diagrams of how they form, describes variations of tornadoes, and classifies tornadoes by…

This manual presents, in illustrated form, the protective measures needed to save educational buildings from the effects of earthquakes. The information may be used at the community level as a guide to the construction of earthquake resistant educational buildings. Primarily, the manual deals with the construction techniques used for school…

A look at what to do in time of natural and man-made disasters is presented. Disasters covered include tornados, hurricanes, floods, fires, blizzards, and nuclear disaster. The responsibilities of the Board of Education, school superintendent, school principal, teachers, school nurse, custodian, students, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers are…

Examined differential vulnerability to environmental stressors among White and Black elderly and nonelderly disaster victims by interviewing 431 families who were victims of a tornado. Presents path model of determinants of psychosocial recovery and makes observations regarding intervention strategies for older disaster victims. (Author/nB)

This book covers the principles of risk and risk management and offers a framework for analyzing the significant, often unforeseen threats facing higher education institutions today. It examines the critical elements of a disaster preparedness plan and addresses business continuity and mission continuity planning. The book also provides tools for…

This book analyzes educators' reactions to the floods that destroyed the towns of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks in South Dakota. It is based on a planning grant that had four primary goals: (1) create a curriculum to help students understand their flood experience; (2) perform a child-observation study; (3) script and possibly produce a…

Reports on the design of a multi-week cooperative learning activity for an undergraduate introductory volcanology class which culminates in the simulation of a volcanic monitoring crisis. Suggests that this activity creates an effective and exciting learning environment in which students have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to a more…

Based on Huntsville (Alabama) schools' experience with a devastating fire, the superintendent later ensured adequate fire insurance coverage, promoted regular fire drills, and developed an emergency response plan that delineated staff responsibilities, communication modes, and training and updating procedures. The plan served the district well…