Arne Duncan: Hurricane Katrina Was The 'Best Thing' For New Orleans Schools

ABC News:

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Education Secretary Arne Duncan said today that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans" because it gave the city a chance to rebuild and improve its failing public schools.

In an interview to air this weekend on "Washington Watch with Roland Martin" Duncan said "that education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better. And the progress that it made in four years since the hurricane, is unbelievable."

Read the whole story: ABC News

Comments

[TerryOtt]

10:46 PM on 01/31/2010

There's a whole lot of oversensitive folks commenting here. The man did not say Katrina was in any way "good". What he said is, the response of the community after Katrina, in terms of educational advances, is outstanding.

Personally, I live in a major city in the Midwest, and the quality of public schools here is deplorable. If there were a worst word than deplorable I would use that. What is the inevitable outcome of that? Another generation of poverty and urban crime and underachievement by kids who don't have a chance to dream and strive toward a better life. Based on this one story about New Orleans, it seems as if those youngsters are benefitting. So whatever petty complaints one has about who said what, what teachers were replaced by higher paid and more competent ones, and whether a school is "charter" or parochial, or not --- it's time to stifle it.

Let me put it this way: The ONLY thing that will save us from persistent decline as a society, from becoming an also-ran in the global economy, from the perpetuation of "have not" communities --- is improving our educational processes and outcomes. Nothing is more important. And that's not even including the moral obligation to give everyone the best chance we can to "rise" and "achieve".

It doesn't much matter how we get there, or whose toes get stepped on. It's too damned important to worry about such things.

[Aerows]

06:22 PM on 01/31/2010

I grew up in New Orleans, and for those of you who judge the city but have never set foot in it, you don't know its heart and you don't know the character of the Crescent City. New Orleans is a different place, but anyone that is from there knows exactly where they came from. It has history, culture and art as defining characteristics.

New Orleans isn't Bugtussle or Hooterville, and it proudly declares that. The residents of our fine city also know that it is a great place to eat, drink great coffee, and enjoy our history and arts.

[S1m0n]

06:16 PM on 01/31/2010

It drove out a whole stack o'poor folks, too. Bonus!

[apresdeluge]

02:25 PM on 01/31/2010

As my moniker indicates, I am from New Orleans and have to agree with the premise (if not the exact choice of words) of Mr. Duncan's statement. Although I do not currently have children in school, I am in daily contact with many parents who do. Their sentiment is exactly the same as Mr. Duncan's. The schools are MUCH BETTER now than pre-Katrina.

Perhaps it was the infusion of capital and the realization that things could not continue as before. Whatever the reason, the parents of New Orleans appreciate the improvement and I doubt most of them would take offense at his statements.

[pakaal]

02:48 PM on 01/31/2010

Glad to hear you're safe.

It's sad that the community down there has been so fragmented many aren't even left in the state to enjoy the new educational facilities. One can only hope we'll move to a mindset that we need to renovate our ramshackle educational facilities even if a devastating hurricane doesn't flatten an area first.

[apresdeluge]

02:55 PM on 01/31/2010

Thank you for your kind words. It has definitely been an uphill climb but things are looking much better and the boost from the Saints in the Superbowl is beyond measure.

I heard on TV the other day that Haiti sent $35,000 to the people of New Orleans following Katrina. I was blown away hearing that. A country that could probably least afford it. There have been some serious Hatian relief fund raisers here and I hope that the people of New Orleans will resppond in kind. From all appearances, that will be the case.

Thanks again.

[Euryalus]

01:59 PM on 01/31/2010

Do readers remember the news story reported back in October about the "servitude" of imported Filipino teachers in New Orleans and their exploitation by a crooked charter outfit?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-27-filipino-teachers_N.htm

I guess this is one of the things Dunkin' Donuts is referring too. Arne is the poster boy of the for-profit chartermination of America's urban public schools. He is a big-business stooge, and I'm more than a little worried that Obama may be one too. So sad... So disappointing...

[tbone99]

02:09 PM on 01/31/2010

Thats why Obama kept his views on education very low profile until after he got the Dem nomination.

[tbone99]

01:27 PM on 01/31/2010

Immediately after Katrina all four thousand public school teachers in New Orleans, members of the largest union in Louisiana, were fired - along with support staff. An experiment dividing the children into the acadmic haves and have nots was begun .

Shocking expose
http://www.truthout.org/article/bill-quigley-part-i-new-orleanss-children-fighting-right-learn

[GalinMcMahon]

10:18 AM on 01/31/2010

You people don't understand what he's talking about. He didn't say the hurricane was a good thing, just that it was a catilyst (sp) for improvement. Weather happens and sometimes it really sucks. Why can't you all see the silver lining here?

[MNmommy]

10:26 AM on 01/31/2010

Because on September 15th, 2001, the first charter school opened where a public school once stood.

http://www.truthout.org/article/bill-quigley-part-i-new-orleanss-children-fighting-right-learn

And it has continued that way ever since. Arne is warrior for charter schools, and profit driven educational solutions.

[tbone99]

01:08 PM on 01/31/2010

So true - he is closing 1,0000 public schools A YEAR!

and yet reserach shows charter schools have no better outcomes..

[MNmommy]

01:20 PM on 01/31/2010

Oops, 2005, not 2001.

I got my terrible years mixed up.

[GalinMcMahon]

10:14 AM on 01/31/2010

That sounds about right. Sometimes in life things have to get worse before they can get better.

[Marnie1]

09:51 AM on 01/31/2010

By direct inference he is saying that the best thing for New Orleans education system was for a President to sit and watch thousands of people suffer and die and 10s of thousands more suffer, loose their jobs and the roof over their head and be treated worse that the family pet. For Bush to twiddle his thumbs arguing about over topping as a virtue to breaching, while much of the city was destroyed or damaged - all to so that a better school infrastructure could be built afterwards.

How many of the children who died from Katrina would now be enjoying that better education system, had the feds acted responsibly and compassionately to devastation of the Gulf Coast from Katrina and Rita? How many don’t live in NO any more because of the destruction and the lack of post Katrina support, and will therefore never benefit from that wonderful hurricane?

Is it a prerequisite that bureaucrats are heartless bastards, or do they just become that way because they are such big shots.

[Euryalus]

01:20 PM on 01/31/2010

I believe it's because they are owned by corporations who stand to profit; hence the term "disaster capitalism".

[MissingAmerica]

09:13 AM on 01/31/2010

Sad that he failed to think of how many died and how many families were torn apart in this horrendous disaster. Can we forget the pictures of bodies floating down the city streets and hanging in trees? These students were left with nightmares that have impacted them for a lifetime. When one considers this, the ignorance, arrogance and insensitivity of this comment becomes painfully clear.

[hellboundtrain]

04:57 AM on 01/31/2010

Say what you will, Arne's view is certainly jaded.

[dandypuddin]

12:35 AM on 01/31/2010

Public schools in New Orleans are being replaced by charter schools with non union teachers.

[NWBrunette]

11:20 PM on 01/30/2010

Neuron deficiency is rampant apparently.

[Vere15]

10:48 PM on 01/30/2010

Arne would you prefer to be tried for treason or heresy

[Aerows]

09:08 PM on 01/30/2010

As a person who went through Katrina from start to finish, it wasn't just an insensitive and poor choice of words, it was a stupid thing to say. Many people lost everything they had, and some lost their lives. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of our nation. No one that went through the fear, resulting desperation of third world country conditions, and despair of watching everything that they had get destroyed would ever call it a good thing.

I'm glad the rest of you didn't go through it and can start rewriting history, because those of us that did wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

[MNmommy]

08:50 AM on 01/31/2010

It was an unbelievably offensive thing to say, both because it was insenstitive and because of his intent.

I am so sorry that you had to go through that.