HATTIESBURG, MS — Ocean Springs High School lead teacher Miho Horshok has seen how Hurricane Katrina has affected some students displaced by the epic storm, especially those already struggling academically or who come from underprivileged backgrounds.

A 10-year veteran public school teacher and former University of Southern Mississippi graduate student, Horshok says misbehavior and poor coping skills are common denominators among these students, undermining their ability to succeed.

“Usually, kids will deal with life as it comes, but the rate of misconduct went up among students displaced by Katrina,” said Horshok, who also heads the Ocean Springs High School Student Assistance Team (SAT). “The storm was just a series of body blows for them, with many having to deal with the loss of their home, the deaths of family members and friends and the stress it brought to their family life.

“I’ve seen more students who can’t function in the regular school setting opting for the GED (General Educational Delivery tests) since then,” she said. “I know a couple that dropped out, including one that showed back up for the ninth grade, after not having any schooling for two years.”

Students like these were the focus of a recently completed two-year research project led by Southern Miss researchers Dr. Mike Ward and Dr. Kyna Shelley, working in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Education and with major funding from the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute.

The project, titled “Hurricane Katrina: Behavior and Achievement of Displaced Students in the Wake of the Storm,” examined the records of 17,000 Mississippi students displaced because of the storm. The results show that while the academic performance of these students has not worsened significantly from their pre-storm performance, they are more likely to be engaged in negative behaviors than non-displaced students, according to Ward.

“There is some encouraging news and also some bad news here. However, the fact remains that these children are trailing non-displaced students,” said Ward, a former North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The increased incidence of disciplinary problems suggests that psychological issues for some students have not diminished in the time following the storm, and in fact, may have intensified.”

The RAND Gulf States Policy Institute was established after the hurricanes of 2005 by the RAND Corporation and seven Gulf States universities, including Southern Miss. The institute’s goal is to provide evidence-based policy guidance to facilitate and speed regional recovery and growth, re-establish services and bring about wise investment in infrastructure.

In quantifying student behavior, the study followed suspension and expulsion rates and school attendance. Achievement indicators included standardized test scores, non-promotions and dropout rates. 

The project’s research showed that the odds of displaced students dropping out of school was 2.5 times greater than those of non-displaced students. It also showed that in the school year that Katrina struck (2005-06), 9.9 percent of displaced students had been suspended or expelled, compared to 7.6 of their non-displaced classmates. Those numbers rose the next year to 13.5 percent for displaced students and 9.5 for non-displaced students.

“More than two years out, the reaction of some is to just put this (Katrina) behind us, but the data suggests that some of our students are having trouble moving past the emotional difficulties of the situation,” Ward said. “I believe this shows how important it is to partner with mental health agencies and make resources available to help those kids who are still vulnerable.”

Researchers also studied the demographic characteristics of displaced students, who more often were from minority racial/ethnic groups than their non-displaced peers. These students were also more frequently from low-income households than their non-displaced counterparts, and the differences in poverty between these groups pre-existed the storm.

Ward believes it’s important to bridge the gaps between displaced students and their more fortunate counterparts, or else the state risks leaving an unfortunate educational legacy from Katrina.

“Just as gaps often exist by race and poverty, gaps exist here between groups of students, one of which is disproportionately minority and poor,” he said. “And closing those gaps needs to be intensified for displaced kids, because they were already in difficult circumstances and the storm compounded that.” 

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Hank Bounds said the report clearly demonstrates how the displacement experience has impacted behavior, academic performance and dropout rates.

“Rebuilding the bricks and mortar destroyed by Hurricane Katrina is just one facet of recovery. We must also address the psychological and emotional trauma experienced by our children as a result of the storm,” he said.

“Schools must continue to work with community partners to help give the gift of hope to the children displaced by the storm. A brighter future begins with a glimmer of hope.”

Horshok concurs with Ward and Bounds that even nearly three years later, Katrina’s impact is still fresh. Those not directly affected can’t fully grasp its psychological effect on students and their families, she said.

“Sometimes we forget that these are people in the classroom, and what happens to them outside of the classroom affects how they perform in the classroom,” she said. “If you can imagine living in a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailer for two to three years, imagine the stress that would have on a student and their family. Some people are still celebrating getting back in a house.”

David Tisdale is a senor reporter in Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's student in mass communication in the School of Mass Communication and Journalism. The After Katrina Newswire is a project of the School of Mass Communication and Journalism at USM (www.usm.edu/afterkatrina). This story can be reprinted with this credit included.