The Hurricane K atrina Effect on Mathematics Achievement in M ississippi

Hurricane K atrina caused severe physical damage to the Gulf Coast states of L ouisiana, M ississippi, and A labama. Homes and businesses were destroyed. Natural habitats were annihilated, and many A mericans were displaced for days, weeks, and even years. This study investigated the within‐subject effects and contrasts of poverty, rurality, and location within a K atrina distance impact zone on mathematics achievement in fifth‐grade, eighth‐grade, and A lgebra I schools in M ississippi during the 2004–2007 school years. Through an analysis of publicly available school data, all school groups were found to have been impacted by K atrina, but the nonpoor/nonrural A lgebra I schools within a 90‐mile radius of K atrina's point of landfall were affected the greatest. Interesting patterns in eighth‐grade mathematics achievement results were additionally found. Rural schools were impacted to a greater extent than their nonrural counterparts. Several findings in this study were startling and counterintuitive, but this initial analysis into the impact of K atrina on mathematics achievement in M ississippi illustrated that catastrophic natural disasters like H urricane K atrina can cause more than just physical damage.