Lessons From Hurricane Katrina: The Employment Effects of the Mass Dismissal of New Orleans Teachers

Abstract

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Orleans Parish school district fired over 4,000 public school teachers as the city underwent a transition to a market-based system of charter schools. Using administrative data, we examine whether and how these teachers returned to public school employment and teaching. We estimate that school reform and dismissal substantially increased teacher exit from the district and the state relative to similar teachers in other parishes that suffered hurricane damage. Dismissed teachers who returned were more likely to be Black and locally trained, but new hiring through alternative certification programs led to a substantial demographic shift. A teacher population that had been highly experienced and more than 70% Black shifted through new hiring at charter schools. Implications for other districts considering teacher employment reforms are discussed.