Research brief
The Impact of Severe Weather Events on Education: Revisiting Hurricane Katrina While Preparing for the Next Disaster
August 2025
Description
This research brief raises awareness of the scale and variation of educational impacts from the growing number of weather-related challenges facing U.S. schools. It addresses two critical questions: how does severe weather disrupt schools and affect the people in them; and which schools and communities are at most risk? Findings highlight four key takeaways: 1) Many U.S. schools face major budget and infrastructure challenges related to severe weather; 2) teachers need support to meet students’ varied needs following a weather-related disruptions; 3) a day of school missed after a severe weather event can translate to more than a day of learning lost; and 4) no school is totally “low-risk” from weather-related disruptions.
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Chronic absenteeism: A continued impediment to academic recovery
This research brief examines the relationship between chronic absenteeism and academic recovery from COVID-era disruptions to learning. Using MAP Growth data from 2,000 US school districts, NWEA researchers analyzed whether persistently high absenteeism rates were associated with slower recovery in math and reading.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Growth
Technical Appendix for Chronic absenteeism: A continued impediment to academic recovery
This is the technical appendix for “Chronic absenteeism: A continued impediment to academic recovery,” research brief, which examines the relationship between chronic absenteeism and academic recovery from COVID-era disruptions to learning.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Growth
This is the technical appendix for the NWEA research brief titled, “Behind at the Starting Line,” which examines Kindergarten test scores from more than 400,000 U.S. students and noting patterns that can predict academic success or identify students at risk of falling further behind. This early identification is key for educators, enabling them to intervene and influence learning trajectories before the next critical milestone: third grade.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Informing instruction, Early learning, Empowering educators, Growth
NWEA research brief examining Kindergarten test scores from more than 400,000 U.S. students and noting patterns that can predict academic success or identify students at risk of falling further behind. This early identification is key for educators, enabling them to intervene and influence learning trajectories before the next critical milestone: third grade.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Early learning, Empowering educators, Growth, Informing instruction
This is the technical appendix to the research, “Academically diverse classrooms, deeper needs,” research brief examines the academic diversity of post-COVID classrooms, including the composition and spread of academic achievement levels. Key findings highlight the challenges facing educators as more students are off-track and further behind grade-level proficiency.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Empowering educators, Growth, Informing instruction
Academically diverse classrooms, deeper needs: What teachers face after the pandemic
This research brief examines the academic diversity of post-COVID classrooms, including the composition and spread of academic achievement levels. Key findings highlight the challenges facing educators as more students are off-track and further behind grade-level proficiency.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Empowering educators, Growth, Informing instruction
A Practical Guide for Considering and Interpreting Test Score Differences Among Student Subgroups
This guide offers recommendations for how to understand what differences may exist when looking at data for student groups, and gives leaders some structure for how they might consider and interpret those differences.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Empowering educators, Equity, Growth, Guidance
