Education in the Wake of Natural Disaster

Overview & Synopsis

In this essay, Paul Vallas--education reform expert and key advisor to the government of Haiti in developing its national education plan--discusses his plan for Haiti. The paper explores the successes and challenges of education reform in Haiti, before and after the earthquake that devastated the nation in 2010. The essay describes the improvements made in other parts of the world distraught by natural disasters. Vallas explores how lessons learned could be adapted and emulated in a country like Haiti that is desperate for reform, with over 50 percent of its population under the age of 18. He describes two examples of success in systems impacted by natural disasters: post-earthquake Chile and post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Vallas' paper demonstrates that there is an attainable plan for education in a Haiti determined to create a quality, accessible, and affordable education for its population, the majority of which are of school-going age. By examining the successes and challenges of education reform in Chile and New Orleans, along with the history and culture of Haiti, Vallas provides a coherent blueprint for the future of education in Haiti. [This report was written with Tressa Pankovits. Introduction by Elizabeth White. The report was produced as part of the Program on America and the Global Economy (PAGE).]