After Hurricane Katrina obliterated the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, hundreds of thousands of students were forced to relocate to alternate school districts nationwide. Unexpectedly uprooted from their livelihoods, these students were required to adjust mentally, physically, and academically to what may have seemed to some a foreign way of life.

Renaissance Village, a FEMA trailer park, was built in October 2005 as a refuge for homeless Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Of the estimated 1,600 tenants, approximately 500 children under 18 years of age attend schools within in Baker and Baton Rouge.

Almost immediately after FEMA created Renaissance Village, the College of Education initiated a tutoring program called The Delta Express Program to address the needs of the children who reside there.

The New Orleans Public School System, often criticized pre-Katrina for its high numbers of failing schools, did not offer school districts much hope that these displaced students and their families would be dedicated to seeking formal education. However, the students of Delta Express are defying all expectations.

“When people discuss education, they seem to agree that New Orleans schools are the worst ones in the country, so there shouldn’t be much expected. And, yes, there are a lot of schools that are struggling, but hat doesn’t mean you can generalize that to every single child in that school,” said Jolanta Smolen, College of Education Campus Coordinator for Delta Express. “A lot of these kids are dedicated to getting their homework done. They want to read books and improve their education,” Smolen added.

Delta Express is a tutorial group organized by the LSU College of Education initially in collaboration with the University of California Berkeley’s UC Links after-school initiative. The expressed mission of the program includes social, emotional, health, and civic components in order to address the various needs of the children and families of Renaissance Village. The Delta Express tutors include LSU students from departments university-wide who are enrolled in College of Education courses, offering optional service activities. Throughout each semester, these students have spent several hours every week engaging Renaissance Village students in arts and crafts, physical fitness, and most importantly, their homework.

In EDUC 2000, the first two and a half weeks of the semester (five classes) emphasize basic educational theory to prepare the LSU students for tutoring. Delta Express bases much of the program on “democratic education” – a theory that promotes the active citizen-student.

“Democratic education is based on your right to speak up, especially when you notice social injustice taking place around you,” explained Smolen.

The idea is that the student becomes an active citizen, looking for the root cause of problems and attempting to find solutions.

In the case of the children at Renaissance Village, Smolen describes how LSU students involved the children in the planning of the final project “Future Fair” organized by the LSU students. They spoke with the students about their interests and where they saw themselves in the future.

“It’s really important that the children know that they will take charge of their own lives and their choices will define how they’ll get there,” added Smolen.
In another Delta Express course, EDCI 2001 students organized a similar educational fun day called “Tiger Fair” in which they hosted cultural centers based on Egyptian and African traditions, constructed hand-crafted, artistic picture frames, and performed magic tricks based on scientific principles.

“Probably the most significant outcome of this work was developing trusting relationships with the 20 plus children that attend regularly,” said Carson. “The LE PAS program provides a stable, safe space for these children to move and interact, while allowing kinesiology students the opportunity to apply course content in a practical, community-based manner.”

In addition, Delta Express tutors use outside playtime as incentive for the children to finish their homework.

“They have to finish their homework before they can join us,” said Timothy Mars, the on-site coordinator for the Louisiana Exercise and Activity Program.

Most of the students said that the outside activity time was one of their most successful reward incentives, especially for children arriving directly from school and beginning their homework immediately.

“It is all about keeping them happy, active, not necessarily a structured physical education class,” said Mars. “We use games to push them physically. In the end, many didn’t realize how hard they were working because they enjoyed it so much,” added Mars, who also is currently a student at Southeastern Louisiana University and a research intern at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

“For some children, the time they spend with our group and the other kids in the program is their best time of the day. It may be the most positive environment they are in that day. It’s not just about physical activity. We are there to push them to exercise, yes—but we are also there to push their minds to think and to believe in themselves,” added Mars.

The children of Renaissance Village have benefited much from having the College of Education and Delta Express involved in their lives. Although many have come to this area from a less rewarding educational system, experienced unimaginable hardships, and ripped from their homes and foundations, these eager young students have defied the many negative generalizations surrounding their misfortune. With the help of Delta Express, the LE PAS program, and other connected agencies, these students have succeeded despite low expectations and often negative media attention that unjustly surrounds the Renaissance Village FEMA trailer park in Baker.