BENEFITS

Arne Duncan: Katrina Helped Schools

"Best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans."

In a television transcript made public Friday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans" because it forced the community to start from scratch and rebuild a system in dire need of improvements. In Duncan's interview on Washington Watch With Roland Martin, which is scheduled to air Sunday, the secretary said that the "education system was a disaster, and it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that 'We have to do better.'" He also noted that prior to the disaster, children were desperately underserved, and that the progress since the disaster has been impressive. "It took the devastating tragedy of the hurricane to wake up the community to demand more and expect better for their children," Duncan said in a statement emailed to the Post.