RESEARCH
UNITED STATES VIRTUAL PANEL ON STRATEGIES TO REOPEN SCHOOLS
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A common theme throughout the meeting was the need for committed, and properly trained teachers. Thus, many schools offered three days of service training in order for the teachers to feel comfortable in their new set up. Many of the faculty represented also encouraged for there to be an option for students to have the choice on whether or not they wanted to come back in person. This also presented the need for the online learners to not be disadvantaged by their decision. Many schools were forced to purchase extra technology to provide for the kids needs. The Gulfport School District in Mississippi would give students backpacks filled with that weeks lessons in case they had to quarantine due to symptoms of the virus. In later grades, like high school and middle school, the panel discussed the economic implications of a crisis on the scale of COVID-19. They recognized the financial strain families could be under and the for students to opt out of class in order to help provide for their families. In order to prevent these students from then falling behind in classes, they offered a night school option with the hopes that this would allow students to support their families financially, as well as not completely give up on their education.
The panel also discussed the best ways to reassure parents that school would be safe for their children. Some potential solutions included having a specialist on retainer who parents could contact. This would ensure that the information given to the families would be accurate. A Montessori school in New York even offered videos displaying how the school would be run prior to allowing students to return so the parents could really judge whether or not they felt comfortable.
REBECCA MARTINSON
Teacher
Rebecca Martinson felt a lack of confidence in her local administration in being able to provide a safe option for returning to school. With 75 New York Department of Education members dying from COVID-19, her concerns were valid. She has been able to successfully adapt to e-learning, with much trial and error, and although recognizes its drawbacks, remains confident that it is the best option. Ms. Martinson goes on to state that if forced to go back in person, she will be forced to quit the profession that she loves. Not due to fear of her own personal health, but to that of the children. She alluded to the fact that while children possess a lower fatality rather than older people diagnosed with the virus, an infection could lead to multi system inflammatory syndrome. She also recognized the danger of having low income families being potentially exposed to the virus unnecessarily.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/opinion/sunday/covid-schools-reopen-teacher-safety.html
LEARNING IN PERU
UNICEF
Ucayali Peru was one of the most affected areas by COVID-19 in the country. Schools closed for months until the Ministry of Education initiated "I Learn at Home" for students. This plan included receiving lessons over the radio. The lessons were available in Spanish as well as nine different indigenous languages. In areas lacking internet and television connectivity, UNICEF stepped in. They provided local authorities with loud speakers. Students would gather and in small groups attend classes via the speakers. While learning might not be the easiest when only auditory, these students also had highly commited teachers living within their villages.
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INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION
The Covid 19 pandemic has brought even more attention to already prominent issues within the education system
The Covid -19 Pandemic was illuminated the differences among schools across the nation and world. Researchers have estimated that the pause in person education will practically months of learning. They also estimated that the top third of students will be able to progress as they will continue to learn and be motivated at home, while the under achieving students will fall even more behind. Researchers compared testing results in areas such as New Orleans that have been affected by natural disasters similar to the scope of the pandemic and analyzed how Covid could impact the scores based on past data. They now estimate the almost 5 months of growth in math and 3 months of growth in reading will be erased for grades 3-8. People of color are also being disproportionally affected. it is estimated that 17% of high schoolers cannot complete homework assignments due to lacking a proper internet connection. This number rises by a whopping 8% for black students.
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https://www.edutopia.org/article/covid-19s-impact-students-academic-and-mental-well-being