The COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming the functioning and results of the education system, some of which were already stressed in many respects. This is true across the United States and the world and affects all children, though to different degrees. According to Garcia and Weiss (2020), “In early spring as the pandemic was hitting its first peak, the virus consigned nearly all of over 55 million U.S. school children under the age of 18 to staying in their homes, with 1.4 billion out of school or child care across the globe” (para. 2). Not only did these children lack daily access to school and the basic supports schools provide for many students, but they also lost out on group activities, team sports, and recreational choices such as pools and playgrounds. Children are not in their schools. What should we expect the consequences to be? There are specific aspects of this crisis that have arisen and have impacted in the areas of learning and learning modes. Some consequences have decreased direct instruction/learning time. This as we know can impede student performance, with unequal impacts on different learning groups of students such as special education and English Language Learners. Online learning and teaching shows that they are effective only if students have consistent access to the internet and computers. Schools have received the funding needed to provide all students who need a computer and internet the ability to receive one. School devices have been handed out including hotspots for internet use. Unfortunately, not every student has the best internet service and hotspots can be temperamental which has impeded learning. “One of the most critical opportunity gaps is the uneven access to devices and internet access critical to learning online” (Soland, 2020)
How are school districts going to help students who are struggling with distance learning bridge the gaps? That is a hard question to answer within the world of education. Parents and some educators would simply say send them back to school, but its just not that easy. We assume an extended summer loss would be occurring during the period since schools closed back in March 2020. Teachers have found themselves planning on providing similar content to all students in their classrooms, or if they might need to further differentiate instruction based on a broader range of needs. Projections have shown that students may be substantially behind in math and English by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Students who typically lose the most learning during the summer tend to gain the most when back in school, but this may not hold for COVID-19. According to Schleicher (2020), the ground that students have to make up during the 2020-2021 academic year will probably be greater due to COVID-19. Teachers may need to set up learning goals for the year for their students that are ambitious but obtainable.
References:
García, E., & Weiss, E. (2020, September 10). COVID-19 and student performance, equity, and U.S. education policy: Lessons from pre-pandemic research to inform relief, recovery, and rebuilding. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.epi.org/publication/the-consequences-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-for-education-performance-and-equity-in-the-united-states-what-can-we-learn-from-pre-pandemic-research-to-inform-relief-recovery-and-rebuilding/
Schleicher, A. (2020). Education. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.oecd.org/education
Soland, J., Kuhfeld, M., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Liu, J. (2020, May 27). The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/05/27/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-student-achievement-and-what-it-may-mean-for-educators/