MSU study highlights negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on special education students in Michigan

Researchers at Michigan State University’s College of Education published a new study exploring learning gaps for students with disabilities and especially for those who are Black, Asian, and economically disadvantaged students — with the 2019-21 school years showing staggering declines in identifying students who could benefit from special education.

Data Science 4 Everyone Releases Groundbreaking Report: “State of The Field: Data Science and Data Literacy Education in US K-12”

Data Science 4 Everyone (DS4E) is announcing the release of a groundbreaking, comprehensive report that illustrates the critical gap between the skills students are currently learning and those required in today’s data-driven world. In “State of The Field: Data Science and Data Literacy Education in US K-12,” DS4E highlights the urgent need for data literacy education in the United States’ K-12 education system.

What happens if the Department of Education disappears? Expert warns how it could threaten quality, student mobility and more.

As the incoming presidential administration has proposed eliminating the federal Department of Education, Canisius University education expert Dr. Margaret Keller-Cogan is available to provide media commentary on the potential impacts across the K-12 education system. Dr. Keller-Cogan has extensive leadership…

Virtual learning detrimental to school attendance, especially in districts with higher poverty rates, study finds

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of chronic absenteeism have nearly doubled across the nation for students in kindergarten through grade 12.This increase was tied to the mode of instruction during the early years of the pandemic.

Expert: How to fight summer learning loss in children with active learning experiences

Active learning experiences can help combat learning loss children often experience over the summer, according to Suzanne McLeod from the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Summer learning loss, also called…

Cosmic ray detectors, built by Utah refugee teens, installed on Refugee Services Center

The detectors, which measure echoes of cosmic particles bombarding Earth’s atmosphere, were built by participants in a program called “Investigating the Development of STEM-Positive Identities of Refugee Teens in a Physics Out of School Time Experience.”

Rutgers Experts on School Climate and Conditions for Learning Available to Comment on Post-COVID Educational Challenges

Dr. Alicia Raia-Hawrylak, Co-Project Manager for the School Climate Transformation Project (SCTP), is available to comment on post-COVID concerns related to school climate, including student behavior and bullying, social and emotional learning, staff retention, and using data to guide the…

Study finds school improvement plan (SIP) templates continue to be enacted out of compliance rather than as mechanism for spurring and sustaining improvement efforts in schools

Resources for school improvement efforts, such as school improvement plan (SIP) templates, can espouse governmental entities’ perspectives on and requirements and recommendations for the school improvement planning process. These resources, in turn, can influence how educators enact school improvement efforts generally and the school improvement planning process specifically.

University of Delaware education expert releases “Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice”

“Making Schools Work” offers three case studies of schools, including a statewide system, that are all realizing a 6 Cs approach to learning focused on collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence.

UAlbany Study: Pandemic Had Disproportionate Impact on Female Educators

A new study by University at Albany researchers found that female educators experienced the COVID-19 pandemic more negatively than their male counterparts. The study, which was conducted by NYKids, a research-practice partnership housed within the University’s School of Education, adds to emerging research that is finding the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women in the workforce, who have dropped out at much higher rates than men.

DePaul University faculty experts available to discuss back-to-school topics

National education discussions from teacher shortages to curriculum requirements and school safety have been front and center throughout the summer. With many school districts close to opening the 2022-23 academic year, including Chicago Public Schools on Aug. 22, DePaul University experts are available to offer insights and commentary on a variety of back-to-school topics.

UAlbany Experts Available to Discuss the Fall 2021 Return to the Classroom

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2021) – As students across the country prepare for a return to in-person learning this fall, the coronavirus is surging again, with the delta variant now accounting for most new U.S. cases and the number of…

HOW TO HELP STUDENTS TRANSITION BACK TO FULL-TIME, IN-PERSON LEARNING

As students return to a traditional school day—some for the first time in 18 months—many teachers and administrators are looking to support their math and language arts lessons with social-emotional and character development (SECD) skills. SECD refers to the integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) and character development (CD), and involves recognizing and managing emotions; developing caring and concern for others; making responsible decisions; establishing positive relationships; and capably handling challenging situations.

Back to school: Florida State University center provides resources for families to help young learners

By: Nathan Archer | Published: August 5, 2021 | 10:50 am | SHARE: As children across the country prepare to go back to the classroom — some for the first time since the COVID-19 global pandemic began — the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) at Florida State University has launched a resource section specifically for families navigating those crucial early years of learning.

K-12 Education Expert Available to Discuss Losses in Social Skills and Advice for Teachers and Parents

Carleton Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Services of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), will be available to provide information on how teachers and parents can support their K-12 students and…

Survey Finds Regional, Racial Divides in K-12 Remote Schooling Impact During Pandemic

More than 70% of K-12 students across the country experienced some remote schooling during the 2020-21 school year, with stark differences emerging along regional and racial lines and the worst effects on students’ social relationships, according to a new, nationally representative study conducted by Ipsos, using its KnowledgePanel, for the Tufts University Research Group on Equity in Health, Wealth and Civic Engagement.

Analysis Finds that Digital Picture Books Harm Young Children’s Learning—Unless the Books Have the Right Enhancements

A comprehensive meta-analysis of prior research has found, overall, that children ages 1 to 8 were less likely to understand picture books when they read the digital, versus print, version. However, when digital picture books contain the right enhancements that reinforce the story content, they outperform their print counterparts. The results were published today in Review of Educational Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

Expert Available: School Psychologists, COVID-19, and the Return of In-Person Learning

By now, with the COVID-19 pandemic approaching the one-year mark, the impacts of extended quarantine on all ways of life have been well documented. And no group may be more affected than the youngest members of society: children. Virtual schooling…

College and Career Readiness Trainings For Parents Proving Critical to Keeping Children’s Postseondary Dreams Alive

Osiris Dominguez has dedicated her life to helping her four children succeed. She reads the latest information on college and career readiness and how best to support her children’s postsecondary dreams. But she worries about other parents in her small community along the Rio Grande who struggle to find information to help their sons and daughters become the first in their families to attend college.

Last week, the special education aid at San Elizario high in El Paso County, took a virtual College and Career Readiness Advisor Training that she says provided critical information for parents in a new and digestible way. Offered by CFES Brilliant Pathways, a non-profit that has helped over 100,000 students attain college degrees, the training is part of a nationwide effort by CFES to address a 30 percent decrease in college enrollment among students from low-income families.

Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders

More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students.

COVID-19 and the Future of Education

The year 2020 hasn’t just been one for the history books: It’s made quite an impact on K-12 grade books as well. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on into another school year, the school playground has instead become a battleground for adults — teachers, parents, school administrators, public health officials, lawmakers — rowing over the future of education: Should schools reopen? Is remote learning just as effective as in-person classes, and is the technology available to ensure equity for all students? For schools that open, is enough funding available to effectively protect teachers and students from COVID-19? For those that don’t, what about parents’ need to return to work despite the need for at-home teaching? For answers, we turned to Bradley Marianno, a UNLV College of Education professor and expert on teachers’ unions.

Free ArtPlay workshops for teachers will share tips for virtual teaching Aug. 11, Aug. 17

When musical theater and visual arts summer camps went online at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this summer, staff did not know what to expect. The award-winning camps, presented by UAB’s ArtPlay, are always popular, to the point of selling out all available spaces. Despite the teachers’ fears, campers and their parents loved the new virtual camps.

CSU Receives Grant to Continue Residency Scholarship for Teachers in High-Need California Schools

​​​The California State University (CSU) received a $500,000 grant to continue its CSU Residency Year Service Scholarship Program. The scholarships will help to lessen student debt for aspiring teachers during these economically challenging times, aiding in the completion of their academic programs and improving new teacher retention. The CSU’s teacher preparation program is the largest in the state and among the largest in the nation, producing more than half of California’s new teachers.

1/3 of Parents in 3 States May Not Send Children to School Because of COVID-19

Most parents surveyed in three states support measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure risk, including decreasing the number of children on buses, daily temperature screens for students, alternating between in-person and online classes, regular testing of school staff, and requiring school staff and older children to wear masks.

Caution urged for reopening schools to prevent spread of COVID-19 crisis

Irvine, Calif., June 15, 2020 — With fast-approaching preparations required for a new school year with no consensus plan yet in place, a team of clinicians, scientists and educators – including a University of California, Irvine pediatrician – stress the need for caution when re-opening America’s schools and advocate for large-scale viral testing in children, contract tracing and other actions to avoid compounding the COVID-19 crisis.

Four things school districts need to know before moving learning online

As the number of cases of COVID-19 multiplies and the duration of school closures increases, school districts are struggling with the feasibility of providing students with online learning opportunities. A new report from Michigan State University’s Quello Center reveals the challenges schools face if they plan to move online.

Another Unintended Consequence of COVID-19: Cyberbullying Could Increase

School districts nationwide are now providing K-12 education online. Stuck at home all day, students will be using apps even more than they already do, which could cause an increase in cyberbullying among youth. Many cyberbullying targets will hesitate to get help from their parents and will suffer silently because they can’t readily stop by the guidance counselor’s office or chat with a teacher after class. A cyberbullying expert provides important tips and advice for teachers and parents.

Creating a new normal for kids during the uncertainties of COVID-19

The list of schools canceling classes indefinitely is growing, and day-to-day life has been disrupted like never before – all because of increased social distancing measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. This lack of routine, coupled with the fear of an unknown illness, can be overwhelming for children. A pediatric psychologist with the Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) explains what parents can do to maintain a sense of normalcy for their children during this time.

CFES Brilliant Pathways Kicks Off Nationwide Effort to Train 5,000 College and Career Advisors to Increase Student Success

Leaders in higher education, business and K-12 education shared the latest research and best practices with 50 individuals from New York and Vermont as part of a national effort by CFES Brilliant Pathways to train 5,000 College and Career Readiness Advisors by 2022.