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.