This open access edited volume is a comparative effort to discern the short-term educational impact of the covid-19 pandemic on students, teachers and systems in Brazil, Chile, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the first academic comparative studies of the educational impact of the pandemic, the book explains how the interruption of in person instruction and the variable efficacy of alternative forms of education caused learning loss and disengagement with learning, especially for disadvantaged students. Other direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic diminished the ability of families to support children and youth in their education. For students, as well as for teachers and school staff, these included the economic shocks experienced by families, in some cases leading to food insecurity and in many more causing stress and anxiety and impacting mental health. Opportunity to learn was also diminished by the shocks and trauma experienced by those with a close relative infected by the virus, and by the constrains on learning resulting from students having to learn at home, where the demands of schoolwork had to be negotiated with other family necessities, often sharing limited space. Furthermore, the prolonged stress caused by the uncertainty over the resolution of the pandemic and resulting from the knowledge that anyone could be infected and potentially lose their lives, created a traumatic context for many that undermined the necessary focus and dedication to schoolwork. These individual effects were reinforced by community effects, particularly for students and teachers living in communities where the multifaceted negative impacts resulting from the pandemic were pervasive. This is an open access book.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the nation's K-12 education system. The rush to slow the spread of the virus led to closures of schools across the country, with little time to ensure continuity of instruction or to create a framework for deciding when and how to reopen schools. States, districts, and schools are now grappling with the complex and high-stakes questions of whether to reopen school buildings and how to operate them safely if they do reopen. These decisions need to be informed by the most up-to-date evidence about the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19; about the impacts of school closures on students and families; and about the complexities of operating school buildings as the pandemic persists. Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prioritizing Health, Equity, and Communities provides guidance on the reopening and operation of elementary and secondary schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The recommendations of this report are designed to help districts and schools successfully navigate the complex decisions around reopening school buildings, keeping them open, and operating them safely.

If the coronavirus does not get us, our ignorance might. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious gaps in Americans’ education. Did education cause the outbreak? No. Did our assumptions, false narratives about the world, and our willingness to blindly accept whatever our partisan poohbahs said contribute to our woes? Perhaps. Could education be improved so we can better understand the world, nature, public health, economics, and our own government? Absolutely. During the pandemic, thousands of teachers flocked to the silicon sanctuary as shelter-in-place mandates forced schools and universities into the digital classroom. Instructors urgently wanted to know which boxes to click in their learning management systems. The “how to” literature proliferated, and much of it walked a fine line between reasonable adjustments and outright abdication of high standards of academic achievement and intellectual development. A case is made here that education was in trouble long before COVID-19 appeared, and that if we do not make substantial reforms in our schools and colleges—whether online or not—we will be at the mercy of our own ignorance, as the problems of the twenty-first century crash into our lives.

Through the broad lens of political economy and centred around education reform policy, this essential book provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of American public education and the impact of Covid-19 on calls for change. Drawing upon evidence from nations that routinely outperform America, this text proposes a more holistic approach to accountability and improvement within the American public education system. Chapters explore the issues faced by the current American public education system and proposes potential solutions, including: the role of government as provider of education services; liberty, democracy, and freedom and the ability of parents to control their child's education; growing frustration with schools, public policies surrounding Covid and other potential crises; and how these concerns will impact the school choice movement. This is an important read for researchers and postgraduate students in education, teachers, parents, public policy makers and appointed government officials who wish to improve the quality of public education. Whether for or against school choice, this book will leave you better informed on current issues of American public education.

"The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated much uncertainty around the HE landscape. Global lockdown measures led to university campuses closing and moving to an online mode for teaching and learning. Scholars have reported that the physical closure of HE institutions has been detrimental to student learning worldwide, whilst others have advocated the possible opportunities that may arise from reshaping HE through technologies. The disruption caused to education by the pandemic has had a significant impact on the learning experience for students; self-directed study time has increased, levels of stress and anxiety experienced by students has increased, and the lack of face-to-face interaction with lecturers and other students has led to feelings of isolation. Educators have reported that due to the immediate urgency of the lockdown there was little time to plan in advance for online delivery and assessment. From a financial perspective, the effects of the pandemic led to a loss for UK universities of 1790 million during 2020, which is forecast to increase to a loss of 12.6bn during 2021. Enrolment numbers have declined, and the recruitment of international students, who make up a high number of the market sector, has been severely impacted. It is clear that HE institutions as a whole are facing significant challenges in these uncertain times. This edited collection addresses the need to examine the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic upon teaching and learning in higher education, examining the challenges and opportunities associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and outlining current perspectives, practices and innovations which will contribute to an understanding of the current situation for higher education institutions. Research and best practices on adapting to online modes of delivery and the implications of this are reported upon. The need for this edited collection is to share best practices with educators during this time of uncertainty"--

Educating dual language learners (DLLs) and English learners (ELs) effectively is a national challenge with consequences both for individuals and for American society. Despite their linguistic, cognitive, and social potential, many ELsâ€"who account for more than 9 percent of enrollment in grades K-12 in U.S. schoolsâ€"are struggling to meet the requirements for academic success, and their prospects for success in postsecondary education and in the workforce are jeopardized as a result. Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures examines how evidence based on research relevant to the development of DLLs/ELs from birth to age 21 can inform education and health policies and related practices that can result in better educational outcomes. This report makes recommendations for policy, practice, and research and data collection focused on addressing the challenges in caring for and educating DLLs/ELs from birth to grade 12.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher preparation programs modified their practices to fit the delivery modes of school districts while developing new ways to prepare candidates. Governmental agencies established new guidelines to fit the drastic shift in education caused by the pandemic, and P-12 school systems made accommodations to support teacher education candidates. The pandemic disrupted all established systems and norms; however, many practices and strategies emerged in educator preparation programs that will have a lasting positive impact on P-20 education and teacher education practices. Such practices include the reevaluation of schooling practices with shifts in engagement strategies, instructional approaches, technology utilization, and supporting students and their families. Redefining Teacher Education and Teacher Preparation Programs in the Post-COVID-19 Era provides relevant, innovative practices implemented across teacher education programs and P-20 settings, including delivery models; training procedures; theoretical frameworks; district policies and guidelines; state, national, and international standards; digital design and delivery of content; and the latest empirical research findings on the state of teacher education preparation. The book showcases best practices used to shape and redefine teacher education through the COVID-19 pandemic. Covering topics such as online teaching practices, simulated teaching experiences, and emotional learning, this text is essential for preservice professionals, paraprofessionals, administrators, P-12 faculty, education preparation program designers, principals, superintendents, researchers, students, and academicians.