Parents and siblings can also support simple learning exercises (for example UNICEF’s “child-to-child” programs). The COVID-19 “mess” for education is a unique one. This page houses a wide variety of resources created by NCSC and the CCJ-COSCA Rapid Response Team (RRT) to help state courts deal with challenges presented by the pandemic. Maintaining the standard instructional time requirement, but explicitly allowing flexibility for districts to meet this requirement during distance learning (e.g. many different guidelines related to education in emergencies, in Los Angeles for example, a majority of children rely on school meal programs, in New York, homeless children rely on schools for bathing and laundry, Can they be used as crisis hubs for the community, aggressive upswing in marketing of educational software, technological solutions often exacerbate existing inequalities, even the best solutions require careful attention to the crucial interface between technology, teacher, and child, radio broadcast have been used effectively in many countries, research suggests that relying on parents will not be enough, COVID: School Closures and Education Systems. While school closures may be necessary to slow the spread of the virus, they can adversely affect both parents, who might have to take off work to care for their child, as well as students, particularly low-income students, who rely on school meals for lunch. illness or death is more likely to result than during seasonal flu. According to a review by the National Academy for State Health Policy, 38 states plan to vaccinate teachers and school staff in Phase One. What will you do to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of your staff during the crisis? NCSL tracks current research and state and federal action to assist our members in making decisions that support each child’s educational growth. Leading public health experts argue that states and local governments should prioritize opening schools ahead of bars, restaurants and other businesses. Exams across West Africa were cancelled last week in response to the pandemic. For now, just a few points to keep in mind: Address the needs of the most vulnerable children and youth. Risk and risk management is something that we all face and all deal with every day, whether we own a business, whether we are part of government, or whether or not we even think about it in our daily lives. Maintaining the standard instructional time requirement during distance learning (e.g. However, widespread school closures indicate more robust testing and contact tracing may be needed to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools and return students to the classroom. On Dec. 22, 2020, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated its recommendations for vaccine distribution: frontline workers, including school staff, are included in group “1B,” along with individuals 75 and older. NCSL Magazine: New Resources Track School Reopening Guidance, Requirements, NCSL Magazine: States Act to Give Schools COVID-19 Liability Protection, NCSL Health Program – State COVID-19 Actions, NCSL Health Program – COVID-19 Health Policy Snapshots, NCSL Webinar – State Planning for Distribution and Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) – COVID-19 Testing Plans by State and Jurisdiction, Council of State Governments – State Vaccination Plans, National Academy for State Health Policy – Review of State Vaccination Plans, Kaiser Family Foundation – State Plans for COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization. Among states that have established their phase 1B and 1C vaccination plans, approaches include: States also acted to develop testing plans, submitted to the CDC. Generous inputs were also provided by Luis Crouch, Barbara Bruns, Ben Piper, staff at Room to Read, and Professors Scott Davies and Janice Aurini. By the end of March 2020, the U.S. Department of Education had offered a waiver from testing requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and all 50 states, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, had cancelled their state exams. Appointing a body within your ministry to coordinate these inputs can help. Washington, D.C. 20001 Current CDC guidelines recommend testing symptomatic school community members and their close contacts, and sampling school communities for surveillance testing. Experts in student attendance and absenteeism argue that effective data collection and early intervention are crucial to combating the negative impacts of student absenteeism. As this school year began, major news reports documented the struggles low-income students faced when trying to complete remote work or even attend class. Offering seat time waivers to districts to account for school closures (e.g. In California, the State Board of Education. EdTech businesses have flourished, and educational institutions have embraced B2B EdTech tools to deliver instruction through online learning. In addition, the agency released a set of indicators based on local COVID-19 transmission and test positivity rates for district leaders to use in making reopening decisions. Even in the richer countries, schools provide social services that are difficult to replace—in Los Angeles for example, a majority of children rely on school meal programs; in New York, homeless children rely on schools for bathing and laundry. NCSL Blog – Leveraging Afterschool and Summer to Help Students Catch Up, Keep Up, NCSL Webinar – Pandemic Learning Loss and Approaches to Summer Learning, Northwest Evaluation Association – Learning During COVID-19: Initial Findings on Students’ Reading and Math Achievement and Growth, National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment – Rethinking School Accountability for the 2020-2021 School Year, McKinsey & Co. – COVID-19 and Student Learning: The Hurt Could Last a Lifetime, McKinsey & Co. – COVID-19 and Learning Loss: Disparities Grow and Students Need Help, Center for Reinventing Public Education – Learning As We Go: Principles for Effective Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Attendance Works – Attendance Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic, National Governor’s Association – State Reopening Plan Database, Education Commission of the States – Instructional Time Requirements (50-state comparison), Education Week – Five Things You Need To Know About Student Absences During COVID-19, NCSL Database: State Action on Coronavirus Relief Funds, NCSL Database: State Education Legislation Addressing COVID-19, Higher Education Responses to Coronavirus, Education Finance in the Time of COVID-19, NCSL Blog: How States Are Using CARES Act Funds to Support K-12 Education, NCSL Policy Brief: Addressing Social and Emotional Needs During COVID-19: Emerging Themes in School Reopening Guides. With rigorous economic research and practical policy solutions, we focus on the issues and institutions that are critical to global development. A protective response is to allow for automatic promotion (in K-12 education) while ensuring earmarked places and remediation for disadvantaged populations in future admissions processes. Ministers, educators, communities, families, and learners will all have to make decisions in a context of “radical uncertainty.” To assist decision-making during the pandemic, we highlight six things that you as a minister of education should consider as you plan. This is close to 80% of the world’s enrolled students. The education landscape has changed, just as society has changed. As case counts have risen in rural communities, more rural districts have considered or moved to remote or hybrid instruction, prompting concerns that a lack of broadband access may affect students’ ability to learn. District leaders, school heads, and teachers often have detailed information about the needs of children and families in their communities—you may be able to call on them for advice to ensure that the most vulnerable children are protected and return to school. This website uses cookies to analyze traffic and for other purposes. Replace essential services. As of March 23, more than 124 countries have closed their education systems either in full or in specific regions, and closures now affect more than 1.25 billion learners worldwide. This group is recommended to receive the vaccine after most healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities are vaccinated, but before the general population under 75. Requiring some level of in-person instruction, while allowing districts to obtain a waiver based on high levels of local COVID-19 transmission (e.g. NCSL Magazine: Will the Pandemic Change the Way We Deliver K-12 Education? Students in rural communities face particularly severe challenges in accessing the internet for schoolwork. Engaging directly with children is an emerging innovation in crisis communications. Required federal testing affects schools’ ratings in state accountability systems, potential school closures, funding, and myriad other decisions affecting students and teachers. Not all communities are equipped with the broadband infrastructure … Tel: 202-624-5400 | Fax: 202-737-1069, Research, Editorial, Legal and Committee Staff, E-Learning | Staff Professional Development, Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce, Public Education's Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, Copyright 2021 by National Conference of State Legislatures. Many education systems are organized around high-stakes examinations and credentialing. Even in high-resource systems, the use of online technological platforms for teaching is in its infancy. In many states, statute ties school funding to schools meeting certain requirements for “seat time” for each student. For example: Other state legislation directly addresses the learning loss phenomenon to mitigate the educational impacts of the pandemic. And even the best solutions require careful attention to the crucial interface between technology, teacher, and child. The effects of a pandemic can be lessened if preparations are made ahead of time. You will also have learned lessons from past crises. The process typically starts with a reading assignment from Modern Cabinetmaking, the … Education ministers are going to have to plan not only for an indefinite period of school closure, but also for the potential that either some or all schools may have to close again in a second wave of the virus. What grade would U.S. public schools earn during the pandemic? 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