Four years after COVID-19 forced schools to close, some educators want a system overhaul.
When it comes to teaching during the pandemic, Jennifer Steele, an associate professor at American University’s School of Education, wasn’t just thrown into the mix as an educator, but also as a parent whose kids go to public school in Virginia.
“We were juggling all pieces of that. Teaching online, me at the university, and our kids learning online,” Steele said.
She says she understands why educators are pushing for a reset as fears continue to grow that students could be left with developmental issues from lost learning time.
“There may have been some skills that would have gotten covered in class that were hard to cover in remote or hybrid environments,” Steele said.
As for how this reset would work, Steele believes improving teacher burnout starts with pay and working conditions.
“Higher pay attracts teachers to high-need schools and keeps them there, but that isn’t the whole story. Working conditions and leader support matter a lot as well,” said Steele.
To help curb the learning gap and improve chronic absenteeism, Douglas Harris, an economics professor at Tulane University, says tutoring should be more readily available.
“Assign a tutor, who, in a very targeted way, can try and get them up to speed on the things they’re missing,” Harris said.
As for what families can do, Harris said it’s best to ask questions and get more involved.
“Parents should be asking teachers and school leaders at parent-teacher conferences and so on, ‘How is my child really doing?'” said Harris.
According to the Pew Research Center, about half of Americans think the public education system is going in the wrong direction, with 82% saying it’s been trending that way for the past five years.
Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.
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