Publication date: May 15, 2024
Education experts share how parents can close the education gap caused by COVID-19
By Movieguide® Contributor
Education experts share advice for parents looking to close the education gap created by COVID-19.
“We are meeting students and parents where they are and bringing solutions,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said today.
He emphasized the need for children to attend classes physically rather than learning online, and said schools and parents should work together to create educational opportunities outside of school hours to bridge the gap caused by COVID-19. He added that there is a need to create
“This is partly a response to the crisis that started with the pandemic, but to be honest, this is also a response to the failure of many systems for decades before the pandemic. It is not enough to just go back to the way things were before. We have a great opportunity to truly transform our education system,” Carvalho explained.
She cited after-school programming and participating in programs during school breaks as ways to keep children's minds focused outside of the classroom.
Carvalho also encouraged parents to get involved and recognize their power to make a difference, saying, “By providing information to parents, we can show them how they can become powerful voices disrupting their schools. I want to show that.”
“I don't think we will ever be able to close the gap,” Carvalho concluded. “That's because our school system has wide open doors. We welcome new students as long as we can improve the learning and performance conditions of our current students every day.”
But he added: “'When you know better, you do better.' That's where we are now.”
Carvalho and his team are not alone in their focus on educational inequality. Harvard University's Center for Educational Policy Research and Stanford University's Educational Opportunity Project recently collaborated on a study examining education levels before and after the pandemic.
“If you look across the states, last year's recovery was actually large by historical standards,” said Thomas Cain, an economist at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “This rebound is twice the average annual rate of change in the National Assessment of Educational Progress from 1990 to 2019 and 50% greater than the annual rate of change from 1990 to 2013, when math scores grew the fastest. So it was big, but it varied from state to state.”
He echoed Carvalho's recommendation that parents get involved, saying, “The first place is to let parents know that their child is falling behind.” Many polls show that parents believe their children are already catching up. They are misinformed. Parents can play a role in advocating for increased spending on academic recovery. ”
Karyn Lewis, a member of the Center for School and Student Advancement and principal investigator at NWEA, told PBS: They should do more of what they are doing. ”
She further added, “I can't accept that this is our new normal. I hope others don't do it, but because if we did something like that, we would just shrug it off and tell our kids.” If we just accept that we are far behind than we were before, that's a problem…I don't think we can just shrug it off and accept that this is the way it is. ”
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4000+ faith-based articles and movie reviews – Can you support me?
Our small team works tirelessly to provide resources to protect families from harmful media, reviewing 415 movies and shows and writing 3,626 uplifting articles this year. We believe the gospel can transform entertainment. That's why we emphasize positive, faith-filled articles and entertainment news, and make hundreds of Christian movie reviews available to the public for free. We don't have a paywall, only providing trusted, Bible-based content that will bless you and your family. Movieguide online is your closest source of instant access to Bible entertainment experts. As a reader-funded operation, we welcome all contributions. If you are able, please donate something. It takes less than 52 seconds (I timed it). thank you.
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