After over a full year of school closures, several teachers and school administrators are busy preparing for the long-awaited return to in-person classes this fall. But while worries of student learning-loss, momentum, and social-emotional well-being remain at the forefront of parent and school administrators’ concerns, the significant impact that this past year had on teachers cannot be overlooked.
We celebrated National School Social Worker week from March 7 – March 13, 2021 as part of Social Work Month. This school year provided unique challenges for school social workers (SSWs) as well as opportunities for innovation.
Due to COVID-19, educators have been tasked with finding new ways to continue teaching their students virtually with little time to prepare. In particular, since the start of the school closures, federal requirements for (IEP) compliance have changed
This school year has presented many uncertainties for teachers as they continue to navigate virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning environments. Using clear and positive communication can build trusting and supportive teacher-student relationships, especially with students who experience behavioral challenges. But what exactly does effective educator-student communication look like, particularly in a virtual space? Below, we … Continue reading Strategies for communicating effectively with students across learning environments
Spring 2020 school closures left teachers and district officials scrambling to restructure their classrooms with as few disruptions as possible. High school teachers faced the difficult task of trying to preserve their students’ motivation to finish strong and stay on track to graduate, despite the looming anxiety and uncertainty that students had about their futures. … Continue reading How to boost wellness for high school students during distance learning
This new online learning module from the IRIS Center offers tips to support your child’s learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the IRIS Center creates high-quality, online open educational resources (OERs) about evidence-based instructional … Continue reading Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This story from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) helps young children and families talk about their experiences and feelings related to COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place. In the story, the coronavirus has spread to Littletown causing changes in everyone’s lives. The story opens doors to conversations about COVID-19, ways that … Continue reading Trinka and Sam Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka, Sam, and Littletown Work Together (NCTSN)
The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) offers a collection of resources for schools dealing with COVID-19. There are specific planning resources for school administrators and staff, several wellness resources, technology tools to support mental health, and data collection resources for researchers assessing COVID-19-related behavioral health. http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/COVID-19/
We spoke with two teachers at the beginning of school closures and again at the end of the school year to learn about their adjustment to distance learning.
The uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic has upended the daily lives of children across the globe, and parents and caregivers have struggled to explain the changes brought by COVID-19. Two medical students in California wanted to help bridge that gap inspired them to write a free children’s book called “Why We Stay Home” and offer … Continue reading Why we stay home