January 27, 2021 | Los Angeles Times

As of yesterday, Californians are in the midst of what you might call an uncontrolled experiment brought on by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sudden move to lift the state’s regional stay-at-home order, allowing outdoor dining and other business operations to resume...

COVID-19 and the Educational Equity Crisis

Evidence on Learning Loss From the CORE Data Collaborative
Commentary authors
Summary

The impact of the pandemic on California students' learning, gauged from 18 school districts in the CORE Data Collaborative, highlights significant learning loss in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, primarily affecting younger grades. The equity gap is pronounced, notably among low-income students and English language learners (ELLs), experiencing more substantial setbacks than their counterparts. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students faced slower growth, while others accelerated their learning, intensifying existing achievement disparities. Upper-grade ELLs encountered severe setbacks due to challenges in virtual language development. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted support to redress these disparities, emphasizing the gravity of unequal experiences during the pandemic. Yet, data limitations call for deeper investigations into absent student groups to refine learning loss estimates. Addressing this crisis necessitates a student-centric approach, prioritizing social-emotional well-being and systemic educational reforms to accommodate diverse student needs.

A Tiered Approach to Ensuring Students Are Present, Engaged, and Supported in the 2020–21 School Year

Commentary authors
Cecelia Leong
Summary

Educators throughout California are deeply engaged in strategizing to bolster student attendance, whether in remote or in-person learning setups. Addressing absenteeism, they highlight the absence of conducive learning conditions and advocate for increased support, especially for students facing challenges like internet access or COVID-related trauma. Emphasizing a non-punitive stance, this commentary introduces a multi-tiered strategy, categorizing interventions into three tiers based on students' needs. It stresses data-driven decision-making, proactive outreach, tech assistance, expanded learning programs, mentoring, mental health services, and personalized attendance plans as pivotal elements. Tailored interventions for varying levels of absenteeism (Tiers 2 and 3) encompass tech support, expanded learning programs, mentoring, mental health services, and personalized attendance plans. The authors underscore early identification of at-risk students while advocating collaborations with community agencies for extensive support, punctuating the importance of engaging students, families, and communities in crafting solutions amid the pandemic's challenges.

August 6, 2020 | Los Angeles Times

Many teachers, students and their families can agree on one thing after experiencing the unexpected hurricane that was distance learning this spring: It must improve—especially in the earliest grades, transitional kindergarten through second grade. Our youngest students, from ages 4...

August 3, 2020 | CalMatters

A week before some California districts start school, many parents remain in the dark about what online learning will look like as teachers unions and districts negotiate instruction plans — in some cases behind closed doors. Major points of contention...

Measuring Daily Attendance and Participation During COVID-19

An Invaluable Tool for Reducing Educational Inequity
Commentary authors
Cecelia Leong
Summary

Monitoring attendance, especially during COVID-19, holds immense importance, reflecting educational disparities. Chronic absence predicts future academic challenges. Student absences signal inadequate learning conditions and require systemic solutions. Senate Bill 98 mandates daily attendance tracking and participation documentation in distance learning, ensuring early interventions for absent students. Measuring attendance in remote settings is complex, but vital. Attendance Works suggests a multi-metric approach, identifying at-risk students and barriers to participation. Different responses address various challenges—connectivity, relationships, or instructional engagement. Tracking absence rates per learning opportunity helps pinpoint support needs. Recommendations include publishing chronic absence data, collecting connectivity statistics, and providing guidance for asynchronous learning data collection. Detailed attendance tracking aids targeted interventions and ensures equitable learning experiences.