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Two years after California schools reopened their classrooms to in-person instruction following the Covid-19 pandemic, students continue to struggle – both academically and emotionally.
Both of these factors are deeply connected and recovery requires a team effort, according to panelists at the EdSource round table Nov. 15 discussion, “Reenergizing learning: Strategies for getting beyond stagnant test scores.”
Getting California’s learners back on track, panel members agreed, involves the work of school administrators, teachers, parents and the students themselves.
“Students came back, not just with some of this delayed learning, but they lost a lot of opportunities for socialization, which has led to different kinds of behavior in school that make readiness to learn more difficult,” said Heather J. Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education.
Keeping students engaged
With chronic absenteeism soaring across the state from 12.1% in 2018-19 to 30% in 2021-22, the panelists said it is critical for schools to go beyond targeting specific causes for absenteeism – and create a culture where students feel excited to go to school.
“Kids need to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of being valued and cared about,” said Yolie Flores, president and CEO of Los Angeles-based Families in Schools.
“…..But I don’t see as much of a focus on [social, emotional] side of the learning. And I wonder if it’s because we still don’t really understand how children learn and what sparks that fire to want to learn.”
Members of the panel discussed programs that are used to gauge students’ concerns so they can be addressed. The San Ramon Valley Unified School District, for instance, holds more regular screenings to measure students’ sense of belonging through a partnership with UC Berkeley, in addition to the statewide California Healthy Kids Survey.
The district is also piloting a diagnostic tool that provides immediate feedback to teachers on students’ thoughts about belonging in their specific classrooms.
Further south, Adalberto Hernandez said at George Washington Elementary School in Madera Unified School District, students recite affirmations: “I am loved; I am valued; I matter,” they declare each morning.
John Malloy, the superintendent of San Ramon Valley Unified, added that schools and educators need to do a better job of getting to know students’ needs as well as their “strengths, interests and passions.”
A big part of why kids decide to come to school, Hough said, depends on answers to certain questions: “How does this fit into the future that I envisioned for myself? Am I getting the right kinds of training for my college or career goals, or the life that I want to live?”
Malloy added that the most impactful strategy “is listening to our students, creating the conditions for them to share their voice and their wisdom, whether it’s kindergarten or 12th grade.”
Support for teachers
Students aren’t the only ones affected by the pandemic: teachers need to be equally supported, because their jobs have gotten harder in the past couple years, panelists said.
“Teachers have been tasked with the job of accelerating learning, but they’re facing much more difficult student needs and, maybe in some cases, students who aren’t in school,” Hough said, adding that there’s widespread vacancies because of problems in filling various school positions.
Parental involvement
Parents, however, are not fully aware of the academic struggles their children may be going through – even though they can play a major role in their child’s achievement.
Flores, the president and CEO of Families in Schools, said a nationwide Learning Heroes survey of families found that 92% of families believe their children are on track in reading and math.
“There’s confusion between what they see from the state. There’s confusion from the report cards that generally say that their kids are getting A’s and B’s, and yet they’re not reading at grade level,” Flores said.
“So what needs to happen is much more clarity and targeted information to families so that they can understand specifically how their children are doing.”
Some parents may want to be more present at their child’s school but may be limited by their work schedules, making involvement challenging. Even in cases where parents may take the time to visit their children’s classroom, they don’t always know what to look for in terms of effective instruction.
“It’s nice when parents are involved, but in a community like ours, we’re not depending on that for student success,” Hernandez said. “We communicate. We involve them. We invite them, and we do events like the Calenda traditional celebration in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and we had great parent involvement after hours. But during the school day, it’s on us.”
Classroom approach
Getting students to learn – and not just memorize material – is also vital, according to the panelists.
“I’ve been taught to take tests, but I’m not sure I know how to learn,” Malloy said a student told him during a Student Voice Circle, and that the statement has stuck with him, and that his district has since broadened their vision for success.
“If kids are thriving, it means that they are true, independent learners when they graduate from us,” Malloy said. “They have a confidence in their ability to think and to create.”
One strategy to help students really learn, panelists said, is to focus on teaching a few concepts thoroughly rather than covering a broader range of topics on a more cursory level.
If done properly, tutoring also helps, Hough said.
“What makes tutoring effective,” Hough said, “is that those tutors are trained, that they’re being asked to do things that are aligned with the instructional strategies that the teacher is using, so that that’s….reinforcing what they’re learning in school.”
Panelists discussed dual admission as a solution for easing the longstanding challenges in California’s transfer system.
A grassroots campaign recalled two members of the Orange Unified School District in an election that cost more than half a million dollars.
Legislation that would remove one of the last tests teachers are required to take to earn a credential in California passed the Senate Education Committee.
Part-time instructors, many who work for decades off the tenure track and at a lower pay rate, have been called “apprentices to nowhere.”
Comments (3)
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Larissa 5 months ago5 months ago
Working in education, I see so much need for improvement in pretty much every area; there is no doubt about that. However, we have got to stop blaming Covid for the lack of education being provided! Covid is no longer a valid excuse. These problems were mounting even before Covid. Covid just brought them to the surface all at once. The real issues we're facing in education have much more to do with lack of … Read More
Working in education, I see so much need for improvement in pretty much every area; there is no doubt about that. However, we have got to stop blaming Covid for the lack of education being provided! Covid is no longer a valid excuse. These problems were mounting even before Covid. Covid just brought them to the surface all at once. The real issues we’re facing in education have much more to do with lack of discipline, allowing phones on campuses/in classrooms, and Chromebooks. These are the three main factors interrupting the course of education. Having Chromebooks in the classroom as early as kindergarten is the biggest mistake, and unfortunately, it isn’t going to change anytime soon. Kids cannot learn to read, write, spell, or gain confidence in math with a Chromebook. Chromebooks are an unnecessary distraction in education. Students should be learning with books, pencils and paper. Grades K-3 are instrumental in building the foundation for learning, beginning with learning to read/write. With the electronic component now distracting educational flow, kids are not learning these crucial skills as early. I firmly believe no student should see a computer in their class until at least the 4th grade. That one change, alone, would drastically improve classroom performance. Unfortunately, this is a movement that gets no momentum because school districts are too invested in “keeping up with technology”.
Replies
Ms. Bee 5 months ago5 months ago
I agree with you. I read this article and all I thought about was how much more can be added on to teachers’ daily responsibilities before they all leave. I have a class of 32 students, with 2 students at grade level in ELA right now. The rest are below grade level, with most 2 to 3 years behind . None are at grade level in math. Most don’t do their homework. Out … Read More
I agree with you. I read this article and all I thought about was how much more can be added on to teachers’ daily responsibilities before they all leave.
I have a class of 32 students, with 2 students at grade level in ELA right now. The rest are below grade level, with most 2 to 3 years behind . None are at grade level in math.
Most don’t do their homework. Out of 32 families who were given the opportunity to meet with me at the beginning of the year to discuss their child’s academic abilities, half showed up. I had appointments until 5 pm, and offered to meet at their convenience should the appointment times available were not convenient. No one contacted me. The onus should be on the parents, but it appears to be on schools. Students spend a very small part of their day with teachers. We can’t solve all the challenges, though we are expected to.
This article needs more information on the struggles teachers are facing in the classroom. We are expected to coddle students, we are expected to accept bad behavior, and we receive no support. If anything, we receive more to do!
The suggestions here are laughable and unrealistic. Visiting classrooms in their real state is something that all of these experts should do. Ask questions of those that work at the schools, from the office staff to the custodians, the teachers to the principals. What challenges are we facing? What are the students like? Why do we think this is happening?
Do this before we all leave!
Debra Williams 5 months ago5 months ago
Ms. Mallika Seshadri I would like to introduce my Character and Leadership Development Workshop, HOPE, for the academic acceleration of students in Los Angeles Unified School District. It is no secret that COVID-19 altered the learning process and academic progress of students. The shutdowns, lack of classroom instruction and Social Emotional Learning coupled with social distancing had a devastating effect on both students and teachers' ability to teach most effectively. HOPE … Read More
Ms. Mallika Seshadri
I would like to introduce my Character and Leadership Development Workshop, HOPE, for the academic acceleration of students in Los Angeles Unified School District.
It is no secret that COVID-19 altered the learning process and academic progress of students. The shutdowns, lack of classroom instruction and Social Emotional Learning coupled with social distancing had a devastating effect on both students and teachers’ ability to teach most effectively.
HOPE is an extraordinary student workshop that provokes diligence in striving to fulfill academic potential, excellence in conduct and helping others to excel.
The life-building principles of HOPE are illustrated in five PowerPoint modules: Personal Responsibility, Leadership Character, Academic Excellence, Commitment to Your Dream and Perseverance. This highly interactive presentation significantly boost enthusiasm to learn, avoid pitfalls, and achieve education and career goals.
Without a doubt, HOPE would significantly contribute to the elevation of academic performance in LA Unified School District.
I would like to be a part of this effort to help youth catch-up and surpass their prior COVID-19 performance.
Debra Williams
Founder & Presenter