Socio-emotional learning (SEL) is essential for the holistic development of a child. It is a process through which individuals acquire and effectively apply their knowledge and skills to understand and manage their own emotions, show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Schools function…

The Forum is pleased to present the "Forum Guide to Student Learning Data During Pandemic School Closures and Beyond." The purpose of this resource is to review how local education agencies (LEAs) and state education agencies (SEAs) changed their approaches to collecting and using student data during the pandemic and how they are working…

All over the United States, adult ESL programs enroll students who are undocumented immigrants, often unbeknownst to the instructors who teach them. During the COVID-19 crisis, adult ESL enrollments decreased overall, but most especially for the undocumented immigrants who were most disadvantaged during the crisis. In order for program…

How can we reassure anxious students while teaching remotely--especially as educators, too, feel overwhelmed by stress and the need to educate kids while minimizing risk of infection by COVID? Minahan details concrete ways teachers can support and calm students with serious anxiety or trauma histories. She includes examples of "what to…

This book systematically approaches the topic of the relatively new field of digital pedagogy and provides valuable insights for teachers and students, education policymakers, leaders in education, and others whose professional engagement is related to education in modern society. It discusses topics including what digital pedagogy involves as…

Ms. Lewis, a Native American parent has a son named Ashkii who receives special education services in a rural elementary school located on a reservation. She has not received support from the individual education program team regarding Ashkii's academic progress due to COVID-19. The challenges in accessing special education services for Ms. Lewis…

For rural locations, the use of remote learning may provide schools the opportunity to meet student needs without requiring students to travel long distances to access services. It is critical that teachers of students with disabilities understand how to support learning and know how to use the accommodations, modifications, and assistive…

When the pandemic forced many schools to transition to virtual or hybrid learning, educators often struggled to meet the language and learning needs of the diverse population of English learners (ELs) with disabilities. Although many schools are in the process of returning to school, distance learning (including virtual and hybrid learning…

Teachers have one of the greatest responsibilities in the world: supporting children to grow into caring, competent citizens equipped with the skills to lead productive and fulfilling lives. In the best of times, teaching can be challenging and stressful. Starting in 2020--amidst COVID-19 and with a spotlight on inequities in the United…

Entering academia can be a stressful and overwhelming experience for any first-year professor. Nobody expects that their first year as an early career professor will involve having to navigate the unique difficulties that can arise during a global crisis. This article takes a multidisciplinary approach to persevering through the unique struggles…

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had far reaching implications on every aspect of human life -- from where we work, to where we feel safe to grocery shop, to how we greet friends. At the same time, the pandemic has exposed long-standing issues of structural racism, xenophobia, social and economic inequities, precipitating multiple large-scale…

As countries around the world, including the United States, continue to navigate a return to work, family, education, and leisure after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Psychological Association provides this resource for educators and families to promote mental health and academic success for students worldwide. Based on current…

Purpose: In March of 2020, Minnesota schools were mandated to transition to distance learning to slow the spread of COVID-19. The charge of providing equitable and appropriate remote learning to all students gave administrators, educators and non-academic staff a few weeks to completely redesign education. This paper aims to describe one…

As schools reopen their doors and students return to the classroom, what will the "new normal" of special education look like? The pandemic exposed educational inequities and areas of urgent need--and now, schools have a unique opportunity to press pause and reimagine their practices. This book helps K-12 school leaders and educators…

Disparate adult responses to student behavior, combined with increases in mental health issues and student trauma, compound the equity gap of racially minoritized students. Research suggests a correlation between social emotional learning (SEL) and student success (Gregory & Fergus, 2017). Providing a two-prong approach that includes (a) SEL…