This case study involves a new school superintendent, unions, parent groups, and a school board. The case demonstrates how the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic impacted the relationships between a school board, teacher and administrator unions, parent organizations, and the school superintendent. It is the story of…

The harm to student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has been well documented and an incredible influx of resources--including $260 billion in federal government investment--has been dedicated to support schools' recovery. Much of this money has been spent developing and expanding academic recovery efforts such as after-school tutoring and…

At a time of deep partisan divides, Afterschool Alliance surveys have found an area of consensus around support for afterschool and summer learning programs. Across the political spectrum, parents identifying as Democratic, Independent, and Republican strongly agree that afterschool and summer learning programs are keeping kids safe, inspiring…

Today, students' academic achievement is slowly seeing a return to pre-pandemic trends. Researchers do not estimate a full recovery in the near future, and studies show students continue to struggle with feelings of stress, isolation, anxiety, and depression. As the nation seeks solutions to help young people amidst these struggles, voters and…

Universal screening and progress monitoring are evidence-based practices in early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) for infants/toddlers are measures that programs can use for universal screening, progress monitoring, intervention decision-making, and accountability.…

During a typical family mathematics night (FMN), families are invited to a school, and parents and guardians work on mathematics activities with their children while teachers facilitate activities and share information on how to better support children in their mathematical development. How might this engagement change when information is not…

A new survey of approximately 1,500 parents or guardians of school-age children provides a snapshot of the current afterschool program landscape, documenting that while children and families who are able to access afterschool programs report high levels of satisfaction, for every child in an afterschool program, there are four more who are waiting…

As it grew safer for schools to reopen fully in spring 2021, "FORUM" convened a roundtable discussion to hear more about the experience of teaching and learning through the pandemic, and how that experience might help us rethink the education system. Melissa Benn chaired this wide-ranging and insightful conversation between Eliane…

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly and dramatically altered the world. As people begin to emerge from the COVID-era, learning and personal growth have been an unexpected silver lining on these dark days. Pearson asked 6,000 college students and parents of school age children in four countries how young people think about themselves, their careers, and…

COVID-19 prompted unprecedented disruptions to schools with challenges particularly severe for high-poverty remote rural schools. This case study recounts the story of a rural school that had participated in a research-practice partnership (RPP) multi-year improvement effort prior to the pandemic and documents the ways the RPP and the school-based…

Parents and high school counselors play a tremendously influential role during a student's college search. But how has that support changed during the COVID-19 crisis? This white paper from RNL looks at new survey results of parents and counselors to show how the current crisis has altered their expectations and behaviors toward the college search…

State leaders are grappling with generation-defining challenges as they work to fully understand and address the impact of the pandemic on students and communities. As leaders turn their attention to the upcoming school year, data continues to be a critical tool for informing recovery efforts. Data Quality Campaign's (DQC) 2021 public opinion…

Through their response to the pandemic, teachers unions overplayed their hand and exposed inherent failures of the one-size-fits-all government school system. Families are now thankfully figuring out that there isn't any good reason to fund institutions when they can fund students directly instead. Support for school choice is through the roof,…

Data reasoning and digital literacy skills, especially the ability to find, represent, and accurately interpret the relevant data, are critical in workplaces and lifetime experiences. Given the importance of developing data reasoning skills from learners' experiences, this article aims to describe teacher and student actions that contributed to…

This year saw unprecedented disruptions to schools and to students' lives across the country. With a global pandemic shutting school doors, causing economic instability, and highlighting the impact of systemic racism, policymakers and education leaders are looking to data to help them respond and recover. The Data Quality Campaign's 2020 research…