When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, teachers around the United States shifted to distance learning practically overnight. In both general education and special education, many teachers did not have tools or strategies in place to provide deaf students with accessible lessons and support. Teachers needed to change their materials quickly and…

This article describes Western Governors University's emergency management student support program in place prior to the pandemic and the challenge to adapt and address the unprecedented needs students faced due to COVID-19. Included are key lessons learned in addressing the impact of COVID-19 and evidence-based learnings in response to the…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, special education social workers (SESWs) had to adapt to meet the needs of families and students rapidly. Traditionally SESWs delivered services through in-person modalities in schools. However, as the world changed overnight to comply with stay-at-home orders, these social workers found themselves in a unique…

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…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) addresses educational access in a brick-and-mortar setting but does not specifically address how to meet the parameters of free appropriate public education (FAPE) and least restrictive environment (LRE) in an online or virtual setting. An increased desire by students with disabilities…

While the one-shot model of instruction is the most common model of library instruction, a review of the literature highlights that academic librarians have struggled to identify how and if it is possible to meet curricular needs. This theoretical literature review takes a critical look at the one-shot and argues that this model fails to be the…

The COVID-19 Pandemic that hit the world in the 2019-2020 school year impacted school systems just as it did everything else. School districts had to shift the way instruction was delivered as most districts closed their doors due to the orders of the governor in the spring of 2020. Fear of the Coronavirus and the unknown of its potential to…

Last month, the U.S. government lifted the emergency designation put in place three years ago to address the COVID-19 pandemic. But the impacts of the pandemic live on, especially in schools, where there is a dire need to address the interrupted learning students experienced and continue to wrestle with now that they are back in classrooms. The…

An estimated five million young people were experiencing disruptions to their education through experiences like a placement in foster care, an experience with homelessness, or incarceration. Despite these students' different circumstances, the root causes of their educational challenges are consistent: interrupted learning, barriers to…

The Transformational Empowerment for Adolescent Marginalised Girls in Malawi (TEAM) project provides complementary basic education to adolescents who have been left behind by the mainstream education system. Its students are primarily girls who face multiple intersecting barriers to learning, including disability, child marriage, motherhood,…

A central lesson driven home by the struggles of schools around the globe during the pandemic is that education systems are inadequate to meet society's future needs, according to James D. Basham. He believes it is time for systems that are learner-centered and flexible enough to meet the needs of all students--from those with disabilities and…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in nearly all universities transitioning their in-person courses to online instruction. Recent work from our research team conducted in Spring 2020 established that the immediate transition to online learning presented novel challenges for students with disabilities: students were unable to access previously…

In this monumental time of social change, community college news and reports need to be at the forefront of all professionals working in higher education- not just those who work in these unique institutions. Why? There are several reasons, each of which become more apparent while flipping through the pages of Inside Higher Ed's special report…

In March, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), within the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund to address the specific and urgent needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona emphasized that services provided under the ARP-HCY…

Climate change and natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical shocks have increasingly disrupted school education around the world in recent years. Whether leading to school closures, school destructions or repeated interruptions in students' learning experiences, these external shocks have translated into lost learning…