The Recreation Management and Leadership (RML) program at Western Washington University utilizes a cohort-based model in which sequenced courses and overnight retreats work in tandem to cultivate an inclusive learning community. COVID-19 necessitated not only that we quickly move all of our courses online, but it challenged us to transition our…

This article examines the challenges and opportunities of teaching an online university seminar on Death Rituals in the midst of several domestic and global crises, including: the COVID-19 pandemic; the massive uprising for Black Lives and against police homicides of unarmed Black individuals; and the climate crisis. In light of these ongoing…

University students stepped into synchronous remote learning as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in spring 2020. Temporal limitations of the live field trip-based paradigm in teaching ecology have been complicated by remote learning. To meet the challenge, we have designed and deployed an immersive virtual ecology platform with associated field…

The decision about how and when to open schools to in-person instruction has been a key question for policymakers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The instructional modality of schools has implications not only for the health and safety of students and staff, but also student learning and the degree to which parents can engage in job activities.…

As schools shift to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to support disenfranchised populations and keep issues of equity at the centre of our response. In this study, the authors focus on supporting one of the few urban-based Indigenous language schools in the United States because language revitalisation is critical…

In the shift from on campus to online education, liberal arts colleges have lost much of the interaction among students that fosters student engagement, learning, and satisfaction. We present an online, student peer-to-peer mentoring program that creates learning partnerships between students and recreates this vital cocurricular learning online.…

COVID-19 profoundly affected teacher preparation during the 2019-20 school year. Based on survey responses from nearly all Washington state teacher education programs (TEPs), Kathryn Choate, Dan Goldhaber, and Roddy Theobald find that the pandemic had predictable but concerning effects on teacher preparation. Most notably, student-teaching…

COVID-19 profoundly impacted teacher preparation during the close of the 2019-20 school year. Based on survey responses from nearly all Washington State teacher education programs (TEPs), we find that the pandemic had predictable but concerning effects on teacher preparation; most notably, student teaching requirements were greatly reduced or…

During the COVID-19 emergency pivot to virtual learning environments, the researchers sought to understand mentors' and teacher candidates' experiences in K-12 schools so that they could offer improved training and support. We surveyed 60 mentor teachers' and 92 teacher candidates' perceptions of preparedness for a virtual learning environment…

The decision about how and when to open schools to in-person instruction has been a key question for policymakers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The instructional modality of schools has implications not only for the health and safety of students and staff, but also student learning and the degree to which parents can engage in job activities.…

When Governor Jay Inslee (D) closed the public and private schools of Washington State's 1.1 million students on March 13, 2020, state education leaders made several key decisions that influenced the state's attempt to deliver education services during the COVID-19 crisis. These decisions reflected the political priorities of the large, unwieldy,…

Nothing in these past three months was in the training manual. Not in formal education, probably not in lived experience, and certainly not faced by the system as a whole. This document contains the initial fall reopening guidance by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). This guidance is grounded first and foremost…

The future of arts education is at stake. This paper attempts to examine the future of arts education via the responses of a qualitative survey, student samples, individual interviews, and research regarding arts education as essential education for all learners during a pandemic and beyond. The sudden decree that all attendance at public and…

Higher education is increasingly important for individual wellbeing, the economic competitiveness of Washington state, and the state's recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. However, postsecondary enrollment trends have not kept pace with the state's changing economic needs and expanded financial aid programs. Issues with stagnant direct enrollment…