This quantitative study was designed to investigate whether a relationship existed between reading achievement and instructional modality during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall of 2020, school districts developed return-to-school plans that outlined if they would provide in-person, hybrid, or remote instruction to students following the state…

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…

From late spring of 2020 to the present, the U.S. educational conversation about learning in K-12 public schools during the pandemic has been about the fact that students did not learn as much, widening the achievement gap due to digital learning. Some K-12 public schools and school districts have reported no learning loss. This exploratory study…

In spring 2024, the authors surveyed 190 American School District Panel member districts about what interventions (e.g., tutoring, additional staff, additional instruction time) they were still using during the 2023-2024 school year to assist with students' learning recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related setbacks.…

This research was intended to find the reasons for limited parent involvement at two different Elementary schools within the same district in the Mid-Atlantic region. Parent involvement is known to be a valuable means to bridge any achievement gaps, motivating students to be more successful. If the main reasons for limited participation by parents…

The COVID-19 pandemic, along with historical inequities, resulted in a widening of the achievement gap between underserved populations and more advantaged students. In response to this issue, California took action by allocating additional funds to public school districts for out-of-school-time services through the Expanded Learning Opportunities…

The roles of technology and education were at the forefront throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study examines the role of the three levels of the digital divide (i.e., access, capability, and outcomes) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. We create and analyze a new multifaceted measure of district-level digital capacity to…

I provide a broad frame for understanding racial disproportionality in special education by showing how the inequity is a byproduct of the educational debt. I used a single case study design that relied upon qualitative semi-structured interviews, document analyses, and school board meeting transcripts gathered from a mid-sized urban school…

We use data from oral reading fluency (ORF) assessments to examine COVID-19's effects on children's ORF in over 100 U.S. school districts. Students' development of ORF largely stopped in spring 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fall 2020, students' gains in reading were stronger and similar to prepandemic rates. However, fall…

This report is based on evidence gathered during visits undertaken in November and December 2021. HM Inspectors (HMI) visited four stand-alone early learning and childcare (ELC) settings; 15 primary schools including 13 with nursery classes and one with Gaelic Medium Education; 13 secondary schools; three special schools; three community learning…

Two years ago, the Heritage Foundation "Backgrounder" "Equity Elementary" (ED616087) first examined the extent to which the idea that educational institutions should have Chief Diversity Officers (CDO) had spread from higher education into public school districts. That "Backgrounder" also examined whether there was a…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down public school buildings across the United States in early 2020, research on academic indicators has documented disproportionate--and potentially long-lasting--impacts on Latino students. This report examines several strategies and practices that have tremendous promise for accelerating Latino students'…

Education has faced unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic; evidence about the subsequent effect on children is of crucial importance. We use data from an oral reading fluency (ORF) assessment--a rapid assessment taking only a few minutes that measures a fundamental reading skill--to examine COVID's effects on children's reading…

When Maryland's governor ordered all schools closed on March 12, Baltimore was not a COVID-19 hot spot. But there was little doubt that the city would soon be profoundly affected by the virus due to its high levels of poverty, cramped housing conditions, and prevalence of blue-collar workers who had to continue working in close quarters. Sure…

This study examines Arkansas school districts' response to COVID-19, specifically focusing on the type of distance/remote learning methods school districts switched to toward the end of the spring 2020 semester. The instruction methods range from online teacher-student instruction through platforms such as Zoom and Google Classroom to alternative…