A national survey of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in England was conducted during the summer of 2020 in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The annually conducted survey typically collates demographic data about the SENCO workforce, but given the wider context, this particular survey also included nine questions about…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services and families, impacting family access to services and their communication and engagement with educators. This study aimed to examine parents' perspectives of family engagement with ECEC services during the pandemic. Primary caregivers in…

This article illustrates how designing schools with Indigenous systems of relationality can be life giving for a healthier post-COVID world. Indigenous systems of relationality--the worldviews, beliefs and practices, and moral precepts of being in relation with the rest of the living world--are the cornerstone of Indigenous knowledges, and the…

In "A Long Poem: Take Time to…", I relate how the people on one city block engaged in a community based "long poem" art project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arranged in two parts, this paper first looks at the literature on community art and its impact on personal and social health and wellbeing. Second, I describe how a…

The education system is like a dialectical system that holds both hope and harm in its operations. However, at the same time, the realities of the educational system have historically and continue to bring great harm to BIPOC communities and have hindered them from flourishing from the ideals of what schools have the potential to bring…

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…

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'…

The challenges and changes driven by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the education sector have been linked to high rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms in school-aged populations. Despite this, it is also acknowledged that children and young people can be resilient and adaptable, with the right support in…

Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultation has gained increasing attention over the years as an effective approach to supporting young children's social-emotional development (Brennan et al., 2008; Hepburn et al., 2013). The current syndemic (the aggregation of two or more concurrent epidemics that interact synergistically to…

In Spring 2020, National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) convened a working group of authorizers and other stakeholders to learn more about the challenges they faced, given the data gaps caused by COVID-19, and to ask what guidance was needed for the sector to adapt to these unusual circumstances. Based on their feedback and…

This report offers an initial overview of the available information regarding the circumstances, nature and outcomes of the education of schoolchildren during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns of March-April 2020. Its purpose is primarily descriptive: it presents information from high quality quantitative studies on the experience of learning…

This slide deck is a toolkit to help districts adapt existing school performance frameworks to the current moment or create new ones. These slides identify and walk through the fundamental questions districts need to consider in designing school performance frameworks that acknowledge the challenges that schools and students are facing, as well as…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Family Engagement." Contents include: (1) Effective Family Outreach in the…