The picture of education that has emerged since the coronavirus forced students and teachers into remote learning is clear and troubling: There’s less of it, and the children with the greatest need are getting the least. The picture of diminished instruction is clear, it’s not simple and carry serious implications as schools plan to reopen in the fall.
Some students are getting live video lessons for hours daily and staying in close contact with their teachers, while others get no real-time instruction and hear from their teachers perhaps once a week. Many teachers are pulling 12-hour days, while many others work less than they did a few months ago. Some parents push angrily for stronger academics during home-learning, while others demand relief, saying they can’t handle home-schooling along with their other obligations.
So how do educators maintain high-quality instruction while providing the flexibility to families—and they themselves—all while trying to survive a national crisis? That is an especially important question if remote learning, or some version of it, continues in many school districts next fall due to the coronavirus.
Many parents are concerned about the decline in their children’s learning time as many states have signaled the need for flexibility during coronavirus, waiving seat and instructional-time requirements. Many districts offered flexibility by using pass/fail grading systems or deciding that students’ remote-learning work wouldn’t lower their grades.
When buildings closed, the school district's didn’t attempt to replicate its seven-hour, 20-minute school day, moving instead to an approach in which students cycle through live online instruction and independent work on assignments. This move also hurt student engagement if presented with instruction on new material.
If school districts aren’t better prepared in the fall, with plans to address the different types of access gaps and instructional gaps then the weight of that responsibility falls to students and their families.
For years Club Z! has provided effective distance learning for students to narrow those instructional gaps and engage your child through our online platform. With 1-on-1 instruction our expert tutors maximize your child's learning in all subjects.
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