Today, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and Results for America released two new EdResearch for Recovery briefs from leading education researchers addressing important COVID-related challenges facing policymakers, educators, and parents: distance learning and supporting immigrant students during COVID-19.
- Improving the Quality of Distance and Blended Learning - H. Alix Gallagher and Benjamin Cottingham (Policy Analysis for California Education, Stanford University)
- Supports for Students in Immigrant Families - Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj (University of California, Santa Barbara), Adam Strom (Re-Imagining Migration), and Veronica Boix Mansilla (Harvard University)
Here are a few key findings from the distance learning brief:
The quality of distance learning depends on the extent to which schools and teachers shift their pedagogy to ensure strong lesson design. To do this well, teachers will need additional time in their schedules to allow for ongoing professional development and increased instructional planning responsibilities.
Synchronous class time is most effective when it is built around small-group peer interactions and direct teacher-to-student feedback.
Teachers need to reserve time within the schedule for students to connect socially with each other in ways that build community and engagement.
Here are a few key findings from the brief on supporting students in immigrant families:
For the more than 20 million immigrant-origin students and their families in U.S. schools, COVID-19-related shifts to new modes of schooling create new concerns and exacerbate existing challenges around privacy and immigration status.
Schools that provide information about immigrants' legal and educational rights and available services, and offer educational assistance and guidance, can be instrumental in supporting immigrant students' school engagement and success.
Schools that take steps to embrace and incorporate the diversity of languages, identities, cultures, and family practices represented in their communities benefit from increased engagement and cross-cultural learning.
To read more EdResearch for Recovery briefs, visit our website. You can sign up to receive future briefs or participate in upcoming events here, and contact us if you'd like to connect with the researchers behind these briefs.