Cpre Knowledge Hub

When schools closed their doors this spring, countless educational case studies, clinical trials, surveys and other research came to an abrupt halt. While not as dire as the pandemic's impacts on health and instruction, this widespread disruption could reverberate in the education field for years to come. A new article, coauthored by a team of researchers including the University of Texas at Austin's David DeMatthews, sheds light on those impacts and offers a number of recommendations for researchers hoping to resume their work - and possibly transform it - in the years ahead. DeMatthews joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the article, and how the pandemic may have shown us "the best of what educational research can do."

Early results from a nationwide survey of district and charter school network leaders highlight successful approaches used in schools this spring and a number of common concerns for the fall and beyond. The results, published in a brief by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), include promising strategies for improving student access, fostering engagement, addressing socioemotional needs and supporting students with disabilities. AIR Senior Researcher Dia Jackson discusses the brief and AIR's research into other district and charter network responses in the wake of the pandemic, which will continue to be published throughout the 2020-21 school year.

A new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) examines the supports that preschool students received - or in many instances didn't receive - when classrooms closed their doors this spring. The study, coauthored by NIEER Senior Co-Director W. Steven Barnett, found that more than half of students were receiving no remote support at all within two months of the closures. Most other students, according the report, received remote supports less than once per week. Barnett discusses his team's findings, their potential impacts on students, and some important implications for policymakers, practitioners, school leaders and families as we move into the 2020-21 school year.

Following a chaotic spring semester and extended school closures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many students will require additional academic support as instruction resumes this fall. A new policy brief, coauthored by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research's Elaine Allensworth and the Annenberg Institute's Nate Schwartz, offers some research-backed strategies for schools attempting to address student learning loss in the months ahead. Allensworth discusses the brief, the potential scope of learning loss, and a number of interventions and supports proven to accelerate learning for struggling students.

How - and under what conditions - can schools reopen safely in the wake of a global pandemic? And what resources will school systems need to provide effective instruction in the months ahead? In a special episode, we speak with Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sharfstein addresses the ongoing debate over school reopenings and offers some evidence-backed recommendations for policymakers, districts and school leaders. We also speak with Mike Magee, CEO of the bipartisan, national network of state and district education leaders Chiefs for Change. Magee discusses a potential second round of federal coronavirus aid, and the financial and logistical needs of school systems across the country. Magee also offers insight into Chiefs for Change members' educational plans for the 2020-21 school year, and shares some free resources for stakeholders now planning for the fall and beyond.

A new study into summer learning loss details the academic costs - and the cumulative impacts - of time spent away from school. The study, led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Allison Atteberry and the RAND Corporation's Andrew McEachin, found that more than half of students experienced learning loss every summer from first through sixth grade. While some students actually made gains over the summer, the study found that others lost nearly 90 percent of their academic progress over the same period. Atteberry joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her team's findings, and some important implications for districts and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools with more supportive working conditions were far more successful at helping their teachers maintain a sense of success during COVID-19-related school closures, according to a multi-state survey conducted by researchers Matthew Kraft (Brown University) and Nicole Simon (CUNY). The survey, conducted in partnership with Upbeat, also found that mid-career teachers particularly struggled to balance work and home responsibilities this spring, while veteran teachers were significantly more likely to report discomfort with remote learning technology. Kraft and Simon join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the survey, and some important implications for districts, schools and teachers now preparing for the fall.

In the chaotic shift to online education this spring, many districts did not communicate an expectation for teachers to monitor student progress, track attendance or provide live instruction, according to a new study by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE). The study, coauthored by CRPE Associate Director Betheny Gross, also found that affluent districts were twice as likely as high-poverty districts to require live instruction during school closures. Gross discusses her team's findings and some evidence-backed recommendations for school systems and instructors now planning for the fall.

Balancing widespread health, academic and political challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, districts and schools will also face the prospect of reduced budgets as they attempt to resume instruction this fall. Renowned economist and education researcher Eric Hanushek (Stanford University) joins CPRE Executive Director Jonathan Supovitz (University of Pennsylvania) to discuss the potential economic and workforce impacts of the pandemic, and how a prolonged downturn might affect students. Hanushek also offers some research-backed recommendations for states, districts and school leaders hoping to rebound from one of the greatest educational challenges in living memory.

After facing extended school closures and the cascading socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, students will require an unprecedented level of support in their return to school this year. A new report, coauthored by The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Chiefs for Change, analyzes successful interventions across the globe and offers research-backed recommendations for states, districts and school leaders now planning for the fall and beyond. Report coauthors and Johns Hopkins University researchers David Steiner and Ashley Rogers Berner join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings and some important planning considerations for stakeholders across the country.

Students will face an uphill battle returning to school in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a growing body of research on the academic costs of extended school closures. Could large-scale tutoring help level the playing field? We speak with Robert Slavin, Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University and co-founder of the Success for All Foundation. Slavin joins CPRE Executive Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss decades of research into the benefits of tutoring, and the promise - and feasibility - of offering quality tutoring to millions of students in the 2020-21 school year.

Is blended learning a viable option for schools looking to reopen - and provide quality instruction - in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? It may depend on the approach. We welcome Barbara Means, Executive Director of Learning Sciences Research at Digital Promise, and founder and former Co-Director of the Center for Technology and Learning at SRI International. Means discusses years of research into various blended learning strategies, and offers some evidence-backed recommendations for states, districts and schools now planning for the fall and beyond.

Math tracking is widely used in American schools to group students according to academic ability and need. A recent study, however, found that tracking can significantly reduce students' academic mobility, landing many in "math traps" from which escape is nearly impossible. Study coauthors Federick Ngo (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and David Velasquez (University of Southern California) join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings, and some important implications for policy, practice and future research.

Personal views and political leanings can influence a teacher's perception of news source credibility, according to a study of more than 1,000 high school social studies teachers across six states. The study, coauthored by Northeastern State University's Christopher Clark and the University of Georgia's Mardi Schmeichel, also found that a teacher's operational definition of credibility can influence how they perceive various news sources. Clark and Schmeichel join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings and offer some evidence-backed strategies for teachers - and students - across the country.

As states, districts and health departments begin planning to reopen schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders are being encouraged to prepare for multiple scenarios and a variety of challenges faced by students, staff and local communities. A new set of planning considerations - released this month by the American Academy of Pediatrics - offers some important guidance regarding instructional time, physical and mental health, special populations, and more. Pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health Dr. Nathaniel Beers joins the podcast to discuss the guidance, and what school might look like for millions of students beginning this fall.

A new survey of teachers and district leaders finds that COVID-19-related school closures have had significant impacts on student engagement, truancy, morale and educational equity. The survey - the latest in a series conducted by the Ed Week Research Center since March - also offers a window into district officials' plans for reopening in the 2020-21 school year, and the perceived effectiveness of various remote learning tools. Holly Kurtz, director of the Ed Week Research Center, join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the survey results and some important implications for educators and district officials across the country.

Universal prekindergarten programs, which offer free enrollment for most or all age-eligible children in a city or state, have been expanding in the U.S. in recent years. Few studies, however, have examined which families do – and which families don’t – apply to them. A recent study of thousands of Boston students, coauthored by the University of Michigan’s Anna Shapiro and Christina Weiland, finds that non-white and economically disadvantaged families are significantly less likely to apply and enroll in universal pre-k. Shapiro and Weiland join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings and some important implications for policymakers, families and other stakeholders across the country.

Forty-six states and Washington D.C. have officially extended school closures to the end of the 2019-20 academic year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as millions of students face extended time away from schools, parents and researchers are questioning the academic cost. We speak with Ian Rosenblum, executive director of The Education Trust New York, and Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of The Education Trust West, about new polls showing that parents are overwhelmingly concerned about students falling behind in the wake of the pandemic. Then CPRE Executive Director Jonathan Supovitz speaks with NWEA research scientist Megan Kuhfeld about a new set of projections - based on research into the "summer slide" - forecasting the potentially “devastating impact” of COVID-related school closures. (Segment begins at 19:42). We also discuss some potential strategies to mitigate learning loss, improve equity and navigate one of the most challenging periods in American education.

Coaching can significantly improve skill development among pre-service teachers, according to a new study using mixed-reality simulations for practice and assessment. The study, coauthored by the University of Virginia's Julia Jackson Cohen, found that coaching in a simulated environment can have significant impacts on skills like classroom management, as well as perceptions of student behavior and approaches to addressing perceived behavioral issues. Cohen discusses her team’s findings, and their potential implications for teacher education during – and following – the COVID 19 pandemic.

A new study examines the gaps between black and white students in areas like discipline, grade-level retention and gifted program enrollment, and how those gaps are linked both within and across school districts in the U.S. Study coauthor Kenneth Shores (Penn State University) joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss his team's findings, and some important implications for policymakers, school leaders and other stakeholders.