Multi-pronged policy strategy for COVID-19 learning recovery for BIPOC students¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 mixed) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report offers a set of policy recommendations meant to encompass a wide range of supports: improving remote learning (broadband, devices, technical support, family communication, teacher professional development), extending learning time (summer enrichment, early school start, extended days, high-quality tutoring tied to school curriculum), targeting federal resources equitably to districts and schools with higher concentrations of BIPOC and low-income students, and addressing academic, social, and emotional needs through regular assessment, mental health screening and counseling, and expanded school meal programs.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Recommendations assume policymakers can direct federal resources and that districts can coordinate with community-based organizations with a proven track record of serving BIPOC communities

Constraints¶

• The report states data should not be used to underinvest: in some places data has been used to underinvest when it should be used to target more resources

Target Learners¶

• BIPOC students in grades 3-8, particularly Black, Latinx, AIAN, and Native Hawaiian students in high-poverty schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Recovery of math and reading achievement and growth toward and beyond pre-pandemic rates of learning

Claims¶

• High-poverty schools were overrepresented among New York charter schools that had not provided devices to students before building closure (86.8% of non-providers vs 79.3% of the sample) [~W]
• Just under half of New York charter schools (45.8%) reported no challenges supporting ELL/MLL students remotely; high-poverty schools were more likely to report challenges [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use summer learning loss research to help educators, policy makers, and families plan for and address impacts of extended school closures
• When planning for the school year during COVID-19, schools and districts should weigh public health factors alongside educational factors such as potential learning loss
• Use federal ESSER and IDEA funding to provide early intervention, extended school year support in the summer, and other evidence-based supports for students with disabilities
• Deploy federal recovery funding to support recovery, accelerate learning, and transform schools
• Design summer programs with purposeful curriculum, stable staff, and cultural relevance, sustained over multiple summers
• Federal policy should fund wraparound supports and community schools integrating health, mental health, social services, and extended learning time
• Policy implications: multi-factor, asset-based support for low-SES students

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Megan Kuhfeld, Erik Ruzek, Karyn Lewis, Jim Soland, Angela Johnson, Beth Tarasawa, & Lindsay Dworkin. (2021). Understanding the initial educational impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color. NWEA Research Report. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/understanding-the-initial-educational-impacts-of-covid-19-on-communities-of-color/