Reopening Schools: Education During COVID-19 Explained by Experts
With the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact still being felt in every area of American life, rigorous reporting on the crisis remains vital. To meet this need, Scholars Strategy Network has compiled a list of scholars who are available to be contacted for comments and analysis. Below are the scholars who can comment on the current debate around school reopening plans in the United States.
You can connect with all researchers available to comment on the COVID-19 pandemic here.
"Many families that have hourly-wage jobs are facing their work hours being reduced. In addition, we have families that have been furloughed. In both scenarios it leads to families feeling economic pressure. A number of these families depended on school meals to feed their families. With a number of K-12 schools going online in the fall, schools are encouraged to find a way deliver meals to children. USDA needs to provide schools the flexibility over parent/guardian pick-up of meals for their school-aged children. Related Pandemic EBT needs to continue. To ensure that children receive proper nutrition, USDA, local government, and private agencies need to work together."
“School closures last spring disrupted education for many students and exacerbated inequalities in learning. At the UF Education Policy Research Center, we are actively tracking how school districts are planning for reopening and how policymakers are navigating the balance between student safety and educational needs.”
Grosland's research focuses on policy responses, and specifically on pedagogical and emotional responses and the implications for policy. Overarching themes in Grosland's writings include educational leadership, politics, and urban education. Grosland is interested in what it means to experience, not just policy itself, but rather what urban educators consider important social policy.
"School nutrition professionals are asking Congress and the USDA to allow schools to serve universal free meals during the 2020-2021 school year. This policy should be implemented. School foodservice departments across the country have done tremendous work to keep kids fed during the pandemic, but they need federal support to keep their programs financially viable and to ensure that all students can be fed safe, nutritious food during the upcoming academic year. The federal government needs to step up to provide supplemental funding to all school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program to ensure they can pay their workers and serve meals safely. In addition, the government should provide supplemental funds for schools to purchase locally grown food from small-scale producers for use in their school food programs. This will help ensure that kids are getting healthy, fresh food with every meal and boost the incomes of farmers who have seen their sales plummet with the closure of restaurants and college dining halls."