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Analyses of policy documents and interviews with three Norwegian politicians revealed differences in how school leaders were described, positioned and ascribed responsibility in Norwegian education policy between 1990 and 2017. While how politicians positioned school leaders changed substantially during the period, a stable trait was vague descriptions of school leaders' responsibility. In 1990, school leaders were envisioned in a managerial position, above teachers, as employers. A more recent White Paper, from 2017, positioned school leaders closer to the teaching profession. The interviews showed that after the PISA-shock in 2001, politicians united across party lines in a 'new regime of understanding', downplaying traditional conflicts between Norwegian politicians. While Parliamentary politicians rhetorically disagreed, there was, underneath the policy discourse, a growing realpolitik consensus in questions of education policy. The study investigates policy descriptions of school leaders after 1990, when Management by Objectives was introduced in education. To position Norway in the international policy context, we draw on Stephen Ball's concepts fabrication, managerialism, magical solutions and neoliberal performativity. Three periods, with simultaneously appearing residual and emerging tendencies were identified. In conclusion, we question an apparent lack of ambitions for school leadership in Norwegian education policy. The article contributes with new insights into education policy fluctations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the unintended consequences of emergency school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the impact of these closures on children and young people's United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and wider physical health rights. It addresses how States Parties should address and balance these rights during a crisis. It then contextualises the school closures, using global data mainly collated by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), exploring the direct health risk to children and young people from COVID-19 and the risk they posed to the wider community, finding both low. It then draws on findings from the Children and Young People's Commissioner, Scotland's COVID-19 Independent Children and Young People's Rights Assessment (ICRA) and wider literature identifying numerous unintended rights breaches, focusing on the rights breaches experienced by three particularly vulnerable groups of children and young people, namely those (i) at risk of physical or sexual violence; (ii) with additional support needs; and (iii) experiencing poverty and deprivation. Recommendations are made as to how to avoid breaching children and young peoples' physical health rights in future emergency school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of natural hazards on education systems are an understudied subject. This paper conducts a systematic review of the literature on multiple hazards and school education to explore hazard-induced disruptions in school education and the determinants of its vulnerability and resilience. The PRISMA framework is adopted to examine how indicators of vulnerability are clustered into various components for school vulnerability assessment. As the involvement of school children is vitally important in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and management at the local, regional, and global levels for resilience development in school education, the study also reviews school children's participation in initiatives from various international organizations. The review results show that participation by children in DRR is generally weak due to the authoritarian tendency of society and lack of trust in the ability of children. It is observed that damaged infrastructure causes school closures for prolonged periods, leading to discontinuity of education. The review also highlights the lack of policies in implementing the Comprehensive School Safety Framework and the role of social networks in building resilience at schools. Future research should provide clear guidelines on children's participation in DRR and the linkage between disruptions of school education and critical structural damage due to disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares approaches to accountability in US charter schools and English academies. We examine the development and main characteristics of these two types of schools before assessing how they are accountable, to whom, and for what. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, we explore the consequences of the accountability mechanisms in each jurisdiction. Our comparative analysis assesses the different and multiple forms of accountability to which charter schools and academies are subject. We discuss the similarities that exist in the two jurisdictions, albeit that the most consequential sanctions – closure of charter schools and transfer of academies – differ between countries. The final section concludes and highlights policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the professional situation of school principals during COVID-19 in Argentina, where one of the longest school closures in the world was maintained. It analyzes the existence of burnout, concerns, constraints and needs of 252 principals at the end of the 2020 school year. The results indicate that there is a double phenomenon of Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment, while tensions with regulations and working conditions are evidenced. We found a leadership open to the context, with greater autonomy and a strong emotional commitment, with implications and challenges for the post-pandemic future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The move to remote learning during Covid-19 school closures left children who had no access to e-learning infrastructure without options to continue their education. In this paper we present evidence from a large-scale para-teacher intervention which brought learning resources to the homes of children cut-off by school closures. Over the 6.5 months of intervention, children enrolled in the intervention saw an average increase in test scores of 1.87 SD, with greater gains for those with lower baseline assessment scores. With these gains achieved at a cost of 5.48-7.39 USD per SD, the intervention was extremely cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the COVID-19 pandemic triggered shelter-in-place orders and school closures, many turned to remote schooling as a means for delivering vital instruction while observing public health guidelines. However, the swift shift to remote schooling highlighted an area of significant educational inequity across the United States, especially in urban districts and immigrant households: technology access. Centering the experiences of Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers of emergent bilinguals with disabilities in New York City, this paper presents how technology served as both burden and utility for linguistically-, economically-marginalized families and shares how direct multilingual home-school communication was the most supportive yet scarce resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted teaching and learning globally, imposing widespread closure of schools from the elementary to tertiary levels. As of 14 April 2020, teaching activities of over 1.75 billion students globally were disrupted in about 200 countries that have implemented full or partial lockdown across the world. At the time of writing, the duration of the current pandemic cannot be ascertained. Therefore, the teaching and learning process should also adapt to the new normal, which includes suitable social distancing, self-isolation and other disruptive guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization. Thus, more than ever, COVID-19 has now emphasized the necessity to embrace different and flexible methods of teaching and, by extension, learning. Therefore, e-teaching and e-learning have emerged as complementary solutions that reduce disruption to educational activities. Despite having a solution in online teaching to reduce the effect of COVID-19 on education, it's noteworthy that the solution is not available to every educator, learner and school, especially in developing countries. In developing countries, especially across Africa, lack of awareness of the existing online teaching resources and their suitability for remote attendance teaching and lack of skill sets required for using the resources are the issues impeding online teaching. This paper reviews and evaluates twenty-two (22) remote attendance teaching resources, their special features and system requirements. The technical requirements, suitability, and limitations of each application are considered. The implementation challenges of using the resources are discussed, and some solutions are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread school closures and a consequent pause in school food programs (SFP), stakeholder groups soon found alternate methods for delivering meals and snacks to students. This paper examines the breadth of school food programming in Canada during the pandemic. SFPs collectively offered meals (breakfast was most frequent), food boxes, and gift cards and average weekly distributions were over 10,000 meals. In most cases, the programs provided enough food/coupons to feed multiple or all household members. Almost half the programs received funding from provincial/territorial governments and around two-thirds received charitable contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have a duty of care to children that extends beyond educational performance to include wellbeing and welfare. Yet, research has highlighted the tensions that arise when 'care' and 'learning' are treated as binaries, especially when schools operate within unequal socio--economic conditions. Extended COVID-19 school closures brought these issues into sharp relief, highlighting the central role of schools as a front line service in the lives of poorer children. This paper provides qualitative insights into the classed experiences of extended school closure and the role and response of schools through the eyes of parents, teachers and principals in Ireland. We frame these responses in the context of the provision of a careful education, exploring the role of normative and affective relations in teaching and learning. Questions are posed in relation to schools as care regimes and the 'mission creep' between educational and welfare provision in schools serving poorer children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, based on epidemiological research, data that was available during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that closing schools only had a limited effect on COVID-19 infections:[70] 'With such varied evidence on effectiveness, and the harmful effects, policymakers should take a measured approach before implementing school closures; and should look to reopen schools in times of low transmission, with appropriate mitigation measures'. The closure of schools has worsened the divide, and while it was a consequence of closing schools that was entirely obvious and foreseeable to policy makers, there is no evidence that it was given any proper consideration on the multiple occasions when the Government decided to close schools. A further November 2020 paper compiled jointly by Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) and the Department for Education (DfE) further illustrates how aware the Government was about the damage they were inflicting on children and young people through school closures.[60] And yet, the Government went on to impose two further mass closures of schools. 1. On 18 March 2020, the Secretary of State for Education (SSE) announced to Parliament the first ever nationwide closure of schools in England.[1] Schools were closed between 23 March and September 2020 for most of England's nearly nine million enrolled pupils and then closed again between January and early March 2021 in connection with the third national lockdown. [Extracted from the article]

This paper examines the political and relational dimensions of leading and managing schools in the early stages of pandemic-induced school closure in the four nations of the United Kingdom. It draws on in-depth interviews with 12 headteachers from primary, secondary and special schools. Headteachers used adaptive leadership strategies, including bridging, brokering and buffering, to recalibrate provision at pace. School closures demanded enhanced levels of coordination and communication around what mattered most. However, despite exercising creative agency, headteachers spoke of "clipped wings", with some feeling "vulnerable" or "alone" in attempting to mitigate often unknown risks amid constantly shifting guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational disruptions during COVID-19 in periods of lockdown have redirected attention to homes and parents as key partners in schooling. Educational literature explores multidimensional disadvantages faced by communities in England. COVID-associated school closures changed the relationship between school and home. Parents and family played an important role to provide support for their children's education. There is little reflection on the experiences of parenting during this time of uncertainty. The paper focuses on the parenting experiences of Bangladeshi and Pakistani families with GCSE years children (years 7-11) in supporting their children's education during periods of abrupt school closures. Qualitative data were collected during the third national lockdown from 19-families in England using semi-structured narrative interviews. We find that most of the parents were largely satisfied with the support provided through schools. However, resources were unevenly distributed, and the learning experience was non-interactive for many children. Parental anxiety for their children's futures and education was high. Nevertheless, families adopted diverse strategies to support their children by taking a more active role in providing educational as well as socio-emotional support. Notable in these accounts were significant reflections from parents, who regardless of the adversities, experienced a strengthening of the family as a unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 200 countries across the globe, including Pakistan, have closed educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities and madrassas) to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic). These closures have disrupted the learning of more than 1.7 billion learners (representing 91 per cent of the total enrolled students) across the world. It attempts to critically examine how schools' closures in Pakistan perpetuate and reproduce inequalities in education. We have attempted to explore and explain inequalities in education during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and bring the issue of public school students' learning loss into public debate. The paper is based on qualitative primary data and is analysed and interpreted vis-à-vis the social reproduction theories. We deduce that unequal schools, unequal parenting and geographical location have further inflamed education inequalities in Pakistan during COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on closure of schools and universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include activities related to social justice and professional development paired with the expertise of teacher educators and the collective knowledge of teachers; and teacher education with a strong performance in the contrasting disciplines of mathematics and psychology.

This paper examines the relationship between school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ideology of intensive mothering through analysis of posts on lockdown learning in an online mothering community. It is argued that although the school closures seemed to constitute an endorsement and normalisation of intensive mothering ideology [Hays (1996). The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. New Haven: Yale University Press] by the machinery of government, and increased the pressure upon many women, some mothers resisted these expectations in this online forum. The online community served as a space in which intensive mothering expectations were articulated [Lehner-Mear (2020). "Good Mother, Bad Mother? Maternal Identities and Cyber-Agency in the Primary School Homework Debate." Gender and Education 33 (3): 285–305] but also offered an arena for cyber-agency, enabling women to express negative emotions, and normalising the rejection of expert constructions of mothering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic is intensifying existing problems of economic asymmetry, and other injustices, between and within countries and regions around the world. It is thus imperative that sociological studies of education document its socio-cultural implications in different locations and on different scales. It is equally imperative that such studies have a historical perspective that asks what pre-existing social problems have been intensified and how such intensification is happening. This paper responds to these imperatives through the deployment of conjunctural analysis and related crisis and articulation theory. We discuss the global Covid-19 conjuncture as it emerged in the first seven months of 2020 and show how it articulated with the preceding conjuncture. Subsequently, we focus on the issues associated with closing and reopening schools and show how they were intertwined with reconfigurations of the school/home/work nexus. We consider these reconfigurations in two very different locations, Australia and South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two periods of compulsory school closure in England as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of virtual teaching and learning environments. Although such platforms had already been launched in English schools prior to March 2020, when schools closed, their usage by classroom teachers had not been established. Pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged students in English schools began in 2011, with the aim of narrowing the academic performance gap between these students and their peers. Less likely to do as well at school as their peers, the consequent narrative around these children at school is one of 'catch-up', a narrative which grew during the pandemic with debate around 'lost learning' amongst all children, but particularly, the disadvantaged. The enduring assumption that these children will do less well than their peers, rather than be less likely to, was thus further compounded. This paper considers one secondary school English department's provision of additionality to support equity during the pandemic, its success and lessons which might be applied in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 school closures generated interest in tutoring to make up for lost learning time. Tutoring is backed by rigorous research, but it is unclear whether it can be delivered effectively remotely. We study the effect of teacher-student phone calls in Kenya when schools were closed. Schools (n = 105) were randomly assigned for 3rd, 5th and 6th graders (n = 8,319) to receive one of two versions of a 7-week weekly math intervention—5-minute accountability checks or 15-min mini-tutoring sessions—or to the control group. Although calls increased perceptions that teachers cared, accountability checks had no effect on math performance four months later and tutoring decreased achievement among students who returned to their schools after reopening. This was, in part, because the relatively low-achieving students most likely to benefit from calls were least likely to return and take assessments. Tutoring substituted away from more productive uses of time, at least among returners. Neither intervention affected enrollment. Tutoring remains a valuable tool but to avoid unintended consequences, careful attention should be paid to aligning interventions with best practices and targeting to those who benefit most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imperative of project sustainability has become explicit policy within development. This is especially true for technology transfer: 'development objects' are to be used by prospective beneficiaries long after the project's closure. We argue that the link between project sustainability, technology and 'success' requires deeper scrutiny. We investigate a community-based project in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, which included the transfer of smartphones, weather stations and camera traps. Upon the project's closure, we compare the stakeholders' viewpoints regarding the future use of the equipment, showing how technological objects attract new actors into the project's network, change its course and enhance its impact. We use actor-network theory to explain how development objects shape development processes by generating own networks and transforming social relations of power. We propose a dynamic view of sustainability as: (i) continuation of delivery of project's goods and services, (ii) durability of the achieved changes and (iii) feasibility of independent growth.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 school closure has caused a worldwide shift towards technology-aided home schooling. Given widespread poverty in developing countries, this has raised concerns over new forms of learning inequalities. Using nationwide data on primary and secondary school children in slum and rural households in Bangladesh, we examine how learning time at home during the early months of school closure varies by access to technology at home. Data confirms a significant socio-economic and gender divide in access to TV, smartphone, computer, and internet among rural households. However, the analysis of daily time use data shows only a modest return to a technology in terms of boosting learning time at home. The learning-grade gradient is shallow and insensitive to TV, smartphone, and computer access at home. We also find no evidence that technology access per se helps learning by boosting time spent in online schooling and private supplementary coaching/tutoring. While technology access matters in households where parents act as home tutors, the magnitude of such a complementary effect are not large. The results imply a loss of out-of-school learning time during school closure even in households with technology access. We consider additional hypotheses relating to institutional and socio-economic barriers to home-based learning in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to COVID-19, schools closed in Finland for eight weeks in the spring of 2020, and teaching was conducted using distance education. Teachers used their professional agency to ensure a continuation of their students' learning. This study focuses on the experiences of teachers who taught pupils with intellectual disabilities during the distance education period. The research question is: What kind of experiences did the teachers have with distance education? The data were collected via an electronic questionnaire and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results were examined using teachers' professional agency as a theoretical lens. The results showed that teachers encountered many challenges and emotions at the beginning, but during distance education, they learnt new ways to teach and support pupils and families. Teachers' agency was spread between supporting the agency of pupils and guardians. These are discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the COVID-19 school closures during 2020, there was much concern about the transition back to in-person classroom teaching and learning, given the many safety protocols in place that could make it more difficult for teachers to connect with students. This small-scale case study from the USA sought to gain insight into teachers' experiences of building and maintaining relationships with students during the return to in-person schooling in the 2020–2021 school year and consider implications for teaching and learning beyond the pandemic. An interview protocol that stimulated discussion about relationships and involved diagram creation was used. This allowed the experiences of two teachers to be explored, in depth, through the lens of emotional closeness. Both teachers were interviewed at four points during the school year. Data were analysed qualitatively. Through close analysis of the data, the two teachers' experiences of forming and maintaining relationships with students emerged. Findings resonated with some previous research on teacher-student relationship formation and also drew attention to the nuanced changes of habit on the part of the teacher that were required in terms of initiation and engagement. The study highlights the significance of teachers' adaptive expertise, which can often be overlooked in daily practice. More broadly, it suggests a need for teacher education to place emphasis on the development of relationship skills, for the benefit of teachers and students alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' learning indicates that educational inequities have increased. To strengthen the provision of support for students going forward, and contribute to efforts to reduce inequity, there is a need to deepen understanding of how emergency remote teaching (ERT) is experienced by learners. This study sought to explore the lived experiences of junior secondary students in China during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of three different groups: teachers, students and parents. It aimed to investigate how factors around schools, teachers, parents and students might relate to matters of educational equity. Participants were eight students with a mean age of 15.5 years, the students' mothers, and ten teachers from different schools across three different provinces in China. They took part in semi-structured interviews in which they discussed their ERT experiences and perspectives. Interview data were analysed using a qualitative, thematic approach. According to the analysis of participants' perceptions, differences in access to school learning resources, and extent of support and guidance from schools were noteworthy factors in relation to educational equity. In addition to parental support, encouragement and individualised feedback from teachers mattered for students' wellbeing and their studies. Furthermore, students' motivation, self-discipline and capacity for self-regulated learning were considered to influence learning outcomes during ERT. Our study underscores the need to provide additional targeted support to disadvantaged schools and students in times of educational disruption. It also highlights the importance of pedagogical support and guidance for all teachers, parents and students. Such provision might enhance students' capacity for self-regulated learning, and equip teachers and parents with the skills needed to support children's learning and wellbeing in challenging circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the closures of schools worldwide and a move to remote learning. This article presents the findings of a study that explored the use of digital technology during school closures in Australia, drawing on the perspectives of primary school teachers and parents. Data were collected using Facebook groups and semi-structured interviews, and a thematic analysis conducted. The results describe seven themes associated with the teacher and parent experiences of remote learning: learning how to teach and learn remotely; learning to use technology; moving away from technology; hardware and internet access; collaboration and communication; social connection; and technology and engagement. The findings indicate the need to prioritise teachers' technological and pedagogical skills as standard practice; include parents in the development of remote learning skills; and move away from transformative rhetoric around educational technologies to a more realistic and needs-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines teacher perceptions of the media and public's portrayal of teachers and teaching during COVID-19 from the initial school closures in March 2020 through the reopening process of the 2020–2021 school year. Drawing upon data from 122 full-time, public-school teachers in Massachusetts, findings include teacher perceptions of such portrayals as mischaracterizations, not inclusive of authentic teacher voices, and lacking in complexity. Furthermore, teachers perceived a shift in portrayal over the course of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic closed schools across the country, limiting access to instruction and resulting in learning loss. In this article, we define learning loss and describe the history and complexity of its impact on students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early school leaving (ESL) is considered a significant societal issue globally due to the negative effect on young people's health, affect, and quality of life. Continued absenteeism is a risk factor for ESL. This study aimed to explore Irish children's health and wellbeing experiences during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These children were all considered at risk of ESL by their schools. Semi-structured interviews, adopting a "write, draw or tell" method, were conducted with ten children ages 9 − 13 years old. The study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. The loss of routine, social ties, and sense of success and belonging experienced in schools had a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of the children. They experienced adverse mental health effects, including anxiety, depression, anger, and loneliness. Their physical health and wellbeing were impacted by changes to sleep behavior, physical activity levels, boredom, and gaming usage. Children remain very vulnerable to the impact of school closures, contact restrictions, and living with the pandemic. Recommendations include improving online resources for young people and developing in-school programs to improve sleep hygiene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 school closures presented an unprecedented challenge to primary education on a global scale, with teachers, parents, and children having to rapidly adjust to a remote learning environment, and with concerns that this would exacerbate educational inequalities. Parental engagement has been widely acknowledged to have a positive impact on children's academic achievement, and previous studies have found that efforts by schools to foster parental engagement can help close the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils. We therefore sought to explore how teachers perceived parental engagement during the school closures, and how they fostered this in a remote learning environment. Our research involved an exploratory mixed methods study with primary educators in England, with an online survey (n = 271) and semi-structured interviews (n = 24) in June and July 2020, after the first school closures in England, and then again after the second closures in April 2021 (n = 14). We found that teachers' expectations for parental engagement during the school closures could be conceptualised as "parental participation in schooling", with parents required to enable children's access to learning resources provided by teachers, and participate in or supervise the completion of the learning activities set by teachers. There were however many barriers for parents in participating in schooling, particularly for those in disadvantaged groups. The strategies that teachers used to effectively foster parental participation in schooling have implications for encouraging parental engagement in children's learning beyond the school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined Israeli mothers' engagement in their children's distance learning during COVID-19 crisis. A thematic analysis of interviews with 20 mothers from high and low socioeconomic background yielded three core categories: (a) mothers' responses to the situation of school closures that addressed to organizing, supervising and less learning pressure by keeping boundaries between school and home activities; (b) challanged and concerens that refed to workload, instructional difficulty and the quality of teachers' work; (c) mothers' resources for engaging in their children'slearning that comprised social capital and human capital including digital skills. Socioeconomic differences were found in regard to these three core categories that sustain inequality. However, mothers from low socioeconomic background reported being actively engaged and critical toward teachers. Implications regarding parent engagement at the post-COVID-19 are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the immediate and longer-term effects of school closures and ongoing interruptions on children's learning have been a source of considerable apprehension to many. In an attempt to anticipate and mitigate the effect of school closures, researchers and policymakers have turned to the learning loss literature, research that estimates the effect of summer holidays on academic achievement. However, school closures due to COVID-19 have taken place under very different conditions, making the utility of such a literature debatable. Instead, this study is based on a rapid evidence assessment of research on learning disruption – extended and unplanned periods of school closure following unprecedented events, such as SARs or weather-related events. We argue that this literature provides clearer evidence on what helps children return to learning under similar conditions, and in this sense has more direct relevance for schools after COVID-19. A narrative synthesis of key recommendations is presented. Key findings are as follows: (i) that school leaders' local knowledge is pivotal in leading a return to school, (ii) the curriculum needs to be responsive to children's needs and (iii) that schools are essential in supporting the mental health of students. A discussion of the applicability and utility of these findings is provided in light of emerging evidence of challenges faced by schools in the context of an ongoing global pandemic and the disruption to education it continues to create. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, over 40% of schools have closed in the St. Louis Public Schools District (SLPSD) because of steep enrollment decline. Tracing educational trends over 30 years, I examine when, where, and why K-12 public schools closed in St. Louis in order to highlight the social conditions and policy decisions that contract contemporary urban education. I ask: What key social factors influence K-12 school closure patterns in St. Louis, Missouri? This mixed methods study summarizes analyses of data from the U.S. Department of Education, the St. Louis Public Schools District, and local news coverage to describe trends, determinants, and consequences of K-12 public school closures in St. Louis, Missouri (1990–2020). Findings demonstrated that closures in the city district were concentrated in majority-Black neighborhoods, with limited evidence of benefits to youth and communities. Findings also indicated that attempts to create educational change through the desegregation transfers program, charter school expansion, and administrative restructuring all triggered waves of closures. Drawing from community relations perspectives, I interpret mass closures as racialized policy practices that strain Black community relations and contract city districts. I argue that recurrent closures undermine youth and community development and disengage Black communities in ways that threaten district viability. Conclusions weigh whether the closure practices in the district have caused irreparable damage to Black community relations or if new policy objectives can foster long-term growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Teachers and students had an unusual experience in 2020. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, regular teaching and learning in schools were suspended in many countries. The prolonged school closure presented unprecedented challenges because all teaching and learning activities had to be converted to a fully online format. This article reports on an attempt to sustain flipped learning using real-time online instruction. A flipped lesson on the cross-disciplinary applications of linear systems (i.e., balancing chemical equations) is presented in detail. Student feedback and the lessons learned from the experience are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every assistant master appointed at Rugby School between 1782 and 1829 was an Oxford man. Thomas Arnold, headmaster since 1828, broke with tradition in 1830 when he invited James Prince Lee to teach the second highest form: Lee was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. This minor revolution prompted many Rugbeians to choose Cambridge rather than Oxford, with an average of thirty-three Old Rugbeians at Trinity throughout the 1840s. There, alongside old boys from other public schools, they contributed to the great football debate: the creation of a common code. They also pushed the claims of their own distinctive handling code by capitalizing on the Trinity-Rugby network. This essay traces the quiet but highly effective spread of the Rugby game to the new public schools in the decades before the creation of the Rugby Football Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have started to estimate the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce the health impact of COVID-19. However, the empirical evidence is highly contested, and since it is not known exactly what would have happened without those measures, political élites are left free to give credit to the voices that they prefer the most. We argue that any sensible assessment of the effectiveness of anti-COVID policies requires methodological reflection on what is actually comparable, and how to approximate the ideal "method of difference" theorized by John Stuart Mill. By evaluating the effectiveness of school closures as an anti-COVID policy, we provide two examples in which appropriate counterfactuals are inductively discovered rather than selected a priori. In the first one, we use Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) in a cross-country setting, while in the second one, we implement the Synthetic Control Method in a within-country analysis. The article highlights the methodological advantages of including these techniques in the toolbox of policy scholars, while both examples confirm the effectiveness of school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of Covid-19, a new and highly contagious form of Corona virus, in late 2019 cast a harsh light on human vulnerabilities and on the provocations (and opportunities) facing humanity. Although many of the more drastic measures applied within educational settings have since ceased to apply, at least for the time being, we are not yet 'past Covid': many of the challenges that are discussed here still exist. As we faced unprecedented disruption to economies, societies and education systems, the global health pandemic drew attention to existing inequalities and presented a clear picture of steps required for addressing the education of close to one billion students whose learning was hampered due to school closures. The magnitude of this challenge was and still is starkly manifest with the digital divide on the African continen. Democratization of education has been perceived to include facilitation of both formal and epistemic access (including allocation of new technologies for teaching and learning), reconceptualization of knowledge, truth and learning, recognition of 'other standpoints for knowledge' and 'very different knowledge registers,' recovery of 'lost knowledge resources' and connection of 'multiple ways of knowing,' and respectful engagement 'with indigenous and local knowledges,' idea that merit critical interrogation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries around the world, including New Zealand, have used lockdowns to slow the transmission of COVID-19. Reducing transmission depends crucially on people's compliance with lockdowns, which depends on, among other things, their design. We report on a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) completed by 16 COVID-19 experts to discover how they feel about the relative importance (weight) of possible lockdown features in terms of how the features are experienced, independently of their effectiveness at controlling the pandemic. DCEs are widely used to understand people's preferences with respect to the relative importance of the features of, in the present context, lockdowns. The lockdown features, in decreasing order of importance as determined by the DCE in terms of their inconvenience or unpleasantness, are (mean weights in parentheses): 'travel restrictions' (24.6%), 'total cost of a vaccination (out-of-pocket or from taxes)' (22.1%), 'school closures' (19.4%), 'work from home' (17.9%), 'required to stay at home' (9.6%) and 'required to wear masks in public' (6.5%). These results could be used by policy-makers to design lockdowns that are both effective in public health terms and most likely to be complied with. A larger-scale study involving the general population could be conducted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has been in a financially precarious position for many years – facing either a total transformation or elimination. Tuition increases and fewer college-age students from shifting demographics are primary reasons for the financial distress. Alternative financial stability models have assumed linear variable relationships and improperly calculate the probability of default. Stakeholders have historically relied upon models such as those developed by Edmit and the Department of Education which are inadequate at separating financially sound from unsound universities. We used an Automated Machine Learning approach utilizing multiple models to explain the relationship between metrics and the probability of default/closure allowing for more informed managerial decisions. This research, although applied to the homogeneous group of small liberal arts universities, can be applied to online and state universities and will allow the opportunity to take preventive steps to mitigate the likelihood of closing due to financial distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aimed to assess the impact of school closures in Italy on children's lives, particularly in Early Childhood Education, as a result of the Covid-19 containment measures. A set of documents published by the Italian government related to the measures to contain the covid-19 were analyzed. Based on content analysis, three categories of analysis were defined: 1) containment measures and social life; 2) school closures and distance education; 3) the return of face-to-face activities in early childhood education. The results indicated that the containment measures imposed severe restrictions on children's social interaction, such as the closing of public and private spaces (parks, museums, etc.) and the impossibility of moments of interaction and collective play. They impacted the right to education by closing schools when distance education was implemented as a measure to reduce potential damage to children's learning and overall development. For the resumption of in-person activities in schools, there should be priority use of open spaces, social distancing, and measures of personal and collective hygiene. Another significant result is the consideration of daycare centers and pre-school as essential services by the Italian government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on the effects of school cancellations because of snow or storms confirms what school authorities in Canada and the United States have understood for some time: missed school days have a detrimental effect upon student learning. Disrupted instructional time and student learning have been analyzed in Massachusetts and in policy studies conducted in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. One 2012 study in Massachusetts showed a strong relationship between student absences and achievement, but little or no impact attributable to inclement-weather school closures. Yet on balance, most research studies link school-day cancellations with declining student test scores. This research note assesses the impact of storm closings in Nova Scotia between the school years 2008-2009 and 2017-2018. There, the number of snow days is normally double that of Massachusetts and reported rates of student absenteeism are higher. This study assesses the 'accumulative effect' of missing whole school days, planned and unplanned, on student mathematics scores and high-school completion, and it proposes a some policy responses. Some consideration is given also to the profound impact of COVID-19 school disruptions and remote learning experiments on the changing policy landscapes in both Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health emergency generated by COVID-19 and the massive closure of schools has given rise to an unprecedented situation for education systems worldwide. This situation has raised fundamental questions about the role of the school in contemporary societies and whether it still fulfils a particular function as a social institution. This article forwards a theoretical discussion on these issues from a critical sociological approach and, especially, from the perspective of social justice. It argues that the two main functions of schools, namely, socialisation and selection, cannot be fully achieved by distance schooling. Moreover, it contends that the lockdown of schools reinforced the crisis of meaning within the school system by hindering its ability to ensure learning for all students. Overall, the article presents a reflection on the meaning of the school institution in the 21st century, representing a key contribution to contemporary debates on the sociology of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes the content of preschool children's drawings as they reflect on aspects of their preschool environment that they missed most during COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures in Saudi Arabia. Children participated in collaboration with their mothers, who directed and collected their drawings. The participants were limited to a group of 41 children between 3–7 years old. The results revealed that most of their drawings were of people, followed by the school environment; the playground was the most prominent area drawn representing the physical environment. Other categories, from the most to the least drawn, include nature, daily scheduled activities, writing activities, food items, and methods of transportation. Through drawings, children showed their most important needs in the preschool environment, which provides some insight into what educators should plan for when children to return to school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes how some countries have addressed school closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include prevalence of disparities in access to education even before the COVID-19 pandemic, project from the Ocean Welfare Organization in Karachi, Pakistan that provides education to children on the streets, adoption of open air classrooms in India and utilization of television and radio channels to deliver lessons in Sudan.

School closure and distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown had the potential to affect teachers' perception of their well-being and of the school climate. Within the teaching community, physical education (PE) teachers particularly redesigned their activities during school closures, posing both opportunities and threats. The study aim was to contribute to the understanding of the teachers' well-being experiences (burnout and engagement) and school climate perceptions during the lockdown for PE teachers in comparison with those of teachers of other subjects. The results from 188 teacher questionnaire responses revealed better psychological experiences among PE teachers in 2020 compared to those in a traditional year and compared to those of teachers of other subjects. School closure was related to higher collaboration, vigor scores and lower levels of physical fatigue for PE teachers. These positive effects for the PE teachers suggest using some profits of the COVID-19 period in normal teaching conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools across the UK were mostly closed from March to July 2020 due to Covid-19. Therefore, parents and children found themselves thrust into a prolonged period of home-schooling. In this study, parents (N = 2,122) reported on their children's (N = 3,230) home-schooling experiences and its impacts on their children's academic progress. Parental reports suggest that children spent around 3 hours each weekday doing schoolwork at home. Children enrolled in private secondary schools received 4 hours of virtual lessons each weekday from teachers, while state school children received just 1 hour. Parents, on the whole, reported concern for children's academic progress. This is particularly so for children in secondary school and, most strikingly, those in school years antecedent to final exams (Years 10 and 12). Parents were less concerned about academic progress for those in Years 11 and 13, who had received their final exam grades shortly before the time of the survey. This study highlights the fact that children have been unequally affected by Covid-19 school closures, depending on their year group and school type, which should be considered in future research and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: During COVID-19 many countries, including the U.S., implemented stay-at-home policies that closed most schools and childcare centers. This research focuses on the home learning environment reported by parents for U.S. children ages two through nine during the COVID-19 crisis. Parents in the U.S. (N = 162) completed an online survey of multiple choice and short-answer questions about the home literacy and digital environment. All data in this convenience sample were collected during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis (May 2020). Despite the limited, nonrepresentative sample, these findings provide an initial, mainly descriptive report about the home learning environment during COVID-19. Key findings are related to home literacy and digital activities during COVID-19. Children, regardless of age, engaged in more at-home digital activities during COVID-19 than before. Children in first grade and older increased digital use significantly more than younger ones. There was a significant correlation between frequency of digital usage and home literacy activities. Practice or Policy: Virtual learning opportunities are becoming a reality for even the youngest children in the U.S. This has increased with in-school closures during COVID-19 and may continue as some children return to school. Using digital devices for participating in literacy activities may be an effective means of promoting children's literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to COVID-19 across the globe are immensely varied and often perplexing. Policy levers, from mask wearing and social distancing to lockdowns and school closures, have been adopted and avoided with equal conviction by decisions makers who believe their measures are appropriate. In some contexts, the global pandemic has been treated with due seriousness by governments and political leaders while in others it has been downplayed to such an extent that it has been framed as a hoax. Every response to the pandemic has produced seemingly zero-sum debates and disputes over the veracity of knowledge bases, while uncertainty reigns as one of the few constants in decision making arenas. While it may be tempting to gravitate to the view that this unimaginable crisis is beyond the capacity of policy scholars to understand, this introductory article sets the scene for dispelling such a notion. It highlights how a number of core policy issues and perspectives, including the politics of problem framing, the limits of an evidence-based approach, and the nature of the public sector, can help bring analytical insights to this unprecedented crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 outbreaks forced governments into epic policy choices conciliating democratic legitimacy and science-based policies. We examine how pervasive crises like this pandemic shape public discourses, proposing two ideal-types that discourse may tend toward. One is pluralism, which includes authoritative voices that represent viable alternative policies and credible reasons for them. The opposite is monotony, where authoritative voices offer credible reasons for one policy option only. Two crucial cases for monotony are analysed, where news media represents public discourse. In initial COVID-19 responses, Denmark pursued hard lockdown while neighbouring Sweden enacted voluntary distancing. Pluralism in public discourses could be advantaged while solutions remained uncertain and social and economic disruptions high, in polities with mature democratic and scientific institutions. The empirical analyses show that Denmark's elected leaders and Sweden's leading health scientists publicly represented their respective national responses. Yet in sampled public discourses on highly disruptive policies on school closures and crowding limits, both leaderships focused on justifying national choices rather than elucidating options. In turn, other sources skewed toward justifications for national policies rather than attention to alternatives. We suggest finally that such skews toward discourse monotony create risks to democratic legitimacy and long-term response efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]