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Title: How did Michigan educators respond to the suspension of face-to-face instruction due to COVID-19? An analysis of educators' responses to the 2020 EPIC COVID-19 survey Education Policy Innovation Collaborative

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2020

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Abstract: On April 2, 2020, due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order No. 2020-35, which suspended all in-person K-12 instruction for the remainder of the school year.1 Even as school buildings across the state remained closed, educators continued to provide instruction, learning opportunities, and other supports to their students from a distance. These unprecedented changes raised questions about how students would learn when removed from their school buildings and sparked serious concerns about inequitable access to technology, broadband, distance learning resources, and other supports that might exacerbate existing achievement gaps among Michigan students. As states across the country similarly transitioned to distance learning, surveys of educators have contributed to the national discourse on the adequacy and equity of educational responses. Teacher surveys highlighted student-specific concerns including low engagement,2 limited access to technology (e.g., electronic devices, internet),3 and access to crucial services (e.g., meals, counseling).4 Principal surveys and national research similarly emphasized concerns about students’ limited access to technology, especially given the prominent role of technology as a key educational resource for families learning from a distance. They also raised questions about the connection between access to technology and concerns over equity given the substantial differences in student access by race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.5 If students lack access to the internet or an appropriate device, this can restrict the type of distance learning provided (i.e., instructional packets versus synchronous learning);6 affect student engagement;7 contribute to students’ feelings of disconnectedness from their peers, teachers, and school communities;8 and add financial strain to schools and districts that provide devices and/or internet access for students.9 In addition to a shared concern about technology, surveys of teachers and principals across the country have surfaced a need for greater guidance and supports.10 In particular, principals indicate a need for strategies to handle the loss of “hands-on learning,” technology for students, training for teachers, and materials to support instruction.11 Teachers report that they need assistance with strategies to improve student engagement, and teachers of students with disabilities, homeless students, and English Learners express the desire for more or better guidance about how to support these populations.12 To begin to understand how Michigan educators responded during the transition to distance learning, the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) conducted a survey of K-8 teachers and principals in traditional public schools (TPSs) and charter schools (in Michigan, called Public School Academies or PSAs) across the state.13 The survey asked educators about how they were engaging with students, the challenges they were facing, the resources and supports they were using, and their concerns about the impacts of COVID-19

Url: https://epicedpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RBG3-COVID-Survey-Policy-Brief.pdf

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Authors: Cummings, Amy; Kilbride, Tara; Turner, Meg; Zhu, Qiong; Strunk, Katharine O

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Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Education, Health

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