COVID-19 CAUSES A SURGE IN CASES
ACROSS THE STATE AND IN SCHOOLS
THIS FALL, THE FALLOUT FROM LAST
YEAR WITH ITS VI VIRTUAL LEARNIG
MODEL HAS LEFT MANY CHILDREN
ADRIFT.
FOR MORE ON THE EFFECTS OF THE
PANDEMIC, WE TURN TO PROFESSOR
OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY
STUDIES IN THE SCHOOL OF HUMAN
ECOLOGY, SARAH HALPERN-MEEKIN.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WE HAD AN A ANECDOTAL
EXAMPLE OF A SECOND-GRADER WHO
IS MORE LIKE A KINDERGARTENER
DUE TO LOSS IN LEARNING.
HOW COMMON IS THIS KIND OF
DEFICIT?
>> WELL, KIDS HAVE BEEN IN A
REALLY WIDE ARRAY OF SITUATIONS
OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
SO WE'VE HAD SOME KIDS WHO HAVE
RECEIVED A LOT OF INSTRUCTION,
SOME OF IT IN PERSON, SOME OF IT
REMOTE, AND WE HAVE OTHER KIDS
WHO HAVE HAD REALLY VERY LITTLE
INSTRUCTION.
THE OTHER THING THAT HAS VARIED
AMONG KIDS, HOWEVER, IS HOW MUCH
THEIR NEEDS WERE BEING MET.
SO STUDENTS WHO MAY HAVE NEEDED
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, THAT
THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING DURING
THE PANDEMIC, MIGHT HAVE HAD
EVEN MORE LEARNING STRUGGLES
THAN A CHILD WHOSE NEEDS WERE
BEING MET THROUGH ONLINE OR
IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION.
>> HOW HEAVY OF A LIFT IS IT TO
GET CHILDREN THEN IN THAT KIND
OF CIRCUMSTANCE BACK TO WHERE
THEY NEED TO BE SO THAT THEY CAN
LEARN EFFECTIVELY?
>> SO ONE THING THAT WE WANT TO
REMEMBER IS HOW RESILIENT KIDS
ARE.
SO PEOPLE ARE AMAZING.
KIDS' BRAINS ARE AMAZING,
ESPECIALLY THE BRAINS OF YOUNG
KIDS.
THEY'RE DOING SO MUCH GROWING
YOU A THE TIME.
AND SO WHAT THE SITUATION IS NOW
IS CERTAINLY FAR FROM DESTINY,
RIGHT?
BUT IT'S A MATTER OF CONNECTING
KIDS WITH THE RIGHT SERVICES AND
SUPPORTS AND THEN ALSO MAKING
SURE THAT THE ADULTS IN THEIR
LIVES HAVE THE SERVICES AND
SUPPORTS, THE RESOURCES THAT
THEY NEED AT THEIR DISPOSAL SO
THEY CAN BE THOSE SUPPORTIVE,
PRESENT ADULTS IN KIDS' LIVES
PROVIDING THE KINDS OF
INTERVENTIONS THAT KIDS NEED IN
ORDER TO MEET THEIR REGULAR
NEEDS, CONTINUE BUILDING THEIR
COPING SKILLS AND, YOU KNOW,
MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY.
>> YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT HOW
OBVIOUSLY ALL CHILDREN, AND YOU
MENTIONED IT EARLIER, ARE NOT
KIND OF SUFFERING DEFICITS OR
LOSSES EQUALLY.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE
ACHIEVEMENT GAPS THAT EXISTED
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND SO
THESE INEQUITIES THAT HAVE
GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION DURING
THE PANDEMIC ARE CERTAINLY NOT
NEW.
BUT THE PANDEMIC HAS FORCED US
TO FACE THEM PERHAPS IN A
DIFFERENT WAY.
FOR EXAMPLE, JUST THE BASIC
ISSUE OF WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOL
DISTRICTS COULD AFFORD DEVICES
FOR STUDENTS TO USE FOR ONLINE
LEARNING PUT SOME STUDENTS IN A
MORE ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION THAN
OTHERS.
WHETHER FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO
HIGH-SPEED INTERNET VARIES FROM
PLACE TO PLACE.
BUT THOSE ISSUES OF
INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITATIONS,
THOSE AREN'T NEW DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
THEY'RE JUST SHOWING THOSE
PROBLEMS IN A NEW WAY.
SO THOSE EXISTED BEFORE.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT SOME OF
THE INEQUITIES THAT KIDS DEALT
WITH BEFORE MANIFESTED
THEMSELVES IN DIFFERENT WAYS
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
SO WHEN KIDS WERE SENT HOME TO
LEARN, SOME OF THEM WENT HOME TO
PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS WHO WOULD
NORMALLY BE STAYING AT HOME AND
COULD PROVIDE ATTENTIVE SUPPORT
AS THE KIDS WERE DOING ONLINE
LEARNING.
IN OTHER FAMILIES, PARENTS OR
CAREGIVERS WERE TRYING TO JUGGLE
WORK AND FIRST GRADE MATH AT TH.
AND SOME PARENTS REALLY HAD TO
MAKE HUGE FINANCIAL SACRIFICES
TO STAY HOME WITH THEIR KIDS,
LIKE GIVING UP THEIR JOBS.
IN OTHER FAMILIES, SOME
ADOLESCENTS MAY HAVE BEEN LEFT
TO SUPERVISE THEMSELVES.
SO THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT OR
SUPERVISION THAT KIDS HAD AND
THE SACRIFICES THAT FAMILIES HAD
TO MAKE VARIED A LOT, YOU KNOW,
FROM PERSON TO PERSON.
THE OTHER MAIN POINT THAT I
WOULD EMPHASIZE IS WHAT I WAS
TALKING ABOUT BEFORE WITH KIDS
WHO NORMALLY RECEIVE SPECIAL
EDUCATION SERVICES WHO HAVE
INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLANS.
WE KNOW THAT ONLINE LEARNING
COULDN'T REPLACE OR REPLICATE
WHAT THEY NEEDED OFTENTIMES TO
RECEIVE AN EQUITABLE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT, AND SO SCHOOL-BASED
SPEECH OR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY,
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY MIGHT JUST NOT
HAVE HAPPENED AND KIDS WHO MIGHT
NORMALLY HAVE HAD THE SUPPORT OF
A PARA PROFESSIONAL IN THE
CLASSROOM THROUGHOUT THE DAY,
THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE THOSE
THINGS.
SO FOR THOSE KIDS THEY WENT
WITHOUT A LOT OF THEIR CORE
LEARNING TOOLS THROUGHOUT THE
PANDEMIC.
>> IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE
KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AS
LONG AS WE CAN DO SO SAFELY.
SARAH HALPERN-MEEKIN, THANKS
VERY MUCH.