How can we support student mental health during and after COVID-19? MERC researchers conducted a rapid review of research to help answer this question as we prepare to support students when they return to school this fall in any capacity. Report authors David Naff, Shenita Williams, Jenna Furman and Melissa Lee discuss the key takeaways. Click here to access the report.
What was it like to graduate from high school during COVID-19? We spoke with three members of the class of 2020 to find out: Emma Rice (Midlothian High School in Chesterfield County Public Schools), Paige Lake (Lee Davis High School in Hanover County Public Schools), and Sofia Alcaine (Freeman High School in Henrico County Public Schools). This is part two of a two part series.
What was it like to graduate from high school during COVID-19? We spoke with three members of the class of 2020 to find out: Diamon Patterson (Petersburg High School in Petersburg City Public Schools), Ray Pleasants (Powhatan High School in Powhatan County Public Schools), and Glenic Sandiford (Huguenot High School in Richmond Public Schools). This is part one of a two part series.
What does college access look like during COVID-19? We spoke with Tomika Ferguson (VCU Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership), Tomika Brown (Director of The College Place, Virginia-Alexandria), Amy Jefferson (VCU PhD Student in Curriculum, Culture, and Change and parent of a rising high school senior), Charleita Richardson (President and CEO of Partnership for the Future), Diamond Scott (Class of 2020 graduate from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond Public Schools), and Jontae Burton (Class of 2020 Graduate from Henrico High School in Henrico County Public Schools) about how COVID has impacted their work and plans for the future.
We spoke with Carmen Ward (Counseling Director at Armstrong High School in Richmond Public Schools), Ashton Guza (Counselor at Goochland High School in Goochland County Public Schools), Tammy Mizelle (Counseling Director at Quioccasin Middle School in Henrico County Public Schools), and Matt Shenker (Elmont Elementary School Counselor in Hanover County Public Schools) about remotely meeting the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students across K12 during COVID-19.
We spoke with Steve Castle (Hanover County Public Schools), Grady Hart (Richmond Public Schools), Christina Aquilina (Henrico County Public Schools), Nadia Hassan (Powhatan County Public Schools), Oscar Keyes (Virginia Commonwealth University), and Demond Morris (Goochland County Public Schools) about how they navigated the rapid transition to online learning during COVID-19, including the challenges they encountered and strategies they found helpful.
We spoke with Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin (Superintendent of Petersburg City Public Schools) and Dr. Avril Smart-Goggins (Research and Engagement Manager for Future Ready Schools at the Alliance for Excellent Education) about the digital divide in urban school systems, including innovative strategies for providing reliable access to internet and learning devices for students.
Jon Becker (VCU School of Education), John Hendron (Goochland), Alma Kenup (Quioccasin Middle School, Henrico), Peter Martin (Goochland), David Naff (MERC/VCU School of Education), Jesse Senechal(MERC/VCU School of Education), and Alissa Yazinski ( Monacan High School, Chesterfield)discuss the topic of digital equity in the time of COVID, including challenges with technology access and use and the importance of staying connected with students.
This episode features Cara Jean O'Neal (Henrico), Laura Faulcon (Chesterfield), Krystal Thomas (UVA), and Jesse Senechal (VCU/MERC) from the study team for the MERC Professional Development for Success in Culturally Diverse Schools Survey. We discussed the findings of our region wide Cultural Diversity in Schools Survey, as well as what we learned along the way as a study team and how we hope this report will help inform research, policy, and professional development related to cultural diversity.
