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ABOUT THIS PROJECT 

The challenges faced by schools as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are of a magnitude that has never been experienced in the history of public education. The 2020 school year will forever be characterized by this sudden disruption to public schooling. In response to this, MERC has launched the SY20 project to provide rapid response, iterative research to help address immediate and enduring needs by school divisions in metropolitan Richmond. 

 The project has the following goals: (1) To convene conversations between scholars and practitioners on critical topics in public education relevant to the moment, (2) To share examples of local efforts that illustrate innovation and best practice, (3) To encourage community engagement and dialogue on our work through broad dissemination.

 Below are links to rapid response research projects by MERC in the time of COVID-19. They include research, podcast episodes, resources, and examples of innovative practices. We will continue to update this webpage with new projects as they emerge based on the needs of local school divisions. To stay up to date on the SY20 project, please sign up for the MERC stakeholder email listserv.

Based on initial feedback from our Policy and Planning Council, our first rapid response research project focuses on the topic of Digital Equity and Distance Learning. We have developed initial questions to guide our work, however, continued conversation and feedback from MERC stakeholders will allow us to adapt these questions as new issues arise. 

Research Questions

1. What does research have to say about strategies for achieving digital equity and supporting distance learning?

2. How does the work of achieving digital equity look different across schools operating in various community contexts (urban. suburban, rural)? How does it look different across various school levels (elementary, middle, and high school?)

3. How are our divisions taking on the challenge of distance learning? What are the barriers? What are the opportunities?

4. How can we take what we learn about the digital divide and distance learning into our future work? What are the implications for policy? What are the implications for practice? 

SECTIONS

The sections below provide relevant research, examples of innovative practices, and resources related to digital equity and distance learning. We will continue to update these sections with new content. Sign up for the MERC stakeholder email listserv to stay up to date on the latest information. 

 

This section provides reviews of research around topics relevant to the the topic of digital equity and distance learning in the time of COVID-19. Our team will release a literature brief in the summer of 2020 than answers the following questions: 1) What is digital equity? 2) Who has access to reliable internet and technology for distance learning? 3) What are the implications for digital inequity? 4) What contributes to gaps in digital access? 5) What policies and practices help make digital access more equitable? In the meantime click below to access research handouts providing an overview of digital equity and 1 to 1 initiatives.

Digital Equity in Education: A Multidimensional Framework 

Jon Becker, J.D., PhD

Digital Equity in the Time of COVID-19: The Access Issue

Jon Becker, J.D., PhD, Joy Washington, David Naff, PhD, Andrea Woodard, Joan Rhodes, PhD

Digital Equity in the Time of COVID: Student Use of Technology for Equitable Outcomes

Joy Washington, Andrea Woodard, Jon Becker, J.D., PhD, Joan Rhodes, PhD, Andrew Harris, Oscar Keyes, David Naff, PhD

What is Digital Equity?

Jon Becker, J.D., PhD

1 to 1 Initiatives in Virginia

Andrea Woodard - PhD Student, VCU School of Education

Exploring the Evidence on Virtual and Blended Learning

The Research Alliance for New York City Public Schools

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.

 

In March 2020 school doors across the country unexpectedly shut for the academic year, however, the work of teaching and learning has not stopped. In the face of crisis, educators across the MERC region have worked tirelessly to engage students, build relationships, and support students’ academic and social emotional needs. This is a moment of necessary innovation; it is also a moment of intense reflection. The abrupt stop to school has led us to think both about the system that we left behind, as well as the future of our public schools.  

MERC’s Profiles of Practice series is an effort to document this moment, with the hope that we will learn about the meaning and value of public education from listening to the voices of practitioners. For the profiles, the project team from VCU interviewed educators in the Richmond region about current practices they are using to engage students, and their ideas of how public schools should be re-invented in the post-COVID world.  The video interviews are recorded via virtual meeting platforms. In this, they are intimate portraits with all the interruptions of home life (i.e., poor Wifi connection, dog barks) included. To provide context, the profile also includes a narrative about the life and motivations of the educator. These were based on a follow up interview.

Eden DiMarco
Theatre Arts Teacher, Matoaca Middle School
Chesterfield County Public Schools

Theater Arts teacher Eden DiMarco draws heavily on her memory of her own experience in school theater for her work at Matoaca Middle School. “When I got into theater, it changed my life. The theater crowd gave me a place to open up and be myself - and more importantly, to be someone else. In being all those characters, I was able to incorporate those qualities into who I was becoming. It gave me permission to try new things.” It’s a heady prescription for the power of the theater arts; DiMarco sincerely believes that education is at its best not when it’s focusing on grades and G.P.A., but on discovery and curiosity.

Read Eden's Profile

 

Nathan Galloway 
Physical Education Teacher, Westover Hills Elementary School
Richmond Public Schools

Nathan Galloway has been teaching health and physical education to elementary school students at Westover Hills for the past six years. It’s hard to imagine a more dynamic, active, and frankly, loud job, so the quiet days he’s now spending in his new house with yellow lab Buddy are a big adjustment. Galloway’s wife is an essential worker, so she is still heading out each workday, leaving Galloway and Buddy to their own devices. “Every day seems different. I’m balancing my personal motivation with staying active and engaged with the school. And keeping a tight ship with Buddy, now that I’m not gone eight hours a day.”

Read Nathan's Profile

 

Wenda Thompson
English Teacher, John Marshall High School
Richmond Public Schools   

For many of us, the tedium and worry of this pandemic is starting to push our buttons (or maybe it already has). It can take almost all of the day’s allotment of energy  to keep calm and carry on. Not so with Wenda Thompson. This charismatic and energetic English teacher at John Marshall High school, where she also serves as Department Chair,  has seen the silver linings in these past few months: “I believe - I mean, it’s counterintuitive - but it will bring us closer.” For Thompson - who is devoted to her family, friends and students - closeness isn’t a by-product of the quarantine so much as a goal in her life and teaching.

Read Wenda's Profile

 

 Adam White
Digital Media/Graphic Design Teacher, Meadowbrook High School
Chesterfield County Public Schools

Adam White, who teaches theater production and digital media/graphic design at Meadowbrook High School, is trying hard to keep to a routine as he goes about his new life in quarantine. His alarm clock goes off every morning, and by 9:00 he’s opened up his online office hours for his students. He sits at a desk in his bedroom, surrounded by his freshwater fish in themed tanks that include 3-D prints White made himself. “I always said I never wanted a job where I have to work from home because I knew I’d be really bad at it,” White comments. But he has risen admirably to the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis.

Read Adam's Profile

 

Corey Muse
Math Teacher, Wilder Middle School
Henrico County Public Schools 

Corey Muse is a man of many talents. He’s the chaplain of his fraternity, he “can cook you anything”, and he enjoys singing and dancing. Despite these diverse interests, Muse directs most of his energy toward his love of Math. When asked what he’s doing in quarantine besides working on math, teaching math, thinking about math, he falls silent for a bit. “Um, what am I doing besides that?” he wonders.

Read Corey's Profile

 

Please let us know if you have recommendations for educators that could contribute to this conversation.  

 

 

This section provides links to local, state, and national resources related to digital equity and distance learning. These resources are intended for educators, parents, and students alike. If you have any resources related to digital equity or distance learning that have been helpful to you that we could share, please let us know by clicking on the button at the bottom of this section. 

BROADBAND ACCESS

Abstract · Addressing the Digital Divide in Urban School Systems

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. 

Broadband Access in Virginia

FCC Broadband Access Map

 

ENGLISH LEARNERS

Recursos para Estudiantes ESL, Familias, y Personel Escolar Durante COVID-19

Resources for English Learners, Families, and School Personnel During COVID-19

La Asociación de VDOE con una Estación de Radio en Español Apoya el Aprendizaje a los Estudiantes y sus Familias 

  

SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES

Resources for Students with Autism (VCU Autism Center)

"How to" Videos for Working with Students with Autism (VCU Autism Center)

Virtual IEP Meetings

VDOE Special Education Instructional Resources

Training and Technical Assistance (T/TAC) Online

Early Childhood Special Education Resource List

Special Education Virtual Learning resource list (VCU T/TAC)

Assistive Technology (AT) Quick Tip Videos for Distance Learning (VDOE & T/TAC AT Network)

Assistive Technology Resource Guide (VDOE & T/TAC AT Network)

 

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

Abstract · Navigating the Rapid Transition to Online Learning

325+ Amazing Online Learning Resources

Association of College and University Educators Online Teaching Toolkit

Resources for Teaching and Learning During This Time of Social Distancing

25 Best Websites for Teachers

Strategies to Support Remote Learning Along a Continuum of Internet Access

Virginia State Reading Association Instructional Resources

 

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Abstract · Remotely Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Students During COVID-19

How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus

Daily Life Coping (CDC)

 

PARENT AND STUDENT RESOURCES

Abstract · College Access During COVID-19

Chesterfield County Public Schools Instructional Resources

Goochland County Public Schools Virtual Learning Resources

Hanover County Public Schools Learn from Home Resources 

Henrico County Public Schools "EdFlix" Online Learning Resources

Petersburg City Public Schools Educational Resources for Home

Powhatan County Public Schools Resources for Parents and Students During COVID-19

Richmond Public Schools RPS@Home Online Learning Resources

 

SCHOOL DIVISION LEADER RESOURCES

Friday Institute 1 to 1 Self-Evaluation Checklist

CDC Guidance for School Division Responses to Influenza Outbreak