Supporting Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community-Partnered Rapid Needs Assessment

What is it about?

Conducted in the immediate wake of the pandemic, the goal of this study was to rapidly assess coronavirus disease (COVID-19) impact on teachers, students, and families and guidance received to navigate distance learning. Participants were teachers (N = 430) working in elementary schools (n = 301), middle schools (n = 56), high schools (n = 60), and other schools (n = 13) in two large urban school districts heavily impacted by COVID-19. Results indicated teacher concerns regarding student instructional loss and exposure to direct and indirect COVID-related trauma.Elementary teachers reporting the greatest concerns regarding instructional loss. Over 40% of teachers reported that more than 20% of their students had a family member infected with COVID-19 or employed as a frontline healthcare worker. Approximately 99% of teachers reported a significant gap in student access to the internet and distance learning devices. Teachers reported receiving more school than district guidance regarding distance learning, student engagement, and using SEL programs. Results informed professional development priorities for educators and immediate supports needed for students and families.

Featured Image

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In order to provide tailored support to teachers and students as the pandemic evolved, it was important to ensure that we had teachers' perspectives on their needs and what they felt was most critical for their students as they prepared for Fall 2021.

Perspectives