Feeling the immediate impacts at home, almost everyone knows a student, teacher, or parent with their own stories of seeing students at risk of falling behind academically due to the swift, new changes of remote learning – if remote learning is an option their school provides.
With the pandemic reaching its second year, many schools are still struggling to recover or adjust to new ways of learning via remote, hybrid, or back-to-person teaching models. The loss of learning when students are out-of-school, a phenomenon that grew during the pandemic and is currently known as the ‘COVID-19 slide,’ only contributes to possibly wider learning gaps between students.[i]
Without additional educational support to keep the continuity of learning, many families are at greater risk of a wider learning gap for their children. Though some “Parents can either hire a tutor or take turns managing distance learning using their public-school curriculum,”[ii] it is no secret that not all parents have the needed luxuries of finance or time to acquire outside, supplementary educational help, let alone carve out the space in their own schedules to academically assist their child/student.
Educational services in the NuMinds Enrichment community, including Texas-based Education Unbound and fellow organization, NuMinds Education, offer sponsorship for in-person camps, classes, and workshops that take on COVID-19 safety measures.
According to the University of Texas at Austin’s Associate Professor of Public Affairs, Paul von Hippel, “An only child with two college-educated parents may get a lot of help and enrichment—particularly if those parents are financially secure [or] have flexible work arrangements...
But consider a single parent with three children and a high-school education...‘worry is survival, not conjugating verbs.’”[iii]
While edtech (online educational resources) [iv] and trusted, low-health-risk relatives, family members, and friends may also act as helpful resources, “many community-based organizations are stepping into the void left by shuttered school campuses”[v] to alleviate the learning burden.
Educational services in the Education community, including Texas-based Education Unbound and fellow organization, NuMinds Enrichment Education, offer sponsorship for in-person camps, classes, and workshops that take on COVID-19 safety measures. Community-based educational services offer learning opportunities for filling in the academic and social gaps for K-12 and college-bound students, especially in underserved communities.
Yes, the COVID-19 slide has also exacerbated the unpreparedness of mental, emotional, and social skills for many underserved students. From colleges to primary and secondary schools, to workplaces and daily family routines,[vi] the impact on underserved communities is particularly significant.
However, sponsored education outlets help lift the financial, time, and learning pressures to keep students at pace with their peers. Targeting the most academically vulnerable, community-based education programs ensure the highest level of academic preparedness possible for students and families who are more at risk of falling behind academically, and therefore, economically.
At Education Unbound, we’re optimistic about the ways the next generation will change the world, and we believe one step is igniting a love of learning in them through STEAM-powered education. Help us cultivate new tech optimists and tech realists by coming alongside us in our quest to prepare underserved students for the Future of Word through our project-based learning approaches. Learn more at https://www.educationunbound.org/.
Sources:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/tea-covid-slide-repeat-grades-courses-schools/287-93276cea-a8f8-4c88-991d-309c3e356e99
[ii] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/at-home/remote-school-options-coronavirus.html
[iii] https://www.educationnext.org/is-summer-learning-loss-real-how-i-lost-faith-education-research-results/
*“…edtech companies are providing e-learning platforms and academic management systems comprising online classes, assessment tools and more.”
[v] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/at-home/remote-school-options-coronavirus.html
[vi] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/at-home/remote-school-options-coronavirus.html