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Going Back to School after Covid-19: Narrative Essay

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Works Cited-

• Education: From disruption to recovery. UNESCO. (2021, November 7). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https:en.unesco.orgcovid19educationresponse.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Guidance for covid-19 prevention in K-12 Schools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https:www.cdc.govcoronavirus2019-ncovcommunityschools-childcarek-12-guidance.html.

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Essay on Going Back to School After COVID-19

Students are often asked to write an essay on Going Back to School After COVID-19 in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Going Back to School After COVID-19

Introduction.

Going back to school after COVID-19 is a big step. We’ve spent months learning from home, and now we’re returning to a familiar yet changed environment.

Changes in School

Schools have changed to keep us safe. There are new rules like wearing masks, maintaining distance, and frequent hand washing. Classrooms look different too, with desks spaced apart.

Emotional Impact

Returning may feel strange. We might feel excited to see friends but also anxious about the virus. It’s okay to have mixed feelings.

Despite changes, school remains a place for learning and friendship. Let’s embrace this new normal together.

250 Words Essay on Going Back to School After COVID-19

The new normal: returning to school after covid-19, embracing changes.

The transition back to school will not be a return to the pre-pandemic norm. Schools will now incorporate strategies to mitigate virus transmission, such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and regular sanitation. Students will need to adapt to these changes, recognizing them as necessary for public health.

Academic Challenges

The shift to online learning was a challenging adjustment for many. As students re-enter physical classrooms, they may face academic hurdles due to the learning gaps created by the pandemic. Institutions should provide support to help students bridge these gaps and regain their academic momentum.

Mental Health Considerations

The pandemic has taken a toll on students’ mental health. Schools must prioritize providing resources and support to address these concerns as students readjust to in-person learning.

Opportunities for Growth

Despite the challenges, the post-pandemic return to school presents opportunities for growth. The crisis has highlighted the importance of resilience, adaptability, and community. As we move forward, these values will guide us in creating a more robust, inclusive, and flexible educational system.

In conclusion, going back to school after COVID-19 will be a complex transition, filled with challenges and opportunities. By embracing change, addressing academic and mental health concerns, and focusing on growth, we can navigate this new educational landscape successfully.

500 Words Essay on Going Back to School After COVID-19

Emotional and psychological impact.

The pandemic has left an indelible mark on students’ emotional and psychological well-being. Isolation and lack of peer interaction have led to increased levels of stress and anxiety. As students return to school, institutions must prioritize mental health support. This could include counseling services, peer support groups, and mindfulness programs to help students navigate this transition.

Academic Disparities

The shift to online learning has exposed and exacerbated existing educational disparities. Students without reliable internet access or quiet study spaces have struggled to keep up with their peers. As schools reopen, educators must identify and address these gaps. This could involve personalized learning plans or additional resources for students who have fallen behind.

Changes in Teaching and Learning

Health and safety measures.

The return to school also necessitates stringent health and safety measures. Schools must ensure regular sanitization, enforce social distancing, and possibly continue mask mandates. These measures, while necessary, may alter the school experience and require adjustment from students.

Building Resilience and Adaptability

Despite the challenges, the return to school post-COVID-19 also presents an opportunity to cultivate resilience and adaptability in students. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of these skills in navigating uncertain circumstances. Schools could incorporate these competencies into their curricula, preparing students not just for academic success, but for life’s unpredictability.

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9 Students Share How They Really Feel About Going Back to School

These students, plus one parent, open up about the wave of emotions that comes with starting a school year unlike any other we've experienced before..

Madeleine Burry

Jessica Fregni

Writer-Editor, One Day

Laura Zingg

Editorial Project Manager, One Day Studio

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the country, students, families, and teachers are navigating the new normal of going back to school—while much of the country still shelters in place.

Some students are preparing for a return to remote learning. Others are still unsure of how exactly they will be attending school this year.

We spoke with a few students and their family members from different schools around the country to learn what school will look like for them this fall. They shared their personal experiences with remote learning and how they feel about going back to school in the middle of a pandemic.

Missing Everything About School

‘i just carry on about my day with no specific emotion’.

Syedah Asghar, College Sophomore, Washington, D.C.

Syedah Asghar will begin her second year of college at American University in Washington, D.C., where she studies public relations and strategic communications. After receiving some mixed messages over the summer about the status of her school reopening, Syedah recently learned that her school’s campus will remain closed for the fall semester. She plans to attend remote classes in a few weeks. And like many college students, she is grappling with staying motivated and missing out on the college experience.

College has been a safe space where I’m the most “me.” I would wake up much happier. I had confidence in my routine, and I was surrounded by friends who made me feel excited to start the day. With online learning, I just carry on about my day with no specific emotion. 

The hardest part about attending college remotely is maintaining a routine and motivation. For in-person classes, I would get dressed and have to physically be present which put a start to my day. Now, I sometimes turn on my computer as soon as I wake up and not give myself the mental space ahead of time to start my day. On the plus side, with online learning, there is a lot more flexibility in my schedule since I’m able to complete an assignment on my own timeframe. Most of my professors are honoring mental health, and are more understanding of external factors that impact the quality of education now that we're learning remotely.

Being part of the Enduring Ideas Fellowship has kept me busy working 20 hours a week. I’m also trying to get creative by learning how to cook and attempting new recipes. With my friends, we’ve all been checking-in and making sure we’re able to support one another through these mentally-draining times. Only two of my professors have reached out and asked how we’re doing, so there isn’t much support on that end. 

While it can be mentally challenging and exhausting, I’m very fortunate to have access to technology and internet connection so I can complete my coursework. And I’m able to stay at home and quarantine if need be.

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‘I'm Hoping That Jose Goes Back, Even Though I Know It's Scary’

Marisol Escobedo & Jose Manrrique, 4th grade, Kansas City, Missouri

Fourth-grade student  Jose Manrrique is returning to school at Carver Dual Language in Kansas City, Missouri, in September—virtually, for now. Schools in the Kansas City Public School System will not reopen for in-person instruction until the community’s COVID-19 cases decrease for at least 14 days. While Jose eagerly awaits the day when he can return to the classroom and see his teachers and friends again, his mother, Marisol Escobedo, feels much more conflicted.

Marisol: They're going to be starting online school first, on September 8th. They will do that for a couple of months while the cases keep decreasing, then they will start putting some of the kids back in school. I'm hoping that Jose goes back, even though I know it's scary at the same time for him to go. I'm really worried that he will get sick. I don't want to go through that, it scares me. But I really would like Jose to be able to develop his learning so that he can learn what he's supposed to in school. 

I don't really think that Jose learned much from online classes. Even though I know that the teachers do their best to teach them as much as they can, I don't think it's the same for the kids. 

Especially the younger ages, I think that it's hard for them to be able to teach them everything on a computer—especially because you have multiple children at the same time in the class. For an older student, like my sister, I know that she did really good because she's older. She's 16 and she already knows what she's doing. But for Jose, it was hard.

I'm hoping that they will make the school safe for students, to try to keep them as healthy as they can. I don't know what that process will be, but I'm hoping that everything that they do, they will plan it well. 

Jose:   I want to go back in the school building. I'm hoping that I can still play with my friends and also be in the same class with my friends.

Adapting to a New Normal

‘i have to push myself to get things done’.

Haanya Ijaz, 12th Grade, Dublin, Ohio

Haanya Ijaz is a rising senior at Hilliard Davidson, in Dublin, Ohio where she will be attending remote classes in the fall. She’s also taking classes at Ohio State University, which will be solely online. While she finds in-person classes more interesting and also values the face-to-face time with friends, she knows online learning is safer, and also allows her to independently create a schedule that works for her.

Online classes are definitely a lot more organized this fall than before.

I also think I've gained skills with handling procrastination and sticking to a schedule, so I should be more organized this fall. [The hardest part about online learning is] staying interested and motivated. Without sticking to a schedule, I easily fall into a cycle of procrastination and feeling down, so I have to push myself to get things done and stay on top of my responsibilities. 

Most of my classes should be done before 4 p.m., leaving me room to work on college apps and extracurriculars in the afternoon along with homework. 

I also think I'll have more time for my personal hobbies and interests which have always been something that give me a break outside of academics and keep my mental health in check. I read a lot! I also sketch landscapes, my friends, and characters from my favorite shows. Recently I've gotten back into skateboarding after a one-year-long hiatus, which has been great.

[I feel worried about] college applications and the situation with the state-administered SAT. It's still very gray. [I’m hopeful about my] self-growth and exploration with this extra time at home! I am also looking forward to the remote internship opportunities I will be participating in this fall. 

I would obviously love it if COVID-19 did not exist, but within the current parameters of the situation I'm excited for the courses I am taking and the extracurriculars I am involved in. I also have a huge list of books I need to get through, so staying at home is going to be great for that!

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Nothing Feels Normal Anymore

‘I Walked Out of My High School for the Last Time Without Knowing It’

Becoming a Teacher During the Pandemic

‘I’m Feeling Hopeful About My Ability to Sit in on More Online Classes’

Annabel Morley, 12th Grade, Baltimore, Maryland

Annabel Morley is a rising senior at the Baltimore School of Arts. At least the beginning of Annabel’s final year of high school will be spent at home, where she will be learning remotely. Although Annabel worries about how engaging and supportive online learning will be this year, she’s found a silver lining: More time at home means that she has more time for her artistic pursuits which include writing for CHARM , an online literary magazine that amplifies voices of Baltimore youth and spending time with her family.

I’m not really sure yet what my school day will look like, but I know it will be entirely online. I definitely don’t think I would feel very safe going back to school in person unless CDC guidelines were followed really well. Both my parents are at risk and I wouldn’t want to put them, or my friends’ families, at risk.

The hardest part of attending school remotely is definitely not seeing any of my school friends in person and having some difficulty understanding the content. We have a lot less academic support. I’m most worried about understanding what's going on in my classes—especially in math. I hope that we can find a way for online schooling to be more engaging because it was very difficult to understand or stay focused on a class last spring. 

Now that school is online, I definitely have more time to work on personal projects and interests. For example, I’ve started crocheting and oil painting, and have made a bunch of clothes. During quarantine, I've mainly been doing lots of crafts and baking, Facetiming, and having safe outdoor hangouts with my friends.

My mom and I are really close so it's been nice to be able to spend more time with her, and with all the Facetiming with my friends, I feel like I’ve been really loved and supported during this time. I’m feeling hopeful about my ability to sit in on more online classes and teach myself artistic and personal skills.

‘Honestly, I Would Prefer Learning in a Virtual Setting’

Amia Roach-Valandra, 12th Grade, Rosebud, South Dakota

Amia Roach-Valandra will begin her senior year of high school this fall on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She is also an Enduring Ideas fellow, a student-led leadership initiative to reimagine the future of education. Amia's school will be online during the first quarter, with plans to reevaluate whether to open for in-person classes. Like many students and families, Amia is feeling anxious not knowing what lies ahead.

In this new school year, we are faced with challenges that we never had to face before. My high school reached a decision to go online for the first quarter and have a revaluation in nine weeks. As a student I feel in the dark about the decision that is being made, and anxious about it. If the school isn’t prepared yet, how do they expect students to be prepared? 

Not having a normal school setting may not allow me to be the best student I can be. I’ll have the safety of my health top of mind instead of learning the curriculum. Honestly, I would prefer learning in a virtual setting, and being able to learn from the comfort of my own home. I know I would be able to stay on top of assignments, although I know some students may not feel the same. 

I am also a student-athlete, and I am worried about my school's plan regarding sports. It is definitely a piece of my life that I would want to go back to normal, yet I want to be considerate of my health as well as others. A lot of students depend on sports as a place to escape for a while, and others depend on sports scholarships for college. I am also thinking about those students and how much that will impact them this school year.

‘My Overall Mental and Physical Health Improved Significantly’

Tehle Ross, 10th Grade, Baltimore, Maryland

Tehle Ross is a rising sophomore attending Baltimore City College and a contributor for CHARM , a digital magazine featuring voices of Baltimore youth. She loves studying history and plans to study abroad this year in Italy, a country that has made a remarkable recovery through the pandemic. Her Italian school will be a hybrid of online and in-person at the beginning of the year and Tehle is optimistic about transitioning to all in-person classes.

Attending school remotely has several benefits and shortcomings alike. Each family's living and working situation is different; however, in my personal experience, I noticed that my overall mental and physical health improved significantly when doing school online. I was less stressed because I was able to space out my work as I desired, and I also was able to complete every assignment from the comfort of my own home. Attending school remotely stunted my academic progress, though, I believe, for I am a more focused student when instruction takes place in the classroom with my peers.

The hardest part of attending school remotely was the social isolation from my classmates and teachers. At school, you always feel like you have a community around you, and it is tough to not feel that same sense of community when learning online at home. Additionally, it takes an innate sense of motivation to get assignments done in a timely manner when you are doing work online.

Quarantine has been tough for us all, but I cope and stay busy by doing what makes me happy. I have developed a passion for baking, and I have also been an avid reader and writer. Having game nights with my family and watching movies together lifts my spirits.

My community has been supporting me during this time by checking up on me and staying in touch virtually. Supporting others during this time means prioritizing their safety.

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Worries and Hopes About the Next Chapter

‘this pandemic is serious, but people have stopped taking it seriously’.

Shubhan Bhat, 11th Grade, Baltimore, Maryland

Shubhan Bhat will also begin 11th grade this fall at The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He enjoys poetry, writing for CHARM  magazine, and studying American government. His school will hold online classes this fall and possibly offer a hybrid option later on. Shubhan prefers remote learning because it’s less stressful and safer for students. But being at home while trying to learn has also been very difficult for Shubhan and his family. 

With remote learning, I gained more time to finish my work, had less stress, and more free time. What is lost is the social aspect of the classes, which is fine with me. I’m hopeful that online classes will be safer than an in-person school and there will be less work.

The hardest part about attending school remotely is being in the house when events happen. I was in my English class when the paramedics came to my house to try and revive my grandfather. I watched my grandfather die right in the middle of class. At that point, because my maternal grandfather also died a month ago, I lost all my motivation to be in class or do work. I left class, and haven’t come back since.

I’ve been getting support through classes and therapy. My family tries to work together on activities so I won’t be depressed during quarantine. My teachers also made my classes optional last spring so that decreased my stress. I don’t really have a lot of friends or go on social media as much as I used to. It used to entertain me, but it’s starting to get boring.

I wish schools in Texas and Florida wouldn't be in-person. I find that in-person classes during the pandemic aren't safe because students are going out in public and have a greater risk of spreading COVID. This pandemic is serious, but people have stopped taking it seriously. And now there is an increase in cases.

‘I Fear All of My College Plans Will Go Out the Window’

Me’Shiah Bell, 11th Grade, Baltimore Maryland

Me’Shiah Bell is a rising 11th grader at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, where students will continue to receive remote instruction this fall. While Me’Shiah believes that remote learning is the best and safest option for now, she worries about what remote learning will mean for her college plans—especially since she’s entering her junior year, a critical time for college admissions. In her free time, Me’Shiah also writes for CHARM online magazine.

I think remote learning is the best option, as it is the safest. However, I think there are quite a few downsides. 

I miss the social interactions, but I realize that it’s unimportant in the long run. The main downside for me is the lack of clarity and communication between the students and teachers. For example, last spring I had a grading error that would have been fixed immediately if I was physically at school. However, since I wasn’t there, there was no sense of urgency, and my concern was disregarded by multiple adults. This caused the situation to be pushed over for much longer than it should’ve been. 

Hopefully, this fall we’ll have a better system to avoid issues like this. I also hope classes will be scheduled like a typical school day, with multiple sessions in a row, and independent work to do between classes. Last spring, teachers could decide if and when classes sessions were held, and everything was very unorganized. Sometimes, the sessions would overlap with other responsibilities I had. 

The hardest part of remote learning has been keeping myself motivated and holding myself accountable. I’m going into my junior year, which is probably the most important year for college admissions, and I don’t feel like I’m able to put my best foot forward. I’ve worked hard to get to the point I’m at now, and I fear that all of my college plans will go out of the window due to circumstances out of my control.

Overall, I’m worried about how prepared I am mentally to adjust to such a huge change, while still continuing to perform well academically. I’m hopeful that my school will be more prepared to accommodate all of our needs so that everyone can have the best possible experience.

‘I Think COVID Gave Me a New Story to Tell the Next Generation’

Rosalie Bobbett, 12th Grade, Brooklyn, New York

This August, Rosalie Bobbett will begin her senior year at Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA). The first three weeks of school will be held online, after which she will alternate one week of in-person classes and one week of remote learning. Rosalie lives with her parents, siblings, grandmother, and uncle so she’s been extra cautious about quarantining. Going back to in-person classes will be a big adjustment. But she’s ready.

My school is really on top of safety. They're going to make us wear masks. And we have to get a COVID test before we enter the school building. For in-person classes, we're going to stay in one room with 12 other people. The teachers have to rotate to us instead of us traveling in a big group. 

I think with online learning, it gives me an opportunity to move at my own pace and take accountability for my learning. The disadvantages are the lack of talking to people and being in the classroom. I'm very fortunate to be in a school where I have a computer. I know how to work Zoom. I know how to work from Microsoft. Most of my peers don’t even have a computer. And so I'm wondering—how are those students navigating this world right now?

I feel like a lot of students are going to be left behind because of resources or their parents—there might be other children in the home and it's going to be difficult for them to take care of their siblings. The teachers and principals and people who are responsible for their education—I don't want them to lose sight of that child who is behind the screen.

I’m excited about school. It's my senior year. This is the last chapter before entering my adulthood. I think COVID gave me a new story to tell the next generation. It's going to be a lot of mixed emotions, but I know my teachers are going to make my senior year the best that they can.

More Community Voices

“ COVID-19: Community Voices ” offers a glimpse of life and learning during the coronavirus school closures, in the words of students and parents in the communities we serve.

If you'd like to tell your story or would like to suggest a story for us to cover, please email us .

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Safely back to school after coronavirus closures

Countries around the world remain at very different points of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means they face varying challenges, from overwhelmed healthcare systems to growing economic despair. In geographies beginning to emerge from the first wave of COVID-19 cases, the question of reopening schools is front of mind for many stakeholders. Schools provide not just learning and social support for students but also, crucially, childcare, without which many parents cannot return to work. However, reopening schools carries the public health risk of viral resurgence. Parents and teachers are understandably wary. How can education systems respond?

System leaders around the world—at the federal, state, and district levels—are grappling with three important questions related to getting students safely back into the classroom:

• When should schools reopen?
• For which segments of students and teachers (if not everyone) should schools reopen?
• What health and safety measures should schools adopt on reopening?

Post-pandemic capabilities for school systems

Besides safely reopening schools, education systems will have a daunting task in reenrolling students, helping students recover lost learning, and preparing for viral resurgence. New partnerships may help build capabilities for these tasks.

• Reenrollment. As schools reopen, some students may not return to class, for instance, because of parental concern about ongoing health risks, student leakage to the workforce to support financially struggling families, or student disengagement after frustrating remote learning experiences. Previous crises suggest that girls in developing countries are especially at risk of not returning to school.
• Remediation. Students who do return to school may need significant work to catch up on academics, especially in school systems that struggled to roll out effective remote learning. Students who lacked devices, internet access, or parental support—or who were already behind when the crisis began—will likely need the most help.
• Resurgence. Systems must also plan for local or national viral resurgence. Preparing means being ready for multiple waves of closures and reopening, which will entail blending remote and in-person learning.

These tasks will require resources and capabilities that many systems lack.

Maintaining a crisis nerve center  through the process and beyond can enable a coordinated response through strong leadership, effective operations, and systems for ongoing data-processing and monitoring. New forms of collaboration and communication may also be needed with other government agencies, with nongovernmental organizations, and—importantly—with parents.

There isn’t one right set of answers to these questions. Infection rates fluctuate across communities, as does capacity of healthcare systems; education systems vary in both structure and performance; and different communities have distinct cultural values that inform decision making. Significantly, leaders will be making decisions based on limited and rapidly changing epidemiological evidence and will therefore be forced to make difficult trade-offs to reopen schools. Once schools are deemed safe for in-person instruction, addressing re-enrollment, academic remediation, and possible viral resurgence will require new capabilities (see sidebar, “Post-pandemic capabilities for school systems”).

When to reopen

Although most primary and secondary schools worldwide remain closed, some countries (most notably Sweden) have stayed open as of publication. Others, including China, Denmark, Japan, and Norway, recently reopened their schools, and many European countries have announced plans to reopen in the coming weeks or months. In the United States, 43 states and Washington, DC, have ordered or recommended keeping in-person schooling closed for the rest of the academic year. 1 “Map: Coronavirus and school closures,” Education Week , updated April 24, 2020, edweek.com.

As school-system leaders weigh possible timelines, they can consider four interlocking components of reopening: risks to public health, schools’ importance to economic activity, impacts on students’ learning and thriving, and safeguarding readiness.

Risks to public health

The most critical question is whether reopening schools will lead to a resurgence of infection among students, staff, and the broader community. The evidence here is still nascent. Children’s risk of contracting COVID-19 appears to be lower than that of adults. In China and the United States, the countries with the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, children represent 2 percent of cases. 2 Jennifer M. McGoogan and Zunyou Wu, “Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: Summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention,” Journal of the American Medical Association , February 24, 2020, Volume 323, Number 13, pp. 1,239–42; “Coronavirus disease 2019 in children—United States, February 12–April 2, 2020,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , April 2020, Volume 69, pp. 422–26, cdc.gov. Emerging evidence also suggests that children are more likely to be asymptomatic, less likely to be hospitalized, and much less likely to die if they do develop COVID-19. 3 Yuanyuan Dong et al., “Epidemiology of COVID-19 among children in China,” Pediatrics , April 2020, pediatrics.aappublications.org. COVID-NET hospitalization data are preliminary and subject to change as more data become available; see COVID-NET: COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated April 18, 2020, gis.cdc.gov.

Although the risk to students themselves appears relatively low, reopening schools will also expose teachers to risk—especially those who are older or immune-compromised—and might contribute to higher risk for the larger community. Children’s role in transmitting the novel coronavirus is still unclear, making it difficult to estimate the extent to which reopening schools might contribute to resurgence. Potentially relaxed confinement measures outside the education sector add to the uncertainty. Decision makers will therefore need to determine when to reopen schools in the context of reopening society at large.

Importance to economic activity

A major part of the sequencing puzzle is the importance of schooling in providing childcare. Workers with children under 15 years old in their household who have no alternate caregiver will likely need childcare before being able to return fully to work. The proportion of workers who cannot return to work without childcare varies significantly across countries—and even within them. In the United States, 16 percent of the workforce—representing 26.8 million workers—are dependent on childcare to work (exhibit). In Europe, where there is a higher proportion of dual-income families, thus fewer stay-at-home parents to provide childcare, 20 to 30 percent of the workforce are likely dependent upon preschools and schools to resume work. 4 These estimates apply only to industrialized countries. In the United States, for example, 31 percent of households have at least one child at home. We assume that only children under 15 need an adult at home to provide care and that all workers in single-parent families require childcare, half of workers in dual-income families require childcare, and no workers in families with an existing stay-at-home parent require childcare.

These numbers do not represent the full complexity of individual workers’ family situations or obligations. While some workers, especially those with older children and who can fulfill their work responsibilities remotely, may be able to return part-time, their productivity will likely suffer. Conversely, the situation is much more challenging for those with younger children and who also cannot work remotely. While some families may lean on older siblings to provide childcare, doing so could significantly impair learning for those students. Other families may ask grandparents to watch children, but this solution puts one of the most vulnerable populations in this pandemic at risk. Our estimates may also underestimate the magnitude of the challenge. The proportion of workers under the age of 55 requiring childcare is even greater, as younger workers are the ones most likely to have dependent children. This poses a challenge for countries that wish to bring back younger workers first and protect older workers by keeping them safely at home. 5 See Jonathan Dingel, Christina Patterson, and Joseph Vavra, Childcare obligations will constrain many workers when reopening the US economy , Becker Friedman Institute for economics at The University of Chicago working paper, April 18, 2020, bfi.uchicago.edu; this paper includes an analysis of the impact on workers under the age of 55 but does assume that older siblings or grandparents could provide childcare to working parents.

Where a significant proportion of workers rely on schools for childcare, reopening schools (at least for younger children) might be a prerequisite to tapping into the full productive capacity of the workforce. However, if the majority of parents can work from home while fulfilling childcare responsibilities or can access alternative childcare, schools might be able to stay closed for longer.

Student learning and thriving

Every year, students in the United States lose a month’s worth of learning over the summer, with the sharpest learning declines in math, seen especially in low-income students. 6 David M. Quinn and Morgan Polikoff, “Summer learning loss: What is it, and what can we do about it?,” Brookings Institution, September 14, 2017, brookings.edu. Some researchers suggest that despite systems’ best efforts with remote learning, school closures caused by COVID-19 could be even more damaging. One recent analysis projects that students could return in the fall having progressed only 70 percent of a grade in reading and less than 50 percent of a grade in math during the 2019–20 school year. 7 Megan Kuhfeld and Beth Tarasawa, The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement , NWEA, April 2020, nwea.org. If closures extend beyond the fall, this shortfall could be even greater, with negative consequences for individual students and society as a whole. If decision makers believe that their remote-learning offerings are effective and equitable enough to avoid learning shortfalls, then longer school closures may be feasible. However, an uneven rollout of remote learning represents lost learning for every day out of school.

Beyond academics, schools provide important social support, especially to vulnerable students. Indeed, 19 percent of reports of child abuse or neglect in the United States come through education personnel, and school closures have resulted in a steep drop in such reports. 8 Andrew M. Campbell, “An increasing risk of family violence during the Covid-19 pandemic: Strengthening community collaborations to save lives,” Forensic Science International: Reports , April 2020, Volume 2. This change suggests that school closures have shut down support sources for victims of abuse and neglect at the very moment that they are most vulnerable. And although abuse may be less visible to staff during school closures, governments and nonprofits worldwide have recorded higher rates of domestic violence since shutdowns began. Reports of domestic violence increased more than 30 percent in France, 9 Elena Berton, “France to put domestic abuse victims in hotels after jump in numbers,” Reuters, March 30, 2020, reuters.com. 50 percent in India, 10 Rukmini S, “Locked down with abusers: India sees surge in domestic violence,” Al Jazeera , April 17, 2020, aljazeera.com. and 60 percent in Mexico. 11 John Holman, “Domestic abuse spikes in Mexico amid virus outbreak,” Al Jazeera , April 10, 2020, aljazeera.com. With such high stakes, systems that can consistently deliver remote student services—nutrition, safety, and mental-health support—can likely weather longer closures than those who cannot.

Safeguarding readiness

The final consideration to weigh is school systems’ ability to create and consistently follow effective health and safety measures to mitigate the risk of infection. School systems’ infrastructure, budget, supply chains, policies, and culture all contribute to their ability to operate safely after reopening. For instance, a school with unused classroom space and enough classroom aides could stagger schedules, space desks at least six feet apart, and facilitate more but smaller classes. Conversely, schools with strapped budgets, overworked teachers, and crowded classes will have less flexibility. Furthermore, equipping or retrofitting schools for optimal hygiene and sanitation won’t be effective if student behavior cannot or does not adhere to health and safety protocols.

If decision makers believe schools can realistically adopt health and safety protocols that can lower the risk of infection, schools can open earlier. However, if system leaders believe schools are unlikely to be able to limit transmission because they are, by definition, high-contact zones, then schools are likely to remain closed or to open later.

For whom to reopen

Reopening doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. Schools could selectively reopen, making it easier to keep student groups small and dispersed. Countries are taking varied approaches in deciding which students should return to school first. Denmark and Norway have prioritized reopening pre-primary and primary schools to address childcare for parents who need to return to work. Such an approach can be appealing to decision makers who believe young children are among the lowest-risk groups for both infection and transmission.

Other countries have prioritized students in important transitional years. For example, final-year students in Germany have returned to school to take their final examinations. Physical distancing is easier—and in fact typical—in examination halls, and older students are more likely than younger ones to follow health and safety protocols.

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Alternatively, schools can consider identifying student segments with specific needs and reopening for them. For instance, low-income students, who are less likely to have reliable internet service and devices equipped to support remote learning and who are more likely to rely on school for nonacademic support, may gain academic and wellness benefits (including nutrition) from returning to school. Similarly, students with disabilities (especially ones that make remote learning particularly difficult) might be better served with educational specialists at school. Finally, the children of essential workers might return to school earlier since their parents may not have the option of staying home.

Just as it may be beneficial for some students to return to school, some teachers might be better served working from home. Teachers who are at a higher risk of developing COVID-19 can be identified in advance of school reopening and provide remote instruction to students who are also still at home.

These possibilities are uncharted for many school systems and may require adjustments in both logistics (especially for staffing) and mindsets. For instance, reopening schools for only some students may mean reframing or redefining truancy, especially if a significant number of families opt out of sending their children back to school due to safety concerns. As of publication, Australia’s Northern Territory is letting families opt out of sending children back to school. 12 Judith Aisthorpe and Natasha Emeck, “NT schools stay open but optional for parents to send children to classes now: Chief Minister,” NT News , March 23, 2020, ntnews.com.au. Such examples suggest that school systems may need to continue to offer some level of remote learning, even after most students are back in the classroom.

Health and safety measures to adopt

Like workplaces around the world, schools will need to adopt and enforce heightened health and sanitation protocols. However, schools will likely confront trade-offs between effectiveness and feasibility in implementing such measures.

Measures that can reduce viral spread may be less effective at providing childcare or optimizing learning. For example, alternating school days for different groups of students may facilitate physical distancing but may not fully meet parents’ childcare needs and may create inconsistent learning environments for students. Limited budgets, infrastructure, and supplies of critical health and safety equipment may further complicate these challenges. Most importantly, some measures that are appropriate for adults will be difficult if not impossible to enforce in a school setting, especially for younger students.

Each school system will therefore need to evaluate its health and safety measures to fit its resources and capabilities across four major categories: physical infrastructure, scheduling and staffing, transportation and food service, and health and behavioral policies. Some example health and safety considerations can illustrate how systems can consider feasibility in a school environment.

School infrastructure can facilitate both physical distancing and hygiene protocols. For instance, designated entrances and exits for different student cohorts, sectioned off common spaces, and floor markings to direct foot-traffic flows can help students and staff maintain distance. Similarly, portable hand-sanitizing stations at entrances and common areas can promote regular hygiene—and all of these changes may be made at a reasonable cost. However, permanent changes to the physical environment, such as no-touch bathrooms or upgraded ventilation, may be unrealistic for many school systems’ budgets—especially given the short time frames involved.

School-system priorities in the age of coronavirus

Outside of no-regrets decisions (such as canceling large gatherings), changes in scheduling and staffing are the most likely to affect student learning. For example, while staggered or part-time schedules can help reduce the number of people on campus at a given time, making it easier to maintain a safe distance, these schedules also reduce instructional time. An alternative approach is to divide students into cohorts—for example, by grade or floor—to reduce the level of contact among students and staff to only those within their cohort. 13 Working and learning cohorts are already in use in the private sector; for an example, see Will Anderson, “How Austin factories are practicing social distancing,” Austin Business Journal , March 23, 2020, bizjournals.com. Secondary schools, where students tend to go to subject-specialist teachers’ classrooms, could explore ways to keep consistent groups of students together and trade off some subject-specific learning for more safety.

Transportation and food service, which historically brought students and staff into close physical contact, can adapt to support the school community’s health and safety—though the cost could be high. Increasing the number of bus routes, for instance, or organizing routes by cohort would reduce proximity and exposure but would require more drivers, funding, and sanitization between routes. School systems may instead offer incentives for private transport, but parents may be logistically or financially unable to take their children to school. Food service will also become more complicated: even with pre-boxed lunches and staggered lunch times, full compliance with physical distancing and hygiene may not be attainable, especially for young children.

Finally, systems need to consider which behavioral policies and norms are enforceable during the school day. Temperature checks for anyone entering a school campus may be sensible, yet contactless thermometers are expensive and may be in short supply. Schools will therefore need to decide whether to require everyone to check their temperature at home daily or have school personnel administer checks using standard thermometers. Schools can set up quarantine facilities for students with fevers, but if insufficient coronavirus tests are available it will complicate decisions on when entire student cohorts (or even the entire school) should be sent home.

Consistently wearing masks might also be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce among students. However, frequent scheduled campuswide handwashing and sanitation can help keep the environment and hands relatively clean. Enhanced cleaning of surfaces after the school day can be another vital element of promoting hygiene. Training and frequent reinforcement can help staff, parents, students, and entire communities stay updated on important health and sanitation practices.

As school-system leaders consider a dizzying array of decisions, they will have to make difficult trade-offs using the best and most recent—but still incomplete—available evidence and the knowledge of their own resources and constraints. They will also have to involve parents, teachers, and students in the decision-making process.

As schools reopen under appropriate health and safety protocols, school leaders will then confront a new set of challenges, including reenrollment, remedial academic support, and possibly closing schools again in response to public-health needs. None of this work is easy, but the prize—students learning, parents working, and a virus in retreat—is worth fighting for.

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How schools and students have changed after 2 years of the pandemic

Anya Kamenetz

It's been two years since schools shut down around the world, and now masks are coming off in a move back to normalcy. What effect has the pandemic had on students' learning and development?

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Helping Young Children and Parents Transition Back to School

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Transitioning back to early childhood programs or school— or starting them for the first time—can create extra challenges, particularly in times of stress. Learn what parents and teachers can do to help children make a successful transition to in-person learning and care.

Transitions can be hard for children and families

The start of a new school year can mean going back to early care and education (ECE) programs or school after a long break, or attending a program for the first time. A new start often means lots of changes, new routines, and meeting new people. Young children are often wary of strangers and want to stay close to their parents and other familiar and trusted caregivers. Until they are old enough to talk clearly about their feelings, it’s hard to explain to them that a new caregiver is going to protect them, which means it takes time for children to get used to new people. School-aged children who are sensitive or easily worried, or those who have developmental delays, may need extra time to adjust. It’s often easier for young children to make the transition if they have spent some time with their parents and the new person together. Parents also often worry about their child making the transition, and it’s easier for parents to keep calm and be reassuring if they know their child’s teacher and feel comfortable with them.

Transition in a time of extra stress is extra hard

In recent years, many ECE programs had to use prevention measures such as keeping physical distance between people, using masks for teachers and children older than 2 years, and limiting contact between program staff and families. As COVID-19 Community Levels change, ECE programs may add or remove prevention strategies, and such changes in strategies can mean changes in routines for children. Many ECE programs were closed to in-person learning in the beginning of the pandemic, and during local outbreaks of diseases, some programs may continue to shut down for periods of time.

For children who start in-person care after a break, changes to the space and to routines may have made everything look and feel different. Being around masked faces may add to a child’s feelings of uncertainty, because facial expressions are used to help communicate feelings and provide assurance, and wearing masks make this difficult. Becoming familiar with others may take longer. Because children look to their parents for signs of safety, parents may need to put more effort into expressing confidence and security with words and body language in addition to facial expressions. This is particularly important for young children who are not yet able to talk about feelings. Children are generally flexible and can adapt, but strategies that protect children’s health may make transitions to new situations and new people harder.

Even before the pandemic, children’s mental health was a public health concern, and levels of anxiety were on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant additional stress, fear, and worry for many families. Worries about sickness, finances, and isolation, coping with grief from loss, and having less outside help have made parenting more stressful. The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the nation’s youth mental health crisis in December 2021 .

Schools and ECE programs can help children and families by promoting  social and emotional learning  Making the transition from home to school may be harder for children with developmental, behavioral, or emotional concerns. Teachers, parents, and programs can help children by planning the transition, making strong connections, and establishing new routines. With the right support, children can adjust to their new program, make new friends, learn new things, and thrive.

What parents and teachers can do to support during transitions

Skilled ECE providers know how to help children adjust. But with increased worries and stress, it may be good to put a little extra support into the transitions. Here are some tips to help families with the transition.

Teachers and administrators can

• Work to establish connections between parents and the program. Set up times for parents and teachers to meet and get to know each other.
• Create a daily structure and routines to help children learn what to expect.
• Share information with parents of returning children about daily routines to help prepare their child for what to expect.
• Provide frequent communication to parents about their children’s time in the program.
• Consider holding in-person meetings outdoors, for example on the playground, in situations where additional COVID-19 precautions are needed, depending on Community Levels or the presence of people at  high risk for severe illness or death.
• Provide virtual connections with parents to supplement in-person connections, such as video calls and phone meetings. Consider connecting parents to other parents to learn about the program and share experiences. Programs can create virtual tours so that parents and children can see the facility and classrooms. This helps them imagine what it would be like for their child to attend and helps them prepare for the new situation.

Learn more about what teachers can do.

Parents can

• Make sure their child has a daily, predictable routine, with regular times for healthy meals, naps, and night sleep at home. Having a rested body and knowing what to expect at home helps children cope.
• Connect with other parents who have children in the same program and can provide information and make them more comfortable with the program.
• Talk with teachers about the best way to separate from their child at the start of the day—brief goodbyes are often best.
• Try to stay calm and reassuring during transition—using a calm voice, with a relaxed face and body to let their child know that they wouldn’t leave them if the child were not safe and protected.
• Talk with their child about what to expect and help them with strategies to manage stress and cope with worries , and review positive parenting tips to help children with feelings and behavior.
• Make sure their child is caught up on well-visits with their healthcare provider and is up to date with recommended vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines , to ensure that the child is healthy and well protected.
• Monitor their child’s developmental milestones and learn what to do if there are concerns.
• Remember that this is a phase—building new relationships is a skill, and with support, children can be resilient. Even if it’s hard to separate, children will gain a new trusted relationship with their new teacher and feel more secure.

Parents with concerns can

• Take  care of themselves during stressful times so they can be better equipped to take care of others.
• Find resources to learn how to promote resilience and reduce anxiety in their children .
• Talk to a healthcare professional if their child’s symptoms of anxiety or behavior problems are severe or persistent.
• Contact a mental healthcare professional for  parent training and support so parents can help their child.
• Find  resources for themselves if they are sad, worried, or stressed .
• For children with new concerns that persist, ask the school for an evaluation to see if the child may need  special education services or accommodations. For children with identified disabilities, ask the program to review their Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Schools and ECE programs can

• Provide staff development and support for teachers if there are more children than usual who have difficulty with transition.
• Review and enhance resources for staff health and well-being.
• Make sure teachers have access to mental health support if they are dealing with their own stress, loss, or trauma related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Include resources for social-emotional learning.
• Seek support from early childhood mental health consultants.
• Share information with families about the importance of developmental monitoring and screening , well-visits and for the whole family to stay up to date with recommended vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines .

CDC resources

• Information on Children’s Mental Health
• Back to School—Ideas for Parents
• Adolescent and School Health: Five Things Schools Can Do Now to Support Students as They Return to School
• Tools for Supporting Emotional Well-being in Children and Youth—Web Tools for Children, Teens, and Parents
• How Right Now Campaign
• Positive Parenting Tips
• Back to School Preparedness
• Food Assistance and Food System Resources for Families Seeking Food Assistance
• Early Care and Education Portal
• Healthy and Supportive School Environments
• Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT)—Mental and Emotional Health Module for PreK–12

COVID-19 resources

• Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning
• Information on Helping Children Cope

Partner resources

• SAMHSA: Back to School During COVID-19
• Head Start Heals Campaign
• Head Start: COVID-19 and Mental Health and Wellness
• Emotional Wellness—HealthyChildren.org
• Promoting Staff Well-being for Early Learning Programs

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After the Lockdown: Learning From Students' Experiences

School lockdowns are traumatic. we must listen and validate students' feelings..

Posted October 18, 2022 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

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• Every month, hundreds of schools are forced to go into "non-drill" lockdowns because of a credible threat of violence.
• Students experience "invisible wounds" after school lockdowns that need to be addressed when creating school safety plans.
• Students may experience panic attacks, soil themselves, cry uncontrollably, and/or disassociate during or after a lockdown.

Co-authored by Annalisa Enrile and Harley London.

Harley is 14 years old and in the 8th grade. This year, her school, like hundreds of schools in the United States, was forced into a lockdown because of a suspected shooter threat. Thankfully, the police and school officials found it to be a hoax. What was not false, however, was the experience of all the kids in the school for the 45 minutes they were in lockdown. This story that Harley and I are sharing is an important one, especially for kids who have this experience. But we would like to offer a trigger warning because the experience that is described is traumatic , disturbing, and violent. Please read with care for yourself.

Swatting Incidences on the Rise

The most recent research data is from 2018, during which at least 4.1 million students had to go through at least one non-drill lockdown. Of course, lockdowns are essential to keeping kids safe, but following an actual act of school violence, there has been a rise in what the FBI refers to as “swatting” incidences. Swatting is a term that is used to describe filing false reports or threats to cause chaos and provoke a law enforcement response.

Swatting incidences are dangerous because they are fake but the response from law enforcement and the community is real. There have been incidences in which people have been injured in the process. It also can erode emergency responses if it happens so frequently in a kind of “the boy who cried wolf” syndrome where the threat becomes habitual and perhaps makes responses less urgent. Whether it’s authentic or “swatting,” the reality is an emotional and psychological cost to students, teachers, and other school personnel.

Despite the rise in “swatting,” one of the things that the tragedy at Uvalde taught is that there cannot be hesitation to act, especially when children are literally caught in the crosshairs. All schools in the United States are required to have a safety plan in place. But the need for a strategic plan on paper does not always tell the whole story of what is experienced when it must be acted upon.

First-Hand Experience

I was taking a test in math class, so the room was completely silent. Suddenly, I heard sirens and then we heard the PA system turn on, but no one was saying anything, so, we thought the principal accidentally turned it on. After a few moments, the principal said in a shaky voice, “Teachers, please lock your doors and close the blinds; we are in a lockdown. I repeat, we are in a lockdown.” 1 minute later: Everyone quickly stopped the test. I looked at my friends, and we immediately got down. Everyone was panicking trying to grab their phones and hide under the desks. One of my classmates whispered, “Guys shut up and hide.” First, we got on the ground, then my teacher had us crawl to another classroom. I crawled into a corner, but unfortunately, I was by a window so I wanted to move but was frozen there. 10 minutes later: The PA system went off again. The principal said, “Teachers and students please remain calm and silent, we are still in lockdown.” At that point, the majority of us were freaking out. The girl in front of me was crying and hugging her friend. I didn’t know what to do, so I just started praying to calm me down. I didn’t know where my friends were. I only saw two of my friends from the other class across the room, lending their phone to other classmates. One of my classmates tapped me on my shoulder and then held my hand. 5 minutes later: The phone in one of the classrooms rang, and a bunch of my classmates were whispering and crying. I realized then that the elementary students were probably so scared. 30 minutes later: Suddenly the door opens. Everyone was scooting away and hiding. But we learned that it was one of the teachers getting water for a student who had passed out. 45 minutes later: The PA system went off again. The principal announced, “Teachers, you may go back to teaching again. We will contact parents to pick up the students.” The lights turned on and everyone was crying. I ran up to all my friends hugging them and crying. I felt relieved. I don’t normally cry but I just couldn’t stop crying.

Invisible Wounds

Harley’s story emphasizes the potential trauma that children feel when they experience a lockdown, even if there is no active violence. The fear and anxiety may last well beyond the “all clear” is given. Dr. Marleen Wong , leading expert on childhood trauma and one of the original developers of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools and Psychological First Aid calls these “Invisible Wounds.” Just as Harley’s story demonstrated, the invisible wounds of school lockdowns are immediate, urgent, and often both physical and emotional.

A Washington Post yearlong focus on school violence found that children aged as young as 4 years have participated in lockdowns where they have had to do things like hide in darkened rooms or learn how to “play dead” or camouflage themselves for survival. It is not uncommon for children and youth to soil themselves, pass out, panic, or cry during or right after these experiences.

Trauma-Informed Practices

There are some key things to address the trauma children may have following a lockdown.

I told my mom I needed a couple of days off after the lockdown and she let me stay with my grandparents. I think parents should listen to their kids. We aren’t lying when we say we are scared or nervous. Not all my classmates were allowed to do that. The next day, there was another threat called in and another lockdown. I don’t know how I would feel if I had to go through it all over again so soon. A lot my friends were sending me pictures and videos because they now carried their phones with them. One of my friends told me how scary it was—almost worse than the day before.

Dr. Kennedy, a.k.a. " Millennial Parenting Whisperer ," works with parents to help them foster resiliency and empathy, reminding parents about the power of really listening . Harley’s mom said, “I have to trust that she knows what she is feeling and validate that information. I took a look at her workload (no big assignments due), we talked about how long was appropriate (two days) and what she would do while she took time off (spend time with her grandma, paint, and journal). I want her to feel safe coming to me with what she is experiencing, but, even more, I want her to be able to name what she is feeling and act on that.”

Dr. Steve Hydon, Director of Social Work in Schools at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work states, “Parents ought to embrace Dr. Bruce Perry's six R’s: Relational, Relevant, Rhythmic, Repetitive, Rewarding, Respectful. These six R’s are what Perry identified as core considerations for trauma-informed care when implementing therapeutic interventions and experiences.

School violence remains a reality that schools, communities, and families will have to continue to face. However, engaging in trauma-informed practices can help the healing process, especially when safety plans are developed and other strategic decisions are made. Most importantly, the voices of students themselves should be expressed, listened to, and included in how solutions are created. After all, they, along with their teachers, administrators, and school staff, are right at the epicenter.

Greco, V. (2021). The Casualties You Don’t See: The Omnipresent Trauma of School Shootings. Dress Rehearsals for Gun Violence: Confronting Trauma and Anxiety in America’s Schools, 1.

Osher, D., Mayer, M. J., Jagers, R. J., Kendziora, K., & Wood, L. (Eds.). (2019). Keeping Students Safe and Helping Them Thrive: A Collaborative Handbook on School Safety, Mental Health, and Wellness [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO.

Schildkraut, J., & Nickerson, A. B. (2022). Lockdown Drills: Connecting Research and Best Practices for School Administrators, Teachers, and Parents. MIT Press.

Annalisa Enrile, Ph.D. , is a Clinical Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, turning classrooms into brave spaces to train the next generation of change-makers.

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At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that could derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face triggers with less reactivity and get on with our lives.

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Forever Changed: A Timeline of How COVID Upended Schools

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Educators’ two-year journey with the coronavirus pandemic started as early as Feb. 25, 2020, with a blunt call for school and district leaders, staff, and families to prepare for the coming disruption: “You should ask your children’s schools about their plans for school dismissals or school closures,” Nancy Messonnier, an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a press briefing that day. “Ask about plans for teleschool.”

By the end of March 2020:

• COVID-19 had been declared a global pandemic by The World Health Organization,
• Education Week had recorded the first death of an educator linked to the virus,
• School buildings faced a near-total shutdown nationwide, and
• Congress had passed the first of three federal financial aid packages, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which included money to help schools with emergency costs related to mitigating the spread of the virus and supporting students.

In that same two-year timespan, educators were elevated as pandemic heroes—and later vilified as obstructionists for not opening school doors and classrooms quickly enough. Demands were just as vehement to keep schools closed and to deliver innovative processes, technology, and safeguards to keep students safe and learning productivity high.

This timeline captures how policymakers, federal agencies, two presidents, teachers’ unions, public health officials, and others wrestled with the protocols needed to get students back in schools learning and thriving, amid illness, deaths, three viral variants, and unremitting public pressure.

Coronavirus may yet graduate from pandemic to endemic status this calendar year, eased by vaccines, additional treatments, and immunity from prior infections. But the educational obstacles in the pandemic’s wake leave schools with a steep climb to boost academic growth and support the mental and emotional health issues that many students and educators carry from the pandemic.

Staff writers Evie Blad, Catherine Gewertz, Sarah Schwartz, Madeline Will, senior digital news specialist Hyon-Young Kim, and associate art director Vanessa Solis contributed to this article.

COVID-19 has shaken the education landscape. Here are key milestones.

Click each tab below to explore educators’ two-year journey with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jan. 19, 2020: The first recorded COVID-19 illness in the United States

An urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Wash., records the nation’s first COVID-19 case.

Feb. 25, 2020: CDC warns schools to prepare for ‘teleschool’ disruptions

Nancy Messonnier, an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, holds a press briefing with a message to prepare for inevitable disruption in school routines because of COVID-19.

Feb. 27, 2020: Coronavirus scare prompts a school to shut down

The first school shuts down because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Bothell High School in Washington state closes for two days for disinfection after an employee’s relative gets sick and is tested for the coronavirus.

March 11, 2020: The World Health Organization declares coronavirus a global pandemic

By month’s end, principals, superintendents, and then governors act to stop the virus’ spread and close schools across the nation .

March 23, 2020: New York educator an early casualty

Dez-Ann Romain, 36, a Brooklyn principal, is one of the first K-12 educators in the United States to die from COVID-19 . Romain was the principal of the 190-student Brooklyn Democracy Academy in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood. New York City—which was an early epicenter of the virus—had closed schools to students on March 16, but teachers and principals continued to come to work for a few days after the closure.

March 26, 2020: USDA waives school nutrition rules, making it easier for schools to serve grab-and-go meals

Under a U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver, parents can pick up “grab-and-go” school meals from school nutrition workers , even if their children aren’t present. “Typically, children would need to be present to receive a meal through USDA’s child nutrition programs,” then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says in a memo. “However, USDA recognizes that this may not be practical during the current COVID-19 outbreak.”

March 27, 2020: Congress passes the CARES Act, with $13.2 billion for states and local school districts

The first COVID assistance package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, emerges from Congress as a response to the early days of the pandemic, as schools rack up emergency costs for remote learning and personal protective equipment.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Schools and COVID Relief Funds

April 2020: Educators’ stress skyrockets due to the pandemic

In the rush to distance-learning, the nation’s teachers scramble to manage unfamiliar technologies, to retrofit—or reinvent—their lessons, and to juggle emails, texts, and calls from principals, parents, and students.

Read more: Exhausted and Grieving: Teaching During the Coronavirus Crisis

April 2, 2020: All states are excused from federally-required statewide testing

The Education Department excuses every state from administering standardized tests that are required by federal law , something that hasn’t happened since the federal government first required states to test students’ achievement in 1994.

May 20, 2020: CDC issues first guidance on reopening schools

Education groups pressure federal agencies to provide clarity about how to safely operate schools as they begin to make plans for both academic and logistical issues associated with starting the new school year. The CDC offers guidance on issues like disinfecting surfaces, reducing students’ contact with peers on buses and in the classroom, and daily health checks. It also recommends that common areas like lunchrooms be closed.

Read more: When Schools Reopen, All Staff Should Wear Masks, New CDC Guidance Says

May 2020: Nearly all states say school buildings would be closed for the rest of the academic year

Forty-eight states, four U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have by this time ordered or recommended school building closures for the rest of the academic year, affecting at least 50.8 million public school students. By early May, 80 percent of teachers report in an EdWeek Research Center survey interacting with the majority of their students daily or weekly, either online or in-person.

Read more: Map: Coronavirus and School Closures in 2019-2020

June 2020: Schools find creative ways to mark graduation day for Class of 2020

From car parades and quarantine diplomas made of toilet paper to signs on lawns and across entire streets, schools take many different approaches to celebrating the Class of 2020.

Read more: COVID-19’s Disproportionate Toll on Class of 2020 Graduates

Back to Top ⬆

July 8, 2020: Trump threatens to withhold federal funding to schools that do not reopen

President Donald Trump says his administration “may cut off funding” for schools that don’t resume face-to-face instruction , and points to CDC reopening guidelines that he calls impractical and expensive. The next day, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos says that rather than “pulling funding from education,” her department supports the idea that students in places where schools do not reopen should be able to take federal money and use it where they can get instruction in-person.

July 23, 2020: CDC stresses the importance of in-person learning

The CDC revises its school guidance to stress the importance of in-person learning. About “7.1 million kids get their mental health service at schools,” then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield says in a congressional hearing. “They get their nutritional support from their schools. We’re seeing an increase in drug use disorder as well as suicide in adolescent individuals. I do think that it’s really important to realize it’s not public health versus the economy about school reopening.”

Read more: The Pandemic Is Causing Widespread Emotional Trauma. Schools Must Be Ready to Help

July 28, 2020: AFT moves to delay reopening of schools to protect teachers

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten says the union would pursue various tactics, including lawsuits and strikes, to keep schools from reopening without adequate safety precautions. “If authorities don’t protect the safety and health of those we represent and those we serve ... nothing is off the table—not advocacy or protests, negotiations, grievances or lawsuits, or, if necessary and authorized by a local union, as a last resort, safety strikes,” she says at a remote meeting of the national teachers’ union’s biennial convention.

July 28, 2020: Fauci says there are still unanswered questions about how the coronavirus is spread

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, tells educators in a virtual town hall that when it comes to reopening school buildings for in-person instruction, there are still many unanswered questions about how the coronavirus is spread by children, and that teachers will be “part of the experiment.” His comment sparks uproar on Twitter from teachers, who say they didn’t sign up to be part of such an experiment.

Fall 2020: Many districts opt to start the school year in remote learning

Some districts provide hybrid instruction, and some are able to offer full in-person instruction to all students.

Read more: School Districts’ Reopening Plans: A Snapshot

Sept. 2020: Federal vaccine distribution plan says states should prioritize teachers and school employees, alongside other critical workers

Not only does a new federal plan identify teachers and school employees as priority recipients of a vaccine , it also identifies U.S. schools as a crucial partner for administering the shots.

December 2020: Teachers in line for the first doses of COVID vaccines

A wave of states announce that they will prioritize teachers and school employees in the ir vaccine distribution plan s, but most states—if not all—are still focused on administering vaccines to health-care workers and long-term care residents.

Dec. 27, 2020: Second federal COVID aid package provides $54.3 billion

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act allocates more than $190 billion to help schools pay for tutors and cleaning supplies and millions of computing devices.

January 2021: Biden calls for unified efforts to reopen schools within the first 100 days of his administration

A 200-page federal plan and executive orders from newly elected President Joe Biden call for “sustained and coordinated” efforts to reopen schools for in-person instruction, with the cooperation of states and new resources, guidance, and data.

Read more: Biden Launches New Strategy to Combat COVID-19, Reopen Schools

February 2021: In Chicago and other big cities, teachers’ unions influence school reopening plans

The Chicago teachers’ union reaches a reopening deal with the district that includes a delay that gives the district more time to vaccinate teachers, which was a sticking point in weeks of negotiations. Many big-city unions are in heated negotiations with their districts around this time period.

February 2021: CDC releases new guidelines as core part of Biden’s plan to reopen schools

“I want to be clear,” CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy says. “With the release of this operational strategy, CDC is not mandating that schools reopen. CDC is simply providing schools with a long-needed road map for how to do so safely under different levels of disease in the community.”

March 2021: Vaccine access speeds up for teachers

The vaccine landscape for teachers shifts dramatically the day after Biden announce s a federal push to get all teachers their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March.

Read more: Vaccine Access Speeds Up for Teachers After Biden’s Declaration

March 2021: Schools get federal aid for homeless students

The American Rescue Plan, the third major package of federal COVID aid, includes $800 million for homeless children and youth (allocated through states), which is money that wasn’t set aside specifically for them in the two previous relief deals.

March 19, 2021: CDC eases recommendations for social distancing in classrooms

The CDC issues recommendations saying 3 feet of space between students who are wearing masks is a sufficient safeguard in most classroom situations . Many educators and policymakers viewed the agency’s previous recommendation of 6 feet of space as a major hurdle to a full return to in-person school.

Early April 2021: Vaccines become available for teens

States begin to open vaccine eligibility to those 16 and up , a watershed moment for the pandemic. By early April 2021, two-thirds of teachers tell the EdWeek Research Center they’d been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. By the end of the month, that figure had shot up to 80 percent.

April 20, 2021: USDA waives school meal regulations through June 2022

After extending waivers of school meal regulations several times, the USDA says the flexibilities will last until June 2022 .  The waivers will also allow schools to continue distributing meals to students who are learning remotely without red tape that can make it logistically difficult to do so.

May 10, 2021: Pfizer vaccine approved for 12- to 15- year-olds

The approval is a major development in the overall campaign to vaccinate more Americans and help ensure healthy and safe operations of middle and high schools in the pandemic. Schools begin opening their buildings to facilitate getting school-age children vaccinated.

May 13, 2021: American Federation of Teachers says schools must reopen five days a week in fall

“We can and we must reopen schools in the fall for in-person teaching, learning, and support,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says in virtual speech. “ And keep them open—fully and safely five days a week .”

Graduation 2021: Health worries and financial instability impact college-going decisions

EdWeek Research Center surveys comparing the class of 2020 and 2021 graduates find that 74 percent of 2020 graduates who were planning on attending a four-year college followed through with their plans and ended up attending a university. Only 62 percent of the class of 2021 were able to do the same. Among students who had planned to attend a two-year college in 2021, only 44 percent succeeded in doing so, compared with 57 percent of graduates who wished to enter a two-year degree program in 2020.

July 9, 2021: CDC says students, educators, and staff should still wear masks

The CDC advises that all students, visitors, and staff should wear masks in schools , regardless of their vaccination status and maintain “layered mitigation strategies,” like handwashing, regular testing, contact tracing to identify threats of exposure to the virus, and cancelling certain extracurricular activities in high-risk areas. The recommendations also put a priority on getting schools reopened for in-person learning.

Read more: Unvaccinated Students, Adults Should Continue Wearing Masks in Schools, CDC Says

July 2021: Biden administration calls on school districts to host pop-up vaccination clinics

The Biden administration pushes to increase the number of vaccinations for kids 12 and older as the Delta variant of the virus intensifies worries that the upcoming school year will be disrupted just like the last two were.

August 2021: First state requires all teachers and school staff get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing

California requires all teachers and school staff to either get vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing—the first state in the nation to issue such a sweeping requirement.

August 2021: Teachers face pressure to get vaccines, or face discipline

Oregon and Washington states require teachers to get fully vaccinated or face discipline, which could include termination. A handful of school districts, including Chicago and Los Angeles, impose similar mandates. California, Connecticut, New Mexico, New Jersey, and Hawaii—as well as several more school districts, including Washington, D.C.—give teachers the choice between getting vaccinated or undergoing regular testing.

Sept. 24, 2021: CDC director approves booster shots for teachers, reversing panel’s decision

Hours after a federal vaccine advisory committee votes against recommending a booster shot for essential workers, including K-12 school staff, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overrule s the decision .

Read more: With Vaccine Mandates on the Rise, Some Teachers May Face Discipline

Fall 2021: More schools adopt a ‘test-to-stay’ policy

Many schools adopt a “test-to-stay” program to let students who test negative for COVID-19 keep attending school even if they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive. The policy is intended to minimize disruption to in-person learning.

Oct. 1, 2021: California announces statewide COVID vaccine mandate for students

California’s first-in-the-nation requirement for students to get vaccinated against COVID also makes it easier for families to opt out than existing state rules that require vaccines for routine illnesses, like measles, as a condition of school attendance. The mandate will be phased in as vaccines win full approval from the Food and Drug Administration for different age groups.

Read more: California Is Mandating COVID Vaccines for Kids. Will Other States Follow?

Nov. 2, 2021: Children as young as 5 can get vaccines

The CDC approves the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine for emergency use authorization for children as young as five. The White House develops a distribution plan, highlighting ways schools can contribute to the effort by vaccinating children on campus in partnership with local health providers as well as combating vaccine misinformation that may prevent families from getting vaccines.

Read more: All K-12 Students Can Now Get the COVID-19 Vaccine. Here’s What It Means for Schools

November 2021: Staffing shortages put a crimp on mandatory vaccine push

Districts start backing off consequences for vaccine mandates due to staffing shortages.

Dec. 27, 2021: CDC shortens its recommendations for quarantining

The CDC shorten s its recommendations for the length of isolation and quarantine periods . Under the new guidance, people who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10, and then, if they have no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving, can resume normal activities wearing a mask for at least five more days.

January 2022: Omicron variant causes concerns after winter break

As COVID-19 cases rise due to the more-contagious Omicron variant, some districts push back their return to school after winter break, or pivot to remote instruction for one or two weeks.

Read more: For Anxious Teachers, Omicron ‘Feels Like Walking Into a Trap’

Feb. 25, 2022: CDC relaxes mask guidelines for schools

The CDC releases guidance that universal masking in public settings, including schools, is only recommended in areas with high risk of serious illness or strained health-care resources .

March 15, 2022: Schools warn of hunger, higher costs when federal meal waivers end

Congress passes a spending bill that does not include flexibility for school meal programs, alarming child hunger and education groups . Federal waivers that let schools feed all students free meals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic will expire this summer, leaving school nutrition directors braced as supply chain issues and spiking costs eat up their already tight budgets.

March 31, 2022: Federal survey of high school students sheds light on mental health struggles

High school students experienced mental health challenges during the pandemic including hopelessness, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors, the CDC finds. But those who felt close to people at school or reported strong virtual connections with family and peers were less likely to report such concerns.

Read more: Teen Mental Health During COVID: What New Federal Data Reveal

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Reopening schools after the COVID-19 lockdown

Aziz sheikh.

1 Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Asiyah Sheikh

2 Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Zakariya Sheikh

Sangeeta dhami.

3 General Practitioner Locum, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK

With nationwide school closures currently operating in 191 countries, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has estimated that 1.6 billion (90.2%) students are currently out of primary, secondary and tertiary education (henceforth schools) as a result of the global COVID-19 lockdown [ 1 ]. These restrictions have been introduced to help maintain physical distancing and have contributed to the stabilising incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and resulting COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths now being witnessed in many parts of the world. These measures have the potential however – particularly if prolonged – to result in major detrimental effects on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. In the absence of a robust evidence base on lockdown exit strategies, we consider the range of options being taken globally to reopen schools with a view to informing the formulation of national plans.

It is now well recognized that children and young people can be asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 or develop COVID-19 [ 2 ]. Although COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children and adolescents, and thankfully relatively few students have died of the condition, a key policy concern has been that young people may be important community reservoirs for the transmission of the virus to household members. Emerging evidence however suggests that children are not super-spreaders of the virus and in fact may not be significantly contributing to spreading the virus [ 3 - 5 ]. A recent (unpublished) systematic review concluded that children and young people under 20 are 56% less likely to contract SARS-COV2 from infected individuals than adults this suggesting they may play a smaller part in transmission than originally thought [ 6 ]. It appears therefore that SARS-CoV-2 behaves differently in this respect from many other viral respiratory infections that are responsible for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and influenza. A recent systematic review on school closures, which drew primarily on the evidence base from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), concluded that around 2–4% of COVID-19 deaths could be prevented as a result of school closures [ 7 ].

Although an important public health intervention in the context of epidemics/pandemics, school closures can have adverse effects on children and adolescents in multiple ways [ 8 ]. Not only are they missing out on their education – with potential lifelong implications – children from deprived backgrounds are at increased risk of hunger from missing free school meals, domestic violence, and the poverty that ensues from parents being unable to work because of daytime caring responsibilities. These consequences are felt most by the most vulnerable members of society. The longer lockdowns continue, the greater the risks to the well-being of young people.

What then are the options for reopening schools? The key consideration is how to enable the safe return of as many learners and staff as possible whilst maintaining physical distancing. Table 1 summarises the approaches that are being employed internationally. We briefly consider these four broad approaches in turn.

Strategies being adopted internationally to reopen schools after the COVID-19 lockdown

The first is to maintain school closures until a vaccine can be administered at sufficient levels to achieve herd immunity or a treatment is found. Optimistic estimates suggest that it will be at least 12-18 months before a vaccine is developed and deployed [ 9 ]. Given the substantial negative effects of school closures, it seems most unlikely that this will be a tenable strategy for most countries in the medium- to longer-term.

A second approach is to reopen schools completely once the effective reproduction number (R t ) is well below 1. Whilst this has the benefits of resuming normal schooling, it runs the risk of triggering further peaks in infection. The magnitude of this risk will become clearer as the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in young people becomes better understood. The approach being employed in Denmark whereby children are being taught outdoors and maintaining 2m physical distancing through for example the rearrangement of desks, in an attempt to reduce droplet and contact transmission, could potentially be replicated in a number of other countries [ 10 ].

Photo: Macau students return to school. By Macau Photo Agency via Unsplash.

The third strategy is to partially reopen schools such that there are fewer students at school at any one point in time thereby enabling physical distancing. This has been the most popular school lockdown exit strategy employed thus far with students typically attending for part of the week or in shifts.

Finally, a hybrid approach whereby in-person classes are live-streamed to those who for example need to be shielded because of underlying chronic disease or have the capacity to study from home. This is however clearly dependent both on having high speed Internet access and appropriate devices (personal computer, laptop or tablet) at home.

The final three options all need to be accompanied by developing surveillance capability and the ability to rapidly test, trace and isolate suspected COVID-19 cases and their contacts. These also requires capacity for regular deep cleaning of schools to minimise the risk of contact transmission.

It is clear that there are no easy answers. Whichever approach countries choose to take, it is crucial that there are carefully planned evaluations of the approaches employed to help develop a robust evidence base to guide decision making for this and future pandemics.

Funding: None.

Authorship contributions: AzS conceived this paper and commented critically on drafts of the manuscript. AsS, ZS & SD sourced the examples and jointly drafted the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Competing interest: AzS is a member of the Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer’s COVID-19 Advisory Group. This work in no way represents the views of the Scottish Government. The authors have completed the ICMJE Uniform Conflict of Interest form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no further conflicts.

Can public education return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, paul t. hill and paul t. hill founder - the center on reinventing public education, research professor - the university of washington bothell, former nonresident senior fellow - the brookings institution ashley jochim ashley jochim senior research analyst, center on reinventing public education - university of washington-bothell @aejochim.

October 29, 2020

In the familiar nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty fell off a great wall and couldn’t be put back together again. After being broken apart by COVID-19, will public education be like Humpty, or can it be put back just as it was? The latter possibility seems simple enough: Wait until the pandemic is over and then, after a year of coping, bring all the students and teachers back into schools as if the shutdown had never happened.

But it won’t be so simple. The shutdown has caused new conflicts among and between parents , teachers , employers , and district leaders, as all negotiate the details of remote learning and whether schools should begin to offer in-person instruction. The crisis has also amplified long-brewing conflicts about inequitable funding and access to quality teachers and effective instruction , as the differences between educational “haves” and “have-nots” have widened .

For now, public education is in chaos, with different schooling combinations of in-person hybrid, fully remote, and plain homeschooling evident—sometimes all in one locality. The politics now and in the foreseeable future will be fierce, just as we predicted in an earlier Chalkboard post. Even when the health crisis wanes, there will be pressures in two directions: one to put the old arrangements back into place just as they were before the pandemic hit, and the other to keep the crisis adaptations that have worked, at least for some students and their families.

Colliding Pressures

We think a return to the pre-coronavirus status quo will prove impossible. Yes, there are strong pressures for a complete return to the pre-pandemic normal. According to CIVIS Analytics , of the families whose children enrolled in new options as a result of the pandemic, 82% say they would like to return to their pre-COVID-19 school once the crisis is over. States, by holding school districts harmless against enrollment losses suffered this year, are making sure the old arrangements don’t collapse. Some crisis adaptations, such as learning pods for children who need help and supervision when schools are not open, depend on private investments that might dry up once the crisis is over.

But there are serious barriers to putting everything back just as it was. The pre-COVID-19 school system was a product of years of small deals, governing everything from curriculum textbook contents to district budgets to the choice of holidays. These deals reflect the politics of days gone by. Today’s politics are very different.

No longer are school districts and teachers’ unions the only arbiters of instruction. Left without safe supervision and effective teaching, advantaged families are turning to private schools, homeschooling, and pandemic pods to fill the gaps. Families, long relegated to the outside of education, are by necessity playing a central role in shaping their children’s education. School leaders and teachers have adapted to the demands of remote learning by identifying new strategies to engage parents and students. Long-standing assumptions about when, where, and how instruction must occur are shifting in ways that make it impossible to simply return to “normal.”

New Politics Continue After 2020-2021

Coronavirus-based disruptions to schools could continue until at least 2024 , and worries about contagion will not go away. Lack of trust among parents about vaccinations and health practices, and worries about especially vulnerable children and teachers, will persist beyond this school year. When students do eventually return to the classroom, parents, teachers, and school systems will confront the reality of missed learning and trauma that will necessitate something other than a simple restart. Advantaged and disadvantaged families alike could demand new investments in small learning communities like pods, tutoring, and emotional support they have come to trust.

At the same time, districts will be struggling with declining enrollment and revenue losses due to the recession. If large numbers of advantaged families who have fled to schooling options outside of public education don’t return, districts won’t have the money to return to normal. Larger urban districts, in particular, will face mismatches between their central office structures and teacher corps as well as the demands and expectations of families.

Teachers’ unions have been strong opponents of a quick return to in-person schooling, but they also have a strong stake in continuing arrangements that leave negotiations over schooling behind closed doors and protect traditional uses of funds and teachers. Unions will eventually want a return to the old normal, but their memberships will likely be divided, with some teachers fearing a return to in-person schooling, some preferring new methods of instruction developed during the pandemic, and others favoring a return to in-person school. Whether teachers’ unions can hold together will depend upon school systems’ mounting effective responses to the crisis in the years to come that meet the changing needs of students, parents, and even teachers themselves.

State and local leadership also have a role to play in what happens next. States that are now requiring schools to reopen, largely led by Republicans, provide some political cover to local district leaders fighting unions’ resistance to in-person instruction. But partisan pressures might weaken after the election posturing ends. Even if partisan state pressures continue, these can’t bypass conflicts among parents and teachers, or prevent enrollment losses. Nor will state pressures stop families, teachers, and school leaders from testing new approaches to deal with day-to-day realities and learning from the results.

What Could Emerge

Horses and men couldn’t put Humpty back together, but good, new things can be built from parts. Forward-looking districts are using this moment to develop creative new possibilities, such as expanding access to their most-effective teachers via remote learning, building new learning communities to serve small groups of students in person, and expanding access to services like tutoring, mentoring, counseling, and enrichment. Some families, left with few options, have charted new paths by forming pods, joining microschools, and taking a much bigger role in ensuring their children have access to adequate instruction and social-emotional supports. Some are assembling their own combinations of in-person and online learning experiences. These efforts could supplement traditional schools or in some cases replace them.

Local leaders who can use this moment to test new approaches to delivering instruction and build new sources of political support will be better positioned to build on these approaches after the COVID-19 crisis. Regardless of how long or short a time the current pandemic lasts, the “normal” in politics and schooling is unlikely to return anytime soon.

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Long-term effects of COVID school shutdowns become apparent as students return to class

John Yang John Yang

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/long-term-effects-of-covid-school-shutdowns-become-apparent-as-students-return-to-class

The long-term impact of school shutdowns and remote learning during the pandemic is becoming apparent as students return to the classroom. New test results show a significant drop in scores and learning for elementary school-aged children. NPR education reporter Anya Kamenetz joins John Yang to discuss her new book, “The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives and Where We Go Now.”

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Judy Woodruff:

As we reported, new test results show a significant drop in test scores and learning for elementary school-aged children in the United States.

The decline in reading and math for 9-year-olds were the largest in several decades. Math scores dropped even more among Black students. And the declines were sharpest among students still struggling with very basic math skills and simple reading.

This all comes amid great concern about learning loss, what should be done, and how schools and politicians responded.

John Yang has a conversation about that very issue recorded before these latest numbers were made public.

It has been a long road back for many schools and families since March 2020, when the pandemic shut things down. Most went to remote learning, in some cases for more than a year.

While some students, teachers and families liked it, many others didn't. And then there were deep divisions over when to fully reopen in person learning.

Anya Kamenetz, a longtime education reporter for NPR and herself a parent, has chronicled that period and its wider impact in a new book, "The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives and Where We Go Now."

Anya, thanks so much for joining us.

What do we know now? What can we say about the learning loss that students and children experienced during the — during the pandemic?

Anya Kamenetz, NPR:

They're really concerning, especially when you consider that the 2021-2022 school year was not the recovery year that many had hoped. Chronic absenteeism continued, as did shutdowns from Omicron.

And so the latest numbers suggest that, for elementary school students, it would be three more years at this pace before they would sort of pick up their expected trajectory of math and reading.

And for middle school students, sadly, the picture is even bleaker. It may take even longer than that.

Is that something that's likely to be with us for a while? You say three more years, but, even beyond that, are there ripple effects from that?

Anya Kamenetz:

Absolutely.

I mean, we're speaking about averages here, but students are not averages. They're individuals. And, to me, the biggest area of concern is students that disengage and go on the path to dropping out altogether. We have already seen a big downturn in college-going rates.

In big cities, for example, in Los Angeles, which has been pretty forthcoming about this, they said that they were missing 50,000 students on the first day it held classes. They don't know where many of those kids. Are they enrolled somewhere else, or have they dropped out and gone into paid work? That's the really concerning area to me.

What to do about schools and when to come back was such a contentious issue for so long. Are there — looking back, are there ways this could have been handled better?

I was in the privileged position of being an education reporter at the beginning of shutdown, and I knew that the consequences would be really serious even if shutdowns lasted only a few weeks.

As the year continued, and I saw the lack of leadership for on so many levels, really a full-throated endorsement from the public health authorities on the importance of in person school was not forthcoming. We did see that in other countries. And that's how our peer nations, particularly in Europe, really committed to reopening, despite the fact that they were dealing with surges and waves

And they reopened schools, in preference to other public accommodations. And, of course, in the U.S., we really took two paths. Red states opened up everything with almost no restrictions. And many blue states actually opened up businesses, bars, restaurants without opening up the schools full-time.

And what was the effect of that?

I mean, you talk about sort of the red states, blue states, and so much of the pandemic was politically tinged. Talk about how that affected this debate about what to do about schools?

Oh, my gosh, I mean, it affected it terribly, because the rhetoric following President Trump was really that we needed to get back to normal and kind of ignore precautions, or that precautions were not important.

And that did not build a lot of trust. So I personally spoke to teachers in Georgia, in Florida, in Texas who were terrified about going back to school without precautions in place. On the other side of things in blue states, it seemed like, almost in reaction to that, there formed this attitude that we should have zero COVID before we go back to school.

And that really led to, I think, terribly detrimental impacts on children as the pandemic dragged on. And so it just seemed harder and harder to understand why schools will be subject to restrictions that were not seen in other parts of society.

And another sort of thing that was accentuated during the pandemic was the — was inequality.

How did the differences in race and socioeconomic status, in geography — you talked about the red states, blue states — but how did that affect students and their experiences in the pandemic?

John, this started the day that schools shut down, because the school food program is the second largest public food program in the country. It feeds 30 million kids.

And when it switched to handing out sandwiches in parking lots, a lot of kids went hungry. In fact, hunger soared to levels that researchers told me were unprecedented in modern times in the very quick weeks right after the school shutdowns.

As it dragged on, what we saw was that communities of color, Black and Hispanic and Asian American communities, were more cautious about the virus. They suffered more deaths from the virus because they had essential workers in their households. They had intergenerational households.

And that Fed into a sense of generally mistrust and oftentimes an unwillingness to come back to school in person. And so that led to disparities in who actually had access to and confidence in, in person learning.

Anya, you're from New Orleans, I believe. You covered Hurricane Katrina.

Are there any parallels between what happened to schoolchildren and the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the pandemic?

Yes, this is a situation that I have looked at for parallels.

When you think about school shutdowns in the modern era, we're talking about epidemics, natural disasters and civil wars. And in the United States, the only modern-day analog is really, I believe, the hurricane in 2005 that closed public schools in that city for almost a full semester.

And what I learned from following is that the impact on those children, in learning, they caught up in a couple of years, those who re-enrolled in the city of New Orleans. But in trauma in their life trajectory, you can see the impact on high school graduation and college-going rates 10 years afterwards.

For this book, Anya, you followed some individual families across the country.

What stands out to you from your reporting?

So, there were so many different paths that families followed even within the same family.

And a child that I think about a lot is — was 7 years old when the pandemic hit, and he is the middle child of eight siblings growing up in St. Louis. And when schools and day cares closed, his mother had to go to her essential job and oftentimes lock the door on the kids.

And, one day, he got out, and he climbed into the window of an abandoned house nearby, and was shot in the leg by a young man who was inside. And, thankfully, he recovered. But there are so many children whose stories we may not even know because they were not seen and they were unsafe during the pandemic school closures.

The book is "The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives and Where We Go Now," the author Anya Kamenetz.

Thank you very much, Anya.

Thank you so much.

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John Yang is the anchor of PBS News Weekend and a correspondent for the PBS News Hour. He covered the first year of the Trump administration and is currently reporting on major national issues from Washington, DC, and across the country.

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Back to School after a Long Break

The bell rings again after a long break and our children are back to school. Since the Covid restrictions have been gradually removed, we are slowly returning to normality. Despite the epidemic still lingering, schools are slowly reopening. Students return from virtual classrooms to live classrooms. Due to the pandemic, educational institutions are the most likely to be closed for the longest time. For a child’s intellectual, emotional, and social development, direct learning experiences are essential. They are returning to a world filled with friendship and love. Friendship and love await them on their return to this new school world. A student’s intellectual, mental, and emotional development should be experienced by the school. The student community faces many problems and challenges when these critical learning spaces are closed. We will never be able to comprehend and analyze the problems our students face. Experiences that should have defined their success in personal and social lives were robbed by the pandemic. Children experience a lot of upset due to a lack of chances to attain mental and emotional balance in schools. The direct method of learning is preferred and appreciated by students and teachers. In this way, educational institutions open their doors to a world of hope and spring of opportunity.  After the pause, our students return to their regular classrooms after spending time in virtual classrooms. As everyone knows educational institutions are the most likely to be closed for the longest period as a result of the outbreak. They’re returning to a world full of love and camaraderie. On their return to this new educational world, there are numerous changes when returning to the former classroom after an interval of around twenty months. Long-term foster care has had a substantial impact on the conduct of youngsters. Their mindsets, behaviors, and routines shifted.

Back to School with Confidence

After 20 months, the schools are operational. After months of online study, students return to classrooms. For the first time, not only first graders but also second graders will enter the school together. The Covid pandemic compelled children to remain in a state they do not like and do not want. Millions of children could be liberated from it. Children’s instincts were not compatible with living at home all the time. The Covid Protocol forced them to live in a state that they did not like. Because moving and crowding spread the disease A virus made our children experience an unfamiliar state, who had gone to school and studied happily.  Despite the fact that the severity of the Covid epidemic has decreased, the virus has not vanished. As a result, extreme caution and vigilance are required. Vaccination is required for all teachers and staff. Everyone who arrives at school is required to wear a mask. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid outbreak, our children are now confident and happy to be back in school.

Were our Children Happy with Online Classes ?

The ability to manage everything according to one’s own preferences and to be virtual participation in everything from anywhere has turned them into a euphoric style. Some of them logged in while lying in bed, said attendance, and sat and lay down in all of their classes. The internet was difficult when asked to turn on the video, and if the question was asked, the class would be cut, and the exam would be duplicated or googled. They didn’t like it, but that’s their way today. Being at home provided numerous opportunities to eat and pass the time after each class. They will return to the world of internet entertainment after each period. They learned new things that they couldn’t learn in the classroom.  Thanks to the internet platform. Some students took advantage of the opportunity to study the greatest courses given by internationally renowned schools in addition to their own curriculum. Some bright and brilliant pupils devised the best teachers and instructional methods. Cyberspace was where the best teachers and instructional methods could be found. Teachers must renew and develop themselves in order to deal with all of this. Many online platforms offer skill and excellence training through arts, competitions, and other extracurricular activities. Many of our children went on to become celebrities. They discovered new ways and places to rediscover lost virtues, friendships, warmth, and celebrations. Imperfection and necessity drove them there. With new techniques, they were able to recapture what seemed impossible during the plague.

Wounds from the Covid Period

Remember, there are those who come with a wounded mind, with wounds from the Covid period that have yet to heal. Separation from loved ones, post-covid health issues, concerns about parents losing their jobs and income, financial obligations, debt trap, missed classes due to digital backwardness, and so much more. They cannot be blamed if they believe that online classes are superior. Because they have to wake up early in the morning, get ready, go to class with a food package, put on a mask and sanitizer, and sit in classrooms at a social distance. Some may believe so. Aside from that, some other children are sitting in class with a variety of other annoyances. As a result, the students are returning to old classrooms in a highly complex, ambiguous, intellectual, and emotional state. Teachers must make a mature effort to integrate them into the post-covid education system and methods. These days, teachers must approach this task with dedication and instinct. May they take on that mission wholeheartedly.

Yet They are in Ecstasy

In spite of all the challenges posed by the Covid outbreak, our children are now back in school feeling confident and happy. Children are not the only ones who share in this happiness but the whole country as well. It has been twenty months since Covid took control of the world. Due to the fact that the disease was carried by humans, various precautionary measures were necessary for survival. The most significant restriction was the ban on travel. When certain conditions are met, adults are allowed to work and do other things. However, the children did not get a chance to do so. Our digital classes have already been launched in June to allow all students to participate without being overwhelmed by crises. We believe that digital classes are not a substitute for traditional classroom learning. Digital classes, in our opinion, are not a replacement for classroom instruction. Schools are gradually reopening despite the fact that the epidemic hasn’t completely disappeared. At this time, we must prioritize children’s health and the prevention of communicable diseases. Children come to school hoping to finish their virtual classroom at home. Millions of children are enrolling in school for the first time. Children may experience both happiness and fear of disease transmission. Teachers and parents must ensure both physical and mental health.

Schools are Anticipating the Arrival of Students

The country is in the process of recovering from the Covid crisis. The establishment of educational institutions is a significant step in that direction. The entire community must support the best method of implementation. Despite efforts to improve online learning, children found it difficult to learn and play with their peers. There are also issues raised by a lack of education that should be addressed directly in schools. Authorities, PTAs, and Management Committees should take special care to establish schools in accordance with the Department of Education’s guidelines. It could take some time for schools to return to normal. Covid is not completely gone, so extreme caution is required. Setting up the school before the children arrive, furniture maintenance, reptile avoidance, disinfection, and so on. Many things have been done to make our students feel welcome. We live in a society where knowledge is extremely important. It is critical to acquire the knowledge, abilities, and skills required for survival. Children must engage in age-appropriate activities on a regular basis in order to gain knowledge and develop emotionally and socially. This can also be done at school. Let us all work together to equip schools so that opportunities for this can be created.

For the Attention of Teachers

• Gatherings should be avoided.
• Avoid crowds near water fountains and urinals.
• Schools and the environment should be maintained in a clean condition.
• To avoid congestion, the Department of Education has also decided to organize classes in batches based on bio-bubbles.
• Ensure that disinfection is performed.
• After a long period of continuous digital learning at home, teachers and parents should take the initiative to guide children into the school environment.
• In schools, children should not be subjected to any kind of stress.
• To prepare children for learning, they should first receive psychological and social support.
• Children should be welcomed into a cheerful environment.
• Children who have transitioned from the virtual world to the real classroom should take the same approach they did when they were first introduced to first grade or LKG.
• Mask is the main attraction. Make sure to use a double mask or an N95 mask.
• People suffering from symptoms, as well as those on the contact list, should avoid going to school.
• After lunch or snacks, apply a new mask.
• The classroom’s windows and doors should be left open.
• Avoid eating with others.
• Take care not to speak too much at this time.
• The school should keep a symptomatic register.
• Each school should make arrangements for the services of a local doctor.

When the classrooms are live again parents should pay attention to the following

• Children should follow Covid defensive habits since disease risks persist.
• Assemble the masks properly so that they fully cover the mouth and nose of the children.
• In case of replacement, the mask to be used and the cover to bring back the used mask should be provided.
• It is important to give sanitizer.
• Boiled drinking water should be given.
• Food, water, and study materials should not be transferred.
• If possible, it is better to travel in a less crowded vehicle.
• After arriving home from school, take a shower.
• Soak the worn clothes in soapy water.
• Never wear clothes once they have been worn without washing them.
• When children have symptoms like fever, cough, or sore throat, do not go to school.
• In case anyone in the house is under Covid surveillance, don’t send children to school.
• As much as possible, avoid outside food.
• Include fruits and vegetables in their diet .
• Drink warm boiled water occasionally.

What is Needed is Vigilance, not Fear

When a school is opened, children’s safety is extremely important. It has been accomplished entirely with the help of the community. The disease is all around us, and we may have to live with it for a long period of time. Let us not forget this when implementing concessions. There must be some care taken to prevent a repeat of the lockdown. At least, some parents may be concerned. To resolve this, all necessary precautions should be taken. Public engagement led by health professionals and educators should continue to address parents’ concerns so that they can be fully trusted. There is no need to panic; all that is required is attention. Classes were rearranged into batches to avoid having all of the children arrive at school at the same time. Things were communicated to parents in advance. Teachers have been given the necessary training and guidance. All security has been ensured through the creation of a public atmosphere by education officials and people’s representatives in local bodies. In the event of Covid expansion, we must deal with the Covid protocol. The Department of Health has put in place facilities and equipment to deal with any emergency.

Excursions are Necessary or Not

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Going Back to School, Essay Example

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Returning to school after a long break is a challenge for every person. For me, it was extremely difficult because it involved changing my daily schedule, traveling, and term work assignment preparation. According to James Clear (web), changing habits takes weeks. Your body needs to get used to the different biorhythm, meal times, bedtime, and energy needs. However, for me, it was the mental adjustment that was harder than the physical changes.

I have researched several sources to make the process of getting used to being back to school easier. James Clear states that there is a 3-step pattern that makes the adjustment easier: reminder, routine, and reward. For people, who are not used to different activities, setting up a routine, and sticking to it is essential. I have done this from day one, when I planned my returning to school. Although I did not know exactly how much time it would take me to complete assignments and research, I had an idea of how long it takes me to wake up in the morning and get ready for classes. Therefore, I created a daily routine, and added to it over time. I set my wake up time, and created a target of when I would need to be in bed. I set my lunch hours, as well as my break times. I allocated half an hour to lunch every day, an hour for an evening meal with my family, and two hours for revision, library work, and assignment. I knew that even if I had no assignments or homework, I could benefit from rehearsing and reviewing the information I learned about in school.

After getting my schedule and timetable from school, I adjusted the routine schedule, so I could allocate more time for studying on days before tests, and create more free leisure time on other days. Weekends were planned out ahead, while I added four hours of studying for every weekend.

I understood from the beginning that getting good grades was important for my future, therefore, I also created a target for every subject studied. It was hard, and the targets needed to be adjusted, based on my interest and preferences. For some subjects, I had to study less, while some assignments proved themselves to be more challenging.

On the top of my schedule, I also had to ensure that I keep time during school, therefore, I marked all the important assignment dates in my Google Calendar and set up reminders 7, 3, and 1 days before it was due. This way I could manage to complete all coursework in time, and avoid last minute studying for tests.

I also created a reward schedule for attaining good grades. I created my own rewards, such as a Chinese dinner, a picnic in the park, or a movie for every single graded assignment. I had a minimum grade target for all coursework and tests, therefore, I remained motivated to do well in school. Keeping up one’s motivation is the greatest challenge of going back to school: when it becomes a routine, many people start forgetting about their goals.

My goal with going back to school was to learn as much as I can, attain good grades and advance my education further. I believe that self-motivation and a strict routine has helped me achieve my goals so far, and I will use the same method in the future.

Works Cited

Clear, James “The 3 R’s of Habit Change: How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick” n.d. Web.

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Things we learned to appreciate more during covid-19 lockdown, curfews helped tomislav’s family appreciate the value of living in an intergenerational household and spending quality time together.

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is of a scale most people alive today have never seen. Lockdowns and curfews to contain the spread of the virus impacted the way children learn, the way their families earn a living, and how safe they feel in their homes and communities. Despite the ongoing threat, countries around the world are starting to lift restrictions. As we question whether we will ever go back to what we once knew to be “normal”, its worth taken a step back to see how we can build on what we have learned to build back a better world for children.

As a journalist, UNICEF photographer Tomislav Georgiev was one of the rare professionals with a permit to go out during the curfews and capture images of the deserted streets of the capital. But he discovered that in times like this, the most valuable images can be found closer to home. He turned his lenses from the outside world to capture photos of his own family with a loving eye. In a household where four generations live together, Tomislav captured scenes of play, family celebrations, sharing, exploring and learning new skills.

“I realized that no matter how much time we think we have; at the end of the day, what I came to appreciate was that we simply don’t spend enough quality time with our families,” says Tomislav.

Days in lockdown were an opportunity for children to reinvent ways of play and learning,  exploring their immediate environment and making the most of what they had available. Building resilience in children is one way we help them to cope in difficult moments.

Curfews were also a time to help children learn responsibility and their role in contributing in   our own way to find a solution to collective problems. “The silent understanding of my children was simply astonishing. We stay home, no questions asked, no demands to go and play with friends. Their lives have completely changed, yet they seem to grasp the importance of their contribution better than most adults,” says Tomislav.

During curfews many learned about the importance of being creative with the scarce resources and limited physical space they had at home. Also, many came to appreciate that small acts of kindness and gratitude to other family members helps to boost emotional wellbeing.

Some even learned new skills but what matters most is learning to appreciate the emotional connections made between different generations.  Its these connections that help us to develop the emotional resilience’s we need to get through stressful times.

“It is true – this crisis has taken its toll on humanity. However, it also provided an opportunity for generations to unite and perhaps begun to shape our younger generations to think differently about their own individual roles and how we as individuals can all contribute in our own way to find a solution to collective problems,” says Tomislav.

UNICEF remains committed to its mission to provide essential support, protection and information as well as hope of a brighter day for every child. UNICEF stands united with one clear promise to the world: we will get through this together, for every child .

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My First Day of School After Lockdown Essay

My first day of school after lockdown essay.

As we know, students have not been to schools and colleges since the pandemic started in the year 2019. 

Now, the government of India has decided to open schools and colleges. In this article we are going to discuss;

Essay on reopening of schools after lockdown.

So let's begin. 

A day before my first day of school, I was very excited to see my school again. I was also excited to meet my school friends, whom I was missing a lot. I also was missing my teachers who are very supportive and encouraging to us. They always keep us motivated for our studies.

In the morning of that very day, I got dressed up and ready for school. 

I boarded on a school bus and reached the school within 30 minutes. I was amazed to see teachers checking masks and hand sanitizers at the school gate.

As I entered my school campus, I happen to see my friends and teachers. But was not able to hug my friends as it is not allowed because of the safety measures. Teachers welcomed us with their kind expressions. 

I was feeling new. It was a new world for me. And then we did some exercises. It freshened our bodies. 

We entered the classroom and there were only a few benches. And we were instructed to maintain social distancing.

Our teachers started teaching us subjects one by one. But to be honest, I was not in a learning mood. I was there to enjoy with my friends. The first few minutes, it was a kinda awkward moment but then It felt really good to have offline lectures. 

And at 1:00 PM we were granted the launch break. But everyone was instructed not to share food. And we followed our teacher's instructions. Everyone followed the social distancing. 

The first day of my school was exciting. I met my friends and teachers. The friendly behavior of the teachers was excellent.

Some points to remember.

• We should always follow the instructions of our teachers.
• We should not indulge in bad activities.
• We should maintain social distancing.
• We should not share food with our friends.

My First Day of School After Lockdown Essay in 200 Words

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How to readjust to campus life after the Covid-19 pandemic

With universities beginning to reopen for face-to-face learning, leeds trinity university's head of student support and wellbeing offers some ways to manage your feelings around this.

Toby Chelms

A lot has changed since the world first went into Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. For university students, one of the biggest changes has been the significant disruption to campus life.

As many universities start to open up to face-to-face teaching many students are heading back to campuses for the first time in a long time. Some of you may be keen to get back to campus, while others may be more apprehensive – and both these feelings are justified.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as we adapt to these changes. 

Everyone will feel different and that’s OK

The crucial thing to remember as you go back to campus life is that everyone’s experiences and expectations will be different.

Some of you will have been on campus with in-person teaching for some time and may be either welcoming or fearful of the imminent rise in numbers. Some of you will be itching to get back to campus; others may be feeling anxious about it.

Some of you will have been shielding because of health conditions and these conditions may still present significant concerns. Some of you may have disabilities for which remote learning has been helpful and may be concerned about how your needs will be met in the return to face-to-face teaching. 

Others may have found that remote working reduced your engagement because of a disability and may be worried about how you will re-engage now.

Some of you may not have been in the same country as your university for the past year and now worry about the challenges and stigma attached to returning international students.

This is just a selection of the many possible thoughts and experiences during this period of transition – these are completely normal. It’s important to understand your own feelings and then try to be aware of others’ feelings too.

Tips for studying online and at home for university students Why it’s OK if you aren’t being productive right now How to manage your mental health when the world feels uncertain How to manage your time as a university student

Give yourself time

Processing any significant change takes time and many of us will do this in different ways. 

Some people want to resume their lives that they feel have been put on hold. Others have perhaps enjoyed the slower, reflective pace of life and want to continue living this way. Both are totally understandable positions.

However, reflecting on loss, trauma or hardship cannot be done in just a few moments and our ability to process this will fluctuate over time. One moment you may feel fine and the next feel anxious about something else. It may surprise you how easily you return to some aspects of “normal life” and how difficult others will be.

It is important to remember that in times where nothing seems to be normal, feeling lots of emotions at once is completely normal. What is “normal” has changed, and some of these changes may be permanent.

Look after yourself and each other

You don’t know what everyone else is going through so don’t assume that everyone else is fine and you are the only one who is nervous about the changes.

If there is one thing this pandemic has shown us it is that we all respond to major changes differently. While some people have been raring to get out and about, others may be taking slightly more cautious steps into socialising.

And you may have differing views to others around mask-wearing, vaccination and social distancing, which may cause disagreements.

Take the time you need to understand what works best for you as things start to change. This will be an ongoing process, so take your time and don’t feel pressured to make changes just because people around you are.

Don’t be afraid to turn down invitations you don’t feel ready to accept. Friendships may need a settling-in period, but if there’s a time for people to understand that it’s now. 

If you are feeling uncomfortable or unsure about any aspects of  returning to campus life, reach out to your university and speak to them about how they are implementing a safe return to campus and what measures will be in place.

If you are an international student travelling abroad to your university, keep in close touch with your institution on what you need to do before you arrive, travel requirements and how you will be supported when you get to campus. 

Be kind to friends or peers who look a little nervous, give people time to adjust and ensure that you use the support available to you at your institution, whether that be emotional or academic.

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'It's not over until it's over': England gives Rishi Sunak hope of glorious comeback

After England's glorious last-minute comeback - Rishi Sunak has sent a message to the country as he tries to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in this general election.

Sunday 30 June 2024 22:30, UK

• General Election 2024

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• England gives Sunak hope of a glorious comeback
• Reform candidate disowns party amid racism row - and backs Tories | Which comes after party dropped three candidates
• Farage says he 'doesn't want to know' racists | And finally rules out joining Tory party after election
• Rob Powell:  With more coverage comes more scrutiny
• Sunak insists he can still win election
• Has Labour chosen wealthy pensioners over children in poverty?
• 'Extremely troubling' footage emerges of Tory association students singing Nazi song | But party says group 'not affiliated' to them
• Live reporting by Ben Bloch  and (earlier)  Faith Ridler

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges: Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid | Reform | SNP
• Trackers:  Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage:  Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts:  Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more:  Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo
• How to watch election on Sky News

The final weekend of the general election campaign is over, with three days and nine hours left until polls open.

Today has seen a slight lull in the pace of campaigning ahead of the frantic final days as the politicians fight for every last vote.

Here's what you need to know about what happened today:

• Nigel Farage held a vast Reform UK rally in Birmingham as he tries to stabilise his party's position after a slew of racism allegations this week;
• Speaking to Sky's political editor Beth Rigby , Mr Farage described homophobic remarks by a close aide of his as "crass, drunken, vulgar, rude, wrong" - but also that "people say all sorts of things when they're drunk";
• Also in his interview with Beth, he finally ruled out joining the Tories after the election if he enters parliament, saying they are "ghastly";
• But the racism row engulfing the party continued, with one of his candidates quitting to back the Tories, citing "widespread racism and sexism" in the party, and "the failure of the party's leadership to not only take this matter seriously, but also to fundamentally address it".
• Rishi Sunak  started the day with a tough interview in which he was challenged on his party's record in power;
• He insisted on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show that the UK is "a better place to live than it was in 2010", despite a "difficult" last few years;
• He also insisted that his party can still win the general election;
• In the afternoon, he visited a synagogue in north London and met community members;
• He pledged that a Conservative  government under his leadership would show "steadfast" support for Israel, and said he was "proud" that British forces helped defend Israel from Iran's attack in April;
• The PM hit out at the "sickness" of antisemitism, and pledged to "lead a long term effort" to tackle, and "change our culture so we tackle the root causes of this hatred";
• Speaking to Sky's Trevor Phillips this morning, Mr Sunak's deputy, Oliver Dowden , warned that Russia is using bots to boost Reform UK on social media (a spokesman for the party said Mr Dowden must think voters are "stupid").
• Sir Keir Starmer  was not seen on the campaign trail today, but his national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden was challenged by Sky's Trevor Phillips  about whether they would owe a potential victory on Thursday to Reform UK;
• He replied that the power is in the hands of the electorate, and dismissed any questions over the legitimacy of a potential Labour win;
• SNP  leader John Swinney  told Sky News that Scots have been "disenfranchised" by the timing of the election, because school holidays in Scotland have already started in large parts of the country;
• The first minister also made the case for independence with the SNP - but did concede his party has had a "tough time" in recent months.

Follow along for the latest political updates throughout the evening.

Pledges and promises are coming thick and fast from every party as the general election approaches. 

Struggling to keep up with who is saying what?

Here is a summary of where the main parties stand on major issues.

For a more in-depth look at what each party has pledged, scour our  manifesto checker ...

TV presenter Rylan Clark has said he would "love" to become a politician - and replace the party system with a "Power Rangers of government" model.

The TV personality, 35, joined political editor Beth Rigby and former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Ruth Davidson for this week's Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast.

Asked if he would ever consider the career change, he said: "If I wasn't in the job that I was in, I would love nothing more."

Rylan, who won Celebrity Big Brother and also appeared on the X Factor, appeared on the podcast in place of Labour candidate Jess Phillips after tweeting his praise for Rigby on the day Rishi Sunak announced the general election.

Sharing a clip of her and Sky presenter Sophy Ridge outside a rainy Downing Street waiting for Mr Sunak to appear at the lectern, he said: "Obsessed with the Rigby."

Speaking to her and Davidson, he said his "obsession" with politics began with Brexit - "as we've seen so many promises which weren't fulfilled" since then.

He added: "I lie there at night sometimes, and I think about [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. He hosted one of the same shows I've hosted in Ukraine."

The TV presenter also shared his idea of abandoning political parties altogether.

Read the full story here: 

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

With under a week to go, the Tories and Labour have taken a drop, while support for Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats is on the rise.

Read more about the tracker  here .

Avid football fan Sir Keir Starmer has tweeted his reaction to England's win over Slovakia to reach the quarter-finals of the Euros.

Although England came a matter of minutes from losing before Jude Bellingham's stunning overhead kick in added time took it to extra time, the Labour leader tweeted that the win was "never in doubt".

Labour would definitely want to steer us away from inferring any commentary about the general election from that tweet as they fight for every last vote - unlike Rishi Sunak's more pointed message ...

The Financial Times (FT) announced today that it is backing the Labour Party at this general election, and on Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue , we spoke to the paper's Whitehall Editor, Lucy Fisher, about that decision.

She is, of course, employed by the paper as a journalist, and does not sit on the Editorial Board that decided the endorsement.

But she told Ali that it is "really significant" that the board has backed Labour, adding that it's "the first time since 2005" the paper has done so.

"The FT doesn't have a natural political allegiance, and in fact, being a very pro-free trade and private enterprise newspaper, wanting to see a very open, outward-looking Britain - [it] has more often supported the Tories than Labour.

"So it does feel significant. And the op-ed... makes clear the FT views this as a sea change moment in British politics akin to 1979 when [Margaret] Thatcher swept to power, or 1997 when Tony Blair came in."

Finally, we ask Treasury minister Bim Afolami if the Conservative Party can still defy the polls and win the election on Thursday.

He replies: "Of course we can. And, you know, we will see what happens

"But what I do know is on speaking to constituents... there are higher than normal numbers of undecided people.

"This is the fourth general election I've fought - a large number of people are still saying they don't know which way to go.

"And my message to them on the doorsteps and here today is if they want to lower their taxes, secure the borders, make sure that we have a thriving, prosperous economy going forward in the future, a Conservative vote is what they need to do."

Ali Fortescue points out to the minister that the overall tax burden will continue to rise under the Conservative Party - but he does not accept that, saying the tax cuts they want to make are targeted at ordinary working people, and the overall number factors in the wider economy.

"We are cutting taxes for working people and for pensioners as well," he insists.

In the last hour, we've had the breaking news from the French parliamentary elections that Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally party appears to have come out on top in the first round of voting, according to exit polls.

We ask minister Bim Afolami if he is worried about that at all, and he replies: "I must confess that I haven't really been following the French election as closely as I might have done because I've been focusing on my own in this country."

Asked if a Conservative government would work with Ms Le Pen and her party, he replies that "Britain has to work with whoever is chosen as the leader of other countries".

He says "of course" they would work with whoever is elected in France.

Sky's Ali Fortescue puts it to him that Rishi Sunak has previously said Nigel Farage would work with Ms Le Pen, implying it would be a bad thing to do.

Mr Afolami replies: "We're not advocating for Marine Le Pen to win.

"What I'm saying to you is you cannot choose... who leads other countries."

The first UK political guest on tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Ali Fortesue  is Treasury minister Bim Afolami, and we start by asking for his reaction to the Reform candidate in Erewash disowning his party to back the Tories.

Mr Afolami says: "Well, I'm glad he's seen the light."

He also says that he's glad that the candidate, Liam Booth-Isherwood, has made the point that only the Conservative candidate can stop Labour winning, which has been the Tory party's argument for weeks.

Asked if he would be glad if Nigel Farage decided to back the Tories, Mr Afolami says the Reform leader has "no intention" of switching sides.

He goes on: "I do find it quite curious, you know, this idea that Farage is somehow a Conservative. He spent 25 years trying to destroy the Conservative Party."

He adds that Reform is "designed to increase the power of a Labour".

Challenged on the fact that senior Conservatives like Suella Braverman and Sir Philip Davies have said they would welcome Mr Farage into the party, the minister says they are "in a small minority".

Here is the full list of candidates standing in Erewash:

• James Martin Archer, Liberal Democrats
• Liam Dane Booth-Isherwood (was Reform UK, but has quit party to back Tories)
• John William Kirby, Independent
• Brent Poland, Green Party
• Adam Thompson, Labour Party
• Maggie Throup, Conservative Party

Rishi Sunak is far behind in the national polls - just as England were trailing Slovakia in the Euros last-16 match.

But just minutes before the full-time whistle, Jude Bellingham executed a stunning overhead kick to take the game to extra time - and the PM is probably hoping some similar magic can be worked in the closing days of this general election campaign.

He has tweeted that "it's not over until it's over" - which England certainly proved this evening...

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