Updated 01 Jun 2020
What’s next for schools after coronavirus? Here are 5 big issues and opportunities
No schools, no exams, more online learning and parents in Covid-19 lockdown with their kids. People are responding heroically. Some parents are WFH, others have lost their jobs and teachers are creating an entire new way of doing their jobs – not to mention the kids themselves, stuck inside without their friends. Somehow, we will get through this. When we do, how will things look when school starts again? From communication with these leaders, and drawing on my (the author’s) project team’s expertise in educational leadership and large-scale change, here are five big and lasting issues and opportunities that we anticipate will surface once school starts again.
https://theconversation.com/whats-next-for-schools-after-coronavirus-here-are-5-big-issues-and-opportunities-135004
Startling disparities in digital learning emerge as Covid-19 spreads: UN education agency
With most of the world’s students now at home due to Covid-19, the pandemic is revealing startling divides in digitally based distance learning, data from the UN education and cultural agency, UNESCO, and partners has revealed.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062232
Covid-19 response
The Education Department of the Council of Europe is adapting to the current situation. In this section of our website, we present the actions taken to address the challenges faced. You will find here relevant information including our response to the crisis, good practices from our member states, the Council of Europe education standards and new and existing education resources addressing the current challenges that can be used by teachers, other education professionals and the general public.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/covid-19
Coping with Covid-19: International higher education in Europe
What has been the impact so far of Covid-19 on international education, and how are higher education institutions responding to these unprecedented new challenges? Based on over 800 survey responses from practitioners across the European Higher Education Area, “Coping with Covid-19: International higher education in Europe” analyses the impact of coronavirus on mobility, campus culture and more.
https://www.eaie.org/our-resources/library/publication/Research-and-trends/Coping-with-COVID-19--International-higher-education-in-Europe.html
Quality education for all during Covid-19
Health officials are currently taking steps to prevent the introduction and spread of Covid-19 into communities across the world. The pandemic situation is affecting the lives of many students, families & communities. This special collection is compiling stories and solutions from schools around the world doing their best for students.
https://hundred.org/en/collections/quality-education-for-all-during-coronavirus
Covid-19 and education in emergencies
Armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate change induced disasters and protracted crises have disrupted the education of 75 million children and youth globally. And that number is growing in an unprecedented way with the spread of Covid-19. Education has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with 1.53 billion learners out of school and 184 country-wide school closures, impacting 87.6% of the world’s total enrolled learners. Drop-out rates across the globe are likely to rise as a result of this massive disruption to education access.
https://www.educationcannotwait.org/covid-19
UNESCO’s support: Educational response to Covid-19
In the context of widespread school closures to slow the spread of Covid-19, UNESCO is working with ministries of education in affected and concerned countries to ensure continued learning for all children and youth through alternative channels.
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/support
Remote learning, EdTech & Covid-19
Large-scale, national efforts to utilize technology in support of remote learning, distance education and online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic are emerging and evolving quickly. This page attempts to curate useful resources and publish related documents collected and prepared by the World Bank's EdTech team in support of national dialogues with policymakers around the world. Other institutions are welcome to redistribute any of what appears below. Updates are frequently posted on this page.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/edtech-covid-19
This is how to going to school is going to be from now on
This short video by Cultura Colectiva + shows how China is tackling the reopening of schools. The measures taken by schools are entirely up to each individual school.
https://www.facebook.com/1381450335205759/posts/3647771788573591/?vh=e
Prioritise play when schools reopen, say mental health experts
Child mental health experts have urged the government to prioritise children’s play and socialising with friends over formal lessons and academic progress when schools in England reopen and lockdown restrictions are eased. They say they are “extremely concerned” about the impact of the lockdown and more than six weeks without face-to-face play with peers on child mental health. They are calling on ministers to ensure that play is at the top of newly permitted activities.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/may/07/prioritise-play-when-schools-reopen-say-mental-health-experts-coronavirus-lockdown?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1588857952
Reopening schools in the context of Covid-19: Health and safety guidelines from other countries
Schools across the US cancelled in-person classes beginning in March 2020 to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Policymakers and school leaders are making plans to reopen schools for the next academic year, and some are preparing to do so sooner. This brief compiles preliminary information on health and safety guidelines from five countries that have continued or reopened schools during the Covid-19 outbreak: China, Denmark, Norway, Singapore and Taiwan. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Reopening_Schools_COVID-19_BRIEF.pdf
Getting the next phase of remote learning right in higher education
For higher-education institutions, the first frantic rush of transitioning from in-person to remote learning is behind them – not that the process is complete. Most faculty members have managed to establish new routines. Others are still working out how to teach courses designed for a physical classroom through online platforms that they may still be learning to master. Because of the coronavirus, American colleges and universities are entering new educational territory. Here are some practical ways to deliver excellence.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/getting-the-next-phase-of-remote-learning-right-in-higher-education#
School-system priorities in the age of coronavirus
Addressing these inequities in a remote-learning environment is a complex challenge. School systems need to adapt across many dimensions, while serving students from a variety of backgrounds. Vulnerability comes in many forms; low-income students, immigrant students, ethnic or religious minorities, students with special needs, students in remote rural areas, and those in risky home situations all need tailored strategies.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/school-system-priorities-in-the-age-of-coronavirus
Covid-19’s education revolution – Where going digital is just half the battle
Right now, 90% of the world’s learners – more than 1.5 billion students – have been affected by school closures, according to OECD estimates. Educators, parents and students have to find a way to use this outbreak to reimagine education, including what and how our kids learn.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/covid-19-coronavirus-education-digital-revolution-transformation-12650974
Tuning in, turning outward: Cultivating compassionate leadership in a crisis
A “landscape-scale crisis” such as Covid-19 strips leadership back to its most fundamental element: making a positive difference in people’s lives. An imperative for leaders in such times is to demonstrate compassionate leadership and to make dealing with the unfolding human tragedy the first priority.
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/tuning-in-turning-outward-cultivating-compassionate-leadership-in-a-crisis
From virus-slaying air purifiers to delivery robots, how university inventions are fighting Covid-19
With the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) sweeping across continents and affecting many millions, health authorities, policymakers and scientists, innovators around the world are racing to invent ways to contain the further spread of the virus. It is our unwavering belief that universities are – and should always be – contributing to this collective fight against this and future severe and potentially long-lasting public health crises.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/how-can-universities-fight-coronavirus/
Covid-19 and social distancing do not need to end college internships
Even as the continuing Covid-19 pandemic looks poised to cancel traditional college internships over the next 3–4 months, a new resource guide for colleges, students and employers developed by University of Wisconsin−Madison education researcher Matthew Hora points the way to a host of web-based alternatives for these important on-the-job learning opportunities.
https://www.wcer.wisc.edu/news/detail/covid-19-and-social-distancing-do-not-need-to-end-college-internships
How will Covid-19 impact global education?
More than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America have announced or implemented school and university closures. Indeed, the impact of Covid-19 on education has gone far beyond school closure. What is its impact on the global education landscape? How will it change the future of education in the aftermath?
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-03-16/How-will-COVID-19-impact-global-education--OTZKvx8tbO/index.html
National wealth does not guarantee education equality, UNICEF report says
The report focuses on two child-centred indicators of inequality: At preschool level the indicator is the percentage of students enrolled in organised learning one year before the official age for entering primary school; the indicator for both primary school (Grade 4, around age 10) and secondary school (age 15) is the gap in reading scores between the lowest- and highest-performing students. The ranking at age 15 is the lead indicator in the report because this represents the level of inequality towards the end of compulsory education.
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/national-wealth-does-not-guarantee-education-equality-unicef-report-says
International education and Covid-19 – Insights from TALIS
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, so do the risks we face. The Covid-19 pandemic doesn’t stop at national borders, and it affects people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. But that may not be true for its consequences, which are likely to hit the most vulnerable hardest. This crisis exposes the many inequities in our education systems – from the broadband and computers needed for online education, through the supportive environments needed to focus on learning, up to our failure to attract talented teachers to the most challenging classrooms. But as these inequities are amplified in this time of crisis, this moment also holds the possibility that we won’t return to the inequitable status quo when things return to “normal”. We have agency, and it is the nature of our collective and systemic responses to the disruptions that will determine how we are affected by them. Our behaviour changes the system, and only mindful behaviour can avoid a breakdown of our education systems.
https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/columnists/andreas-schleicher/international-education-and-covid-19-insights-from-talis
OECD reveals gap in Gen Z's career expectations
Are Gen Z-ers aware of the changing nature of work? While the corporate world prepares for the impact of technology and automation on the way we work, Gen Z students remain worryingly ill-informed, found OECD’s latest study. Are leaders doing enough to prepare them for the future of work?
https://www.hcamag.com/asia/news/general/oecd-reveals-gap-in-gen-zs-career-expectations/212332
A framework to guide an education response to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020
This report aims at supporting education decision making to develop and implement effective education responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report explains why the necessary social isolation measures will disrupt school-based education for several months in most countries around the world. Absent an intentional and effective strategy to protect opportunity to learn during this period, this disruption will cause severe learning losses for students. The report proposes that leaders of education systems and organisations develop plans for the continuation of education through alternate modalities, during the period of necessary social isolation. It offers a framework of areas to be covered by such plans.
https://www.hm.ee/sites/default/files/framework_guide_v1_002_harward.pdf
This is how digital literacy can transform education
What could that education look like and how do we get there? In this excerpt from my recently released book, Beyond the Valley, I argue for two major interventions: firstly, changing technology education to tie it more closely to political, economic, cultural, and humanist thinking; and secondly, opening up what we mean by design and digital literacy and how we teach this.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/why-is-digital-literacy-important
Covid-19 educational disruption and response
Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. UNESCO is supporting countries in their efforts to mitigate the immediate impact of school closures, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate the continuity of education for all through remote learning.
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse
Tackling coronavirus (Covid‑19): Contributing to a global effort
What are the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives and our societies – and what are some of the solutions we can find to boost our healthcare systems, secure our businesses, maintain our jobs and education, and stabilise financial markets and economies?
https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en
3 ways the coronavirus pandemic could reshape education
These risk-control decisions have led millions of students into temporary “homeschooling” situations, especially in some of the most heavily impacted countries, like China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran. These changes have certainly caused a degree of inconvenience, but they have also prompted new examples of educational innovation. Although it is too early to judge how reactions to Covid-19 will affect education systems around the world, there are signs suggesting that it could have a lasting impact on the trajectory of learning innovation and digitisation. We follow three trends that could hint at future transformations.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/3-ways-coronavirus-is-reshaping-education-and-what-changes-might-be-here-to-stay
Covid-19 and school closures: What can countries learn from past emergencies?
As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads around the world, and across every state in the US, school systems are shutting their doors. To date, the education community has largely focused on the different strategies to continue schooling, including lively discussions on the role of education technology versus distribution of printed paper packets. But there has been relatively little discussion about how to take advantage of the know-how and good practice developed from years of work in the humanitarian and global development sectors.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/covid-19-and-school-closures-what-can-countries-learn-from-past-emergencies
Covid-19's staggering impact on global education
Close to a billion people are still locked down after the coronavirus outbreak brought life around the world to a virtual standstill. The pandemic is expected to have enormous economic consequences and it is also having a devastating impact on global education. According to the latest figures released by UNESCO, some 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able to attend school or university as of March 23, 2020.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/infographic-covid19-coronavirus-impact-global-education-health-schools
How Covid-19 is interrupting children’s education
Online learning has clear potential. Educational technology powered by artificial intelligence can help children in poor countries with iffy schools – supposing they have Internet access. In 2018 researchers found that after 4.5 months of using an Indian app called Mindspark, which tests basic language and maths skills, children made more progress in these areas than those in the control group. But the success of such initiatives relies on preparation and organisation, not sudden scrambles to teach existing curriculums to entire populations of students in the midst of a pandemic.
https://www.economist.com/international/2020/03/19/how-covid-19-is-interrupting-childrens-education
Links to Covid-19 Resources
Copyright Clearance Center recognises publishing and information organisations for contributing to the common good by providing access to relevant science, news and educational content related to Covid-19 and the novel coronavirus causing it.
http://www.copyright.com/coronavirus-covid-19
Closure of universities due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19): Impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff
In light of rising concern about the current Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of universities across the world have either postponed or cancelled all campus events such as workshops, conferences, sports and other activities. Universities are taking intensive measures to prevent and protect all students and staff members from the highly infectious disease. Faculty members are already in the process of transitioning to online teaching platforms. In this review, the author will highlight the potential impact of the terrible Covid-19 outbreak on the education and mental health of students and academic staff.
https://www.cureus.com/articles/30110-closure-of-universities-due-to-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-impact-on-education-and-mental-health-of-students-and-academic-staff
How will Covid-19 affect equity in education?
The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the delivery of instruction in K–12 and institutions of higher education to almost exclusively online. It is imperative that educators and school officials continue to deliver messages of positivity to the school community and ensure that there is equity in the delivery of education. This is the perfect opportunity to educate students about the importance of equality, anti-discrimination, investigate harassment and bullying complaints promptly, and prohibit xenophobia.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/diversity-inclusion/articles/2020/covid-19-coronavirus-equality-education
Online learning gets its moment due to Covid-19 pandemic: Here's how education will change
Digital learning goes mainstream in a hurry and that's going to upend current education practices, models, and processes going forward. It is online learning's big moment and education is about to be revamped just as much the industries that are going to remote work due to Covid-19.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/online-learning-gets-its-moment-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-heres-how-education-will-change
Educating despite the Covid-19 outbreak: Lessons from Singapore
While there was talk about embracing technology-enhanced learning at the Singapore Institute of Technology, it was a different story when all classes of more than 50 students had to be converted to e-learning in the middle of the semester. At the back of their minds, the faculty members were also ready for full e-learning to take place if the situation worsened, but the reality was different. Taking all large classes online quickly required clear communication and a whole university approach.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/educating-despite-covid-19-outbreak-lessons-singapore
Schools, skills, and learning: The impact of Covid-19 on education
The global lockdown of education institutions is going to cause major (and likely unequal) interruption in students’ learning; disruptions in internal assessments; and the cancellation of public assessments for qualifications or their replacement by an inferior alternative. This column discusses what can be done to mitigate these negative impacts.
https://voxeu.org/article/impact-covid-19-education
School closure and management practices during coronavirus outbreaks including Covid-19: A rapid systematic review
Data from the SARS outbreak in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore suggest that school closures did not contribute to the control of the epidemic. Modelling studies of SARS produced conflicting results. Recent modelling studies of Covid-19 predict that school closures alone would prevent only 2–4% of deaths, much less than other social distancing interventions. Policy makers need to be aware of the equivocal evidence when considering school closures for Covid-19, and that combinations of social distancing measures should be considered.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30095-X/fulltext
What does “crisis” education look like?
At the global level, news about Brexit and the coming United States elections were prominently featured on headlines. More recently, we were alerted to the Covid-19 crisis affecting many countries around the world. Further study is needed to develop a new approach and to determine the effects of new pedagogical methods with respect to social learning around extreme natural events.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10382046.2020.1730095?needAccess=true
How is Covid-19 shaping the higher education sector?
Covid-19 has created a new normal for the higher education sector, revolutionising the online learning landscape, reshaping application processes, and refreshing crisis management strategies. The global higher education sector has been dramatically transformed as a result of it. Learn more about the impact of this crisis and the QS exclusive survey findings in the article.
https://www.qs.com/how-is-covid-19-shaping-the-higher-education-sector
Covid-19 could be a curse for graduates but a boon for universities
The Covid-19 crisis means a huge downturn in economic activity. A few sectors are growing, as people use more technology and swap to bigger supermarket shops, but most organisations of all shapes and sizes are taking a massive hit. We seem to be heading inevitably into a deep global recession. A post-coronavirus recession could drive higher university enrolment and enhance human capital.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/covid-19-could-be-curse-graduates-boon-universities
Graduate advising in the time of Covid-19
Graduate school was hard enough before the plague. Ph.D. students already live with more uncertainty than most of the academic population. They engage in a course of study of long but indeterminate length. Many don’t finish. And their career prospects were decidedly unclear even before Covid-19 upended their already-unsettled world.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Graduate-Advising-in-the-Time/248506
How will higher education have changed after Covid-19?
This is an article that will attempt to calculate what the worldwide economic and higher education landscape will look like after the threat of Covid-19 has dissipated; what remains. Recognising that it is unwise to make predictions about the future, I nevertheless believe there are at least five residuals that will remain after COVID-19 is no longer a major threat to human life and an economic and education disruptor.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200324065639773
Teaching and learning after Covid-19
How will the Covid-19 pandemic alter the future of teaching and learning? Answering that question requires that we first acknowledge some difficult truths. The author shares three predictions for how post-pandemic pedagogy will be altered across the higher education ecosystem.
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/learning-innovation/teaching-and-learning-after-covid-19
Covid19: How the coronavirus could transform higher education
In the past weeks there have been daily reports of universities putting all their coursework material online. In some cases, institutions have had to cancel classes for a week to free up capacity as universities around the country grapple with the impacts of Covid-19. The higher education sector now has a choice: revert back to old ways when the Covid-19 challenges are over or use this as a watershed moment for transformative change in higher education. And if so, we could look forward to reconstruction, not return, in four areas.
https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/insights/2020/04/coronavirus-covid-19-education-sector-transformation.html
How Covid-19 is accelerating the disruption of higher education
After Covid-19, some say that nothing will be the same. On the contrary, things will never be more the same, just accelerated. Over the last 2 weeks, the author was asked the same question: What does the world look like “post-corona”?
https://marker.medium.com/the-pandemic-will-reshape-higher-education-c8d3a1a52be8
Low-income students count on finding jobs. But the pandemic has halted their job training.
Danielle Jones was less than 2 months away, she thought, from a degree as a dental hygienist and a license to practice. A few more weeks of scraping tartar and calming jittery patients in Amarillo College’s dentistry clinic, and she’d be starting a career that would alleviate the financial stresses that have weighed heavily on the single mother of three. Covid-19 seemed a distant threat in Amarillo, a rugged city in the Texas Panhandle, hundreds of miles from the state’s major population centres. Then, on 21 March, the pandemic hit home.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Low-Income-Students-Count-on/248509
Coronavirus: How should US higher education plan for an uncertain future?
With American campuses largely empty of students, higher-education leaders need to shift their thinking to what happens next. In this article, we consider three broad epidemiological and public-health scenarios. All of these represent a degree of economic disruption few adults in the United States have ever experienced.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/coronavirus-how-should-us-higher-education-plan-for-an-uncertain-future
‘Don’t worry about the class’: How one professor responded to a student with Covid-19 symptoms
The shift to emergency online teaching that has consumed so many professors this semester wasn’t an issue for Melissa A. Wong: She was already teaching online. But she faced a direct effect of the pandemic – one that growing numbers of professors will surely also confront – when a student wrote to say that she was experiencing Covid-19 symptoms and apologised for handing in work late.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Don-t-Worry-About-the/248475
How would education in Singapore look if there were no need to educate?
The aphorism among optimists these days is that we should never waste a good crisis. Covid-19, the circuit breaker measures and full HBL should give us time to think about things we take for granted. In this spirit, this is as good an opportunity as ever to reconsider schooling.
https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/how-would-Singapore-educate-if-no-need-education-MOE-class
All abstracts were taken from the source material and slightly edited.