The damage wrought to American education by the COVID-19 pandemic beggars description, and so we are reduced to metaphor: Schools have been hit by an earthquake, a hurricane, a war. There is a need for disaster relief for children who have lost precious time in school and are traumatized by the effects of COVID-19 on...

As districts close out their first academic quarter, educators are reporting increased absenteeism rates for both remote learners (double the rates they saw before the pandemic) and in-person learners. About a third of educators say unexcused absences will impact student grades and, potentially, prevent some kids from passing to the next grade level. Our analysis of reopening...

A version of this essay originally appeared on Robert Slavin’s blog. Dear President-elect Biden: Congratulations on your victory in the recent election. Your task is daunting; so much needs to be set right. I am writing to you about what I believe needs to be done in education to heal the damage done to so...

There are hopeful signs the Biden administration will be making a deep commitment to policies and practices that will advance educational equity and ensure every child has access to a quality school. Recently, future First Lady Jill Biden took to social media to make an explicit statement about the new administration’s commitment to quality schools for every...

Schools around the world started classes this year that looked very different in most cases than they did a year ago. Facing many uncertainties, school administrators devised flexible plans with multiple scenarios, including social distancing protocols, guidance on mask wearing, continued reliance on virtual learning, and ways to ensure scholars are getting proper nutrition if...

The latest fall college enrollment figures released this month tell a startling story that alarms educators: The sharp declines at community colleges — far larger than at four-year colleges — are due mostly to disappearing male students. At some community colleges, the losses are minor. At others, however, they are dramatic. At Southwest Tennessee Community...

Education research is replete with studies that show how implicit bias can influence the success of students Black and white, male and female. But too often, the evidence of that bias and its impact is muddied by other considerations, such as income, where students live and how their families value education. Sometimes, though, the bias...

Voters delivered a split verdict in November’s election. Joe Biden defeated an incumbent president by the largest margin since FDR in 1932. Yet he’s poised to be the first president since Grover Cleveland to come into office without a Senate majority. That mixed message continued down ballot despite the sense that 2020 would be a...

There’s no denying the importance of keeping students’ personal information private and protected. But what if a state’s data privacy laws are so restrictive that they’re literally taking food out of children’s mouths? This is exactly what’s been happening in Louisiana, which until recently was the only state that had not automatically administered Pandemic Electronic...

Despite the availability of new COVID-19 tests that are faster and more cost-effective, significant barriers to universal testing in schools remain. To date, the absence of quality COVID-19 tests has forced superintendents and principals to rely on a combination of masking, screening for symptoms, social distancing and good hygiene practices. Although testing has always been...