Effects of Remote Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Children's Learning and Academic Behavior in Georgia: Perceptions of Parents and School Administrators

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jill Klosky, Emory University; Julie Gazmararian, Emory University; Olivia Casimir, Emory University; Sarah Blake, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-04-12
• Publisher: WILEY
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of School Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American School Health Association
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josh.13185
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH
• Volume: 92
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 656
• End Page: 664
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Emory Covid‐19 Response Collaborative, which is funded by a grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.
• Keywords: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; COVID-19; Education & Educational Research; elementary education; Social Sciences; remote learning; Education, Scientific Disciplines; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; virtual learning; Health Care Sciences & Services; educational gaps
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In Spring 2020, Georgia public schools implemented remote learning to manage the spread of COVID-19. This study explores the effects of remote schooling on the learning of young children in Georgia during the early COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of school administrators and essential working parents. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted with eight school administrators and 26 essential working parents of children in kindergarten through third grades of two rural and two urban schools in Georgia. Data collection included online surveys, virtual interviews and focus groups. Descriptive analyses of the demographics provided context to emerging themes from qualitative data. RESULTS: Most school administrators and parents reported declines in student learning and academic behavior related to remote learning. Lack of Wi-Fi, technology, and digital literacy were often cited as barriers to learning. Challenges with remote learning were amplified for students and parents of vulnerable groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study illustrate the need to institute policies, procedures, and supports to maximize schools' ability to safely offer in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considerations should be made of the needs of essential working parents, vulnerable populations, and the digital divide.