It’s been two and half years since the coronavirus pandemic began and routine school schedules were thrown off kilter, one health expert in Baltimore has ideas to help students bridge the learning gap. Learning was disrupted during the pandemic as virtual-only school has led to lower academic performance and lack of in-person social skills which has many in the education community concerned about how students can bounce back. Dr. Nakiya Showell, medical director at Johns Hopkins Harriet Lane Clinic in Baltimore, said that educators and parents alike can help improve learning retention, social skills and navigating another school year with COVID-19.
Many school districts across the state have relaxed COVID-19 prevention measures. That means in practice there will be less contract tracing, shorter isolation periods for individuals infected and masks are mostly optional. The relaxed rules have frightened some students and parents.
Showell said to help kids cope with the pandemic, parents should talk to children about their school’s safety plan, discuss their fears, and the many ways to protect themselves from COVID-19. Frequent hand washing, testing and monitoring for symptoms are “tools in the toolbox” to prevent the spread of the virus but the best tool is vaccination, she said.
Parents should stick to routines both in the morning with nutritious meals and at bedtime with limited electronic screen time for a smooth transition from virtual classes last year and the summer break.
Nationwide, test scores among elementary school students have reached the lowest since the 1990s exacerbated by the pandemic, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics. In Maryland, more than half of students did not score high enough to be considered proficient on state assessments last fall.
Some children are entering the brick-and-mortar classroom for the first time since they began school in the midst of the pandemic. Many young students have missed out on “formative grades when they are learning those socialization skills and foundational learning is being introduced,” she said.
School districts should focus on students who were “disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and having targeted resources in place for those students,” she said.
At home, parents can work to set and monitor learning goals with their children.
“If they're at the age where they can speak with you, and say I want to be able to achieve one, two, three by the end of the year, having those conversations early on and frequently, is going to be very important,” Showell said.
