Hello, This is my first time writing a paper about the impactes of…
Question Answered step-by-step Hello, This is my first time writing a paper about the impactes of… Hello, This is my first time writing a paper about the impactes of Distance learning/ online learning on low-income children/families, I was wondering if I could get some help/suggestions with my first draft paper before I summited it? I really appreciate it. Thanks! Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption to all aspects of life, causing unprecedented situations around the world. The education sector has been massively affected, causing teachers, parents, students, policy makers and administrators to reconsider teaching and learning methods. Before Pandemic, In the classroom, learning has been the most common learning method for students. The student went to school, sitting in a classroom with their classmates and their teacher in front of the class taught them. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, schools were forced to close to prevent the spread of the disease. Education then turned to a different method of learning, known as distance learning. The Covid-19 has ushered in a new era in human history where the education program and system are forced to shift from the traditional school model to the online. Coronavirus or commonly known by the name (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. While the COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe, many countries have decided to close schools as part of a physical distancing policy to slow transmission and ease the burden on health systems. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates that 138 countries have closed schools nationwide, and several other countries have implemented regional or local closures. (UNESCO, 2019) For the first time in the history of the United States, approximately 56 million of America’s public-school students were not able to physically attend school for an extended period of time (Tienken, 2020). In this essay, I will discuss the challenges of distance learning during Covid-19 and how online learning method has become a physical, mental, and emotional burden for low in-come children and families. Body Distance learning has its pros and cons depending on the learning needs of the students. For anxious students, students with learning difficulties, shy students, and students with special needs, distance learning is the best learning option for several reasons. However, it also has negative impacts on the academic performance of children from low-income families. Nationwide closures of elementary and secondary schools due to the COVID-19 have severed nearly 60 million students from critical educational and health resources. As the impact of COVID-19 unfolds, pandemic-related trauma and economic instability will disproportionately impact children in poverty, who most heavily rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical, and mental health needs (Masonbrink, & Hurely, 2020). School closures will exacerbate food insecurity. For many students living in poverty, schools are not only a place to learn but also to eat healthy. Research shows that school lunch is associated with improvements in academic performance, while food insecurity (including irregular or unhealthy diets) is associated with low educational attainment and substantial risks to children’s physical health and mental well-being (Van Lancker & Parolin, 2020).In many countries, schools take a break for several weeks during the summer months. In the UK, for example, most schools have a six-week break. Although this is an opportunity for more family interaction and positive leisure activities for many, these summer vacations can be stressful times for low-income families. In many countries, young people from poorer families receive free midday meals during school hours. The provision of additional meals, such as breakfast clubs, has been used in many countries to reduce nutritional inequalities during school hours (Morgan, Melendez, Bond, et al, 2019). Although the current school closures differ from summer holidays in that learning is expected to continue digitally, the closures are likely to widen the learning gap between children from lower-income and higher-income families. Children from low-income households live in conditions that make home schooling difficult. Online learning environments usually require computers and a reliable internet connection (Van Lancker and Parolin, 2020). The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2021) reported that 95% of students ages 3 to 18 have Internet access, whereas 6% of students, almost 3.4 million, do not have any Internet access. Access to an educational resource does not itself ensure equitable education. In fact, defining educational equity through the narrow lens of access to resources produces greater inequity. Access to resources must be accompanied by the supports necessary to make full use of the access.While some families have easily adapted to the new way of life, others are dealing with its negative effects. Parents and children have been substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 1 in 4 parents reported worsening mental health, and 1 in 7 parents reported worsening behavioral health for their children since the pandemic began. Worsening of parental mental health and children’s behavioral health were at times intertwined, with nearly 1 in 10 families reporting worsening of both. Loss of childcare, delays in health care visits, and worsened food security were common among families experiencing worse mental and behavioral health. It was found that parents were worried about how school closure was affecting their children’s mental and emotional health (Patrick, Henkhaus, Zickafoose, et al., 2020). The research conducted by Henderson and his team highlights the risks to students’ educational well-being if schools do not reopen this fall. Overwhelming majorities of both teachers and parents report that students learned less when schooling went remote, with the parents of more than a quarter of students and just about half of the teachers reporting that students learned “a lot less.” Many commentators have highlighted the potential for widespread school closures to exacerbate pre-existing racial, ethnic, and economic inequalities. In the absence of in-person schooling, the argument goes, advantaged students will be partially buffered from ill effects because their families generally have more time, flexibility, and resources to offset the reduction in formal instruction. By contrast, students of color and students from low-income families, who were already at a disadvantage before the crisis began, will disproportionately face the negative consequences of the shutdown (Henderson, 2021). ConclusionMost countries around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. School closures affect not only students, teachers, and families but also have far-reaching economic and social consequences. The results indicate a negative effect of school closures on student achievement, specifically younger students and students from families with low socioeconomic status. It’s evident that schools are essential to creating a healthy environment, providing support, and ensuring equity within the classroom. Low-income families find it challenging to transition to an online platform due to inaccessible remote learning resources and lack of parental supervision, leading to poor academic achievement. Policymakers, school administrators, and other local officials must work together to reduce levels of child poverty. “At the local level, an adequate response must include targeted education and material support for children from low-income households to begin to close the learning gap that has likely occurred.” Additionally, “Teachers can mitigate some of the inequities by building supports within their remote learning lessons to provide on the elbow support for students who may need it.” ReferencesLancker, W. Van, & Parolin, Z. (2020). COVID-19, school closures, and child poverty: a social crisis in the making. The Lancet Public Health, 5(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30084-0Masonbrink, A. R., & Hurely, E. (2020, September 1). [Https://www.publications.aap.org/ Advocating for Children During the COVID-19 School Closures]. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-split/146/3/e20201440/36730/Advocating-for-Children-During-the-COVID-19-SchoolAbbey R. Masonbrink and Abbey R. Masonbrink, “Advocating for Children During the COVID-19 School Closures” Both authors have a degree in the Pediatric field and work at the same organization as a pediatrician in Kansas City, Missouri, and is affiliated with Children’s Mercy Kansas City Hospital. The article raises awareness by breaking down information into understandable phrases and numbers, which helps raise concerns. Also, explores how we might best understand the effects of distance learning on low-income families. I’ll use this source for my final paper as my goal is to provide a fact-based research paper, and I think the authors presented quite valuable information and findings that includes a solution for children in poverty, who most heavily rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical, and mental health needs.Michael, H. B. (2021). What American Families Experienced When Covid-19 Closed Their Schools. Education Next, 21(1).This is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal article.Morgan, K., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Bond, A., Hawkins, J., Hewitt, G., Murphy, S., & Moore, G. (2019). Socio-Economic Inequalities in Adolescent Summer Holiday Experiences, and Mental Wellbeing on Return to School: Analysis of the School Health Research Network/Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey in Wales. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(7), 1107. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071107National Center for Education Statistics. (2021, May). www.nces.ed.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cchPatrick, S. W., Henkhaus, L. E., Zickafoose, J. S., Lovell, K., Halvorson, A., Loch, S., Letterie, M., & Davies, M. M. (2020). Well-being of Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey. Pediatrics, 146(4). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-016824Tienken, C. H. (2020). The Not So Subtle Inequity of Remote Learning. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 56(4), 151-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2020.1813502This is a Peer-reviewed journal article. Christopher H. Tienken is an Associate Professor of Education Leadership, Management, and Policy at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Tienken has authored over 80 publications including book chapters and articles. I will use this article for my final paper because I find it helpful to support my argument; the article provides a comprehensive summary of the impacts of distance learning and discusses the effects of income inequality on society.UNESCO. (2019). Education: From disruption to recovery. WWW.UNESCO.ORG. Retrieved May 8, 2022, from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse Arts & Humanities Writing ENGL 101 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)
