As a society, we are suffering many losses as a result of COVID-19, chief of which are, of course, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
But some losses won’t be quantifiable, or perhaps even noticeable, until long after we’ve tossed all our masks in the trash. Among them are the so-called “learning losses” many of our children are experiencing because of the unavoidable erratic and at times chaotic path our educational system has followed since March.
Durango’s public schools have done a remarkable job of adapting and readapting to the crisis and its constantly morphing public health mandates. Everyone deserves acknowledgment for their herculean efforts: teachers, para-educators, bus drivers, custodians, counselors, school nurses, administrators and more.
Nevertheless, by the end of this plague, many children will find themselves behind in school – not just academically, but also in life-skills learning and social development. It’s impossible at this point to pinpoint precisely the extent of those learning losses, according to Rhonda Haniford, associate commissioner of school quality and support for the Colorado Department of Education.
But the state has identified particular groups who are at high risk of falling behind, including disadvantaged English learners and children with disabilities and special needs.
School District 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger said Durango schoolchildren most at risk of learning losses fall into three groups: K-4 students, who need personal contact to facilitate learning; special needs children who don’t adapt well to online classrooms; and children who live in poverty, are unsheltered, lack adequate parental support, live in unsafe environments or have no acess to the internet – and thus often miss school. The district is trying to stave off drastic learning losses for those children. Still, principals’ reports suggest that at every school, between 10 and 20 students are having serious problems learning.
Snowberger said he hopes for a phased-in return to the classroom full-time, beginning with elementary schools and moving up, early in 2021. But the school district does not have enough substitutes, especially now, because some people are not likely to want to risk going into the classroom. (Applications are at https://durango.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=3084.)
Going forward, the district must continue to seek ways to accurately assess learning losses and creatively meet the needs of children who are struggling. We cannot let this group of children begin to fail. Haniford said studies show that if unaddressed, learning losses – especially for children who are already marginalized – will translate into lifetime losses of income.
The best way to prevent further learning losses and assuage those that have already occurred is to get children back in the classroom full time. Getting kids back in school will allow many currently homebound parents to return to work, which, in turn, will help get our economy back on track.
Haniford and Snowberger said that only community commitment to follow public health regulations can resolve this: The only way to get children back in school is to get the pandemic under control.
We can avoid creating a cohort of “COVID kids” with substandard educations. We are all responsible.
Mask up, wash your hands, keep your social distance and stay well.
