New Data from NCES: U.S. Outlying Area Public Schools’ Experiences with COVID-19: November 2022

Some interesting data related to remote learning.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) releases today findings from the November School Pulse Panel survey from a universe collection of public schools in four U.S. Outlying Areas – American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These SPP data examine teacher trainings, student discipline, school safety, security personnel, pandemic preparedness, learning mode offerings, and quarantine prevalence, as reported by school staff in 93 public schools in these four U.S. Outlying Areas (OAs). Ninety-two percent of OA public schools indicated they had a written plan in place to handle a pandemic disease scenario, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Additionally, OA public schools commonly reported having a written plan in place for natural disasters (97 percent), bomb threats or incidents (85 percent), and suicide threats or incidents (84 percent). Key Findings: During November 2022, 100 percent of OA public schools offered in-person learning, 22 percent offered full-time remote learning, and 15 percent offered hybrid learning. In November 2022, 21 percent of OA public schools reported having to quarantine students and 16 percent reported having to quarantine staff members. Ninety-two percent of OA public schools indicated they had a written plan in place to deal with a pandemic disease scenario. During the 2022-23 school year, OA public schools have a variety of written plans in place that detail procedures to follow for emergency scenarios. These include natural disasters (97 percent), bomb threats or incidents (85 percent), and suicide threats or incidents (84 percent). The data released today can be found on the School Pulse Panel dashboard at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/. A listing of the latest publications from the National Center for Education Statistics is available at https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew. The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. IES is celebrating 20 years. Here’s how to get involved.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

ERIC Releases Update to Thesaurus of Descriptors

As a lot of the research in our field gets deposited into ERIC, this item may be of use to some readers.

To celebrate National Thesaurus Day, ERIC is announcing the latest update of the ERIC Thesaurus of Descriptors. The updated Thesaurus contains 25 new descriptors, 32 new synonyms, and other changes to 37 existing terms. Additionally, ERIC has released updated lists of the terms contained in the three categories of ERIC Identifiers: Assessment and Surveys; Location; and Laws, Policies, & Programs. Changes are highlighted in the recorded webinar, “ERIC Thesaurus Update 2023: Public Access, Transparency, and the ERIC Vocabularies.” The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. IES is celebrating 20 years. Here’s how to get involved.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

Eighty-Two Percent of Public Schools Indicated Having a Written Plan to Handle a Pandemic Disease in the 2022-23 School Year Inbox

The main question that I have is whether the “written plan” is enough to truly achieve the “toggle term” situation envisioned by the authors of Understanding Pandemic Pedagogy: Differences between Emergency Remote, Remote, and Online Teaching or is it just enough more poor executed remote learning.  As a secondary question, I’d ask how long will the lessons of the last three years be in place before they are forgotten like so many other lessons of the past.

Eighty-Two Percent of Public Schools Indicated Having a Written Plan to Handle a Pandemic Disease in the 2022-23 School Year Eighty-two percent of public schools indicated they had a written plan in place to handle a pandemic disease scenario, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which is a higher percentage than the 46 percent of public schools that indicated they had such plans during the 2017-18 school year on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). Additionally, public schools commonly reported having a written plan in place for active shooter situations (96 percent), natural disasters (94 percent), and suicide threats or incidents (92 percent). Key Findings: During November 2022, 99 percent of public schools offered in-person learning, 16 percent offered full-time remote learning, and 5 percent offered hybrid learning. In November 2022, 30 percent of public schools reported having to quarantine students and 18 percent reported having to quarantine staff members. Eighty-two percent of public schools indicated they had a written plan in place to deal with a pandemic disease scenario, a higher percentage than the 46 percent of public schools that indicated they had such plans during the 2017-18 school year on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). During the 2022-23 school year, public schools have a variety of written plans in place that detail procedures to follow for emergency scenarios. These include active shooter situations (96 percent), natural disasters (94 percent), and suicide threats or incidents (92 percent). The findings released today are from the School Pulse Panel, which is part of NCES’s innovative approach to delivering timely information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on public K–12 schools in the U.S. on topics such as teacher trainings, student discipline, school safety, security personnel, pandemic preparedness, learning mode offerings, and quarantine prevalence, as reported by school staff in U.S. public schools. This is the latest experimental data product from the School Pulse Panel. Data from this round were collected from 1,017 participating public schools between November 8 and November 22, 2022. Experimental data products are innovative statistical products created using new data sources or methodologies. Experimental data may not meet all NCES quality standards but are of sufficient benefit to data users in the absence of other relevant products to justify release. NCES clearly identifies experimental data products upon their release. The data released today can be found on the School Pulse Panel dashboard at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/. A listing of the latest publications from the National Center for Education Statistics is available at https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew. The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. IES is celebrating 20 years. Here’s how to get involved.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

NCER Funding Opportunity for Education Technology Projects

A funding opportunity from the folks at IES that may be of interest to some.

The Department of Education’s Small Business Innovation Research program, administered by IES, (ED/IES SBIR) has released three (3) Fiscal Year 2023 solicitations: Phase IA, Phase IB, and a Direct to Phase II. Phase IA solicitation #91990023R0001 is a request for proposals for $250,000 awards for 8-months for the research and development (R&D) and evaluation of a prototype of an entirely new education technology product where no or limited previous technological development has occurred. The goal of the Phase IA track is to stimulate novel approaches to solve pressing problems in education. Phase IB solicitation #91990022R0011 is a request for proposals for $250,000 awards for 8-months for R&D and evaluation of a prototype of a new component to be added to an existing education technology prototype or product. The goal of the Phase IB track is to strengthen existing research-based prototypes or products in addressing pressing problems in education. Direct to Phase II solicitation #91990022R0012 is a request for proposals for $1,000,000 for 2-years for R&D and evaluation of new education technology products to ready existing researcher-developed evidence-based innovations (products, interventions, practices) for use at scale, and to plan for commercialization. The existing education innovation is required to have originally been created by researchers at either universities (or other academic institutions) or non-profit education research organizations. Direct to Phase II projects are awarded without a prior Phase I award. Information on the 2023 program priority area and on program eligibility requirements is provided within each solicitation. Multiple proposals for projects to develop the same or a similar version of a new education technology product under both Phase I and Direct to Phase II are not permitted. More details are available in all three solicitations. Deadline for Proposals:  March 13, 2023­­­­­ at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. IES is celebrating 20 years. Here’s how to get involved.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

Apply for IES-Funded Summer Training Opportunities

These training opportunities may be of interest to more of my academic readers.

IES is supporting four summer 2023 training institutes that have upcoming application deadlines. Below is more information about each of these trainings, including dates/location, application websites, expectations for the participants, and application deadlines. Meta-Analysis Training Institute Workshop dates: July 24 – 29, 2023 Workshop location: Chicago, IL Application deadline: March 31, 2023 Application Site: Home | Meta-Analysis Training Institute (meta-analysis-training-institute.com) IES Methods Training in Cost Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation Workshop dates: May 22-26, 2023 for education researchers Workshop dates: August 16-18, 2023 for state and district analysts Workshop location: Philadelphia, PA Application deadline: February 3, 2023 Application Site: https://www.cbcse.org/ies-methods-training Summer Research Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized Trials Workshop dates: July 17 – 27, 2023 Workshop location: Northwestern University Application deadline: March 31, 2023 Application Site: https://steppcenter.northwestern.edu/education-training/research-training-institute-on-cluster-randomized-trials.html Evidence-Based Intervention Training for Education Workshop dates: June 20-23, 2023 Workshop location: Ohio State University Application deadline: March 31, 2023 Application Site:  EBITE | Evidence-based Intervention Training for Education: An OSU-OU Collaboration & IES Sponsored Initiative (R305B200024) The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. IES is celebrating 20 years. Here’s how to get involved.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).