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• Global Education and Technology: How The Pandemic Changed Education Forever

  Friday, July 30, 2021 at 07:14:50 PM by Givology Staff

  This is the first issue of a recurring series which will examine more closely the state of EdTech in different countries around the world.
  
  Along with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in early March came the sudden global shift from the classroom to the virtual setting, as schools around the world were forced to shut down and develop plans to teach students through online learning platforms. More than 1.2 billion children worldwide transitioned to virtual learning as a result of the mass school closures, marking the largest “online” movement in history. While online and virtual learning have traditionally been used in temporary situations such as the aftermath of a natural disaster, the longevity of our current crisis has generated speculation on what lasting effects it will have on the post-pandemic era, as well as the possibility of remote education being a viable alternative option for the future. Though some are in favor of an immediate return to the physical classroom, others are more hopeful about the future of integrated technology in our global education market.
  
  Prior to the pandemic, there were already some shifts in investing in education technologies. According to the 2019 Metaari Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns, $16.3 billion and $18.7 billion were invested in learning technologies worldwide in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In those two years alone, the total amount invested in EdTech companies was greater than that for the 20-year period between 1998 and 2017.
  
  Many forms of EdTech, such as video conferencing tools, virtual tutoring, and online learning markets, have seen a significant rise in usage since the start of the pandemic. In response to the surging demand, many online learning platforms have offered free services, including BYJU, a Bangalore-based educational technology company that is currently the world’s highest valued EdTech company. In China, shortly following the outbreak of the virus in January/early February, the government instructed a quarter of a billion students to resume their learning through Tencent classroom, an app that gathers course resources from educational institutions and teachers. Other companies such as Lark, a Singapore-based collaboration software, and Alibaba, a Chinese technology company, have also bolstered their capabilities to provide their services to students doing online learning.
  
  The growth in education technology doesn’t seem to be slowing down, as the market for online education is projected to reach $370 billion by 2026. North America (15.5%), Western Europe (29.0%), the Middle East (20.2%), and Africa (40.2%) are expected to see the most rapid growth rates. Many believe that a new hybrid model of education will emerge globally, drastically changing education for future generations. “I believe that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated and that online education will eventually become an integral component of school education,” says Wang Tao, Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Tencent Education. There are many benefits of learning through an education system with both offline learning and e-learning, including added flexibility and self-paced learning, improved virtual communication and collaboration, and a broader, global perspective.
  
  There are, however, several challenges that need to be taken into consideration regarding online learning. Foremost is the digital divide between students who have access to technological devices and reliable internet and those who don’t. This divide varies greatly by country — for instance, 95% of students in Norway have an easily accessible computer for their schoolwork, while this is only the case for 34% of students in Indonesia. The divide will need to be adequately addressed in order for the full potential of EdTech to be leveraged.
  
  Another obstacle has to do with the efficiency, or lack thereof, of the current online learning model on younger children. Research has shown that younger students need a structured learning environment because they are more easily distracted than their older counterparts. To combat this issue, schools should be looking to utilize various collaboration tools and engagement methods that promote inclusion, engagement, and intellectual stimulation.
  
  Looking before the pandemic and imagining the future after, it is clear that the purpose of online education has changed. While it was previously used to provide education to those unable to participate in the physical classroom, it has now become a legitimate learning option for everyone who has a digital device and a connection. Now, there is a clear path for the next generation of online learners to continue their education with the threat of COVID-19 not being a factor.
  
  Sources:
  https://educationdata.org/online-education-statistics
  https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-020-00534-0
  https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/world-reimagined%3A-the-future-of-education-and-edtech-2021-02-04
  https://edtechhub.org/edtech-and-covid-19-10-things-to-know/
  https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/benefits-of-online-learning/
  
• An Auction For Students, By Students.

  Friday, October 9, 2020 at 08:50:45 PM by Givology Staff

  The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives completely, forcing us to rethink our routines and how we conduct things. It has certainly been a time of hardship for millions, and perhaps you, the reader. Among the institutions that have fared the worst, education certainly ranks among their numbers. Education around the world has struggled, a lack of schooling and in-person learning impacting well over one billion children. The crisis has forced us to rethink the way we educate, and to reevaluate how we as humans learn. But within the education community, those who have faced the greatest perils are those from other countries: international students.
  Joanita Senoga started Circle of Peace International (COPI) in 2010. From her own lived experiences, she found a passion for teaching and helpful others, and started COPI as a way to help Ugandan students who had just arrived in the United States. COPI has provided education, housing, and shelter to countless Ugandan children and students, giving them opportunity where there would not be otherwise. Like many other schools across the United States, COPI was hit by COVID-19. While other schools received loads of federal funding, COPI is not a public school, and thus, received less funding. While COPI managed to stay afloat, funds were needed, primarily for funding classrooms and paying for a national test in Uganda. Partnering with Givology, Joanita and COPI have worked with Givology to make these funds possible.
  The fundraiser was a resounding success. Creating baskets, scarves, bowls, and other crafts, COPI founded an online store, selling handmade, artisan crafts from Uganda. Each craft is unique in design and is similar in look and quality to what you would find in a gift or antique shop – for a far better price. Together, with Givology, COPI hosted a speaker and auction event on September 19th. Co-heads Cynthia Chang, Narayan Kini and Nicolas Nemati hosted the event in conjunction with COPI. Joanita, along with COPI students, spoke about the difficulties of international education, and students themselves spoke their own lived experiences. By the end of the event, Givology had raised hundreds of dollars, and has raised several hundred more since the event.
  COPI is a light in the darkness for many international students. The pandemic has made clear the hardships educators and students alike face in a ever expanding world, and it is up to organizations like COPI and Givology to create lasting change at the lowest level and empower the next generation of students to change the world. Over one hundred items remain on COPI’s website, waiting to be sold. If you, the reader, would like to contribute to COPI’s missions, please visit https://circle-of-peace.myshopify.com for more information.
  
• Education and Access: A Geographic Divide in Nigeria

  Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 12:33:32 AM by Givology Staff

  In Nigeria, education levels display sharp regional disparities, especially between the northern and southern halves of the country. This geographical cleavage has played a role in Nigerian politics since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999 due to ethnic and cultural differences between the zones. These variations in identity have been compounded by a lack of healthy political discourse and economic disparities between the north and the south. While the south is traditionally wealthier, safer, and equipped with better infrastructure, the north is much poorer and suffers from instability due to the terrorist group Boko Haram. All of these factors combined have influenced the sphere of education, leaving young students in the north much worse off than their southern counterparts.
  In Nigeria, the overall attendance rate for 6-11 year olds in schools sits at 61%, a dismally low figure especially considering that primary, elementary, and middle schools are free and mandatory. However, this statistic further declines when surveying the northern population. In this area, only 53% of 6-11 year olds reported attending school. Part of this problem may be in the different nature of schooling found in the north. Nigeria’s north is Muslim-dominated; as such, many students receive an Islamic education rooted in the Quran, Islam’s foundational holy text. However, Quranic education lacks a focus on reading and writing, contributing to low literacy rates in the north.
  Nigerian schools, at all levels, are unfunded, caused by the paucity of state funds directed towards education. In 2018, only 7% of the federal budget was funnelled into education. As a result, many schools have privatized, and independent schools have grown in popularity in many regions throughout the country. However, this new trend is projected to only widen the educational gap between north and south, as northern families are poorer and lack the financial means to send their children to private schools.
  Boko Haram, the violent military sect that plagues northern Nigeria, has also posed another obstacle for students in the north. Due to a lack of state capacity, the Nigerian government has been ineffective in repelling the group, which has wrecked havoc over swathes of the north. This violence has displaced millions of Nigerians, including children, who cannot access schools. Another consequence has befallen schools themselves, many of which have been destroyed or closed. For example, in the Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, which bear the brunt of Boko Haram violence, almost three thousands schools are closed, damanged, or completely destroyed.
  Work Cited
  [url=https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education#:~:text=Even%20though%20primary%20education%20is,months%20receive%20early%20childhood%20education]https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education#:~:text=Even%20though%20primary[/url]
  [url=https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education#:~:text=Even%20though%20primary%20education%20is,months%20receive%20early%20childhood%20education]%20education%20is,months%20receive%20early%20childhood%20education[/url].
  [url=https://theconversation.com/education-in-nigeria-is-in-a-mess-from-top-to-bottom-five-things-can-fix-it-112894#:~:text=Nigeria's%20education%20system%20is%20based,of%20four%20years%20tertiary%20education.&text=Millions%20of%20Nigerians%20are%20half,or%2030%25%20%E2%80%93%20are%20illiterate]https://theconversation.com/education-[/url]
  [url=https://theconversation.com/education-in-nigeria-is-in-a-mess-from-top-to-bottom-five-things-can-fix-it-112894#:~:text=Nigeria's%20education%20system%20is%20based,of%20four%20years%20tertiary%20education.&text=Millions%20of%20Nigerians%20are%20half,or%2030%25%20%E2%80%93%20are%20illiterate]in-nigeria-is-in-a-mess-from-top-to-bottom-five-things-can-fix-it-112894#:~:text=Nigeria's%20education%20system%20is%20based[/url]
  [url=https://theconversation.com/education-in-nigeria-is-in-a-mess-from-top-to-bottom-five-things-can-fix-it-112894#:~:text=Nigeria's%20education%20system%20is%20based,of%20four%20years%20tertiary%20education.&text=Millions%20of%20Nigerians%20are%20half,or%2030%25%20%E2%80%93%20are%20illiterate],of%20four%20years%20tertiary%20education.&text=Millions%20[/url]
  [url=https://theconversation.com/education-in-nigeria-is-in-a-mess-from-top-to-bottom-five-things-can-fix-it-112894#:~:text=Nigeria's%20education%20system%20is%20based,of%20four%20years%20tertiary%20education.&text=Millions%20of%20Nigerians%20are%20half,or%2030%25%20%E2%80%93%20are%20illiterate]of%20Nigerians%20are%20half,or%2030%25%20%E2%80%93%20are%20illiterate[/url]
  [url=https://wenr.wes.org/2017/03/education-in-nigeria]https://wenr.wes.org/2017/03/education-in-nigeria[/url]
  
• Education and Access: Educational Inequality in India

  Saturday, August 29, 2020 at 07:56:10 PM by Givology Staff

  In 2009, the Indian government passed the Right to Education Act in what became the state’s strongest support of educational rights and opportunity in years. This landmark policy, which made education both free and mandatory for students between the ages of 6 and 14, also eliminated blatant educational discrimation based on race, religion, sex and other personal factors. However, while discrimination is not legalized, there is a clear inequity in education that prevents women from reaching the same level of academic achievement as their male counterparts.
  Key among obstacles that women face are poverty and misogynistic cultural expectations in which women are still seen as primarily homemakers and care-providers. Sexism, while not state-sanctioned, is often enforced by teachers in the classroom, especially for students at a young age. For these children, who are still developing, pervasive sexism is extremely damaging and can actually convince them to operate within India’s rigidly defined gender norms. Examples of this sexism include girls being chastised more frequently for dress code violations or breaches of conduct in schools. Additionally, for families in poverty, educating females simply is not seen as cost effective. In India, there exists a vast informal sector of the economy, which employs many women. In this industry, women do housework, aid in farmwork, and other tasks essential to the running of the family and the home. As a result, for families that live on the poverty line, the opportunity cost of allowing a daughter to stay in school past the required age is too high.
  Infrastructure in schools also does not support women and contributes to high dropout rates. Many Indian schools lack separate restroom facilities for men and women. This creates a source of stress for Indian girls--a sense that is only increased when using gender-neutral bathrooms can potentially become dangerous. Female students are forced to protect themselves from male harassment and rape in restrooms, resulting in many women either choosing to avoid using the restrooms at all costs or dropping out of school entirely. In the former group, this can create health problems such as urinary tract infections and kidney issues. Additionally, once girls reach puberty, the need for separate sanitation facilities becomes even greater, and the difficulties caused by their absence only magnifies. Finally, without giving women their own restroom facilities, schools and universities send the message that their female students are unimportant and that their personal needs do not matter. For all students, this is a painful lesson to grasp, and one that inevitably dissuades women from remaining in spaces in which they are clearly not wanted.
  To conclude, India has significant work to do in order to fully empower and protect its female students. All too often, female students are faced with inherent sexism from a young age, which can force them to accept unhealthy prejudices. Then, these same students must contend with a lack of facilities that tells them they do not belong. However, most importantly, India must attempt to reverse the culture of sexism and misogyny that keeps women in the same traditional roles--only then will women finally be able to take advantage of the opportunities that are legally available to them.
  
  Sources:
  [url=https://qz.com/india/1736848/how-to-tackle-gender-inequality-in-indian-schools/]https://qz.com/india/1736848/how-to-tackle-gender-inequality-in-indian-schools/[/url]
  [url=https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/18/01/why-toilets-matter]https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/18/01/why-toilets-matter[/url]
  [url=https://time.com/5614642/india-girls-education/]https://time.com/5614642/india-girls-education/[/url]
  
• Education and Access: Shifting Gender Roles and Educational Opportunity in Saudi Arabia

  Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 08:09:23 PM by Givology Staff

  [img]https://www.givology.org/images/user/1842_1553850280072583993.png[/img]
  In Saudi Arabia, women have long been legally inferior to their male counterparts, creating a patriarchal system of control and vast educational inequality. As a result, a woman’s education is dependent on the permission of her male guardian even past secondary school. For some women, this is not a problem, as their male guardians afford them a great deal of liberty to pursue opportunities and find a job. However, within more traditional families, women are almost entirely cut off from all educational and career opportunities. Nevertheless, in recent years, the liberalization of gender roles has allowed more women to pursue higher education and find work outside of the home.
  [font="Times New Roman"]Educational institutions themselves such as schools and libraries are segregated by sex. Consequently, women have access to much lower quality books, resources, and school systems than men. Additionally, some educational materials and areas of study are accessible only by men, further enhancing this discrimination. For many years, women could not major in the fields of engineering, political science, or architecture, which is still incredibly difficult at most public universities. In other disciplines, the curriculum is deliberately different for men and women. Women’s textbooks and courses are taught at a much lower level, which reduces their ability to compete with men for jobs. [/font]
  However, with the recent social activism focusing on gender equality in Saudi Arabia, the educational divide is shrinking as more women enjoy broader legal rights. In the last two years, women have been granted the right to drive, travel without male permission, and freely attend some social events. These policy changes, some of which have garnered international attention, have also coincided with a liberalized education system. For example, women who wished to study abroad with government aid formerly had to be accompanied by a male guardian. Now, this law no longer holds true. Female enrollment in universities has also increased, spurred by the opening of all women’s colleges. Saudi Arabia’s first all women’s university was opened in 2010 with the capacity to hold 60,000 undergraduates. This revolutionary school also helped women enter fields from which they had traditionally been barred, including the sciences. In fact, improvements in women’s access to education have been so strong that, in 2015, women composed the majority of undergraduate students at 52%.
  Overall, women’s access to education in Saudi Arabia is a noteworthy success story. Just over 40 years ago, women’s enrollment in higher education was scarce as were their economic opportunities outside the home. Now, women’s presence in universities around the country has skyrocketed and allowed them to enter fields that were previously thought to be exclusively for men. Despite the fact that there is still work to be done, it is clear that Saudi Arabia is moving in the right direction to grant equitable access to education for all.
  
  Sources:
  [url=https://theconversation.com/saudi-women-are-going-to-college-running-for-office-and-changing-the-conservative-country-109938]https://theconversation.com/saudi-women-are-going-to-college-running-for-office-and-changing-the-conservative-country-109938[/url]
  [url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/world/middleeast/saudi-women-rights.html]https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/world/middleeast/saudi-women-rights.html[/url]
  [url=https://www.equalitynow.org/saudi_arabia_give_women_equal_opportunities_to_education_end_male_guardianship_over_women?locale=fr]https://www.equalitynow.org/saudi_arabia_give_women_equal_opportunities_to_education_end_male_guardianship_over_women?locale=fr[/url]
  
• 10 Books to Read This Summer

  Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 03:58:36 AM by Givology Staff

  Summer is often cited as the greatest time to pick up a book and try to start a habit. This summer may just be one of the best ones to read. With COVID-19 still ongoing and many of us still confined to the walls of our home, this summer may just be the perfect opportunity to start reading. While we may not be able to sit around a pool on a hot summer day with friends, or journey halfway across the world to some faraway destination, reading can provide us with a journey to other worlds and ideas. Here are 10 books to read this summer:
  [b]1. Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo[/b]
  [b][/b]
  Poverty and lack of basic resources are prevailing problems in countries across the world. Poor Economics explains how the poor in today’s world deal with their finances, why they make the decisions they make, and how we can rethink the fight against poverty.
  [b]2. Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty[/b]
  [b][/b]
  The future is capitalism. But with rising levels of income and wealth inequality, it is clear we must rethink our current economic system. Economist Thomas Piketty outlines the causes and roots of today’s economic problems, especially those which low-income people face, and offers solutions. Dubbed by many as the ‘most important economics book of the decade’, Piketty’s book, published in 2014, may seem more relevant than ever.
  [b]3. How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi[/b]
  [b][/b]
  The recent protests and racial tensions surrounding America today have brought the concept and practice of anti-racism to light. Ibram X. Kendi explores how racism affects our society and how we can come together and combat racism within our institutions and systems.
  [b]4. The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Conor O’Clery[/b]
  [b][/b]
  What do you think of when you think you a billionaire? A man in a dark suit, making business deals? How about a wealthy, middle-aged man, living a lavish lifestyle – filled with caviar, private islands, and sports cars? Or how about a simple man, flying economy class, living in a rented apartment, and not even owning a car? O’Clery’s book explores the life and actions of Chuck Feeney, or as The Atlantic calls him, the ‘billionaire trying to go broke.’
  [b]5. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park[/b]
  [b][/b]
  The lives of two African refugees are told in book, intertwined in ways neither could have seen coming. A girl, Nya, fetches water from a pond two hours away. A boy, Salva, scours the African continent in search of his family. Enduring unimaginable hardship and pain, their journeys intersect and impact Nya in an astonishing and moving way.
  [b]6. The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into how the World's Poorest People are Educating Themselves by James Tooley[/b]
  [b][/b]
  While working for the World Bank in India, James Tooley stumbled upon the slums of Hyderabad’s Old City and finds underfunded schools being led by parent support. Astonished by the community led schools, Tooley seeks out into the world searching for more schools like those. He travels from countries in Africa to towns in China as he explores people in poverty-stricken communities fighting to gain an education on their own.
  [b]7. The Miseducation of Women by James Tooley[/b]
  [b][/b]
  Even in the 21st century, the debate still rages as to how women are treated in comparison to their male counterparts. James Tooley explores how women are treated in education in his book, and the results are not what you thought they were.
  [b]8. We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai[/b]
  [b][/b]
  From the author of I am Malala, We are Displaced brings to life the refugee crisis across the globe, and how women and children are oppressed across the world. We Are Displaced is a collection of refugee stories and provides insight into the lives of those less fortunate.
  [b]9. Creating Room to Read by John Wood [/b]
  [b][/b]
  The book follows the story of John Wood, an entrepreneur who left his life in America to journey to bring education and opportunity to children in Nepal. Woods present the challenges he and his nonprofit have faced in overcoming a lack of education in Nepal.
  [b]10. Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo[/b]
  [b][/b]
  More relevant than ever, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo once again come together to write another book on solutions to issues facing modern economics and inequality. With a major recession in progress and a plethora of economic issues facing each and every one of us, Good Economics for Hard Times is truly a book for the present.
  
• Education and Access: Redlining in the United States

  Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 03:36:04 AM by Givology Staff

  In the 1930s, the Federal Housing Administration and other government agencies evaluated neighborhoods across the United States, grading them on their level of stability and prospects for future investment. This practice, known as redlining, was used to isolate and discriminate against black and other minority communities throughout the country. As a result, families in “redlined” areas were labeled economic risks, which dissuaded banks and mortgage lenders from making loans available. Among the devastating effects of this policy was the polarization of the racial wealth gap--at the present day, the average black American family is worth ten times less than their white counterparts. However, the consequences of redlining reach far beyond wealth. In fact, this nearly century-old policy is arguably the most direct cause of educational disparities in the United States and the racial achievement gap.
  By concentrating minority communities together and then depriving them of access to investment, the US government effectively shuttered educational opportunities by ensuring unequal access to schooling. American public schools are funded by a mix of state, local, and federal dollars. However, local property taxes account for almost half of the funding for most public schools, which leaves institutions in minority communities severely disadvantaged. Because of redlining, housing in primarily black neighborhoods is undervalued and has never benefited from government investment. This produces direct consequences for area public schools, which cannot afford to hire the best teachers or provide extracurricular opportunities. As a result, students, who come from unstable backgrounds--stemming from poor, opportunity-scare neighborhoods, lack access to the educational resources they need to succeed.
  Redlining’s impact on school systems is cyclical and undermining, with each passing generation creating more problems and feeding disparity. In redlined school districts, students are less focused on learning, which gradually changes the teacher’s role from that of an educator to that of a counselor and discipline provider. Oftentimes, teachers in these areas are under-paid and forced to provide a wide range of social services for which they are ill-equipped. Eventually, this turns the most qualified educators away from the areas they are desperately needed, further undermining the quality of education that most students receive. Another key issue is that students lack successful educational role models, both among their peers and their parents. Many of the students in redlined districts and schools have come from families who have spent generations locked into this same cycle. Therefore, these students are less likely to believe that education is the way to a path out--simply because they have not seen it in their communities and families.
  Even in areas where schools have benefited from federal funds, many of the problems endemic within redlined districts still prevent students from taking advantage of quality schools. For example, redlined areas typically lack reliable health and medical care, which creates greater rates of absenteeism in schools and disrupts students’ academic records. Furthermore, without readily available environments that enable good study habits--such as local libraries and adequate housing, students can rarely meet their academic potential and lose interest in school.
  To make US education more equitable and accessible for all, improvements must start with those communities left behind for generations. Although there is no easy, one-size-fits all solution, the only way to break this cycle of poverty and educational injustice is to finally begin investing in the people deemed “undesirable” nearly one century ago.
  
  Sources:
  [url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/]https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/[/url]
  [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/03/28/redlining-was-banned-50-years-ago-its-still-hurting-minorities-today/]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/03/28/redlining-was-banned-50-years-ago-its-still-hurting-minorities-today/[/url]
  [url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/redlining-what-is-history-mike-bloomberg-comments/]https://www.cbsnews.com/news/redlining-what-is-history-mike-bloomberg-comments/[/url]
  [url=https://www.epi.org/publication/the-racial-achievement-gap-segregated-schools-and-segregated-neighborhoods-a-constitutional-insult/]https://www.epi.org/publication/the-racial-achievement-gap-segregated-schools-and-segregated-neighborhoods-a-constitutional-insult/[/url]
  [url=http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may02/vol59/num08/Unequal-School-Funding-in-the-United-States.aspx]http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may02/vol59/num08/Unequal-School-Funding-in-the-United-States.aspx[/url]
  
• Current Events Series

  Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 04:30:49 AM by Givology Staff

  [b]COVID-19 is disrupting education around the world[/b]
  
  Link: [url=https://www.thewhig.com/opinion/columnists/covid-19-is-disrupting-education-around-the-world]https://www.thewhig.com/opinion/columnists/covid-19-is-disrupting-education-around-the-world[/url]
  
  
  The global community is experiencing an unprecedented closure of schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, more than 180 countries mandated the temporary closure of schools in 2020, leaving 1.6 billion children and young people out of school during the peak of the shutdown in April.
  The Bretton Woods institution also reports that unemployment is on the rise around the world, family incomes are plummeting, and governments are going deep into debt as a result of the global health crisis.
  One concern to developing countries is the long-term impact of educational interruption on a generation of children. According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 school shutdowns “could result in a loss of between 0.3 and 0.9 years of schooling adjusted for quality, bringing the effective years of schooling that students achieve during their lifetime down from 7.9 years to between 7.0 and 7.6 years.”
  In the increasingly likely event that schools are closed for seven months and mitigation measures are ineffective, “exclusion and inequality will likely be exacerbated if already marginalized and vulnerable groups, like girls, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, are more adversely affected by the school closures and corresponding off-setting action is not taken.”
  And it is estimated that approximately seven million primary and secondary school students could drop out due to the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic.
  Before the pandemic, students in low and middle income countries were already at a disadvantage relative to students in the industrialized world. However, now, they are suffering even more.
  Although it is important to get children back in school, the health and safety of students and teachers must be a central concern. To that end, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Food Programme, and World Bank have jointly issued the Framework for Reopening Schools. It talks about the effect COVID-19 has internationally, especially in third world countries and the conditions for school reopenings.
  
• Current Event Series

  Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 11:08:58 PM by Givology Staff

  [b]What has been the impact of COVID-19 on global education?[/b]
  
  Link: [url=https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/what-has-been-the-impact-of-covid19-on-global-education/272359]https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/what-has-been-the-impact-of-covid19-on-global-education/272359[/url]
  
  The level of educational disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is greater than anything in modern history. To examine the ipact, a study was done by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and UNESCO, together with the European Commission.
  The report noted that education systems around the world have varied in their responses to the crisis.
  According to UNESCO, more than 90% of all learners were affected by school closures caused by COVID-19 at the peak of the disruption. It also revealed a worrying lack in first-hand, internationally comparable information from schools, collected in a systematic and scientific manner. The organization says this is needed for evaluating the extent to which teaching and learning have been challenged, continued, and adjusted as a result of the current crisis.
  The purpose of the survey is to collect data from governments, teachers, and students on how they will prepare for long-distance learning. The study will target all different educational levels and will focus on topics around the preparedness for distance learning, available IT and educational resources, perceptions on the success of strategies, student engagement, as well as around inequalities in educational learning opportunities during the disruptions.
  
• Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Programs: An Example (#3)

  Monday, July 13, 2020 at 03:49:48 AM by Givology Staff

  The first two blog entries of this series identified the characteristics and benefits of two-way dual language immersion (TWDLI) programs. So now, I’d like to highlight a few specific programs, starting in this entry with a school about a mile up the street from my home in Davis, CA. In my first entry, I mentioned that I had attended this school for my kindergarten and first-grade years; at this time, Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School (MMES) housed both a conventional English program and a full Spanish immersion program.
  However, about seven years ago, MMES converted its Spanish immersion program to a[url=https://montgomery.djusd.net/instruction_and_learning/two_way_bilingual_immersion] TWDLI program[/url] (called two-way bilingual immersion in this district). The school opted for the 90 percent/10 percent model described in the first blog entry — in kindergarten, students are taught 90 percent in Spanish and 10 percent in English, and by fourth grade, students are taught 50 percent in each language. According to a[url=https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/montgomerys-dual-immersion-program-draws-praise/] Davis Enterprise article by Anne Ternus-Bellamy[/url], this program was organized to support both the significant portion of students learning English as a second language at MMES, as well as the strong interest of families throughout Davis in providing their children with the highest quality methodology for learning a second language at an early age.
  As described in the MMES Two-Way Bilingual Immersion brochure (“Celebrating the Cultural Richness of our World”), the impetus behind this decision maps closely to the benefits of such programs that are cited in my last blog entry. District and school administrators had examined the longitudinal studies that exemplified the advantages for speakers of both Spanish and English as first languages. In addition to students achieving academic success in two languages, educators also aim for students to gain cognitive flexibility, cultural awareness, and a sense of community responsibility. Longer-term, the hope is that eventual career opportunities are broadened through this bilingual and globally-focused program.
  Dovetailing with the[url=https://www.edutopia.org/article/dual-immersion-solution] Edutopia[/url] article referenced in the last blog entry,[url=https://montgomery.djusd.net/resources/parents] MMES established an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)[/url], which works closely with the PTA to encourage involvement in school business by parents who speak languages other than English.[url=https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/montgomerys-dual-immersion-program-draws-praise/] Ternus-Bellamy’s article[/url], referenced earlier, confirms that parents speaking Spanish as their first language feel empowered to offer their skills in the setting of this TWDLI program. In addition, as reported in the[url=https://www.davisenterprise.com/features/empower-yolo-mme-resource-center-offers-broad-assistance/] Davis Enterprise by Natalia Baltazar[/url], a county organization runs an Elementary Family Resource Center on the MMES campus as a satellite to its location downtown; this center offers a suite of services for Davis students and their families who may benefit from educational, language, health, and household resources.
  The school campus has a welcoming presence. Opened relatively recently in 2001, MMES is in good repair compared to older campuses, and it encompasses garden boxes tended by students and a popular play structure with adjacent, ample playing fields.
  Interestingly, there is a discrepancy between the standard English program and the TWDLI program at MMES. In the Davis school district, students can request an intra-district transfer from their zoned neighborhood school to another school in the district; this is common when there is interest in nontraditional programs, such as a Montessori approach, a Spanish immersion program, or this TWDLI program. So, according to a[url=https://www.davisvanguard.org/2018/03/view-failed-montgomery-montgomery-not-failed-us/] 2018 article in the Davis Vanguard by David Greenwald[/url] and a[url=https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/school-board-hears-presentation-on-program-issues-at-montgomery-elementary/] Davis Enterprise article by Jeff Hudson[/url], approximately half of the TWDLI student population comes from Davis neighborhoods beyond the MMES neighborhood school zone. However, almost 40 percent of students who live in the MMES neighborhood school zone opt to attend an elementary school in Davis other than MMES. This has left the traditional English program within MMES struggling for resources and support, setting the stage for families and district administrators to seek solutions to this disparity.
  According to a[url=https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/rm/davisrootcause.asp] California Department of Education report on MMES[/url] and another[url=https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/possible-changes-at-montgomery-on-school-board-agenda/] Davis Enterprise article by Jeff Hudson[/url], the school has decided to phase out the standard English program and convert to a full TWDLI program over the next few years. This decision was based on the clear academic advantages of the TWDLI programs, as well as the benefits to the community of expanded cultural integration and inclusiveness.
  If you are interested in supporting this aspect of bilingualism and multicultural connections, please refer back to the end of my second blog entry on this topic for some possible ideas!