The New York Times Sounds the Alarm on Learning Loss
The New York Times Sounds the Alarm on Learning Loss
The New York Times editorial board discussed a common problem on November 18, 2023. The COVID pandemic has greatly affected students' education. Unfortunately, not enough has been done to assist them in catching up.
By Joy Roberts | Friendzy Co-Founder and Social and Emotional Character Development Expert
The New York Times editorial board discussed a common problem on November 18, 2023. The COVID pandemic has greatly affected students' education. Unfortunately, not enough has been done to assist them in catching up.
The article explains, “The school closures … set student progress in math and reading back by two decades.. and economists are predicting that this generation…will experience diminished lifetime earnings. “
Despite the federal government’s allocation of $190 billion dollars to schools, they assert that "these educational deficits will persist once the federal funding ceases in 2024."
While the Nation’s Report Card found Catholic schools, which were more likely to offer in-person learning throughout the pandemic, maintained their scores or experienced loss at a much lower rate than public schools, non-public schools are not immune to the impacts of COVID-19 on our communities. This is especially true when it comes to the mental health impact on students and teachers.
Fortunately, non-public schools have until September of 2024 to continue accessing services under the second round of Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Program (ARP EANS).
Research suggests that social-emotional programming is an important component in a robust recovery plan to combat learning loss and provide holistic support to students, teachers, and communities.
The NY Times also made the connection to mental health and closing the achievement gap, “…educators have been raising the alarm about the effects of grief, isolation and other disruptions on the mental health of their children… localities need to create a more supportive school environment and provide the counseling services these students need to succeed.”
Implementing the Friendzy program can help schools overcome learning loss by:
Re-building a solid foundation for academic success and increasing student attendance by aiding in the establishment of trusting relationships between students and teachers.
Explicit SECD lessons have been proven to increase engagement and excitement in the classroom, further accelerate academic success by improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills, bolster learning confidence, teach resilience, and provide a framework for goal-setting strategies.
Supporting teachers with professional development that covers social-emotional learning competencies, trauma-sensitive practices, and equity-centered strategies.
Providing family support resources that equip and engage families as they support their emotional health and that of their children.
Flexible delivery of resources and support for teachers, students, and families, including high-quality remote learning supplements and resources and ongoing consultation on maximizing student engagement within remote and hybrid learning environments.
Friendzy expands and improves Tier 1 instruction to help all students in elementary school, middle school, and high school catch up academically as well as heal socially and emotionally.
Friendzy is your partner in addressing your students' social-emotional character development (SECD) needs while equipping teachers with tools and resources to help your students heal so that they can achieve academically.
Contact us today at info@friendzy.co to discuss your student's needs with a partnership specialist who can tailor a program to your school's needs within the parameters of eligible federal funding through equitable services in EANS or even ESEA as EANS draws to a close.
As a non-profit, Friendzy works to be affordable for all schools and all budgets. We are here to assist you in maximizing federal funding for your students, teachers, and families post-COVID.
We want to help you make the most of the funding available to support your school community. We aim to provide guidance on accessing federal funds to benefit your students, teachers, and families. We are committed to helping you navigate the process of utilizing federal funding for your school's needs.