RAND Survey Provides Key Data Points For The Future of Schools

Drawing on the RAND Corporation’s American Educator Panels (AEP), researchers surveyed nationally representative samples of K–12 public school teachers and principals in late April and early May 2020 to document how they delivered instruction and other services, what supports and resources they needed, and what their expected priorities and plans were for the 2020–2021 school year. Below are highlights. For the whole report, click here:

Key Findings

Educators provided a variety of supports for distance learning, but the pandemic is likely to exacerbate existing inequalities

  • Educators across the country shifted quickly to connect with students and families and support students through distance learning. Teachers and principals both indicated that teachers had received some training to equip them for this work, but they also identified gaps in that training, especially in terms of training to support particular student groups, such as students with disabilities or homeless students.
  • Teachers reported incomplete curriculum coverage, providing more review and less coverage of new content than usual.
  • There were large disparities in students’ access to supports for learning — disparities that predated the pandemic and that educators will need to continue to tackle.
  • Principals indicated several needs for support from district leaders, including strategies to address the loss of students’ hands-on learning, teacher training on distance learning and technology for students. Teachers particularly expressed a need for ways to motivate and engage students, to address the loss of hands-on learning opportunities, and to assess and support students’ social and emotional well-being.
  • School principals reported that several goals will be more important this coming school year than they were during the last year, including emergency preparedness, reducing learning gaps, and addressing students’ mental health.

Recommendations

  • Teachers need professional development to help them address the challenges of distance learning, especially teachers who are working with the most vulnerable students.
  • Policymakers and funders will need to address disparities in learning opportunities by ensuring that supports for learning — including internet access and technology as well as classroom materials to promote academic, social, and emotional learning — are provided to the students who need them most when the next school year begins.
  • As it is likely that some form of distance learning will continue, educators need resources and strategies to help students stay motivated and engaged while they are learning remotely, as well as guidance to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities (e.g., labs, internships) and to assess and support students’ social and emotional learning.
  • Both principals and teachers need better ways to contact students and families. School and district emergency plans should include efforts to ensure they have contact information for all students and families.
  • The pandemic has caused principals to reprioritize goals and tasks. District leaders should be prepared to help them as they shift to plan for emergencies, address learning gaps, and deal with student mental health issues that might be exacerbated by the pandemic’s effects.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

cardiac care
Just Thinking… About the Role of Critical Thinking in Cardiac Care With Dr. Minh Tran
July 14, 2025

As cardiovascular disease continues to rank as the leading cause of death globally, the importance of expert cardiac care has never been more evident. The American Heart Association reports that over 800,000 Americans experience a heart attack each year, and many rely on the fast, critical thinking of cardiac specialists to survive. In an…

Read More
IP radios
Icom’s IP Radios Fill Critical Gaps in Privacy, Range, and Cost for Commercial Fishermen
July 11, 2025

The 2024 Pacific Marine Expo served as a platform for exploring how advanced radio technologies are supporting specialized industries. Secure and far-reaching communication remains a critical need for the commercial fishing sector. Rick Waedekin, the President of Coast Marine Marketing and Icom’s West Coast Sales Rep, spoke with Harold Whittlesy of Satellite Technical Services…

Read More
DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More