Abstract
The widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic affected K12 schools globally. This unprecedented disruption to education transformed teaching and learning experiences for children, teachers, administrators, and parents in many ways. The challenge of shifting traditional classroom teaching to online and distance modalities were met with various responses by school leaders and communities across the globe. This critical review highlights recent responses to continuing education for K12 students through collaborative efforts as the delivery of instruction as redefined and redesigned to meet the needs of children. Despite the lack of preparedness for this sudden shift to online learning, K12 district leaders and other stakeholders demonstrated their commitment to navigate through this crisis head-on. While disparities and unequal access became more evident during this unforeseen time, the future of online learning can be strengthened by this experience. This awareness can lead to further improvements in K12 education to serve all children with equity despite the circumstances.
TopIntroduction
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), over 1.5 billion students were impacted by school closures as a response to the onset of the COVID-19 (Harris, 2020; Lynch, 2020; Noor et al., 2020). The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has indefinitely changed K12 educational practices for all organizational levels across the globe (Noor et al., 2020). Traditional educational approaches have been altered and blended to present emergency solutions for continual teaching in response to a health threatening crisis (Middleton, 2020). Administrative processes previously used to manage change implementation were replaced by immediate demands for decision making to occur on all levels of leadership within the school system (Harris, 2020). Reactionary plans were developed and initiated to keep students learning during a global pandemic.
Through these unprecedented times, and months after closure and emergency distance learning, districts began to reopen their campuses. Education government agencies issued directives that held school district leaders, administrators, and educators accountable to continue teaching students using various modalities. Whether face-to-face, online, or a combination of modalities, also known as hybrid, school districts formulated plans to offer families options. For example, The Florida Department of Education (2020) published a reopening plan to provide guidance to school districts as local leaders began discussions to develop their education continuity plans. The FLDOE allowed for locally driven decisions to be made by district leaders with given recommendations which included resorting optimal learning opportunities for all students (FLDOE, 2020). Additionally, the FLDOE supported reopening plans across public school districts that included giving parents a choice in learning modality options most suitable for their needs. Face-to-face, online learning, and hybrid learning options became part of the continuity plan to accommodate families and medically vulnerable individuals (FLDOE, 2020).
Although research on online learning present advantages that support student learning (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Dhawan, 2020; Picciano, 2015), this particular circumstance of emergency online teaching and learning has left the future of education with many unknowns (Lynch, 2020). Moreover, Hughes et al. (2020) noted the focus of the transition to remote learning was not well-planned with assignments and assessments designed for online learning; instead, face-to-face coursework was adapted for virtual teaching. The challenge for teachers to move from offline teaching to online (Dhawan, 2020), and the lack of knowledge of pedagogical approaches to teach online (Middleton, 2020) present problems that impact the effectiveness of K12 online learning during the pandemic. Time constraints to better prepare for such an unprecedented educational transformation presented a problem needing further investigation. The implications of such a large-scale shift in teaching and learning have yet to be determined.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Hybrid Learning: Hybrid learning is an educational modality that combines traditional classroom methods with online learning activities, allowing students to learn from both traditional and online instruction (Suwantarathip, 2018 AU137: The in-text citation "Suwantarathip, 2018" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Distance Education: Distance Education is a method of teaching using a combination of technologies, including audio, video, computer, and the internet, while students and teachers are physically separated. This type of learning which takes place outside of brick-and-mortar includes information and knowledge exchanges between teachers and students through technical means ( Kentnor, 2015 ; Lassoued et al., 2020 ).
Online Learning: Online learning encompasses all forms of teaching and learning using web-based technologies. It is defined as a learning experience using synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences through the use of devices connected to the internet ( Dhawan, 2020 ; Picciano, 2015 ).