2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20): First Look at the Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Undergraduate Student Enrollment, Housing, and Finances
This First Look publication provides preliminary results of the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20), with a particular focus on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected student experiences. The report includes information for about 61,000 undergraduate students attending postsecondary institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Since NPSAS:20 is designed to be nationally representative, the data used in this report provide the first national estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on postsecondary students. This First Look describes pandemic disruptions to students’ enrollment, housing, and finances, as well as how institutions supported and informed students on these and other impacts.
Pathways to Teaching: Teacher Diversity, Testing, Certification, and Employment in Washington State
The number and percentage of students of color are growing in Washington state, yet the teacher workforce remains largely White (non-Hispanic). This means that few students of color have teachers who share their race or ethnicity, which could have consequences for student achievement and wellbeing. To better understand the state’s shortage of teachers of color, this study investigated six steps in the teacher preparation and career pathway at which teacher candidates and teachers are likely to drop out or leave the profession: three teacher preparation tests, certification, employment, and retention.
Taking Teacher Candidate Support to the Next Level: 3 Ways to Use Video Coaching
Video is a powerful tool—for teacher candidates and teacher educators alike—to engage in reflective practice and accelerate professional growth. And I can say this from personal experience as it has helped me grow as an educator.
Regulatory Changes to TEACH Grant Program Take Effect
The Department of Education has implemented changes to the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program in an effort to provide greater flexibility and alleviate challenges that previous grant recipients have had in navigating the program. In exchange for grant funding of up to $4,000 a year for students to complete teacher education coursework, recipients of the TEACH Grant must complete four years of teaching in a high-need field and underserved school within an eight-year period or their grants will be converted into direct unsubsidized loans.
REL Guide: Identifying Similar Schools to Support School Improvement
To support school improvement efforts, school leaders and education agencies might need to identify groups of schools that are similar so that schools can compare their performance or share practices with other schools in the same group. This could also allow education agencies to provide tailored supports to schools in a group. This guide describes how an education agency can select a distance measure (a statistical rather than a geographic measure) to identify schools that are similar to a target school, using a variety of characteristics that enable school leaders to better understand their schools’ relative performance. This guide is based on work done with the Nebraska Department of Education and is designed to help staff in other education agencies who are interested in implementing a similar approach to support school improvement.
Equity Thought Leader Podcast Series
Over the past three months, Learning Forward has been proud to sponsor an eight-part Equity Thought Leader Podcast Series from myPD Unplugged to help educators build a deeper understanding of multicultural education, equity, and social justice pedagogy. Local and national leaders in the field guide discussions on key topics and supporting facilitation guides allow groups of listeners to extend their thinking and engage in ongoing conversations about the topics discussed. View the complete series here.
