A Comparison of Graduate University Perspectives of Online versus Face-to-Face during the Pandemic

Purpose: This study aims to compare graduate student perspectives of online versus face-to-face (FTF) education during the pandemic at two different universities. One university, the "International University", was physically located in Korea but served an international base of students, and the other was a Jesuit, Catholic University in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: An online Qualtrics survey was used to gather student perceptions on a five-point Likert scale on individual and program factors. Chi-square analysis using the contingency coefficient as the nominal value was performed to uncover significant differences. Findings: Significant differences between the two groups existed on motivation, discipline, self-directed, independence, cost investment, preference, happiness, difficulty, student-to-student interaction and student-to-instructor interaction. This research has implications for instructors and administrators in identifying shortcomings and highlighting the uniqueness of different practices around the world. Originality/value: Previous studies on student perceptions have been performed. However, this study is original in the fact that it directly compares two different graduate student populations perspectives of online versus FTF during the pandemic.

Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures. Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-9

Media accounts have described kindergarten through 12th grade teaching staff shortages in 2021-2022 that were severe enough to temporarily close schools for in-person instruction in some areas. Although much has been written about the negative impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on teachers, less is known about the extent to which the pandemic is taking a toll on other types of educators, including superintendents. To obtain a national picture of the various types of staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021-2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel (ASDP) between October 25, 2021, and December 10, 2021. The representative survey results confirm that media attention to the severe staffing crunch in schools this school year is well placed, and maybe all the more so if current and future variants of COVID19 infect even more school staff and students. Beyond the serious staffing concerns for this school year are concerns in future years about a fiscal cliff and a potential increase in superintendent turnover. [For the companion report "District Leaders' Concerns about Mental Health and Political Polarization in Schools: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-8," see ED617354.]

Teachers of Hispanic or Latino Origin: Background and School Settings in 2017-18. Data Point. NCES 2022-025

This Data Point examines the background and school settings of teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin in public and private schools in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic. It uses data from the public and private school teacher data files of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which is a national sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level estimates can also be produced for public schools, principals, and teachers. This Data Point looks at: (1) What were the characteristics of teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin in 2017-18?, and (2) What were the characteristics of schools where teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin taught in 2017-18?

Digital Literacy and Views of the COVID-19 Pandemic of Students Who Prepared for Musical Aptitude Tests during the Pandemic

This study was carried out with the aim of determining the opinions and digital literacy status of the students who are preparing for the music talent exams of the universities during the COVID-19 process. The research is in the survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods and is limited to 300 students who took the music department and department aptitude exams of 21 different universities. The type of high school from which the relevant students graduated, the universities they applied to for special talent exams, their previous undergraduate education, their status of researching distance education opportunities, and digital literacy levels of the universities they applied for special talent exams were included in the scope of the study. Within the scope of the problem situation of the research, the effects of the duration of the pandemic on the ear training, instrument training, voice training, and psychological state of the students were investigated. According to the data obtained from the interview form applied to the students, the pandemic process gave the students extra time for ear training, instrument training, and voice training, but this extra time could not be properly evaluated because there was no educator guidance. It was concluded that students felt inadequate about digital literacy.

A New COVID-19 Data Source for Answering Emerging Pandemic Questions. The Evidence Project at CRPE

When it comes to understanding what happened in the 2020-21 school year, the relatively new COVID-19 School Data Hub is an easy to use tool, and one of the few school closure trackers with information at the school, rather than the school district level. The COVID-19 School Data Hub can be used to understand how the pandemic influenced learning mode in schools during the 2020-21 school year, with school level data on learning modes for 36 states, using verified information from state departments of education. Many may use it for the quick, visual representation of school modality on the front page. But the data hub offers much more. The data hub coordinates school- and district-level data on learning mode by state, including enrollment by learning mode and COVID-19 case counts for students and teachers. This brief includes one example of how to use these data, as well as how they compare to other similar US databases.

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Rural Afghanistan: Findings from a Baseline Learning Assessment of Accelerated Learning Centres

In Afghanistan, 93% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10. Education is not available to everyone, especially for girls and children in remote areas. A form of community-based education, called Accelerated Learning Centers (ALCs), can help close the distance barrier and meet the needs of out-of-school children and girls. In May 2021, an assessment of foundational literacy and numeracy skills of ALC students and nearby government school students was conducted. Results show that children at ALCs are learning at similar levels or better compared with children who attend government schools. This report provides insight into practices to improve education in rural areas in Afghanistan.

K-12 Teacher Perspectives on the Pandemic Pivot to Online Teaching and Learning

The study examines teacher perspectives on preparedness to implement the transition of over 50 million K-12 students to online and virtual teaching formats. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were instructed to remain at home and to avoid the potential dangers of virus spread in schools. Once this transition began, and then continued on as the pandemic ignited, attention and scrutiny was aimed at how well teachers had been prepared for this shift. Relationships between these perceptions in terms of years of teaching, grade level, content area, school type, and school level were examined in this study. Over 140 teachers, ranging from kindergarten to senior English teachers completed the survey. The researchers analyzed emerged patterns and sentiment scores for the most prevalent themes. The study sought teacher perceptions of preparation as provided by schools, districts, and universities as well as perceptions on how engaged parents and students felt during this dramatic and sudden shift. Findings demonstrate that significant differences exist between how teachers perceive their levels of preparedness for teaching remotely depending on their teaching experience. It was evident that the pandemic affected K-12 school systems in one state harsher than in higher education. Conclusions from this study better inform future decisions of this nature and that could ensure higher levels of teacher preparation.

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019-20: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety. First Look. NCES 2022-029

Using data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), this report presents findings both on crime and violence in U.S. public schools and on the practices and programs schools have used to promote school safety. SSOCS collects data from public school principals about violent and nonviolent crimes in their schools. The survey also collects data on school security measures, school security staff, mental health services, parent and community involvement at school, and staff training. SSOCS data can be used to study how violent incidents in schools relate to the programs and practices that schools have in place to prevent crime. Data collection began in February 2020 and was conducted mostly using an online survey instrument. In March 2020, many schools began closing their physical buildings due to the coronavirus pandemic. This affected data collection activities. Also, the change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by SSOCS. Readers should use caution when comparing SSOCS:2020 estimates with those from earlier years. The national sample for SSOCS:2020 was made up of 4,800 U.S. public schools. Of these schools, 2,370 elementary, middle, high/secondary, and combined/other schools responded. The results showed that nonresponding schools were significantly different from responding schools. However, the results also showed that weighting adjustments removed most of the observed nonresponse bias. [For the summary report, see ED621594. For the 2019 report, see ED596638.]

Qualifications of Public School Mathematics and Computer Science Teachers in 2017-18. Data Point. NCES 2022-026

This Data Point examines the education and certification qualifications of public school mathematics and computer science teachers in the United States before COVID-19. It uses data from the public school teacher data file of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). This is a national sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level estimates can also be produced for public schools, principals, and teachers.

The CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey: Initial Results

The CUPA-HR Higher Education Employee Retention Survey was piloted in May 2022. The survey was created to better understand the segment of the higher ed workforce that is at risk for leaving their current jobs, why these employees are considering leaving, and what higher ed institutions can implement to increase retention and improve the higher ed workplace. The survey was targeted to all higher ed employees who are not faculty -- administrators, professionals, and non-exempt staff. There were 3,815 respondents from 949 institutions. Findings from the survey included: 1) more than half of higher ed employees are at least somewhat likely to look for other employment in the next year, mostly because they desire a pay increase, 2) higher ed institutions are not providing the remote work opportunities and flexibility that employees want, 3) employees are working longer hours and taking on more responsibilities since the COVID-19 pandemic started, 4) employees are dissatisfied with opportunities for career development and advancement, recognition for their work, and parental leave and dependent care policies. Recommendations for increasing retention include remedying these areas of dissatisfaction wherever possible.

Black or African American Teachers: Background and School Settings in 2017-18. Data Point. NCES 2022-024

This Data Point examines the background and school settings of Black or African American teachers in public and private schools in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic. It uses data from the public and private school teacher data files of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). This is a national sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level estimates can also be produced for public schools, principals, and teachers. This data point looks at: (1) the characteristics of Black or African American teachers in 2017-18;and (2) the kinds of schools Black or African American teachers taught in during 2017-18.

Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States: Results from the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey. NCES 2022-019

The 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS)1 is a national survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers. Data were collected in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. NTPS collects data on core topics, including teacher and principal training, classes taught, school characteristics, and backgrounds of teachers and principals. In addition to these core topics, the 2020-21 NTPS collected data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education during the 2019-20 school year. NTPS collects data to provide a detailed picture of U.S. elementary and secondary schools and their staff. These data are collected through school, principal, and teacher surveys. Data can be linked through all three surveys. This report provides basic findings from the COVID-19 questions asked as part of the NTPS public and private school, principal, and teacher surveys. The full 2020-21 data files will be released in summer 2022. The released data will be imputed before undergoing perturbation and will include final weights. Findings are based on preliminary data in order to provide critical and timely data on the impact of COVID-19 on schools, principals, and teachers in the spring of 2020.

THE POSSIBILITIES OF QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SEVERITY OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

The interrelation of the severity of the epidemiological situation in a particular country and its institutional characteristics (including the level of health care, quality of management, the level of public trust, cultural characteristics, etc.) is considered. As a result, using the developed index of the severity of the epidemiological situation, the institutional characteristics that most affect the effectiveness of the measures applied were determined. It was figured out that of the 16 characteristics considered, only two (the level of employment and trust in the government) have a medium statistical correlation with the severity of the pandemic. Three more characteristics (prevalence of secular-rational values, degree of urbanization, GDP PPP per capita) have a correlation close to the medium. The remaining characteristics (including health care costs, government efficiency, etc.) have either a weak correlation with severity, or actually do not have it. The results obtained indicate insufficient use and reassessment of existing institutional capacities at the initial stage of the pandemic, as well as insufficient reliability of morbidity and mortality statistics in a number of countries. In conclusion, based on the analysis of statistical indicators, recommendations are given to improve the effectiveness of the use of institutional capacity to counter epidemiological threats, improve this potential, increase the effectiveness of protective and restrictive measures that reduce the severity of the epidemiological situation. © 2021 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved.

Will Students Come Back? A July 2021 Parent Survey about School Hesitancy and Parental Preferences to COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools--Survey Methods Appendix. Research Report. RR-A1393-2

This document provides the survey methods appendix that accompanies the study, "Will Students Come Back? A July 2021 Parent Survey about School Hesitancy and Parental Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools. Research Report. RR-A1393-2" (ED615819). The appendix provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data associated with the July 2021 survey of parents concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in schools in the United States.