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.
In the spring of 2020, during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the nation's schools closed. Students were told to shelter in place at their homes and classroom teachers were charged with the challenge of educating over 50,000,000 K-12 students through online and virtual modalities. As this transition began in its early stages and then lingered for the remainder of the school year, attention and even scrutiny soon descended upon the actual preparation of teachers in executing such a transition, and the realistic success of doing so. Teachers began the new and unexpected process of teaching their students from home, and students, along with family support, began the practice of learning remotely. During this same time period, researchers were approved to conduct research focused exclusively on this educational phenomenon. One of the themes of this research was the K-12 teachers' perceptions on the teacher readiness and the overall effectiveness of this sudden switch to K-12 online teaching and learning.
In the spring of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation's schools closed. Students and families were asked to shelter-in-place and the nation's schools were charged with the challenge of educating students through online modalities. Novice and veteran teachers alike needed to quickly assimilate to virtual teaching and online learning modalities. Students were asked to adjust from face-to-face lessons to screenshots of material from within the confines of their homes. Parents were asked to assume the roles of teacher assistant, tutor, and learning support, all while juggling other personal or work challenges. Leading and coordinating all of these efforts in towns and cities across our nation were school leaders, many of whom may have felt lacking in their own skill set related to online teaching. This research study will explore the perceptions of these leaders. Almost 50 North Carolina leaders shared their perspectives on their own experiences. Conclusions from this research will be pertinent in recommending steps and considerations for future events of this magnitude.
The diversity of students in schools is rapidly increasing while the demographics of urban teachers are remaining constant (Banks & Banks, 2000). This develops a cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic divide that can lead to disconnects in the classroom which can negatively impact student academic outcomes (Clem & Connell, 2004). This chapter demonstrates how one university partnered with two urban public elementary schools to help better prepare pre-service teachers to be successful in the urban school setting. The partnership focused on providing experiences based on Milner's (2006) three key factors: cultural and racial awareness and insight, critical reflection, and the bridging of theory and practice. These factors were embedded into the coursework of the pre-service teachers through academic, social, and experiential opportunities that allowed them to develop the effective skills and dispositions necessary to be successful educators in an urban setting. The experiences enhanced the success of all involved: students, PST, teachers, and university faculty.
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