The National Education Policy Center frequently engages researchers to review studies, reports, and evaluations. NEPC recently released a review of a RAND study that looks at online learning and whether it deserves federal funding. The title of the RAND report is “Remote Learning is Here to Stay,” but the body of the report does not support that conclusion, according to reviewer David R. Garcia of Arizona State University.
Garcia summarizes his review:
The RAND Corporation recently released a report based on a national survey of school district superintendents and charter management organization (CMO) directors (or their designees) about their experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey asks non-biased questions about how school districts and charter schools have responded to the pandemic and about their greatest educational needs. But some issues arise with the report’s reporting of results and with one of its two recommendations. The report is curiously titled, Remote Learning is Here to Stay, but that headline is surprisingly unsupported by the sur- vey responses. In fact, the respondents expressed much higher concerns about three other areas: (1) “addressing students’ Socio-Emotional Learning and mental health needs” (the area with the greatest need for additional resources), (2) “addressing disparities in student opportunities to learn that result from differences in supplemental supports provided by families” (the most anticipated challenge), and (3) inadequate funding (the top staffing chal- lenge). Relative to these concerns, remote learning is a minor consideration. The report’s first recommendation does follow from the respondents’ need for more funding to address inequities and socio-emotional learning. But the other recommendation, for more funding to support remote learning, does not appear to align with needs expressed by district lead- ers. Finally, the report combines two different types of local education agencies (school dis- tricts and CMOs). Thus, while the report suggests that its most important finding is that “about two in ten districts have already adopted, plan to adopt, or are considering adopting virtual schools as part of their district portfolio after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic,” it is unclear how much of this result is driven by CMOs rather than school districts. For these reasons, readers are encouraged to go beyond the title and read deeper to get a complete picture of the challenges, needs, and future of education from district leaders’ perspectives.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“The report is curiously titled, Remote Learning is Here to Stay, but that headline is surprisingly unsupported by the sur- vey responses.”
I’m not surprised at all.
Jeb Bush’s privatization lobbying org has an entire section devoted to selling online learning product to public schools. Bush was the biggest national backer of the giant Ohio online charter that imploded in a corruption scandal and they somehow managed to convince Maine to invest tens of millions in online learning:
The same people who relentlessly promoted online learning are now appearing all over conservative media to bash public schools for relying on it in the pandemic.
The title suggests that nobody wants to return to in- person school. Wow! They caught a fish THIS BIG! If we want a whopper we can go to Burger King, not Rand.
The human brain evolved to accommodate socialization by creating neural networks such as mirror neurons that require face to face interaction to develop empathy, theory of mind, and other human qualities, such as observing analogies and making inferences from reflective reading a good book., not an e-book.
Online screen learning leaves out half of the interactive equation. Children require in person mingling and exchange of ideas, emotions, and desires. They need experience in interactive conversation with one, two, or a group of their peers and/or adults..
The more we learn about the brain’s role in facilitating social interaction, the less likely we are to concentrate online learning for children, leaving it for adults who simply want to learn new knowledge.
The spate of mental problems among children and young adults emanating from our current pandemic dilemma speaks loudly.
Well said.
Correction: reflectively reading
The Ayn RAND Corporation distorts reality and publishes BS?
What a surprise.
Only a dishonest person would work for RAND.
“No Brainer”
If (Ayn) RAND corporation
Would exercise its brain
The fitness of the nation
Would surely be less lame
Atlas Puked
Is nuance allowed here?
My nerdy students are thriving in Zoom –because their emotional health is harmed by in-person middle school, which, lest we forget, is widely viewed as hell by many survivors.
Zoom has allowed me to do 1-1 instruction for the first time in my 20+ year career –because I can ship out the majority of students to individual breakout rooms while I talk to a student who really needs intensive help. This cannot happen when we’re all crammed in one big classroom together.
Yes, many students are failing. But many students fail under normal circumstances. I don’t see a big difference. This is a scandal –but it’s not one caused by Zoom. Personally I believe bad elementary curriculum dooms many kids to fail in the higher grades. They’re getting fake education, not the elements of knowledge that allow them to tackle more the more complex tasks of comprehension. I look forward to the day when America wakes up to the real causes of our schools’ underperformance.
A student of mine submitted an essay this morning arguing against bullying. She wrote from personal experience. She described being tormented by classmates taking advantage of her quiet manner. She described a former third grade teacher’s actions of which I am too ashamed to relate to you. Her conclusion brought me to tears.
She wrote about how she forgave everyone.
There is more to school than…
I’ve been subbing during a colleagues’ maternity leave, the past couple of months. All remote work.
I’m very familiar with technology and how to use it creatively, so I am able to engage the students pretty well with this medium. But it’s really no substitute for in class instruction. And I say this from the vantage point of someone who believes in the integration of tech into the educational model.
Besides lacking in the obvious area of social interactions (teacher to student, student to student, and group work interactions), there’s also the question of home supervision.
Even if every student is given a brand new MacBook Pro and perfectly functioning broadband access, the degree to which they can attend to the lesson and material presented is often going to be dictated by parental or some kind of adult supervision. Objective supervision.
Teaching is a difficult skill to master. Requiring a parent to take the role of a trained teachers’ aide/paraprofessional is a lot to ask. This area alone will create disparities in educational outcomes.
We desperately need brain monitoring
“Monitoring Student Brainwaves”
The brainwaves are the key
To tell us what they’re thinking
We need to really see
The neurons that are blinking
To know if they are plotting
For democratic rule
And if their brain is rotting
On Founding Fathers’ fuel
Well, Poet: that fine stanza covers more than one topic!
To comment on one:
Brainwaves? Not yet. But monitoring focus related to eye movement? Yes.