@DrRaphaelC Dr. Mike Robinson: Are you in favor of schools restarting in-person learning before the summer begins?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I do not support schools' reopening before summer because there are too many unanswered questions about COVID-19 and how school districts will combat the spread inside schools. Schools lack basic operational funding already, and in my experience, teachers and school personnel have been forced to provide their cleaning supplies and protective supplies. School buildings have been poorly cleaned and maintained. Now, we expect students who cannot remember to bring in their homework, bring supplies to class, or even remember teacher instructions always to remember to socially distance and wear masks. In fact, I have never worked in a school where student restrooms had running hot water and hand soap and paper towels regularly. Sending educators and children back into schools before the provision of funding to address COVID-19, vaccinations for staff and children, and serious age-appropriate public health education seems to be more political than student-centered. Further, children respond to structure and organization, and I foresee more chaos, confusion, and frustration than meaningful learning during the short time before the summer break. And then the summer learning loss is likely to wipe away whatever students and teachers can accomplish in the approximate ten weeks of in-person learning.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What benefits are there for students, in your opinion, for students relative to in-person learning?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I believe certified teacher-facilitated in-person instruction is the most meaningful and best case offering we can give to our children. However, that results from building collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers and students; I am not sure that ten weeks would be long enough to establish those relationships. In my city, the students who have returned to in-person learning in February) had to forfeit the teacher they had online since August! My assumption is that more of that juggling of students would happen to stabilize classroom numbers. To your question, in-person learning provides a plethora of opportunities for student learning and sharing, as well as for teacher input and guidance. I support in-person learning when conditions are safer for our children and school employees; now is not that time.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you believe that all was done or could have been done to make distance learning more effective for students?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I believe that most school districts did the best they could at the time, or the best that they knew how to do in response to the ever-evolving crisis. American schools had not experienced such a large-scale phenomenon prior. The rapid spread of the Coronavirus exposed much of what is lacking in American schools—adequate student-centered funding and equity, along with classism, racism, inferior training, and preparation. Principals are required to have a yearly crisis plan, but apparently, school districts lack such a plan. We had already experienced catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, mass school shootings, and other regional disasters that shut down our schools, and yet there was no evidence of conversations and plans among school and city leaders to prepare for the continuation of learning during future crisis events. Our response to COVID-19 was indeed a case of the cart running ahead of the horse.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Are schools the only way for students to have socialization that can be viewed as an emotional benefit?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: Schools provide great opportunity for social skills development and socialization, which is a significant part of the school experience. However, schools are not and should not be the only place where children learn socialization and interact with the world. Families and community networks are critical in the development of socialization and providing opportunities for children's meaningful socialization. Healthy, well-rounded people develop and master desirable socialization skills through multiple experiences and settings that most schools cannot offer.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should schools reopen if all teachers have not received the vaccination?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: Before schools reopen, vaccinations should be offered and available for all teachers and school staff who have direct contact with students, inclusive of bus drivers, crossing guards, and others whose work brings them into daily contact with students and families. According to some data, the virus has spread at a much slower rate among children, but they can contract COVID-19. Students and school employees go home to families who interact with others outside of their homes. Schools cannot prevent parents from entering school buildings, nor can they stop others with legitimate business from entering.
Therefore, school employees are rightfully concerned about being forced back into potentially unsafe working conditions. Considering the makeup of many large public school districts in my state, most students come from Black and Brown communities—and those are the communities seeing significant numbers of deaths caused by the virus. No school employees should be forced into schools without vaccination and available sanitizing supplies and guidelines.
In my state, the offices of the governor, state education commissioner, state health commissioner, mayors, school superintendents, and other state and city leaders remain closed to the public due to COVID-19. Likewise, these same people were first to receive the vaccination, along with high-profile country music stars and other notable people viewed as important. None of these individuals publicly declined the vaccination. They asked that it be given to a teacher, grocery store clerk, delivery driver, or other people on whom we have relied during the pandemic. If the offices of high-profile leaders, who have been vaccinated, remain closed to the public, then the schools they have oversight should also be closed. I do not support reopening schools currently.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think students do not take distance learning as seriously as they should because they hear adults say it is not working?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: The distance learning rollout was unintentionally flawed through no fault of school districts, teachers, or parents. The response to the pandemic and the potential for lost learning necessitated that rapid actions be taken to maintain student learning. Ours is designated as a large urban school district. We have high poverty and extreme gentrification. Prior to COVID-19, many families were already being forced from their homes and communities and losing jobs. Most of our schools offered little to no student computer access—in fact, the district purchased computers for distance learning. So, most of our students were unfamiliar with basic computer usage, did not have computer access at school or at home, and had never had distance learning. Likewise, our teachers had never taught distance learning and lacked the necessary computer and instructional technology skills to teach online.
Teachers had to learn multiple technology programs within a two-week period, serve as the IT troubleshooter for their students and parents, and attempt to follow pacing guides and stick to scripted lessons and not appear to be frustrated. The unintended chaos from the schools and district, coupled with the extreme frustration from parents over loss of jobs and income and uncertainty about schools, caused many children not to do as well as they had done with in-person learning. Though our teachers were also tasked with holding students accountable for attendance, it has been reported by the district that significant numbers of students do not log into lessons and learning opportunities. I think the frustration of their parents resulted in many students simply not giving their best effort. For many students, distance learning is working extremely well; many parents have expressed a preference for that as a choice in the future.
Dr. Mike Robinson: If schools are considered the HUB of their community and the community is high exposure to COVID, should schools reopen in-person learning?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: If there is a high incidence of COVID-19 within the community, it would potentially subject all students and school employees to infection with coronavirus. At which point, daily school attendance becomes a super spreader event. In addition to the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus among some populations likely to be significantly represented in public schools, the economic toll on communities, and the drastic increase in morbidity and disruption to families, many communities' dynamics have changed. Regulatory guidelines currently would not allow the types of activities that previously welcomed community members and families inside schools due to COVID-19. Considering the serious potential for transmission of a life-threatening virus to and among students and employees, schools should continue distance learning for the remainder of the current school year.
Raphael Crawford, Ed. D. is a former Tennessee Highly Effective principal who currently mentors school leaders and serves as the chief consultant for educational reform and organizational leadership with The Crawford Group. During his tenure as a school leader and “turn-around” principal, he was appointed as a Tennessee school district leadership trainer for the Tennessee Educator Accelerated Model and Tennessee Common Core State Standards. Dr. Crawford's school was selected for a visit by former President George W. Bush, and his leadership while improving a formerly low-performing school was also recognized by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I do not support schools' reopening before summer because there are too many unanswered questions about COVID-19 and how school districts will combat the spread inside schools. Schools lack basic operational funding already, and in my experience, teachers and school personnel have been forced to provide their cleaning supplies and protective supplies. School buildings have been poorly cleaned and maintained. Now, we expect students who cannot remember to bring in their homework, bring supplies to class, or even remember teacher instructions always to remember to socially distance and wear masks. In fact, I have never worked in a school where student restrooms had running hot water and hand soap and paper towels regularly. Sending educators and children back into schools before the provision of funding to address COVID-19, vaccinations for staff and children, and serious age-appropriate public health education seems to be more political than student-centered. Further, children respond to structure and organization, and I foresee more chaos, confusion, and frustration than meaningful learning during the short time before the summer break. And then the summer learning loss is likely to wipe away whatever students and teachers can accomplish in the approximate ten weeks of in-person learning.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What benefits are there for students, in your opinion, for students relative to in-person learning?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I believe certified teacher-facilitated in-person instruction is the most meaningful and best case offering we can give to our children. However, that results from building collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers and students; I am not sure that ten weeks would be long enough to establish those relationships. In my city, the students who have returned to in-person learning in February) had to forfeit the teacher they had online since August! My assumption is that more of that juggling of students would happen to stabilize classroom numbers. To your question, in-person learning provides a plethora of opportunities for student learning and sharing, as well as for teacher input and guidance. I support in-person learning when conditions are safer for our children and school employees; now is not that time.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you believe that all was done or could have been done to make distance learning more effective for students?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: I believe that most school districts did the best they could at the time, or the best that they knew how to do in response to the ever-evolving crisis. American schools had not experienced such a large-scale phenomenon prior. The rapid spread of the Coronavirus exposed much of what is lacking in American schools—adequate student-centered funding and equity, along with classism, racism, inferior training, and preparation. Principals are required to have a yearly crisis plan, but apparently, school districts lack such a plan. We had already experienced catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, mass school shootings, and other regional disasters that shut down our schools, and yet there was no evidence of conversations and plans among school and city leaders to prepare for the continuation of learning during future crisis events. Our response to COVID-19 was indeed a case of the cart running ahead of the horse.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Are schools the only way for students to have socialization that can be viewed as an emotional benefit?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: Schools provide great opportunity for social skills development and socialization, which is a significant part of the school experience. However, schools are not and should not be the only place where children learn socialization and interact with the world. Families and community networks are critical in the development of socialization and providing opportunities for children's meaningful socialization. Healthy, well-rounded people develop and master desirable socialization skills through multiple experiences and settings that most schools cannot offer.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should schools reopen if all teachers have not received the vaccination?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: Before schools reopen, vaccinations should be offered and available for all teachers and school staff who have direct contact with students, inclusive of bus drivers, crossing guards, and others whose work brings them into daily contact with students and families. According to some data, the virus has spread at a much slower rate among children, but they can contract COVID-19. Students and school employees go home to families who interact with others outside of their homes. Schools cannot prevent parents from entering school buildings, nor can they stop others with legitimate business from entering.
Therefore, school employees are rightfully concerned about being forced back into potentially unsafe working conditions. Considering the makeup of many large public school districts in my state, most students come from Black and Brown communities—and those are the communities seeing significant numbers of deaths caused by the virus. No school employees should be forced into schools without vaccination and available sanitizing supplies and guidelines.
In my state, the offices of the governor, state education commissioner, state health commissioner, mayors, school superintendents, and other state and city leaders remain closed to the public due to COVID-19. Likewise, these same people were first to receive the vaccination, along with high-profile country music stars and other notable people viewed as important. None of these individuals publicly declined the vaccination. They asked that it be given to a teacher, grocery store clerk, delivery driver, or other people on whom we have relied during the pandemic. If the offices of high-profile leaders, who have been vaccinated, remain closed to the public, then the schools they have oversight should also be closed. I do not support reopening schools currently.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think students do not take distance learning as seriously as they should because they hear adults say it is not working?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: The distance learning rollout was unintentionally flawed through no fault of school districts, teachers, or parents. The response to the pandemic and the potential for lost learning necessitated that rapid actions be taken to maintain student learning. Ours is designated as a large urban school district. We have high poverty and extreme gentrification. Prior to COVID-19, many families were already being forced from their homes and communities and losing jobs. Most of our schools offered little to no student computer access—in fact, the district purchased computers for distance learning. So, most of our students were unfamiliar with basic computer usage, did not have computer access at school or at home, and had never had distance learning. Likewise, our teachers had never taught distance learning and lacked the necessary computer and instructional technology skills to teach online.
Teachers had to learn multiple technology programs within a two-week period, serve as the IT troubleshooter for their students and parents, and attempt to follow pacing guides and stick to scripted lessons and not appear to be frustrated. The unintended chaos from the schools and district, coupled with the extreme frustration from parents over loss of jobs and income and uncertainty about schools, caused many children not to do as well as they had done with in-person learning. Though our teachers were also tasked with holding students accountable for attendance, it has been reported by the district that significant numbers of students do not log into lessons and learning opportunities. I think the frustration of their parents resulted in many students simply not giving their best effort. For many students, distance learning is working extremely well; many parents have expressed a preference for that as a choice in the future.
Dr. Mike Robinson: If schools are considered the HUB of their community and the community is high exposure to COVID, should schools reopen in-person learning?
Dr. Raphael Crawford: If there is a high incidence of COVID-19 within the community, it would potentially subject all students and school employees to infection with coronavirus. At which point, daily school attendance becomes a super spreader event. In addition to the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus among some populations likely to be significantly represented in public schools, the economic toll on communities, and the drastic increase in morbidity and disruption to families, many communities' dynamics have changed. Regulatory guidelines currently would not allow the types of activities that previously welcomed community members and families inside schools due to COVID-19. Considering the serious potential for transmission of a life-threatening virus to and among students and employees, schools should continue distance learning for the remainder of the current school year.
Raphael Crawford, Ed. D. is a former Tennessee Highly Effective principal who currently mentors school leaders and serves as the chief consultant for educational reform and organizational leadership with The Crawford Group. During his tenure as a school leader and “turn-around” principal, he was appointed as a Tennessee school district leadership trainer for the Tennessee Educator Accelerated Model and Tennessee Common Core State Standards. Dr. Crawford's school was selected for a visit by former President George W. Bush, and his leadership while improving a formerly low-performing school was also recognized by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.