- The COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on education across the country.
- Leaders say the effects continue even today.
- Tara Kilbride, the Interim Associate Director of EPIC at Michigan State, says while scores are now improving, there are still ways to continue to help students.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
It's an issue across the state, and our neighborhoods are no exception. I'm your Neighborhood Reporter Colin Jankowski. Investments in education have been an emphasis of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but leaders say that the fallout of the pandemic continues even today.
I spoke with an expert at Michigan State who says while scores are improving, there are still ways schools in the State can continue to help their students.
"We're definitely still feeling the impacts," Tara Kilbride said.
Tara Kilbride is the Interim Associate Director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, or EPIC, at Michigan State University. She says the pandemic created significant problems for students.
"It seems like being out of school or not having the same types of instruction and support during some of the early, formative education years for students has really made a difference," she said.
Kilbride says many schools have seen recent improvements, like in math scores. However, other areas still have seen minimal growth. Kilbride says teacher shortages have been a big reason for these issues.
"These last couple of years, students are often at a wider range of levels, and have a wider range of needs than we may have seen in typical years before because of how different their experiences were from each other during the pandemic," she said.
One of the main ways Kilbride says schools can help is by emphasizing support staff for students.
"Understanding all of the other factors that affect students and what they bring into the classroom is important," she said. "Other types of staff in addition to teachers all play a huge role in creating a learning environment for students."
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