School & District Management

Student Mental Health and Learning Loss Continue to Worry Principals

By Denisa R. Superville — January 15, 2021 3 min read
Student sitting alone with empty chairs around her.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Almost a year into the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of elementary school leaders say they haven’t received training on proper coronavirus health screening in schools from health experts.

And the same percentage—49 percent—say they still do temperature checks for those entering school buildings or boarding school buses — even though those have been deemphasized among health experts as useful screening practice. A higher percentage— 78 percent — use at-home symptom screening which allow parents to review their children’s and family members’ symptoms and possible exposure to positive coronavirus cases.

Those are among the findings in a survey released this week from the National Association of Elementary School Principals in its third poll of lower and middle school leaders since schools began shutting down last March because of the pandemic.

The results are similar to some recent reports on educators’ perspectives on pressing issues and continuing challenges for school leadersduring this unusual school year. Among them: the need for additional mental health supports for students, troubling attendance rates among students learning remotely, and a call for more financial assistance to help schools and districts assist students who are behind academically.

The results of this survey reaffirm the enormous challenges that principals are facing in trying to lead learning communities in the middle of a pandemic.

Remote learning attendance—especially for students who don’t have the internet at home or who had attendance issues before the pandemic—continues to worry school and district leaders, the survey results show. Eighty-two percent of school leaders who responded said the pandemic had impacted student attendance.

And while those attendance issues are likely to compound learning loss—particularly among the most disadvantaged students—school leaders’ responses to the survey indicate that they didn’t have the staff or intervention programs in place to help those students get back on track. Only 8 percent thought they were setting aside significant sums of money to assist students who’re behind.

Schools have also adapted to the unusual 2020-21 school year to reflect changes in their communities:

  • 51 percent had adjusted their main mode of schooling since the start of the academic year—most likely a reflection of rising or declining coronavirus cases in the community as well as evolving science on how COVID-19 spreads and children’s role in spreading the disease.

  • Nearly all—99 percent—said they had developed quarantine and isolation protocols for staff and students.

  • 95 percent said they had ways to get reliable information and data on COVID-19 in their state and region.

  • And 95 percent said their staff wore masks at all times in school, while 91 percent said their students wore masks.

Outdoor Classrooms Not Widely Used

On the other hand, many schools have not improved ventilation. Only 59 percent said they’ve increase ventilation in classrooms, and few (23 percent) are holding some or all classes outdoors. (The survey did not ask why that was the case, but many schools can’t hold classes outdoor because of the weather, and ventilation upgrades are expensive, especially in old school buildings.)

The survey results are based on responses from 860 NAESP members.

NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks said the results “reaffirm the enormous challenges that principals are facing in trying to lead learning communities in the middle of a pandemic.”

“Whether it is implementing procedures to keep staff and students safe, trying to ensure reliable home internet access for students, addressing student learning loss, or boosting mental health and trauma sensitivity supports for students, principals are having to do more with less,” Franks said.

Franks added that while the recently passed coronavirus relief package would go a long way toward helping educators address some of those challenges, schools need more financial assistance in the longer term to counteract the fallout from the pandemic in schools.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion Why Principals Need to Talk About the Israel-Hamas War With Our Teachers
What can we do when a difficult topic is brought up by students in classrooms? First, don’t leave teachers to handle it in isolation.
S. Kambar Khoshaba
5 min read
Stylized photo illustration of a teacher feeling pressured as she is questioned by her students.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Sometimes Principals Need to Make Big Changes. Here’s How to Get Them to Stick
School leaders need their community to take a leap of faith with them. But how do they build trust and conviction?
8 min read
Image of a leader reflecting on past and future.
akindo/DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management A New Study Details Gender and Racial Disparities in the Superintendent's Office
Women and people of color are less likely than their white male counterparts to be appointed superintendent directly from a principal post.
6 min read
A conceptual image of a female being paid less than a male.
hyejin kang/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Late Arrivals, Steep Costs: Why Some Districts Ditch Third-Party Bus Companies
Districts are facing a host of transportation challenges. Some have addressed them by deciding to bring buses back in house.
6 min read
School buses parked in Helena, Mont., ahead of the beginning of the school year on Aug. 20, 2021.
Some districts are pulling back on decisions to outsource bus services in an effort to save money and improve service.
Iris Samuels/AP