Virginia Awarded Grant to Study Impact of COVID-19 on Education

We’ve been immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic for well over a year. There have been impacts on so many aspects of daily life. A major impact is that In many regions of the U.S. have been lockdowns. Businesses closed, and schools closed or turned to distance-learning. And this impact of COVID-19 on education is a major concern.

Some states still are struggling to figure out how to return to in-person school. Others have set up modifications, now in place for months. So many students all over the country are still using some level of distance-learning. And, we may not understand the impact of this until years after the end of the pandemic. This may be one reason that the Virginia Department of Education received a federal grant to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in public schools.

What Really Is the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education?

The Virginia Department of Education won this three-year, $999,912 federal grant from the Institute of Education Science. This grant will fund a program called Equity in Virginia’s Public Education System: A Longitudinal Examination Spanning the COVID-19 Shutdown.

Here’s what this program will do: The funds will go towards supporting research at the Virginia Department of Education and the University of Virginia. This research will examine pre-and post- pandemic trends in education. It will look at student absences, retention at grade level, and enrollment in advanced courses. It will also focus on enrollment in career and technical courses, identify students with disabilities. The research will also look at ESL learners, student mobility, and teacher retention.

Also, researchers will look at school reopening plans, while also addressing the impact of the pandemic on both students and teachers.

Luke C. Miller, research associate professor and the project’s leader at UVA’s School of Education and Human Development spoke on this grant award: “There is a tremendous need for rigorous evidence to help students, teachers, and schools recover from the significant disruptions caused by the pandemic, our ongoing collaboration with VDOE will be able to address that need thanks to the support of this grant.”

GrantWatch Understands the Importance of Studying the Impact of COVID-19 on Education

We understand how important studying the impact of COVID-19-related issues is. In education, it’s important to know what can help students, teachers, and parents thrive, even during this hard time. Education is one of the most important aspects of young lives. So it’s critical to understand how this is effecting everyone involved.

That’s why we are so glad to have an Education grant category, with over 2,500 grants. We also have an Elementary Education grant category. If you have any questions about these grant categories or any others on the website feel free to reach out to our customer support team! You can reach out to our team at 561-249-4129.