Schools Unmasked: Educators' Ethical Dilemmas in a Global Pandemic

• In Event: Contemporary Dilemmas of Ethics and Justice in Education

Abstract

Schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised not only overwhelming practical challenges but also deep ethical dilemmas for educators. However, there have been few efforts to connect these challenges either to dilemmas teachers faced in pre-pandemic times or to philosophical analyses of complex normative terrain such as accountability, the aims of education, or role morality for teachers. We facilitated eleven focus group discussions with 101 educators from seven countries on the dilemmas they faced as a result of COVID-19. Analysis of these sessions reveal how our philosophical resources for addressing dilemmas rest on assumptions about schooling that the pandemic unsettles. New theories may be necessary to help teachers make sense of their roles and responsibilities in a pandemic learning environment.

Authors

• Tatiana Geron, Harvard University

• Daniella J. Forster, The University of Newcastle Australia

• Alysha Banerji, Harvard University

• Jacob Fay, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University

• Meira Levinson, Harvard University

• Allison Stevens, Harvard University

• Sarah Gurr, University of Newcastle