Comparing How Systems Organized to Respond to Students’ COVID-Era Academic and Social-Emotional Learning Needs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Systems and Supports for Organizational Improvement (Table 13)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to compare how different educational systems navigated the competing demands of students’ academic and social-emotional needs in the wake of pandemic era return to in-person instruction. This study compared the experiences of school and system leaders in four distinct systems (traditional public, two charter, Catholic) in a large Northeastern city. Data collection consisted of 34 semi-structured interviews with system and school leaders across these four systems. Findings highlight differences in not only what systems did to meet students’ needs in this same city but the different ways leaders in these systems made sense of how their system organization did or did not support leaders in meeting students’ needs.

Authors

• Andrew F. Miller, Boston College

• Whitney M. Hegseth, Boston College

• Michael T. O'Connor, Boston College