Temple Lovelace, Ph.D., Explains the Impact of COVID-19 On Special Needs Students of Color

03/31/21 • 38 min

Temple Lovelace, Ph.D., professor of special education and program director of special education Programs at Duquesne University, explains the impact of COVID-19 on special needs students of color with disabilities, and describes the work needed to provide these learners with the education and support they need. An expert on social justice and education equity who’s preparing the next generation of educators, Lovelace defines emancipatory R&D, shares the inequities that emerged for students of color during the pandemic, unpacks some of the systematic oppression that was lessened for these students when they were able to learn from home, and discusses how we might rethink education for these learners moving forward. Listen to find out how Lovelace’s work is keeping equity at the forefront of education.

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Carissa Moffat Miller, Ph.D., CEO of CCSSO, Discusses Top 3 Challenges for State Leaders During, Beyond the Pandemic

Carrisa Moffat Miller, Ph.D., CEO of the Council of Chief State School Officers, shares her organization's key learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, the remaining challenges ahead for state education leaders and the different ways exemplary leaders are innovating to overcome these challenges, with equity always at the forefront. Along the way, Miller shares insights into what she identifies as education’s top three post-pandemic concerns: school reopenings, learning gaps, and mental health guidance and support. She also unpacks how top leaders are building a new normal in education, and explains how the lessons learned from the pandemic may change how learning takes place moving forward. Finally, she shares her best advice for education leaders: Don’t be afraid to act even when there’s not a clear “right” answer, and get comfortable with admitting when you don’t know something.

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Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D., Shares How the Learning Sciences Can Help Us Support Students Post-Pandemic and Into Their Futures

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D., a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, studies the psychological and neurobiological bases of social emotion, self-awareness and culture, and their implications for learning and schools. In this episode, she takes a deep dive into how we can build upon our knowledge about how the brain learns to best support students post-pandemic and beyond. Along the way, she discusses her recent research into how the experiences of immigrant students impact their brain and psychosocial development; how the brain develops when students are allowed to drive their own learning; and how what we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic should influence the way school is structured.