Christina Weiland co-authors op-ed about early childhood education crisis caused by COVID-19
Professor Christina Weiland and colleague Erica Greenberg, senior research associate with the Urban Institute’s Center on Education, Data and Policy, published an op-ed in The Hill. “Statistics show it's time to ring the alarm on early childhood education” illuminates the early childhood education crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors write, “Young children have disproportionately borne the educational burden of the crisis because of remote and hybrid scheduling and through sitting out kindergarten, preschool and early education altogether. And they will not be eligible for vaccines until fall at the earliest, meaning the crisis is on track to last longest and cause the greatest disruptions for those in their critical early years of development.”
Weiland and Greenberg discuss key findings from studies they reviewed and summarized, which tell “a consistent story of learning setbacks and unmet needs.” Additionally, they found that learning setbacks were larger for children of color, dual language learners, and children from families with low incomes.
The authors suggest policy solutions to help with recovery and to bolster the country’s early childhood education system.
