In the Spring term of 2020, nearly 90% of higher education institutions in the United States were forced to transition from primarily face-to-face (F2F) instruction to various modes of remote or online instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. State-funded colleges and universities in Georgia were mandated to do the same in April of 2020,…

To understand the broader societal context for supporting the healthy development and well-being of infants and toddlers, the following excerpt from the "State of Babies Yearbook: 2022 Executive Summary" presents key findings on the status of America's families with young children. As of August 2022, the reconciliation bill proposed in…

In this paper, we report on a study that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and for which we interviewed ten experienced, university level, language instructors about their digital practices as they found themselves teaching in an Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) mode. The study sought to describe how, through their professional activities and…

We describe the extent and predictors of staffing challenges faced by school districts in Washington state throughout the 2021-22 school year using data collected from job posting websites for districts representing more than 98% of students in the state. These data suggest that school districts in the state faced considerable challenges filling…

As the 2021-22 academic year came to a close, the United States was rocked by the news of another school mass shooting, this time at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen fourth-grade students and two of their teachers were killed when an 18-year-old former student entered the school through an unlocked door, made his way to his former…

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS) has created a list of resources on the role of mental health professionals in school safety efforts. The list includes the following categories: (1) Before an Emergency; (2) During an Emergency; (3) After an Emergency; and (4) Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)…

The first of three "bright spot" briefs dives deeper into examples of how states are leveraging ARP funds to improve SEL for all students. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (2021) provides a $122 billion historic federal investment to help states and districts safely reopen schools while addressing students' academic, social, and…

In spring of 2020, a global pandemic shifted American institutions of higher education into a crisis with unprecedented unknown information, guidelines that changed continuously, and impacted the personal and professional lives of students, faculty and staff. This study examined the relationships (1) between campus size, geographic setting, locus…

Yesterday's situation in the universities of the world is distance teaching and learning during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Mass distance teaching and learning practices were uncommon before the pandemic. Therefore, it can be argued that the scientific sources that analyze distance teaching and learning were intended to discuss the…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual plan identifies the audits, inspections, and other activities that the OIG intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's citizens and students. The FY 2023 Annual Plan details the assignment areas and resources…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made a once-in-a-generation investment in afterschool and summer learning programs with the potential to provide supports and opportunities for children and youth across America. At the same time, after 2 decades of development, networks in all 50 states were poised to advise and support the…

Objective: This study investigated how school counsellors in international schools in Hong Kong supported the wellbeing of students and families during the period of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of parents. Method: Sixteen parents with children in eleven different international schools in Hong Kong were…

Given the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the forced adoption of online teaching in several academic institutions across the world, we set out an objective in this paper to examine salient factors that may affect the decision to use online teaching by faculty members (teaching staff). We propose and validate a model based on an…

The COVID-19 pandemic placed increasing pressure on university staff with spiralling workloads due to the rapid implementation of changes to university processes and staff being required to take on additional duties due to self-isolating or unwell colleagues. The mental health of students was also adversely affected due to changes in their…

Volunteering can serve as a protective factor against substance abuse. Yet, it is unclear whether volunteering in specific community organizations, such as emergency services, promotes or protects against substance use. We aimed to (1) describe community volunteering characteristics among adolescents; (2) investigate differences in the prevalence…