COVID Constituency Policy Briefs Dive into Three Priority Areas for Education Transformation

After months of conducting survey research, focus groups, and our own national voter survey in partnership with Lake Research Partners, as well as gaining insights from our partner organizations, The Hunt Institute and Governor Bob Wise is excited to announce the publication of three policy briefs that put forth actionable policy considerations to address priorities highlighted by the COVID Constituency, including the digital divide, whole-child education, and workforce training.

• Closing the Digital Divide: Strategies to Connect Students and Families examines the unequal access to technology and the internet that many students and families experienced prior to and during the pandemic, known as the digital divide.
• Whole Child Education: Supporting Students’ Learning and Development explores the whole child approach to education – a burgeoning method of holistic education that addresses students’ social, emotional, and physical growth and development in conjunction with their academic achievement.
• Human Capital for the 21st Century: Aligning Education with Future Workforce Needs investigates the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. labor market and underscores the need for greater alignment between school curricula and our changing economy.

Our policy briefs come after an extensive series of work surrounding the COVID Constituency over the past year, including:

• Publishing a report launching this work in summer 2021, which summarized major education priorities of stakeholders based on public opinion surveys and underscored a growing public desire for bold educational changes to address the academic and social-emotional impacts of COVID-19.
• Hosting a series of webinars expanding upon polling results and issues arising from the increased use of online learning with experts in these fields.
• Administering a nationally representative survey and focus groups with Lake Research Partners in fall 2021 to understand the current challenges that parents and their children have faced in education.
• Administering a partner survey in winter 2022 for fellow education organizations to provide their input and expertise on key issue areas that have come out of the COVID Constituency.

Looking ahead, we recognize that our schools are still grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we consider how we can reshape our new “normal,” it is crucial that policymakers at all levels listen to the voices of parents, educators, students, and others who have firsthand experience of our education system’s most pressing issues.

We invite you to follow our COVID Constituency webpage and social media for updates on our COVID Constituency work as we continue to advocate for evidence-driven and transformative education policies.