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Education Sciences
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Disability, Inequity, and Opportunity amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned...
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Disability, Inequity, and Opportunity amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions for Family–Professional Interactions

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 6609

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Grace L. Francis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Interests: disability; family support; family–professional relationships; transition to adulthood; critical inquiry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This issue of Education Sciences aims to highlight interactions between families of students with disabilities and education professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, education was not considered a priority or even possible during international states of emergency. However, by virtue of advances in science and technology, education continued in many parts of the globe as the pandemic stretched into days, weeks, and months. For students with disabilities, positive family–professional interactions are a critical factor in supporting academics, behavior, and social outcomes. These critical interactions, however, were never more imperative than during the COVID-19 outbreak, as families assumed numerous roles (e.g., primary caregiver, educator, service provider, therapist) and education professionals became reliant on families to support instruction.

In accordance with the aims and scope of Education Sciences, this issue will explore the nature, dynamics, and outcomes of family–professional interactions, including when schools abruptly closed and then reopened under uncertain circumstances and guidelines. As the pandemic continues to impact the delivery of education for students with various disabilities across primary and secondary settings, this issue will encompass a variety of stakeholder viewpoints (e.g., family caregivers, students, education professionals, administrators), and focus on inequities as well as the development of creative approaches to family–professional interactions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Communication;
  • Technology;
  • Behaviour;
  • Mental health;
  • Student accommodations and modifications;
  • Individualized education programs/plans;
  • Instructional strategies;
  • Barriers and inequities;
  • Professional development;
  • Family support;
  • Student support;
  • Cultural responsiveness/humility;
  • Community involvement;
  • Policy.

I look forward to receiving your important contributions.

Dr. Grace L. Francis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 531 KiB  
Article
It Flows Both Ways: Relationships between Families and Educators during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Shana Jackson Haines, Jessica Strolin-Goltzman, Sarah K. Ura, Andrew Conforti and Abijah Manga
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110745 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2619
Abstract
This is a critical moment of extraordinary rates of teacher burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to implement effective intervention and policy, we must identify the drivers of educators’ stress and factors that may act as protective mechanisms. The complexity of [...] Read more.
This is a critical moment of extraordinary rates of teacher burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to implement effective intervention and policy, we must identify the drivers of educators’ stress and factors that may act as protective mechanisms. The complexity of this problem calls for a social–ecological approach. In this study, we investigated the impact of individual, organizational, and relational factors on educators’ pandemic-related stress. Using hierarchical multiple regression, we found that secondary traumatic stress and family, school, student, and community relationships significantly predicted pandemic-related stress after controlling for race, age, and gender. Family, school, and community collaboration is well-documented to benefit students; however, our results suggest that these relationships also benefit teachers, and may have been a protective factor on pandemic-related stress. That is, the positive influence of family, school, and community relationships flows both ways—to students and their families as well as to educators. Our findings highlight the importance of more research on secondary traumatic stress and home–school–community collaborations to mitigate teacher stress and burnout, as well as the implication for practice to increase emphasis on these issues in teacher preparation and ongoing professional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disability, Inequity, and Opportunity amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions for Family–Professional Interactions)
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13 pages, 230 KiB  
Article
Parent–Teacher Interactions during COVID-19: Experiences of U.S. Teachers of Students with Severe Disabilities
by Grace L. Francis, Alexandra R. Raines, Alexandra S. Reed and Marci Kinas Jerome
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12070488 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3379
Abstract
In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted all aspects of society across the globe including healthcare, employment, social interactions, and education. In many parts of the world, abrupt school closures caught teachers off guard, as they were forced to immediately shift their practices from in-person to [...] Read more.
In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted all aspects of society across the globe including healthcare, employment, social interactions, and education. In many parts of the world, abrupt school closures caught teachers off guard, as they were forced to immediately shift their practices from in-person to online instruction with little-to-no preparation. Furthermore, during this time, many parents of school-aged children vacillated between multiple roles associated with their employment, household caregiving activities, and supporting their children at home. These challenges were especially challenging for teachers and parents of students with severe disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of U.S. teachers of students with severe disabilities regarding interacting with parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, including when schools initially closed in March 2020 and then reopened in September of 2020. This manuscript outlines six key themes highlighting parent–teacher interactions: (a) parents directing school decisions, (b) teacher inability to meet parent expectations, (c) parent–teacher communication, (d) parents as teachers, (e) parent exhaustion, and (f) teacher helplessness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disability, Inequity, and Opportunity amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions for Family–Professional Interactions)
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