The pandemic has brought about some of the most severe concerns regarding education. Some people thought that it would not be possible for their children to get educated during the pandemic. More wondered what would be the future of the country’s education system.
However, through the combined efforts of the public and private sectors, education was once again widely available for Americans, despite being primarily virtual. Here are some government aids that had helped the US education system get through this crisis.
COVID-19 Seminars
Knowledge is power, as the saying goes, and one of the most fundamental ways the educational system can fight the virus is by educating itself. However, the dissemination of knowledge can cost a lot of money, but only if the government decides not to intervene. Thankfully, through the help of various government entities, such as the Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 seminars can be found in multiple schools inside the country.
The CDC visited various states to give seminars to multiple students, teachers, and parents regarding the pandemic. Furthermore, they ran a campaign to improve further the knowledge necessary to combat the virus. They held seminars to help many younger students understand how the virus works, and they also had seminars to explain quarantine protocols to various people.
The dissemination of knowledge has been one of the most remarkable contributions that the government gave to the educational system. However, the improvement of digital communication infrastructure also helped.
Digital Communication Relief
Both the private and public sectors worked hand in hand to ensure that various educational entities got the digital communication they needed to continue teaching students. These digital communications came in the form of Zoom, Skype, and more. The government helped by reducing the costs of these essential tools, with some schools getting free subscriptions.
This arguably sparked the start of virtual classrooms. Currently, new improvements towards this kind of technology are improving the state of virtual classrooms. They are becoming more efficient and effective than ever in teaching students. Many argue that virtual and hybrid classrooms will continue to exist in the future once the pandemic has been controlled. This can undoubtedly be the case if virtual classrooms continue their effectiveness into the future.
Grants
If there is one thing that everyone had a problem with during the pandemic, it is money. With more and more Americans being laid off due to the current state of the economy, more and more people are struggling to get their students to school. To combat this, the government opened up more grants to the public to ensure that every individual gets the schooling they need.
Government grants are crucial in helping students in the low-income bracket get the education they need. They are much easier to get than scholarships because they are not performance-based, although some grants might require students to perform at a certain level. More government grants were given during the pandemic, and it has helped diminish the concerns of low-income parents regarding their children’s schooling.
Security
If there is one thing that was left abated during the pandemic is school shootouts. There were about 34 school shootings in 2021 alone. This, on top of infection rates, is making parents are cautious about whether it is worth going back to physical schooling. This is a considerable concern for both the government and the educational sector, and they are making substantial strides in reducing both infection rates and school shootouts.
Right now, the government is upping its policies to protect students, especially those in primary and secondary education. For example, the Alyssa law, implemented before the pandemic, is now being widely adopted by many states. This requires every classroom to have a panic button and for every campus to have a school-wide safety alert system. The implementation of these things can reduce the response time of authorities when there is a risk inside the school.
Ultimately, more policies are being discussed to ensure that the country is protected from both the pandemic and epidemic of school shootouts. Hopefully, this can help students regain control of their lives, especially when physical schooling becomes mandated once again.
There is still a growing concern about whether students will go back to physical schooling or not. It seems that some states, such as Texas, might require all students to go back to a physical school. But some other states are looking into more hybrid-type classrooms. Regardless of these concerns, many are happy that their children are getting educated amidst the pandemic.
