In the academic literature, “policy-maker” is an ill-defined word that is often applied to all policy actors, meaning it is effectively misapplied because it does not account for meaningful distinctions between different policy actors. In a policy environment, there are two clearly defined positions - politicians and professional staff and each serve different roles in policymaking. Politicians are public-facing, communicate a general message to a general audience, and must consider electoral implications to stay in office. There is also another important and underappreciated characteristic about politicians that is particularly relevant to those interested in influencing policy through research. Politicians are education research and policy novices - by design - and become generalists, at best. In this commentary, I apply the research on how novices become experts to help academics leverage their strengths as educators to teach novice politicians and engage in policy without becoming “political.”
via TCRecord
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all facets of society, and schooling was no exception. By the start of April 2020, schools were closed in all 50 U.S. states, and they remained closed for the duration of the school year. Given the unknowns associated with the novel coronavirus, this was an understandable measure taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. Prolonged school closures likely caused more harm than good. After the initial few weeks of spread, school closures and reopenings had minimal impact on COVID spread. At the same time, a range of negative pediatric mental health outcomes came to be associated with lockdowns and school closures. Extended remote learning has also been associated with stunted student academic and social-emotional growth. This paper concludes with a recommendation that school closures should not be reimplemented to curb COVID-19 spread.
via TCRecord