News & Views posts.
I am unapologetic in my beliefs, my thoughts, and my work. Yes, it took some time to get there. It took a commitment to pushing boundaries for racial equality and inclusion. It took remaining steadfast in lifting up the voices of those who aren’t always heard.
Shaken by a worldwide pandemic, a hurdle the local food bank had never faced in its four decades of service, Gleaners started searching for ways to ensure that our most vulnerable residents – children – would still be fed.
Like most crises, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a whipsaw effect. On one hand, it’s wildly disruptive and distracting, reordering our routines and upending every aspect of normal life. But sudden upheaval also brings the opportunity to challenge long-held assumptions about the status quo. It resets our priorities, strips away the non-essentials and forces us to focus—often on what’s right in front of us.
Homeless and living in a mission shelter, nothing to his name but the clothes on his back and a cell phone he’d managed to hold onto, Jameel Hamid had a friend tap him on his shoulder with a grand idea.
To understand the impact of COVID-19 on communities across the nation, we talk with three guests responsible for responding to student needs and preparing for recovery. Guests include: Cathy Longstreet, a high school counselor from Hastings, Mich.; Chancellor Juan Salgado who leads the City Colleges of Chicago; and Dr. Harrison Keller, the Commissioner for Higher Education in Texas.
The federal stimulus plan directs $6.28 billion in emergency aid to college students. The relief fund has drawn support for its novelty as well as criticism amid its restrictions and rollout. But what it does include is an additional avenue of support for a group that is often overlooked in higher ed discussions – students juggling family responsibilities along with their classes.
The jolting economic downturn delivered by this health crisis has cost millions their jobs and once more highlighted the critical importance of post-high school education.
The nation's colleges and universities, disrupted with the rest of society by the fast-spreading coronavirus, have remade the instructional experience almost overnight with the move of millions of students and faculty online. And one of the most promising innovations getting an emergency trial by fire is the concept of "nudging" to help students succeed in an often uncomfortable environment.
As country after country decrees partial or total lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of universities and colleges closing and switching to e-learning has soared. However, few of these institutions are well prepared for this sudden, disruptive move. A lot of scrambling and improvisation are occurring as administrators, instructors, and students struggle to implement broad-based online learning. The scale of the COVID-19 outbreak is unprecedented in the lives of nearly everyone involved.
“Don’t waste a crisis” is wise advice that can be hard to remember when you’re actually living through one. And right now, our national response to COVID-19 is a mess.