Episode 7: The Rebirth of K-12 Public Education: Postpandemic Opportunities (Part 2)

Today we’re talking about chapter 11 of The Pandemic Divide, The Rebirth of K-12 Public Education: Postpandemic Opportunities, written by Kristen Stephens, Kisha Daniels, and Erica Phillips. We have all of the authors of this chapter on this episode, and we’re also joined by Sashir Moore Sloan, Social Studies teacher at Durham Public Schools.

When Kisha, Erica, and Kristen wrote this chapter back in 2020, there was no vaccine, and the “two-week pause” in March had turned into “when will this end?”.  But it turns out, the time away from the classroom created an opportunity unlike any other time in history - and teachers made the most of it.

Last week on part 1, we discussed:

• The scariness around the uncertainty of 2020
• Transitioning to online learning
• Teachers adapting to the inequities among students
• The parents' perspective
• Social and emotional learning in seclusion
• Student mental health

Today, we go over:

• Access to wifi and the digital divide
• The achievement gap and learning loss from the pandemic
• The extended "summer slide"
• Getting students excited about learning again

About the Authors:

• Kristen Stephens is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Program in Education at Duke University
• Kisha Daniels is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Education at Duke University
• Erica Phillips is the Educational Equity and Policy Specialist at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity. 

Voices in Equity is the official podcast of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. The Cook Center is named after Samuel DuBois Cook, the first tenured Black professor at Duke University who exemplified the pursuit of social justice and equality. With research focuses including social mobility, education, health, wealth, and policy, the Cook Center aims to develop a deep understanding of the causes and consequences of inequality, and develop remedies for these disparities and their adverse effects. The aim of this podcast is to expand upon the work of the Cook Center through continuing crucial conversations that further our research and programming.

On our first podcast series, we’re focusing on The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America. It’s a collaborative book from faculty - many here at Duke - who are committed to shining a light on inequities and truly making a difference.

Voices in Equity is hosted by Madeleine Braksick and is produced by Earfluence.

We invite you to check out the new Cook Center website at socialequity.duke.edu to learn more about the Cook center’s research, programming, multimedia, and educational activities.