Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity August 2021
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Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity August 2021 An RSC Policy Briefing An RSC Policy Briefing i Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity An RSC Policy Briefing Authors Tracy Vaillancourt (Chair) University of Ottawa Miriam Beauchamp Université de Montréal Curtis Brown South Slave Divisional Education Council Pino Buffone Renfrew County District School Board Jeannette Comeau Dalhousie University Scott Davies University of Toronto Manny Figueiredo Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Cindy Finn Lester B. Pearson School Board Andrew (Andy) Hargreaves University of Ottawa Patricia McDougall University of Saskatchewan Lauren McNamara Ryerson University Peter Szatmari Hospital for Sick Children Charlotte Waddell Simon Fraser University Joel Westheimer University of Ottawa Jessica Whitley University of Ottawa Peer Review Monitor Tom Marrie, FRSC Dalhousie University Peer Reviewers Peter Gamwell Author, Speaker and Consultant Chapter 1 Tess Clifford Queen’s University Katherine Cost Hospital for Sick Children Chapter 2 Lisa Broda University of Saskatchewan Gillian Parekh York University Nadia Rousseau Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Chapter 3 Ann Farrell Brock University Tracy Vaillancourt University of Ottawa 1 Chapter 4 Debra Pepler York University Christopher Fuzessy Foothills School Division Chapter 5 Kelly Gallagher-MacKay Wilfrid Laurier University Mark Tremblay Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Chapter 6 Cassie Brownell University of Toronto Claudia Mitchell McGill University Chapter 7 Steve Cardwell Kwantlen Polytechnic University Jenni Donohoo Learning Forward Ontario Chapter 8 Kevin Godden Abbotsford School District Catherine McCullough CMC Leadership Chapter 9 Garfield Gini-Newman University of Toronto Kristina Llewellyn University of Waterloo John Myers University of Toronto Suggested citation for Policy Briefing Report Vaillancourt, T. et al. Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity. Royal Society of Canada. 2021 Cover Art Zoë Hagerman, Canterbury High School, What Else. (2020) Pastel and pen on paper Land Acknowledgement The headquarters of the Royal Society of Canada is located in Ottawa, the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Society of Canada. Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity 2 Background on the Policy Briefing Report Process Established by the President of the Royal Society of Canada in April 2020, the RSC Task Force on COVID-19 was mandated to provide evidence-informed perspectives on major societal challenges in response to and recovery from COVID-19. The Task Force established a series of Working Groups to rapidly develop Policy Briefings, with the objective of supporting policy makers with evidence to inform their decisions. About the Authors Tracy Vaillancourt (Chair), Canada Research Chair and Professor, Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa Miriam Beauchamp, Canada Research Chair and Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal and Ste-Justine Hospital Research Centre Curtis Brown, Superintendent, South Slave Divisional Education Council; President, Canadian Association of School System Administrators Pino Buffone, Director of Education, Renfrew County District School Board Jeannette Comeau, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University; Pediatric Infectious Diseases Physician, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control, IWK Health Scott Davies, Canada Research Chair and Professor, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, University of Toronto Manny Figueiredo, Director of Education, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Cindy Finn, Director General, Lester B. Pearson School Board Andrew (Andy) Hargreaves, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Education (Change, Engagement, and Innovation in Education), University of Ottawa Patricia McDougall, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan Lauren McNamara, Research Scientist, Education and Social Change; Director, The Recess Project, Diversity Institute, Ryerson University Peter Szatmari, Patsy and Jamie Anderson Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and Professor, Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto Charlotte Waddell, University Professor, Faculty of Health Science, Simon Fraser University Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair and Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa Jessica Whitley, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa An RSC Policy Briefing 3 Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the expert consultation on ventilation from David Elfstrom, P.Eng., independent energy engineer, as well as the research assistance contributions of Riley Desmarais and Charlotte Hammill. Authors’ Note Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no known conflicts of interest. Report Overview This Policy Briefing Report from the Children and Schools COVID-19 Working Group is intended to serve as a pandemic recovery resource for educators, administrators, support staff, school mental health professionals, and decision makers in the education sector, as well as parents/guardians and the general public. Toward this aim, this report comprises nine stand-alone chapters that provide a review and synthesis of the current state of knowledge up until August 8, 2021. Some of the chapters contain original research data, and all of the chapters contain expert opinion and detailed recommendations for a pandemic recovery in education. The recommendations provided in the executive summary are not exhaustive, but rather reflect a synthesis of the recommendations found at the end of each chapter. An Appendix on infection prevention and control is also included. Chapter 1: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Canadian Children and Youth by Tracy Vaillancourt, Peter Szatmari, Katholiki Georgiades, and Amanda Krygsman Chapter 2: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Learning and Achievement of Vulnerable Canadian Children and Youth by Jess Whitley, Miriam H. Beauchamp, and Curtis Brown Chapter 3: Estimates of Student Learning During COVID-19 School Disruptions: Canada in International Context by Scott Davies and Janice Aurini Chapter 4: COVID-19 School Closures and Social Isolation in Children and Youth: Prioritizing Relationships in Education by Tracy Vaillancourt, Patricia McDougall, Jeannette Comeau, and Cindy Finn Chapter 5: School Recess and Pandemic Recovery Efforts: Ensuring a Climate that Supports Positive Social Connection and Meaningful Play by Lauren McNamara Chapter 6: After COVID: Lessons from a Pandemic for K-12 Education by Joel Westheimer and Michelle Schira Hagerman Chapter 7: What the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teachers and Teaching by Andy Hargreaves Chapter 8: Agility: An Essential Element of Leadership for an Evolving Educational Landscape by Pino Buffone Chapter 9: Navigating a Defining Moment: COVID-19 and Curatorial Thinking by Madeleine Mant and Samantha Cutrara Appendix A: Getting Children and Youth Back to School: Infection Prevention and Control by Jeannette Comeau and Tracy Vaillancourt Children and Schools During COVID-19 and Beyond: Engagement and Connection Through Opportunity 4 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................6 Chapter 1: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Canadian Children and Youth ...............................................................................................................................9 Chapter 2: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Learning and Achievement of Vulnerable Canadian Children and Youth ...............................................................................................30 Chapter 3: Estimates of Student Learning During COVID-19 School Disruptions: Canada in International Context ..........................................................................................50 Chapter 4: COVID-19 School Closures and Social Isolation in Children and Youth: Prioritizing Relationships in Education ...................................................................................................70 Chapter 5: School Recess and Pandemic Recovery Efforts: Ensuring a Climate that Supports Positive Social Connection and Meaningful Play ...........................................89 Chapter 6: After COVID: Lessons from a Pandemic for K-12 Education ............................108 Chapter 7: What the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teachers and Teaching ..138 Chapter 8: Agility: An Essential Element of Leadership for an Evolving Educational Landscape ..........................................................................................................................168 Chapter 9: Navigating a Defining Moment: COVID-19 and Curatorial Thinking ................179 Appendix A: Getting Children and Youth Back to School—Infection Prevention and Control ........................................................................................................................188 An RSC Policy Briefing 5 Executive