The decision on how to protect the children and youth while at schools is a serious conversation with varying agreements on the best practices. Some feel that school personnel should not be trained nor expected to be able to react to an armed person while others believe that training of school personnel and allowing them to be armed will deter…

On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 185 miles per hour skirted the northern coast of Puerto Rico, leaving 1 million residents without electrical power. Schools were closed for 5 days, but a major calamity was narrowly avoided. Overall, residents were grateful for their good fortune, but the same could not be…

Students are highly dependent on the emergency planning and evacuation decisions made by policymakers and school personnel when disasters occur. The purpose of this study was to examine selected cases of school-related disasters, highlighting how factors of the school context intersected with natural hazards and subsequently affected…

Experts have noted a great deal of variability among U.S. higher education institutions' planning and preparedness for emergency situations. However, resources are available to help campus leaders effectively mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a multitude of disaster scenarios. One way for emergency managers and campus leaders to…

In order to continue providing educational programming during or after a large emergency event, which may require school dismissal or closure, schools and districts should identify essential functions of the school that must continue under any and all circumstances. These essential functions will likely involve teaching and learning, the physical…

The COVID-19 pandemic, which was effective all over the world in early 2020, has deeply affected educational institutions. As a result, universities in Turkey quickly began their emergency distance education applications. Faculty members are the most important executors of this process. In this respect, the purpose of this study was to examine the…

COVID-19 lockdown measures adopted by governments in March 2020 have impacted our society as never happened before. The school system was not an exception. Interventions to allow students for distance learning through the support of 'old' (e.g. TV) or 'new' media (e.g. digital platforms) have been promoted, involving millions of students and…

The purpose of this document is to provide timely and useful best practice information to help education agencies proactively prepare for, appropriately mitigate, and responsibly recover from a cybersecurity incident. This resource reflects lessons learned by the education community and provides recommendations that will help agencies protect…

The purpose of this guide is to provide timely and useful best practice information for collecting and managing data about students who have temporarily or permanently enrolled in another school or district because of a crisis. It includes lessons learned and provides recommendations for collecting and maintaining data about students who may move…

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the reality of life in all aspects of human endeavors. The education sector was not spared--the school system was uprooted and procedures had to be made quickly for the safety of students and faculty. As a result, educators struggled with keeping students engaged academically during online learning and the stress…

This Semiannual Report presents the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) from April 1, 2022, through September 30, 2022. The report highlights the audits, investigations, and related work issued during this time frame. Sections include: (1) Pandemic Relief Oversight; (2) Disaster…

Systemic racism represents a major barrier to the effective resolution of sustainability challenges. Resolving these challenges requires understanding, cooperation and strategic action across industries and societies. Volume III of "No Sustainability Without Justice: An Anthology on Racial Equity and Social Justice" shares perspectives…

Federal funds are one resource that state leaders can use to establish and/or supplement programming designed to diversify the teacher workforce. Though several federal funding streams can be used for this purpose, state and district leaders have a great opportunity to leverage COVID-relief funds to expand their diversity efforts. The primary…

This study focused on identifying and describing practices or strategies that emerged in Maine and elsewhere in the US during the pandemic to support teachers' delivery of instruction through remote, online or hybrid modalities. Other types of support, such as mental health supports for educators were also investigated.

The rising popularity of online learning and the global pandemic COVID-19 sped up the use of synchronous online teaching modality in HEIs worldwide. But unsatisfactory learning experiences and isolation were prominent and commonly perceived by learners. The study aimed to examine students' sense of belonging in a synchronous online learning…