{"id":1570,"date":"2024-09-27T14:21:42","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T14:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/?p=1570"},"modified":"2025-10-23T02:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T02:25:56","slug":"the-aftermath-of-covid-19-school-shutdowns-a-discussion-with-cwru-students-and-faculty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/2024\/09\/27\/the-aftermath-of-covid-19-school-shutdowns-a-discussion-with-cwru-students-and-faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><title>Center for Policy Studies Public Affairs Discussion Group &#8211; The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty. With Anne Castagnero<\/strong> (CAS \u201925), <strong>Margaret Coyle<\/strong> (CAS \u201925) and <strong>Bryce Hodge<\/strong> (CAS \u201926) with <strong>Girma Parris, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and <strong>Sandra W. Russ, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Louis D. Beaumont University Professor of Psychological Sciences Emerita.<\/title><\/p>\n<table align=\"center\" width=\"640\" style=\"padding:3px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"702\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\" style=\"margin: -1.9px 2px 2px 2px;padding:5px\">\n<table style=\"padding:px\" align=\"center\" width=\"637\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"629\" colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" style=\"margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px;text-align: center;font-size: 12px\">\n<p style=\"width: 100%;text-align: left;margin:                      3px 0px 0px;font-size: 24px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/238\/2024\/06\/07135207\/cas_logo_newsletters2.jpg\" alt=\"CAS\" longdesc=\"http:\/\/policy.case.edu\" height=\"100\" width=\"328\"><br \/><strong><font face=\"Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif\" color=\"#0a304e\">Center for Policy Studies<br \/>Public Affairs Discussion Group<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" style=\"margin: -4px -4px -4px -4px;text-align: center;font-size: 0px\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"margin: -1.9px 2px 2px 2px\" align=\"center\" width=\"640\">\n<tr>\n<td width=\"502\" valign=\"top\" style=\"padding: 3px\">\n<table width=\"627\">\n<tr>\n<td width=\"98%\" height=\"33\" align=\"left\" valign=\"top\" style=\"margin: 0px 2px 2px 2px;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 24px;padding: 1px\"><strong><font color=\"#0a304e\">The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty<\/font><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table width=\"627\">\n<tr>\n<td width=\"70%\" align=\"left\" valign=\"top\" style=\"margin: 0px 2px 2px 2px;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 14px;padding: 6px\">\n                   <font color=\"#0a304e\"><strong>Anne Castagnero<\/strong> (CAS \u201925), <strong>Margaret Coyle<\/strong> (CAS \u201925) and <strong>Bryce Hodge<\/strong> (CAS \u201926) with <strong>Girma Parris, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and <strong>Sandra W. Russ, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Louis D. Beaumont University Professor of Psychological Sciences Emerita<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"70%\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"FFFFFF\" style=\"margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 14px;padding: 2px\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><strong>Friday September 27, 2024<br \/>\n\t12:30-1:30 p.m.<br \/>Meeting Both In-Person and by Zoom<br \/>\nDampeer Room, Second Floor of Kelvin Smith Library<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"3\" color=\"#990000\"><strong>*<\/strong><\/font><br \/>\n<font color=\"#0a304e\"><strong>Case Western Reserve University<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0a304e\">Dear Colleagues:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0a304e\"><strong>This week\u2019s \u201cFriday Lunch\u201d will be structured a bit differently than usual.<\/strong> The topic is something that was an important part of our students\u2019 lives, and about which many of them have ideas.  When the political science department had a welcome-back gathering a couple of Fridays ago, Professor Parris and I found ourselves in a fascinating conversation with a group of our majors. I am very glad they\u2019ve agreed to share comments and perspectives for this week\u2019s discussion.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/17456916231181108\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>\u201cTo curb the spread of the coronavirus, almost all countries implemented nationwide school closures.\u201d<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">But closures were especially extensive within the United States, though their extent varied among states and school districts. As with many other policies in the early stages of the pandemic, decisions had to be made under great factual uncertainty \u2013 such as how easily the virus would spread among children, how badly it might affect them, and how easily it would spread from children to the older adults in their households. On balance it appears that the Spring, 2020 school closures<\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/513163690\/jama-auger-2020-oi-200088-1598047378-85855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>saved lives<\/u><\/font><\/a><font color=\"#0a304e\">, though that was in part because there was not much understanding of alternative measures. Many critics, however, quickly raised concerns about how closures could damage children in many other ways; and by June 30, 2020, the<\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/30\/us\/coronavirus-schools-reopening-guidelines-aap.html?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>American Academy of Pediatrics<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">was urging school districts to find ways to mitigate risks while keeping schools open.<\/p>\n<p>The AAP position is now close to conventional wisdom \u2013 one of the authors being cited in the <em>New York Times<\/em><\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/18\/upshot\/pandemic-school-closures-data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>in March<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">saying, \u201cthere\u2019s fairly good consensus that, in general, as a society, we probably kept kids out of school longer than we should have.\u201d Criticism of the closures has also become a conservative talking-point, as a way of attacking government, Democrats, and the teachers\u2019 unions.<\/p>\n<p>It is<\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/technology\/2023\/12\/school-closures-covid-pandemic-learning-loss.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>possible to argue<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">that many of the problems identified with closures involved trends that began before the pandemic, or could be due to the pandemic itself more than closures. After all, reading test scores were already declining, and the pandemic should have made everybody more anxious whether in school or not.  Nevertheless, closures at least seem to be correlated with some reduction in measured year-on-year learning, growing absenteeism after in-person instruction resumed, and especially with distinctly worse results for minority and low-socio-economic-status students than for others. There is also evidence both in the<\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/inequality.stanford.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/research\/articles\/covid-online-learning.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>United States<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">and<\/font> <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/17456916231181108\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font color=\"#0a304e\"><u>other countries<\/u><\/font><\/a> <font color=\"#0a304e\">that school closures increased loneliness, anxiety, and depression. One really interesting question is whether and how the closures tended to affect boys and girls differently. There are claims that it was worse for girls \u2013 but also that it was worse for boys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So what did this all look like to students at the time, and how does it look now?<\/strong> Three students will join us to present their own reflections.  Then I have asked Professors Girma Parris and Sandy Russ to comment.  Professor Parris teaches our political science course on race in American politics and public policy.  Professor Russ is an eminent scholar of child development.  I look forward to a very lively discussion!<\/p>\n<p>Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,<\/p>\n<p>    Joe White<br \/>\n    Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies<\/font>\n  <\/p>\n<hr width=\"100%\" style=\"padding:0px\" \/>\n<h3><font color=\"#0a304e\">About Our Guests<\/font><\/h3>\n<p><font color=\"#0a304e\"><strong>Anne Castagnero<\/strong> is a senior majoring in Economics and Political Science. Her hometown is Zelienople PA,<br \/>\nnorth of Pittsburgh.  She is interested in U.S. politics, labor economics, and is currently researching welfare economics. She plans to attend graduate school to study economics or public policy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Margaret Coyle<\/strong> is a senior majoring in History, Political Science, and Environmental Studies. Her hometown is Southington CT, in the center of the state. She is interested in both juvenile justice and related policy and plans to<br \/>\npursue both MSW and JD degrees.  Margaret is also the student assistant for the Friday Lunch.<\/p>\n<p>    <strong>Bryce Hodge<\/strong> is a junior majoring in Political Science and Business Management with a minor in Public Policy. His hometown is Lyndhurst, Ohio. Bryce intends to attend law school after graduation and is passionate about education inequality and civil law.<\/p>\n<p>\t<strong>Girma Parris<\/strong> is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University. His research focuses on race, ethnic relations, issues of race and immigration in education, and comparative immigrant integration. Professor  Parris has a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University.<\/p>\n<p>\t<strong>Sandra Russ<\/strong> is the Louis D. Beaumont University Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychological Sciences at CWRU. Professor Russ is a Distinguished University Professor and has been interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences\u2014twice. She was chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences, university associate provost, and faculty senate chair, among many other roles. Professor Russ has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" style=\"margin: -4px -4px -4px -4px;text-align: center;font-size: 0px\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"margin: -4px 2px 2px 2px;padding: 0px\" align=\"center\" width=\"640\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"margin-top: 0px;padding: 0px;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 14px\">\n<p align=\"center\"> Visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/fridaylunch.case.edu\"><font color=\"#004480\">Public Affairs Discussion Group Web Site.<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"> Center for Policy Studies | Mather House<br \/>\n        111 | 11201 Euclid Avenue |<br \/>\n        Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7109 |&nbsp;Phone: 216.368.6730 |&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:padg@case.edu\"><font color=\"#004480\"><u>padg@case.edu<\/u><\/font><\/a> |<br \/>Part of the:&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.case.edu\/artsci\"><font color=\"#004480\"><u>College of Arts and Sciences<\/u><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">&copy; 2024 Case Western Reserve University |<br \/> Cleveland, Ohio<br \/>\n        44106 | 216.368.2000 |&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.case.edu\/legal.htm\"><font color=\"#004480\"><u>legal notice<\/u><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Center for Policy Studies Public Affairs Discussion Group &#8211; The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty. With Anne Castagnero (CAS \u201925), <strong>Margaret Coyle<\/strong> (CAS \u201925) and <strong>Bryce Hodge<\/strong> (CAS \u201926) with <strong>Girma Parris, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and <strong>Sandra W. Russ, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Louis D. Beaumont University Professor of Psychological Sciences Emerita.<\/p>\n<p style=\"width: 100%;text-align: left;margin:                      3px 0px 0px;font-size: 24px\"><strong>Center for Policy StudiesPublic Affairs Discussion Group<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>                <strong>The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>                   <strong>Anne Castagnero<\/strong> (CAS \u201925),<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/2024\/09\/27\/the-aftermath-of-covid-19-school-shutdowns-a-discussion-with-cwru-students-and-faculty\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading&#8230; <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Aftermath of Covid-19 School Shutdowns: A Discussion with CWRU Students and Faculty<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1570"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1586,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570\/revisions\/1586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}