The 2020–2021 academic year called upon Attallah College faculty members, students, and staff to continually adapt and respond to the changing needs of our university and local communities. With K-12 schools and community agencies predominately engaging in remote teaching and services delivery during fall 2020, and our university primarily remote for the entire academic year, our faculty and students demonstrated their resiliency and unwavering commitment to meeting our stakeholders needs, no matter the situation.
Our reading, math, and writing tutoring programs for elementary and early adolescents all transitioned to virtual modalities last year, bringing much needed support to local children and families throughout the academic year. When K-12 school and community site staff members returned to their work sites, our teacher education, school counseling, and school psychology students joined these practitioners in person to address learning loss, readjustment to school, and the needs of families deeply affected by the prior year’s economic and emotional impacts. Our PhD students modified their research projects to focus on virtual data collection, and our undergraduates focused their philanthropic grant-making efforts on community organizations that support anti-racist educational practices and uplift Black communities.
While the 2020–2021 academic year is behind us, let’s not forget that 140,000 children in the United States lost a primary or secondary caregiver to COVID-19, with a disproportionate impact on our communities of color. The long-term effects of the pandemic, and our collective losses, will continue to impact children and families for years to come. The future will require highly skilled practitioners ready to attend to children and adults’ social-emotional needs as well as their academics, with a growth mindset that focuses additionally on equity and inclusion for all whom we serve.
However, with these demands comes the opportunity for lasting and systemic change. A “traditional” educational model, where all instruction occurs within the walls of a classroom and in a place called “school,” is unlikely to return. More than 70% of college-age students report they will be looking for online opportunities in their future university coursework. With the current nationwide staffing shortage in K-12 schools, our nationally accredited teacher education, school counselor, and school psychology programs are poised to fill these essential roles. Additionally, the successful grant and research activities of Attallah College’s graduate students, faculty members, and Thompson Policy Institute will further amplify our future collective impact on education on a scale greater than ever before.
Overall, the current and future alumni from our undergraduate through doctoral programs, along with our faculty and staff, look forward to contributing widely in this new normal to the fulfillment of the Attallah College motto: “Changing Education. Changing the World.” I look forward to what this future brings for us all.
Roxanne Greitz Miller, Ed.D.
Interim Dean, Attallah College of Educational Studies
Donna Ford Attallah Professor of Teacher Education
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Chapman University
