OCEAN Update: Reimagining Educational Equity and
Opportunity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The School of Education's OCEAN team is stopping at nothing to address threats to educational opportunities in low-income communities of color during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic required schools, educators, and families to pivot to new modes of learning and revealed pressing issues of access for families across Orange County.
In July 2020, the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence awarded a group of School of Education professors a grant in its "Are We in This Together? Advancing Equity in the Age of COVID-19" program.
The project – Reimagining Educational Equity and Opportunity during the COVID-19 Pandemic (REEO) – is a collaboration between the School of Education's Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) and the Center for Research on Teacher Development and Professional Practice, and addresses existing disparities in educational opportunities in low-income communities of color that have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the transition to remote learning.
"We are deepening the relationships we have built between researchers and school partners through the OCEAN network to document the unique challenges and ways that our partners have dealt with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said June Ahn, associate professor and director of OCEAN. “Beyond simply conducting research, the grant funds will allow us to convene focused working groups of educators and researchers to figure out how to best serve students, with a key focus on equity and serving those most in need.”
REEO is led by School of Education Professors June Ahn, Brandy Gatlin-Nash, Rossella Santagata, and Adriana Villavicienco. The project aims to achieve two key goals.
In July 2020, the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence awarded a group of School of Education professors a grant in its "Are We in This Together? Advancing Equity in the Age of COVID-19" program.
The project – Reimagining Educational Equity and Opportunity during the COVID-19 Pandemic (REEO) – is a collaboration between the School of Education's Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) and the Center for Research on Teacher Development and Professional Practice, and addresses existing disparities in educational opportunities in low-income communities of color that have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the transition to remote learning.
"We are deepening the relationships we have built between researchers and school partners through the OCEAN network to document the unique challenges and ways that our partners have dealt with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said June Ahn, associate professor and director of OCEAN. “Beyond simply conducting research, the grant funds will allow us to convene focused working groups of educators and researchers to figure out how to best serve students, with a key focus on equity and serving those most in need.”
REEO is led by School of Education Professors June Ahn, Brandy Gatlin-Nash, Rossella Santagata, and Adriana Villavicienco. The project aims to achieve two key goals.
PROJECT GOALS
Learn from the Community
The first goal, which has already been completed, was to document and synthesize the nuanced approaches that different communities are taking to best support students in Orange County during this unique time. The team surveyed approximately 400 elementary school teachers from two local districts and asked them about their experiences teaching online during COVID-19. Questions focused on challenges and needs of educators and opportunities for learning and innovation, especially related to the use of technology in the wake of school closures.
The research team also heard from School of Education partners, including school and district leaders, teachers, and parents. This group was invited to interview with the research team about their experiences during the transition to remote instruction. Overall, the research team conducted 35 interviews in which partners shared their stories.
Four themes emerged that prompted the research team to organize four workgroups to achieve our second goal.
The research team also heard from School of Education partners, including school and district leaders, teachers, and parents. This group was invited to interview with the research team about their experiences during the transition to remote instruction. Overall, the research team conducted 35 interviews in which partners shared their stories.
Four themes emerged that prompted the research team to organize four workgroups to achieve our second goal.
Provide Targeted Support
Based off the interviews conducted, the research team established four workgroups. The workgroups are a coordinated and collective effort of researchers, educators, and families that intend the following.
Workgroup Goals
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Thus far, the workgroups have yielded a multitude of promising results.
WORKGROUPS
Supporting Mental Health and Emotional Needs
This workgroup addresses the ways in which risks to mental health have been heightened as social distancing and isolation became the new normal during the pandemic.
Led by Assistant Professor Brandy Gatlin-Nash, along with doctoral students Ashlee Belgrave, Phebe Chew, Grace Kim, and Jennifer Renick, the workgroup addresses the following question: "How do we best support the mental health of students, families, and educators?"
“The pandemic was a completely new thing that no one knew how to react to, much less feel about,” Chew said. “It made us reflect on what really matters in our lives, and what we prioritize for the youth in our schools. A group of us determined that above all, what mattered was supporting students' mental health.”
Indeed, children have not been spared from the effects of the disruption of normal daily routines, family illness and/or death, or parental loss of employment. The team saw the need to address not only childrens’ academic needs in a remote learning environment, but to also support their mental health and socioemotional needs in the wake of COVID-19.
Led by Assistant Professor Brandy Gatlin-Nash, along with doctoral students Ashlee Belgrave, Phebe Chew, Grace Kim, and Jennifer Renick, the workgroup addresses the following question: "How do we best support the mental health of students, families, and educators?"
“The pandemic was a completely new thing that no one knew how to react to, much less feel about,” Chew said. “It made us reflect on what really matters in our lives, and what we prioritize for the youth in our schools. A group of us determined that above all, what mattered was supporting students' mental health.”
Indeed, children have not been spared from the effects of the disruption of normal daily routines, family illness and/or death, or parental loss of employment. The team saw the need to address not only childrens’ academic needs in a remote learning environment, but to also support their mental health and socioemotional needs in the wake of COVID-19.
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Graduate student Jennifer Renick describes a dimension of this work with Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano.
"It's been so great to work with (Executive Director) Alex Serna and support Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano as they work tirelessly to support the students and families they serve during this difficult time,” Renick said. “In the summer, we worked together to create a weekly needs assessment, so staff could easily know if students or families were facing challenges and then quickly respond. As virtual learning continues, we also developed a survey to better understand middle and high school students' experiences of doing school from home, so that Breakthrough can tailor their programming based on students' needs." Thus far, the workgroup has begun to develop a social media platform to provide partners with accessible information, in multiple languages, that is designed to:
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In the summer, we worked together to create a weekly needs assessment, so staff could easily know if students or families were facing challenges and then quickly respond. As virtual learning continues, we also developed a survey to better understand middle and high school students' experiences of doing school from home, so that Breakthrough SJC can tailor their programming based on students' needs."
- Jennifer Renick UCI School of Education Doctoral Student /
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Pedagogies for Remote/Hybrid Learning
This workgroup, co-led by Professor Rossella Santagata and doctoral student Jiwon Lee, and with the assistance of undergraduates Alexis Fenger and Lisa Ocampo, responded directly to the transition to distance learning, which occurred overnight in the wake of COVID-19.
This group, which includes local school teachers, focused on the co-design of instructional innovations centered on the question: "How do we design learning activities in online and hybrid spaces that are student-centered, interactive, and equitable?"
The research team and four teachers from three schools, serving predominantly low-income students of color, used a collaborative planning process. The work was organized into three phases:
This group, which includes local school teachers, focused on the co-design of instructional innovations centered on the question: "How do we design learning activities in online and hybrid spaces that are student-centered, interactive, and equitable?"
The research team and four teachers from three schools, serving predominantly low-income students of color, used a collaborative planning process. The work was organized into three phases:
“Teachers have been working so hard during the last 10 months to reach students and provide them with an education,” Santagata said. "As a faculty in the School of Education, it has been a pleasure to work closely with a group of dedicated teachers, discuss our shared values, and think creatively about instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The group will continue to meet throughout the school year to share student work and learn together. |
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Teachers have been working so hard during the last 10 months to reach students and provide them with an education. As a faculty in the School of Education, it has been a pleasure to work closely with a group of dedicated teachers, discuss our shared values, and think creatively about instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
- Rossella Santagata Professor & Director, Center for Research on Teacher Development and Professional Practice /
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District-Family Partnerships
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This workgroup is led by Assistant Professor Adriana Villavicencio and doctoral student Chris Wegemer, and brings together district leaders from Anaheim Union High School District, Compton Unified School District and Santa Ana Unified School District, along with a leader from the School of Education’s Center for Educational Partnerships, to collaboratively identify a shared problem and generate possible solutions.
The focus of the task force is increasing student attendance and student engagement by decreasing technological barriers facing Spanish-speaking families who want to support their children with online instruction. Together, the workgroup created a set of learning goals for a three-module webinar that will provide families fundamental training and resources in basic computing, internet use, school-based platforms, and strategies for supporting remote instruction. These webinars will be delivered remotely and hosted on the districts’ websites as accessible resources for families. The group also hopes the project will surface other areas of family needs and potential opportunities for collaboration among districts. |
More InformationTake a deeper dive into OCEAN and the many other ways the UCI School of Education is supporting the K-12 community before, during, and after the pandemic.
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“It was amazing to see school leaders from across the county come together to create innovative solutions to both new and longstanding problems,” Wegemer said. “Through this collaboration, we identified a need to support parents who don't speak English.”
Community Education Fellows
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The final workgroup is led by UCI CalTeach Director Doron Zinger and doctoral students Yenda Prado and Taffeta Wood. The group developed an institutional infrastructure, Community Education Fellows, to match UCI undergraduate students with families in our OCEAN partner school communities.
To date, the project has matched undergraduate students with more than 125 students and families across Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, El Sol Academy, and TLC Charter School. "During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to match UCI students to lead virtual tutoring with families in need in our partner schools,” Ahn said. “It's a small, but meaningful, way to help during this time of need, rather than focus solely on doing research. That's a big part of being in community together." |
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During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to match UCI students to lead virtual tutoring with families in need in our partner schools. It's a small, but meaningful way to help during this time of need...that's a big part of being in community together
- June Ahn Associate Professor & Director, OCEAN /
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The undergraduates provide learning support in a variety of ways, such as 1:1, small group, and whole-class situations.
The UCI team has also developed online support materials for the UCI undergraduates to facilitate more effective learning support online.
“These learning pods are designed to support students’ social emotional learning and facilitate small-group learning,” Prado said. “So far, the learning pods we are facilitating are proving to be an innovative and useful solution for our partner organizations engaged in remote learning during the pandemic."
The Community Education Fellows Program recently received a $10,000 grant from the UCI Parent Executive Board to support the continuation of this meaningful work.
The UCI team has also developed online support materials for the UCI undergraduates to facilitate more effective learning support online.
“These learning pods are designed to support students’ social emotional learning and facilitate small-group learning,” Prado said. “So far, the learning pods we are facilitating are proving to be an innovative and useful solution for our partner organizations engaged in remote learning during the pandemic."
The Community Education Fellows Program recently received a $10,000 grant from the UCI Parent Executive Board to support the continuation of this meaningful work.
ADVANCING FORWARD
REEO responded to community needs during and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the work continues today. This initiative strengthened existing relationships with the community and built new ones.
"As a researcher, I find it indispensable to listen to members of the community we aim to serve or support through our work,” Villavicencio said. “This project provided us the opportunities to listen, learn, and leverage the expertise of our partners. We thus expect that REEO’s impact will extend beyond this year and contribute to the School of Education’s mission to work in partnership with the community and improve learning opportunities for Orange County youth.”
"As a researcher, I find it indispensable to listen to members of the community we aim to serve or support through our work,” Villavicencio said. “This project provided us the opportunities to listen, learn, and leverage the expertise of our partners. We thus expect that REEO’s impact will extend beyond this year and contribute to the School of Education’s mission to work in partnership with the community and improve learning opportunities for Orange County youth.”
