ANNOUNCER: IN MARCH 2020, IN THE FACE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE UNITED STATES EMBARKED ON A SERIES OF UNPLANNED AND UNPRECEDENTED SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS, PERHAPS NONE GREATER THAN CLOSING MOST OF THE NATION'S K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS AND SEEKING TO CONTINUE THE EDUCATION OF MANY MILLIONS OF CHILDREN EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE.

HOW WELL DID OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM DO IN THIS TRIAL BY FIRE?

HOW WELL DID THE NATION'S STUDENTS DO?

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

WHAT HAVE OUR KIDS LEARNED?

THIS EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH" WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY WILLIAM AND SUSAN DORAN, UGI CORPORATION, NJM INSURANCE, CNX RESOURCES CORPORATION, RAZA BOKHARI, JOHN AND PATRICIA WALSH, THE CHARLES KOCH INSTITUTE.

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COURTROOMS AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE HAVE SWORN AN OATH TO TELL NOT ONLY THE TRUTH, BUT RATHER THE WHOLE TRUTH.

THE OATH REFLECTS THE WISDOM THAT FAILING TO TELL ALL OF A STORY CAN BE AS EFFECTIVE AS LYING IF YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THE FACTS SUPPORT YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

IN THE COURTROOM, THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH ALSO RELIES ON ADVOCATES ADVANCING FIRM, CONTRADICTORY ARGUMENTS AND DOING SO WITH DECORUM.

ALL OF THESE APPLY TO THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION, WHAT JOHN STUART MILL CALLED "THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS."

THIS SERIES IS A PLACE IN WHICH THE COMPETING VOICES ON THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF OUR TIME ARE CHALLENGED AND SET INTO MEANINGFUL CONTEXT SO THAT VIEWERS LIKE YOU CAN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES THE WHOLE TRUTH.

ONE OF THE MOST INCONSEQUENTIAL AND HOTLY DEBATED ASPECTS OF THE PUBLIC POLICY RESPONSES ACROSS OUR COUNTRY TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WAS THE SUSPENSION OF IN-PERSON EDUCATION FOR MOST OF AMERICA'S KINDERGARTEN THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

OF COURSE, IN OUR SYSTEM OF LOCALLY-CONTROLLED PUBLIC EDUCATION, NOT ALL SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME OR FOR THE SAME DURATION.

BUT MANY MILLIONS OF AMERICAN CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WERE SUDDENLY FORCED INTO EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE EDUCATION, IN MANY CASES, FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE YEAR.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH," WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO EDUCATORS AND A SCHOLAR WHO STUDIES AMERICAN EDUCATION TO WRITE A FIRST DRAFT OF THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT COVID-19 EDUCATION EXPERIMENT IN ONLINE LEARNING TO ASK WHAT WE AND OUR COUNTRY'S KIDS HAVE LEARNED THROUGH THIS CRUCIBLE.

HERE WITH US TODAY ARE DR. STEVE GREGOR, DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR NEW JERSEY'S WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS, KRISTIN HUTCHINSON, VICE PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION OF THE WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, AND DR. DOUGLAS HARRIS, PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR OF ECONOMICS AT TULANE UNIVERSITY IN NEW ORLEANS.

I THINK THAT WE ALL AGREE THAT THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF MONTHS IN EDUCATION.

I'M IN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

WE'RE ALL GOING THROUGH THIS.

AND I THINK WE'RE LEARNING A LOT.

I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD THE VEIL LIFTED ON THE LEARNING PROCESS QUITE TO THE DEGREE THAT WE HAVE HAD OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF MONTHS.

SO I'D LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS SORT OF IN SEQUENCE.

STEVE, LET ME START WITH YOU AS AN EDUCATOR ON THE FRONT LINES.

CAN YOU WALK OUR VIEWERS THROUGH HOW YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT CONVERTED TO ONLINE EDUCATION?

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE CONSIDERED YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

AND HOW DO YOU RATE THE QUALITY YOUR DISTRICT WAS ABLE TO OFFER IN STUDENTS ONLINE COMPARED TO THEIR NORMAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE?

WELL, WE HAD ABOUT 48 HOURS LAST SPRING IN NEW JERSEY TO PIVOT TO REMOTE INSTRUCTION.

AND FORTUNATELY, WITH NO CREDIT GIVEN TO FORESEEING THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE IN THE SENSE THAT WE WERE A ONE-TO-ONE COMPUTING DISTRICT FROM UPPER ELEMENTARY THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE.

WE HAD FORTUNATELY PRIOR-- WELL, MANY YEARS BEFORE, WE HAD MADE AVAILABLE AN ONLINE COURSE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE AREA OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY, WHICH WAS AN ADDITIONAL MANDATE PASSED DOWN BY THE STATE.

AND THE ONLY WAY WE COULD ACCOMMODATE IT WOULD BE TO MAKE IT AN ONLINE COURSE.

SO WE HAD THAT UNDER OUR BELT.

AND THEN THE THIRD COMPONENT THAT HELPED US WAS WE HAD INSTITUTED AND IMPLEMENTED A NEW LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND HAD DONE SOME TRAINING OF OUR TEACHING STAFF PRIOR TO GOING REMOTE.

SO WE HAD ALL THOSE COMPONENTS IN PLACE.

THEY NEEDED TO BE OPTIMIZED.

AND I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS NOT THE ACTUAL SPEAR-HEADING OR DOVETAILING OF ALL THESE THINGS, BUT IT WAS MAKING THE STUDENTS ENGAGED, GETTING THEM TO, ON A REGULAR BASIS, COMPLETE THEIR WORK, ATTEND THEIR SESSIONS IF THERE WERE SYNCHRONOUS SESSIONS.

AND WE STARTED OUT MOSTLY WITH ASYNCHRONOUS SESSIONS FOR THAT 3-MONTH PERIOD.

AND THEN WE ALL SUMMER LONG PLANNED ON CREATING A MORE HYBRID SETTING THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN AT THIS POINT.

HYBRID MEANING YOU HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF IN-PERSON, AS WELL AS-- GREGOR: WE-- YEAH.

WE DO.

AND IN ORDER TO MEET THE CDC GUIDELINES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS, WE OFFER 3 COHORTS OF STUDENTS THAT WERE CHOSEN BY THE FAMILIES.

THERE ARE ACTUALLY 4, BUT I'LL START OUT WITH THE 3.

SO WE HAD ONE REMOTE COHORT.

SO THOSE FAMILIES, THEIR CHILDREN WOULD NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SCHOOL, BUT WOULD LEARN AT HOME.

AND THAT HAS GROWN, ACTUALLY, INTO THE 40s SOME--44%, YOU KNOW, AS THE SURGE HAS TAKEN HOLD.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE REST OF THE IN-PERSON LEARNERS DIVIDED INTO TWO COHORTS.

SO THEY WOULD ATTEND MONDAY, TUESDAY OR THURSDAY, FRIDAY.

AND THAT DILUTED THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING, PROVIDED FOR THE 6-FOOT SOCIAL DISTANCING RULE IN CLASSROOMS, AND THEN IT LEFT THEM WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE FOR DEEP CLEANING AND INTERVENTIONS FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS.

WELL, THAT RAISES A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS WE'RE GONNA COME BACK TO.

KRISTIN, YOU WORK WITH MANY SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PAROCHIAL, IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA WHERE THE GREAT MAJORITY OF STUDENTS ARE COMING FROM LOWER-INCOME HOMES.

I THINK WHAT WE JUST HEARD FROM STEVE IS ABOUT A SITUATION WHERE I THINK THE EDUCATORS HAVE HAD A DRY RUN ON THIS.

THEY'VE BEEN PREPARED.

HOW WAS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE LEARNING IN THE PANDEMIC DIFFERENT FOR A MAJOR URBAN CENTER LIKE PHILADELPHIA AND DIFFERENT FOR THE STUDENTS IN PHILADELPHIA THAN SAY IT WOULD BE FOR STUDENTS IN PROGRAMS FROM MORE AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES?

IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT WAS THE IMPACT ON POORER, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PERHAPS UNPREPARED WITHOUT--WHAT WAS IT, A ONE-TO-ONE COMPUTER RATIO?

YEAH.

YEAH.

YEAH.

EISENHOWER: WELL, TELL US ABOUT-- IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.

YOU KNOW, AS YOU ELUDED TO, WE WORK WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WITH DIFFERENT ACCESS TO RESOURCES.

AND I THINK WHEN THE SHUTDOWN HAPPENED IN THE SPRING, SO ABOUT MID-MARCH TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR LAST YEAR, WE SAW SCHOOLS REACTING THAT WERE KIND OF ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF A SPECTRUM, RIGHT.

SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS WERE WOEFULLY UNDERPREPARED WITHOUT THE RESOURCES, THE TOOLS, THE TRAINING NEEDED TO PIVOT QUICKLY TO ONLINE LEARNING.

AND SOME OF OUR OTHER SCHOOLS HAD NOT JUST THE RESOURCES TO DO IT WELL, BUT TO ACTUALLY DO IT EVEN BETTER.

YOU KNOW, PROVIDING THINGS LIKE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS AT A TIME WHEN, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WAS JUST SO CRAZY, SO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT TO STUDENTS INSTANTLY WAS SOMETHING WE SAW WITH SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS.

SO THE SUMMER WAS AN INTERESTING TIME.

I THINK IT WAS A TIME FOR A LOT OF SCHOOL AND DISTRICTS, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, TO KIND OF COME TOGETHER AND SAY WHAT CAN WE DO TO SORT OF INCREASE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER THAT'S PROVIDING DEVICES FOR STUDENTS, PROVIDING TRAINING FOR TEACHERS TO LEARN HOW TO CONDUCT CLASSES SUCCESSFULLY IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.

SO IT REALLY WAS INTERESTING, AND OBVIOUSLY STARTING THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR HAVING THAT, YOU KNOW, UNDER BELT, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS BE ABLE TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO DO ONLINE EDUCATION SUCCESSFULLY.

WOULD YOU GO SO FAR AS TO SAY THAT THE AREAS THAT WERE UNPREPARED, THAT STUDENTS ACTUALLY JUST LOST MONTHS?

AND DO YOU FIND A WAY TO SORT OF MAKE THAT UP?

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, I KNOW SOME OF OUR EDUCATORS IN THE SPRING, YOU KNOW, LOST CONTACT WITH SOME OF THEIR STUDENTS, YOU KNOW.

AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, LEARNED ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, ACADEMIC CONTENT UP UNTIL THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

YOU EXPECT TO HAVE ASSESSMENTS, EXPECT TO HAVE THAT TIME TO BE ABLE TO SHOW WHAT YOU'VE KIND OF LEARNED OVER THE COURSE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

AND THAT WAS GONE.

AND IT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE SPRING.

AND I DO THINK THAT SOME OF IT WAS MADE UP TO SOME EXTENT IN THE FALL, BUT I DON'T THINK WE CAN EVER FULLY BE ABLE TO MAKE UP, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS LOST LAST YEAR, AND EVEN A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT'S BEING LOST NOW.

I THINK THAT'S THE GREATEST FEAR, THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT THINGS ARE BEING LOST IN SOME WAYS.

AND I CAN'T RESIST ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP QUESTION.

THAT IS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WAS THAT INDUCED THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO GET INVOLVED?

AND HOW DEEP WAS THAT INVOLVEMENT?

I THINK THAT'S A VERY, VERY INTERESTING STORY, UNTOLD, IN SOME WAYS.

YEAH, A LOT OF COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE CABLE PROVIDERS OR INTERNET PROVIDERS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE.

SO SOME OF THEIR CLIENTS THAT WERE IN, YOU KNOW, LOWER-INCOME AREAS, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE THE ONES THAT WERE MOST IN NEED OF THAT EXTRA SUPPORT.

SO HIGHER INTERNET SPEEDS, YOU KNOW, REMOTE ACCESS POINTS FOR HOTSPOTS AND SUCH.

AND I THINK THERE WAS A REAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP, TO KIND OF STACK HANDS, PUT HANDS TOGETHER, AND SAY, "WHAT CAN WE ALL DO TO BE ABLE TO HELP EVERYONE THROUGHOUT THIS--THIS ENTIRE DILEMMA?"

THAT'S A TERRIFIC STORY.

DOUG, YOU HAVE A NATIONAL TAKE ON THINGS.

YOU HAVE PREPARED A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON HOW SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY RESPONDED TO COVID.

WHAT WERE YOUR PRINCIPLE FINDINGS?

YEAH, SO I THINK YOU HAD TO BREAK IT UP INTO TWO PERIODS.

THERE WAS THE SPRING WHEN ESSENTIALLY ALL THE SCHOOLS WERE FORCED TO CLOSE.

THEN THE QUESTION IS, WELL, HOW DO SCHOOLS TRY TO SERVE CHILDREN AND HOW QUICKLY DID THEY SERVE CHILDREN IN THE IMMEDIATE INITIAL PERIOD WHEN COVID STARTED TO SPREAD?

AND THEN YOU HAD THE FALL WHEN THERE WAS MORE THE OPTION TO OPEN UP.

THEN THE QUESTION IS MORE ABOUT WHICH SCHOOLS DECIDED TO OPEN IN PERSON VS.

REMOTE OR DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF HYBRID.

SO WHAT WE DID WAS BACK IN THE SPRING TO VERY QUICKLY LOOK FOR INFORMATION FROM MORE THAN 3,000 SCHOOLS.

WE INCLUDED TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND LOOKED FOR 5 DIFFERENT THINGS.

WE WERE LOOKING AT THEIR ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM.

THEIR ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT IN OTHER FORMS OF COMMUNICATION LIKE OFFICE HOURS AND SO ON, HOW MUCH THEY WERE MONITORING STUDENT PROGRESS, THE BREADTH OF SERVICES THEY WERE PROVIDING, INCLUDING MEALS AND COUNSELING, WHICH ARE THE THINGS THAT SCHOOLS TYPICALLY DO, BUT WHICH BECAME MORE IMPORTANT AND MORE SIGNIFICANT IN THE ONSET OF COVID.

AND THEN THE LAST WAS THE EQUITY OF ACCESS, TO WHAT DEGREE THE SCHOOLS HAD PLANS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS, AND SO ON.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT SCHOOLS STRUGGLED WITH THIS FOR SURE AND THAT THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS OF HOW THEY RESPONDED WERE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE INTERNET, WHICH WAS NOT TOO SURPRISING THAT SCHOOLS THAT HAD MORE INTERNET ACCESS RESPONDED MORE COMPREHENSIVELY AND EXTENSIVELY IN PROVIDING SERVICES TO STUDENTS.

AND THE OTHER WAS THAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURROUNDING AREA, AND ESPECIALLY THE EDUCATION LEVEL OF PARENTS AND OTHER ADULTS, STRONGLY PREDICTED HOW EXTENSIVELY SCHOOLS RESPONDED.

AND THAT COULD REFLECT A WIDE VARIETY OF FACTORS.

IT COULD REFLECT THE SITUATION OF THE FAMILIES, WHETHER THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME.

SO IF PARENTS ARE ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME AND THEY CAN SERVE THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR SCHOOLS ARE MORE LIKELY TO RESPOND IN PROVIDING SERVICES THAT THEY KNOW THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO RELY ON THE PARENTS TO HELP WITH, WHEREAS IF YOU HAVE LOWER-WAGE JOBS OR MORE SERVICE SECTOR JOBS, PARENTS HAD TO LEAVE.

AND SO THERE WAS LESS SUPPORT THERE FOR CHILDREN IN THOSE SITUATIONS.

AND A LOT OF THAT'S CORRELATED WITH EDUCATION LEVEL.

SO THOSE SEEM TO BE THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS.

YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT IT BY SECTOR.

TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS RESPONDED MORE STRONGLY ON THE BREADTH OF SERVICES AND INEQUITY OF ACCESS, WHEREAS CHARTER SCHOOLS ACTUALLY RESPONDED MORE AGGRESSIVELY ON THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF THINGS.

DO YOU THINK OUR EXPERIENCE HERE HAS EXPOSED THE KINDS OF DEFICIENCIES THAT MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON POLITICIANS THAT WILL STEP IN TO REDRESS DEFICIENCIES SUCH AS LACK OF ONLINE ACCESS, THINGS LIKE THAT?

IS THERE A LOT OF DISCUSSION OF THAT?

HARRIS: YEAH, I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE.

AND I THINK THE BROADBAND ACCESS IS THE MOST OBVIOUS DEFICIENCY.

IT HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE ANYWAY SEPARATE FROM THIS CRISIS.

AND NOW I THINK IT MAKES EVEN MORE OBVIOUS SENSE.

AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY BILLS IN PROGRESS, AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS COMMITTED TO MAKING THIS A PRIORITY AS WELL.

SO I THINK THAT'S THE ONE MOST LIKELY TO HAPPEN.

I THINK THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER DEFICIENCIES THAT, YOU KNOW, MAY BE LESS LIKELY TO CHANGE, THE INEQUALITIES IN SCHOOL FUNDING ACROSS LOCATIONS BEING ONE OF THEM.

AND I WOULD ALSO VENTURE TO SAY THAT, AGAIN, A SITUATION LIKE THIS LIFTS THE VEIL ON THE WHOLE LEARNING PROCESS.

THE ENTIRE THING IS PLACED UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

YOU'RE PROBABLY LEARNING A GREAT DEAL ABOUT LEARNING.

IT STANDS TO REASON THAT THIS HAS REQUIRED A GREAT IMPROVISATION ON OUR PART, LIKE, SAY, THE SPACE PROGRAM.

COMING OUT OF THE SPACE PROGRAM IS THE PERSONAL COMPUTER.

COMING OUT OF THE SPACE PROGRAM ARE ALL KINDS OF CONDENSED FOODS AND THINGS LIKE THIS THAT WE DID NOT FORESEE GOING INTO THE SPACE PROGRAM.

IN FACT, I THINK JOHN KENNEDY AT RICE SAID IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFINE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCOVER BY COMMITTING OUR ENERGIES TO THIS IMPROVISATION THAT IS ENTERING SPACE.

WHAT IS THIS IMPROVISATION...

YIELDING?

WELL, IF I COULD ADD THAT I BELIEVE THAT THE PERSONALIZATION OF EDUCATION WILL NOT GO AWAY.

THE USE OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS THAT ALLOW TEACHERS TO PERSONALIZE THE LEARNING PATH BASED ON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SHOULD CONTINUE IN THE CLASSROOM EVEN IN THE IN-PERSON SETTING, WHICH MEANS THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ABANDON TECHNOLOGY.

AND IN THE FIELD OF DISTANCE EDUCATION, WE HAVE TORN DOWN THE BARRIERS OF TIME AND SPACE.

WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO ARE WORKING REMOTELY DUE TO COMORBIDITIES OR OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE CONTINUING.

WHAT IT UNDERSCORES IS IS THAT THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM AT THE SAME TIME FOR LEARNING TO OCCUR.

AND I THINK THAT'S TRANSFORMATIVE.

I THINK SO.

KRISTIN, WHAT DO YOU-- WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FROM YOUR END?

YEAH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY IT'S BEEN REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE AN INCREASE OF THESE NEW DIGITAL TOOLS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESOURCES THAT TEACHERS AND EDUCATION PROVIDERS ARE ABLE TO INCORPORATE IN THEIR CLASSES OR IN THEIR EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

SO, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE POLLING TO GET QUICK, INFORMAL FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS.

DIGITAL WHITEBOARDS AND STICKY NOTES.

AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW, SITTING IN A TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THAT.

SO I THINK SOME OF THE CROSS COLLABORATION IS REALLY INTERESTING, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, IT STILL BEING REALLY IMPORTANT IN THE FUTURE WHEN THEY CONTINUE TO DO THIS PROGRAMMING ONLINE.

DOUG, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS-- IS A PERSONAL COMPUTER GONNA COME OUT OF THIS?

OR SOMETHING THAT REALLY CHANGES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE BETTER?

I THINK ONE THING THAT'S GONNA CHANGE-- I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID SO FAR.

I THINK THE ONE THING THAT I'D ADD IS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STUDENT AND THE TEACHER AND THE WAY IN WHICH THAT IN-PERSON TIME-- I STILL THINK THE IN-PERSON TIME AND THAT RELATIONSHIP FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF STUDENTS IS JUST ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE USED THE SAME WAY, THOUGH, RIGHT.

SO I THINK WE CAN THINK MORE CAREFULLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN BE DONE REMOTELY, YOU KNOW, THROUGH A LOT OF THE ONLINE TOOLS THAT ALREADY EXISTED.

SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW, BUT I THINK WE MIGHT GREATLY EXPAND AND SORT OF ACCELERATE THE DIRECTION THAT A LOT OF THESE ONLINE TOOLS WERE ALREADY HEADING IN.

AND THEN WE CAN BETTER USE THE IN-PERSON TIME, YOU KNOW, FOR MOTIVATING STUDENTS, ENGAGING STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, HELPING STUDENTS WHO HAVE--WHO HAVE-- WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES AND THEY'RE NOT QUITE GETTING WHAT THEY NEED FROM THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.

I THINK THAT'S THE THING, I THINK, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE MOST UNIVERSALLY AND FOR THE LARGEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS.

LET'S, UH, LET'S GO AROUND THE-- THE LET'S START, STEVE, IF YOU WOULD, DO YOU THINK THAT WE GENERALLY RESPONDED WELL?

DO YOU THINK WE GENERALLY RESPONDED POORLY?

AND WHAT WOULD BE THE PRINCIPLE LESSON, DO YOU THINK, THAT WE WOULD PERHAPS DERIVE FROM THIS?

I THINK THE RESPONSE IS UNEVEN.

AND I THINK THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS FORCED PUBLIC EDUCATION TO LOOK AT WAYS OF CLOSING THE GAPS OF EQUITY THAT THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE LOOKED AT BEFORE.

YOU KNOW, JANUARY I WENT TO A CONFERENCE AND LEARNED ABOUT HOTSPOTS FOR ECONOMICALLY-CHALLENGED FAMILIES AND HOW MUCH THEY COST.

AND WE HAD NEVER CONTEMPLATED DOING THAT BEFORE.

AND A MONTH LATER, WE WERE DOING IT.

SO I MENTIONED EARLIER WE HAD A ONE TO ONE, BUT WE HAD TO PURCHASE, WE HAD TO STRUGGLE, WE HAD TO FILL IN GAPS, WE HAD TO GET OUT DEVICES.

AND WE ALSO HAD TO PROVIDE MEALS TO THE ONE IN FOUR FAMILIES AT LEAST WHO NEED THOSE THINGS, AND ALSO TRANSPORTATION.

SO I WOULD EXPECT AND PREDICT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THOSE THINGS EVEN WHEN THE THREAT OF THE PANDEMIC GOES AWAY.

AND I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO TO SHORE UP OUR ABILITY TO MEET THE CHANGING CONDITIONS OF THE WORLD.

KRISTIN, HOW DID THIS EFFORT LOOK FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT?

YOU SAW A DIVERSE ARRAY OF DISTRICTS AND RESPONSES TO THIS.

MUST HAVE FELT UNEVEN, BUT UNEVEN IN WHAT WAY?

ARE THERE LESSONS LEARNED?

OR DO YOU GENERALLY RATE IT GOOD?

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR EVALUATION?

YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO ECHO THAT SENTIMENT AND SAY WHEN THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED-- WELL, WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE INEQUITIES BEFORE COVID.

WHAT COVID DID WAS PUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS ON IT, RIGHT, AND SHOW US EXACTLY WHERE WE NEEDED TO KIND OF FIX.

I WOULD SAY WHAT I'VE SEEN AND BEEN MOST INSPIRED BY IS A SENSE OF RESILIENCE, A SENSE OF RESILIENCE AMONGST OUR STUDENTS, AMONGST OUR TEACHERS, THEIR PARENTS, WHO ARE DEALING WITH-- YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL DEALING WITH SO MANY VARIABLES OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM THAT ARE TRICKLING IN AND HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN REALLY POSITIVE OUT OF THIS.

ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS AN EMPHASIS ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS.

YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL WELLNESS.

I KNOW SOME UNIVERSITIES HAVE ADDED HEALTH AND WELLNESS DAYS TO THEIR CALENDARS, YOU KNOW.

AND GIVING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS DAYS TO DO ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO KIND OF BE MORE SELF-PACED AND HAVE FLEXIBILITY IN THEIR SCHEDULES.

SO I HOPE THAT SOME OF THAT STICKS AROUND.

I HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE RESILIENCE.

AND I DEFINITELY THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, BRIGHTER DAYS ARE TO COME.

MM-HMM.

WELL, AND AS YOU TALKED ABOUT LOSS, YOU JUST PUT YOUR FINGER ON ANOTHER WHOLE TOPIC HERE, WHICH IS ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK AT SOME LEVEL WE ALL FEARED, WHICH IS THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF EMOTIONAL DAMAGE DONE HERE, THAT PEOPLE HAVE BECOME UNWELL IN WAYS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED--IMPACTED BY FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.

DOUG, WOULD YOU SAY LOOKING AT THIS NATIONALLY...

I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T GIVE THE AMERICAN RESPONSE AN "A" OR EVEN AN A-MINUS.

I'M NOT SURE... WAS IT... A DISASTER, SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN?

YEAH.

WHAT IS GONNA COME OUT OF THIS?

WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED?

HOW ARE WE GONNA BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH A SITUATION LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE, WHICH I FEAR IS VERY LIKELY?

I THINK FIRST IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT IT'S HARD TO PREPARE FOR SOMETHING THAT'S ESSENTIALLY NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

AND SO A CRISIS LIKE THIS HASN'T HAPPENED FOR A CENTURY, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THAT WE COULD HAVE REALLY HAD A PLAN IN THE FILING CABINET TO PULL OUT, OK, WE'VE GOT A PANDEMIC.

LET'S DO THIS.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK IT DOES AMPLIFY THE EXISTING WEAKNESSES, RIGHT.

SO IF YOU'RE GONNA RESPOND WELL IN A CRISIS, YOU NEED TO HAVE CAPACITY.

WHAT KIND OF CAPACITIES DO YOU NEED?

WELL, YOU NEED A STRONG, FUNCTIONING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN PROVIDING SUPPORT DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL.

YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO COLLECT INFORMATION QUICKLY TO UNDERSTAND LOCAL CONDITIONS.

IT TOOK MONTHS AND MONTHS TO EVEN HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE AT LEAST 3 OR 4 MONTHS BEHIND WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE THINK ABOUT THE UNEVENNESS, STEVE MENTIONED THAT AND USED THAT WORD, I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.

IN SOME PLACES, SOME INDIVIDUALS RESPONDED HEROICALLY, AND IN OTHER PLACES, IT LOOKED LIKE VERY LITTLE HAPPENED, AND IT'S HARD TO TELL WHETHER IT'S JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, AND CERTAINLY IN SOME CASES, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.

THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO WORK WITH.

YOU KNOW, THEY HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR KIDS AND THEY HAD THOSE BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES THAT HAD TO COME FIRST.

SO I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE AS MUCH INEQUALITY AS WHAT WE HAVE, INEQUALITY NOT JUST OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES, BUT OF RESOURCES AND INSTITUTIONS ACROSS PLACES, YOU'RE GONNA GET-- NO MATTER WHAT THE CRISIS IS-- WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NEXT CRISIS IS GOING TO BE, BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER CRISIS.

EISENHOWER: YES, DEFINITELY.

IT MIGHT NOT BE A PANDEMIC.

IT COULD BE SOMETHING ELSE.

AND ALL THE THINGS YOU NEED TO RESPOND TO ANY CRISIS, THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE DEALT WITH FOR US TO RESPOND WELL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

HOLLYWOOD MOVIES AND NETFLIX DOCUMENTARIES AND SO FORTH HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT PANDEMICS AND THESE CONTINGENCIES FOR A LONG TIME, AND WE FINALLY GOT HIT BY ONE.

UH...

I'M...

CONFIDENT, I HOPE EVERYBODY SHARES THIS, THAT, UH--THAT WE WILL BE AS RESILIENT AND FLEXIBLE IN THE FUTURE WITH A FAR MORE, I WOULD SAY, WILLINGNESS TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES TO MEET A PROBLEM WHEN IT APPEARS.

BUT THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN TODAY'S DISCUSSION.

AND WE LOOK FORWARD, HOPEFULLY, TO SEEING YOU SOMETIME AGAIN.

EISENHOWER: FOR GENERATIONS, K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL, SOME WOULD SAY THE GREATEST BACKBONE OF AMERICAN CIVIL SOCIETY.

PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED FAR MORE THAN READING, WRITING, AND ARITHMETIC TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

IN RECENT DECADES, POLICYMAKERS HAVE PLACED MORE AND MORE RESPONSIBILITIES ON SCHOOLS, MAKING THEM A PRIMARY PLACE FOR THE CARE AND THE FEEDING OF MANY MILLIONS OF CHILDREN, QUITE BEYOND ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION.

NOTHING HAS TESTED THIS SYSTEM, HOWEVER, MORE THAN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

SOME SEE THE RAPID TRANSITION TO ONLINE LEARNING AS A DEMONSTRATION OF THE FLEXIBILITY AND THE RESOURCEFULNESS IN THE FACE OF NECESSITY.

OTHERS SEE IT AS A LARGELY BOTCHED ATTEMPT TO PUT A SQUARE PEG INTO A ROUND HOLE.

THE WHOLE TRUTH OF THIS QUESTION WILL CERTAINLY TAKE MANY YEARS TO UNFOLD.

I'M DAVID EISENHOWER, THANKS FOR WATCHING.

ANNOUNCER: THIS EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH" WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY WILLIAM AND SUSAN DORAN, UGI CORPORATION, NJM INSURANCE, CNX RESOURCES CORPORATION, RAZA BOKHARI, JOHN AND PATRICIA WALSH, THE CHARLES KOCH INSTITUTE.