NYKids Director Kristen Wilcox Participates in the Intelligent Community Forum
By, Aaron Leo, Jessie Tobin, and Kristen C. Wilcox
On June 29, NYKids Director of Research and Development Kristen Wilcox participated in the Top7 Intelligent Communities Conference hosted by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). The ICF is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community.
Joined by Dr. David Staley, Associate Professor at the Ohio State University and Dr. Norman Jacknis, Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum, Dr. Wilcox discussed a variety of topics focusing on education during the COVID-19 pandemic and ways in which educators have endeavored to manage the numerous challenges they faced over the last 18 months.
How COVID-19 Has Impacted NYKids’ Research
When asked about how the pandemic has affected her work at the University at Albany and with NYKids, Dr. Wilcox explained the pandemic forced our team to quickly wrap-up our Student Study on College and Career Readiness. The NYKids team quickly pivoted to a new study focusing on the impact on educators’ stress levels, which is discussed in previous blogs. This study has already yielded important findings regarding the differential impact of the pandemic on educators serving communities with higher rates of poverty.
Post-Pandemic Challenges Facing Schools
Dr. Wilcox also spoke of the challenges faced by educators transitioning to remote teaching. More work is needed, explained Dr. Wilcox, to understand the best practices for remote teaching especially for learners with special needs and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Moreover, the digital divide continues to persist often in rural areas where students may not have access to reliable, high-speed internet. Additionally, Dr. Wilcox addressed the need to help educators become more comfortable with integrating technology into their instruction, as some teachers have demonstrated higher skills in what is known as technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) than others.
In her concluding thoughts, Dr. Wilcox described the need for more collaboration and networking teams in varied P-12 contexts. In postsecondary classes, too, educators must work to better prepare school and district leaders and teachers how to prepare for disruptions.
Click here for more research from NYKids. You can also catch up on previous blogs here or find a range of resources via our resources page.
Thank you for your interest in our research and we welcome you to reach out with any comments or questions, or to request direct support for planning for reopening in the fall at nykids@albany.edu.
