U.S. Department of Education Seeks New Data on Pandemic’s Effect on Schools
August 5, 2020
In a recent notice, the U.S. Department of Education proposed collecting new data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ways in which states use federal aid and flexibility. Specifically, the department is interested in reviewing state data pertaining to federally granted waivers of ESSA requirements, most notable waivers of standardized testing mandates, as well as data on how states and districts used federal funds to help in “pandemic recovery.” Education Week reporter Andrew Ujifusa said, “If the proposed data collection becomes a reality, we could eventually learn a lot more about how states and schools handled key policy questions during the pandemic.”