School in the time of COVID-19
Education has been one of the hardest hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since COVID-19 cases spiked in the United States in March, schools across the country have shut down. Children of all ages have been sent home from the classroom, and have had to dive head first into online learning. These nationwide shutdowns have affected millions of students. From elementary classes learning foundational skills through a Zoom classroom, to higher education students being sent home from college across the country. Education in the time of COVID-19 has a long journey before things start to look normal again. Temporary Structures for Schools is just one of the many protocols being considered as schools begin to reopen.
How are schools adapting?
During the lock downs of Spring 2020, schools of all levels adapted to the virus by moving online. However, students have felt more fatigued, less engaged, and not motivated. Being in person with a teacher and other students creates a social environment that is a more engaging place to learn. Through a study at Stanford University, lower performing students have shown an even greater decline in performance in the switch to online classes. While students who don’t usually struggle with education material seem to still be performing well. While those who do struggle have been struggling more. As fall is upon us and some schools begin to look at the prospect of re-opening, schools have a lot of safety options to weigh, one of which could be temporary structures.
Temporary Structures for Schools
While many schools remain closed for the fall, there are a few schools that are testing out possibilities for reopening. This includes increased sanitation, enforcing the wearing of masks, and social distancing guidelines. Schools have also begun to test out the possibility of using outdoor temporary structures as a way to bring students back on campus. Marlborough School for girls in Los Angeles is a private school in the suburb of Highland Park.
They are currently in a remote learning model, but they are re-assessing their ability to open every month. With this reassessment, they have partnered with Choura to build some outdoor structures and tents to allow for better social distancing measures between students. We have built outdoor classrooms and outdoor seating areas for them in compliance with social distancing guidelines in order to ensure a safe return to campus. As schools across the nation look for solutions to reopening, temporary outdoor structures can be a great option for schools in locations where weather permits outdoor learning.
Sources:
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/23/how-effective-is-online-learning-what-the.html
