Essential education reporting across America

A comprehensive look at COVID-19’s impact on school communities

A bustling street in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, with traffic moving under a subway track and shadows lining the street.
Pandemic 360 Pandemic 360
Pandemic 360: A comprehensive look at COVID’s impact on school communities
In Pandemic 360, Chalkbeat and Univision 41 explore the many ways COVID-19 impacted the lives of students, parents, and teachers in Newark and New York City.
By Carrie Melago
 
A woman with golden hair wearing a blue vest poses for a portrait in a school hallway.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
‘Una gran familia’: How WhatsApp helped a small Brooklyn school remain a big family in the face of isolation and grief
WhatsApp became a lifeline for the largely Spanish-speaking families of P.S. 89. Here’s how parents used it to connect the Brooklyn school community amid COVID.
By Christina Veiga
Students walk outside a school in Brooklyn. The school is brick, and a young student in a white shirt is in the foreground.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
Students, parents and experts in NYC and Newark weigh in on mental health in schools
By Alex Zimmerman
 
A young man works at his desk, wearing glasses, a protective mask, and a blue polo shirt. Several other students work at their desks around him in a classroom.
Pandemic 360 Pandemic 360
Para estos estudiantes, el dolor de la pandemia resultó en activismo. Esto es lo que dicen que debería pasar ahora.
By Caroline Bauman
 
A young man works at his desk, wearing glasses, a protective mask, and a blue polo shirt. Several other students work at their desks around him in a classroom.
Pandemic 360 Pandemic 360
For these students, pandemic pain gave rise to activism. Here’s what they say should happen now.
By Caroline Bauman
 
A multi-photo collage of Newark teacher Milybet Montijo-Cepeda, who uses a variety of outfits to engage her students.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
Esta nativa de Newark vio la necesidad tener maestros de educación especial bilingües. Y regresó a casa para responder al llamado.
By Caroline Bauman
 
A multi-photo collage of Newark teacher Milybet Montijo-Cepeda, who uses a variety of outfits to engage her students.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
This Newark native saw a need for bilingual special education teachers. She moved back home to answer the call.
Mily Cepeda started teaching two decades ago but was in her first year at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School in Newark when the pandemic struck.
By Caroline Bauman
 
Milagros Reyes stands outside of the red-brick facade of P.S. 89 with her son, fifth grader José, on a beautiful June afternoon.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
‘Reconstruir nuestro sentido de comunidad’: Una escuela de Brooklyn busca encontrar alegría y conexión después de un año devastador
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Milagros Reyes stands outside of the red-brick facade of P.S. 89 with her son, fifth grader José, on a beautiful June afternoon.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
‘How do we rebuild a sense of community?’ A Brooklyn school seeks to find joy and connection after a devastating year
As COVID-19 infection rates plummet, P.S. 89 is grappling with how to fully reopen schools while addressing students’ emotional wounds and learning gaps.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Patricia Coyotecatl, wearing a black dress and white sneakers, sits on the concrete front steps of her home in Newark, which is framed by a white metal fence on either side.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
“Fue un caos”: Una madre de Newark reflexiona acerca de sobrevivir COVID, el aprendizaje virtual y mucho más
La experiencia de su familia es un ejemplo de cómo los maestros de la escuela Roseville guiaron a los estudiantes y a sus padres esa primavera mientras las familias navegaban por el aprendizaje virtual y también enfrentaban obstáculos.
By Catherine Carrera
 
Patricia Coyotecatl, wearing a black dress and white sneakers, sits on the concrete front steps of her home in Newark, which is framed by a white metal fence on either side.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
‘Literally chaos’: A Newark mom reflects on surviving COVID, virtual learning and more
A Newark family’s experience exemplifies how Roseville educators guided students and parents as families navigated virtual learning while grappling with illness and other obstacles.
By Catherine Carrera
 
The Dairo family, consisting of parents John and Oyefunmilola and their young children, Abigail, Michael and infant Elijah, sit together on their living room couch next to a window.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
Las escuelas y las familias sobrevivieron este año juntas. ¿Durará esta colaboración?
By Patrick Wall
 
The Dairo family, consisting of parents John and Oyefunmilola and their young children, Abigail, Michael and infant Elijah, sit together on their living room couch next to a window.
From Chalkbeat Newark Pandemic 360
Schools and families weathered the pandemic together. Will the partnership last?
By Patrick Wall
 
Yasirys Pichardo, wearing a tan pantsuit, stands against a red brick wall lined with windows while three women walk down the the path outside of P.S. 89.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
‘It was a roller coaster’: A job running a Brooklyn after-school program transformed into triage during the pandemic
Schools like P.S. 89 serve as safety nets for families by forging bonds with community organizations. But those needs took on a new urgency during COVID.
By Reema Amin
 
Yasirys Pichardo, wearing a tan pantsuit, stands against a red brick wall lined with windows while three women walk down the the path outside of P.S. 89.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
‘Fue una montaña rusa’: Dirigir un programa extraescolar en Brooklyn se transformó en un triaje durante la pandemia
By Reema Amin
 
Nancy Yeh, center, poses with two of her students to celebrate College Decision Day. Decorations and gold balloons denote the year 2019.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
A pesar de la pérdida y la soledad, el año fue todo menos “perdido”, dice esta maestra de matemáticas de NYC
By Caroline Bauman
 
A bustling street in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, with traffic moving under a subway track and shadows lining the street.
Pandemic 360 Pandemic 360
Pandemia 360: Una mirada al impacto de COVID en las comunidades escolares
By Carrie Melago
 
A woman with golden hair wearing a blue vest poses for a portrait in a school hallway.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
Cómo WhatsApp ayudó a una pequeña escuela de Brooklyn a seguir siendo ‘una gran familia’ durante un periodo de aislamiento y dolor
By Christina Veiga
 
Nancy Yeh, center, poses with two of her students to celebrate College Decision Day. Decorations and gold balloons denote the year 2019.
From Chalkbeat New York Pandemic 360
Despite loss and loneliness, the year was anything but ‘lost’ this NYC math teacher says
Nancy Yeh, an MIT graduate, teaches at Bronx Latin in New York City. Here’s why she says the school year marked by COVID-19 was anything but “lost.”
By Caroline Bauman
 
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