Dean of School of Education Offers Advice for K-12 Virtual Learning
Gary Ritter, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education, was interviewed in March on St. Louis on the Air on NPR, a radio show dedicated to bringing listeners the stories of St. Louis and exploring the challenges confronting the region.
Ritter spoke with Sarah Fenske, the show鈥檚 host, and St. Louis Public Radio鈥檚 education
reporter, Ryan Delaney, about the best practices for K-12 virtual learning and how
teachers and parents can prepare their students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the
resultant school closures.
Ritter began by discussing the effects of conducting classes remotely and the potential
that it will lead to a more pronounced 鈥渟ummer slide鈥濃�攚herein students lose the academic
progress they鈥檝e made during the school year. He reflected on the fact that students
from less advantaged or affluent backgrounds are more likely to experience this shift,
due to their lack of access to crucial resources. Ritter and Delaney both spoke to
the experiences of parents who are now expected to, in some ways, assume the role
of a teacher, and they concluded that the most important thing is to keep students
engaged with learning and to hold reasonable expectations.
During the interview, the topic of homeschooling children with autism or other disabilities
was brought up by a listener. For these children and their families, support can be
sought from the Center for Autism Services, opened this past year in the SLU School of Education.
Ritter also shared 麻豆传媒鈥檚 , a site which details a running list of resources for students, parents, and teachers
to utilize in this time of virtual learning.
鈥淥ne of the key pieces of best advice is don鈥檛 expect perfection,鈥� Ritter noted.
He added that educators and parents should be willing to be gentle on themselves and
on their students, and if they would like to be connected with a faculty member who
might be helpful to them, they are welcome to contact slued@slu.edu.
As the school year reaches its conclusion, it is likely that there will be multiple
opportunities for students and families to find tutoring or other forms of support
to prepare students for the 2020-21 school year. Just as students will face challenges
in fall 2020, teachers and school leaders will be seeking strategies to help students
make up for the instructional time that was lost this spring. Faculty and staff from
the School of Education are currently developing strategies to deliver tutoring to
local students (virtual or otherwise) and professional development for local educators
(again, virtual or otherwise) in response to these challenges.
To listen to the full conversation, please visit and keep an eye out for news from the School of Education related to tutoring or
professional development opportunities.