On Thursday, September 10, PHR held a conversation about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education as school districts across the United States consider how best to educate children while prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of students, teachers, and their families. Our moderator was Ranit Mishori, MD, MHS, senior medical advisor at PHR.
Distinguished panelists
- Sara Bode, MD, FAAP is a primary care pediatrician and the medical director of Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Care Connection School-Based Health and Mobile Clinics. She serves on the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health. She appeared on Good Morning America to discuss school reopenings during the pandemic.
- Meira Levinson, PhD is a professor of education and a normative political philosopher working at the intersection of civic education, youth empowerment, racial justice, and educational ethics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In July, she co-authored a New England Journal of Medicine article on reopening primary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. She formerly taught in the Atlanta and Boston public school systems.
- Keisha Scarlett, EdD is the chief of equity, partnerships, and engagement at Seattle Public Schools. She has served in multiple education roles, including as STEM teacher and district administrator. She is an author of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s report, “Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” and has appeared on WBUR Boston to discuss school reopening challenges experienced by communities of color.
- Heidi Schweingruber, PhD is the director of the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, where her work includes K-12 science education, informal science education and higher education. She is an editor of the National Academies’ report, “Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
The conversation was moderated by Ranit Mishori, MD, MHS, senior medical advisor at PHR. She is a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and serves as interim chief public health officer of Georgetown University.