Keeping our schools safe: Examining perceptions of crisis frequency and preparedness of educators in a statewide online charter school
Location
Teacher Readiness (Session 4 Breakouts)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of crisis preparedness and frequency for educators in online platforms. This quantitative research study surveyed data from 143 online educators in the state of Georgia to evaluate and report their current perceptions of preparedness for in numerous crisis areas that impact K-12 students. The findings provided insight into the lack of feelings of ‘very prepared’ for suspecting and responding to crisis, with 45.8% of educators noting they were very prepared in suspecting neglect, 47.6% in suspecting abuse, 53.1% in suspecting suicidal ideations, and 18.9% in homicidal ideations. Furthermore, educators lacked in feeling ‘very prepared’ to respond to various traumatic experiences with 9.8% in feeling very prepared responding to an unexpected death of a student, 7.7% responding to unexpected death of a teacher, 18.9% responding to natural disasters, and 7.7% responding to terrorist threats. Findings suggest a need for further training in and planning for crisis management for online educators. Recommendations for future research include gathering data on a larger scope from online education professionals across the nation. With the 2020 health pandemic, this research is of utmost importance in maintaining safety in K-12 schooling.
Keywords
Crisis preparedness, online learning, charter school, professional learning, school safety
Professional Bio
Katherine Fallon is a graduate assistant for the College of Education in the Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development at Georgia Southern University. She received a Bachelor’s from the University of Alabama and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Georgia Southern University.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Fallon, Katherine; McBrayer, Juliann; Tysinger, Jeffrey; Tysinger, Dawn; and Diamanduros, Terry D., "Keeping our schools safe: Examining perceptions of crisis frequency and preparedness of educators in a statewide online charter school" (2020). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 50.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2020/2020/50
Keeping our schools safe: Examining perceptions of crisis frequency and preparedness of educators in a statewide online charter school
Teacher Readiness (Session 4 Breakouts)
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of crisis preparedness and frequency for educators in online platforms. This quantitative research study surveyed data from 143 online educators in the state of Georgia to evaluate and report their current perceptions of preparedness for in numerous crisis areas that impact K-12 students. The findings provided insight into the lack of feelings of ‘very prepared’ for suspecting and responding to crisis, with 45.8% of educators noting they were very prepared in suspecting neglect, 47.6% in suspecting abuse, 53.1% in suspecting suicidal ideations, and 18.9% in homicidal ideations. Furthermore, educators lacked in feeling ‘very prepared’ to respond to various traumatic experiences with 9.8% in feeling very prepared responding to an unexpected death of a student, 7.7% responding to unexpected death of a teacher, 18.9% responding to natural disasters, and 7.7% responding to terrorist threats. Findings suggest a need for further training in and planning for crisis management for online educators. Recommendations for future research include gathering data on a larger scope from online education professionals across the nation. With the 2020 health pandemic, this research is of utmost importance in maintaining safety in K-12 schooling.
