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During the COVID-19 pandemic, families with young children were suddenly tasked with adapting to remote schooling, where lessons were largely delivered online via screen media devices. Meanwhile, concerns rose about increased amount of time young children were spending with screen media devices during periods of "lockdown". Few studies have examined caregivers' experiences of navigating remote schooling with the youngest learners, who are likely to be particularly dependent on caregivers. Further, no studies to our knowledge have examined how the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to remote schooling interacted with caregivers' perceptions and practices regarding child screen media use at home. Using thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 26 low-income caregivers of young children in Miami-Dade County, Florida, we examined caregivers' experiences with remote schooling and their perceptions of and experiences with child screen media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results demonstrated that caregivers experienced challenges in facilitating remote schooling for their young children, and that the pandemic and remote schooling brought about notable changes in perceptions and habits around child screen media use at home. These results have implications for future planning around schooling in times of crisis and around incorporation of educational technology into the schooling process, and suggest the need for updating guidelines for caregivers of young children around screen media use to account for the increased integration of screen media devices in schooling and everyday life.

There is nationwide concern that the abrupt transition to remote instruction in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic will have detrimental impacts on student learning. As a uniquely vulnerable group within schools, students with disabilities like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at enhanced risk for these negative outcomes. The present study features a unique examination of achievement scores, collected for two Cohorts (2018-2019, 2019-2020) of students with ADHD. By collecting achievement data in both the fall and spring for each Cohort, direct comparisons between changes in achievement for Cohort One (2018-2019) can be made to those in Cohort Two (2019-2020). Analyses summarized remote learning practices, within-group changes in achievement data over time for Cohort Two, and between-group differences in score changes over time for Cohorts One and Two. Teachers used a variety of remote learning approaches, including videoconferencing and independently completed assignments. Student achievement scores in both Cohorts significantly improved from fall to spring. No significant differences were found in score growth between the Cohorts, indicating that the move to remote instruction did not have a differentially negative impact on Cohort Two. Implications focus on the promise of well-delivered remote instruction, and the need to examine individual factors (such as poor internet access) that may exacerbate the risk of students with disabilities receiving remote instruction.

Few studies have examined the impact of co-use of educational apps on child learning. Co-use may be especially important for children at higher risk of poor outcomes, including children from economically disadvantaged families and those with behavior problems; however existing studies on co-use have not utilized at-risk samples. Thus, the current study examined whether parent co-use of interactive media facilitates learning in a sample of 40 low-income 4- and 5-year old children at risk for behavior problems. Using an experimental design, this study examined whether children's performance improved on a coding app game (Coding Safari) either with or without a parent, compared to a control condition in which in which dyads played with a coloring app. Children in the parent-child condition performed significantly better on the task at posttest than children in the control condition, controlling for pretest scores, child age, child general cognitive ability, behavior problem severity, and parent education. Additionally, there was a significant linear trend, with children in the parent-child condition performing the best followed by children in the solo play and control conditions, respectively. Results provide some of the first experimental evidence that parent-child co-use of educational apps may be beneficial for children's learning. IMPACT SUMMARY a. Prior State of Knowledge: Previous studies have demonstrated that parents play an important role in supporting young children's learning from books and television. However, little direct evidence is available about the extent to which parent co-use may promote learning from educational app games. b. Novel Contributions: This study was the first to provide experimental evidence that co-use of educational apps with parents may be advantageous for young children's learning from apps. c. Practical Implications: The findings support current guidelines that recommend that parents co-use media, including interactive media containing features intended to provide instructional support and feedback to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]