The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus is affecting many aspects of Research Alliance’s work, and, more importantly, the lives of those in New York City schools and communities. As NYC schools temporarily close and transition to remote learning, the Research Alliance will continue the pursuit of our mission—and will find ways to be helpful as we can during this exceptionally challenging time. As we await more news from district and city officials, we are delaying some of our planned fieldwork and reconfiguring other research activities to occur virtually. Some education research conferences have been cancelled (including the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Spring conference and SIGCSE 2020: A Vision for the Next 50 Years, both of which would have featured presentations of Research Alliance work).

We are heartened that other conferences have gone to a virtual format. For example, Cheri Fancsali and our collaborator from Education Development Corporation, June Mark, presented a paper on the NYC CS4All initiative at the virtual Research on Equity & Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing & Technology (RESPECT) conference on March 11. Looking out to April, Deputy Director Cheri Fancsali will particpate in a panel discussion during NNERPP's special “SREE-edition” Brown Bag at 3pm EST on Tuesday, April 7. Research Alliance staff will also participate virtually in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual conference (April 17-21). With our collaborators from ExpandED Schools, we will take part in a symposium that highlights how afterschool research can inform practice. We will also join a roundtable discussion, together with partners from IMPAQ International and SRI International, about our study of students’ “mathematics identity” in an afterschool program.

We look forward to sharing findings from our work and connecting with other conference goers remotely.