A school reentry program to help student and teacher reengagement after the Covid lockdown

Student and Teacher Evaluation of a School Reentry Programme Following the Initial Covid19 Lockdown in Italy. The Covid19 pandemic raised concerns regarding millions of children’s mental health. For schools, the real challenge has been how to manage the situation in terms of continuing education and development. This investigation was carried out to evaluate a school reentry programme that supported teachers and students with activities aimed at processing emotions and lockdown experiences in their classrooms. In September 2020, after the first lockdown in Italy was over, the programme was delivered by 54 different teachers (90% female) to 911 students (mean age 7.8, SD 3.5, 48.8% female, 72 % primary school, 28% middle school) in the Umbria region in Italy. To evaluate the activities, we employed a descriptive study design with data collection at two points in time: T0, before commencing the activities, and T1, after finishing them. To assess their anxiety and emotional state, students completed the PANAS-C and the STAI-C questionnaire. Additionally, students and teachers retrospectively completed an ad hoc appreciation questionnaire, comprised of Likert-type and open-ended questions. Wilcoxon tests showed that the programme was significantly associated with a concomitant decrease in STAI (Z = -3.57; p < .001; r = .16) and PANAS-C negative emotions (Z = -5.95; p < .001; r = .27). No statistical significative differences in positive emotions were detected. Qualitative results showed that teachers appreciated the chances to emotionally listen to their students and provide them with coping and community empowerment activities, while children liked and welcomed the chance to draw and tell about their lockdown experience. Taken together, these results show that a tailored school reentry programme can play an important role in fostering resilience and development in schools during a crisis.