The Impact of COVID-19 on Islamic Schools in the United States: Implications and Recommendations

Abstract

Brifkani, I., & Khan, S. (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 on Islamic Schools in the United States. JournalofEducationin MuslimSocieties,2(2),82–89. DOI 10.2979/jems.2.2.05 • Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Islamic Thought The Impact of COVID-19 on Islamic Schools in the United States Implications and Recommendations Isra Brifkani and Shaza Khan INTRODUCTION T he COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruption to education , as an estimated 1.6 billion students were impacted by school closures globally (United Nations, 2020). Both the fragility and agility of educational institutions were on display as schools worldwide endeavored to respond to the pandemic and pivot to distance learning models. In the United States, the impact was felt in both public and private school sectors. Ramifications of school closures on educational institutions and children across the country were experienced in varying degrees, raising concerns regarding equity and equal access to resources and tools necessary for student success. According to the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA), there are approximately 300 full-time Islamic schools in the United States (ISLA, 2021). Like their private school counterparts of other religious and nondenominational backgrounds, Islamic schools faced the pandemic with uncertainty. Their future stability was threatened by the disruption COVID-19 caused in the economic sector and its trickle-down impact on Isra Brifkani is a Research Associate at the Islamic Schools League of America. Her research interests include wholeness in education from an Islamic perspective as inspired by tarbiyah. In addition to her role at ISLA, she serves as a school board member and leads the Islamic Whole Child Education Project at Nashville International Academy. She works to promote educative experiences that are transformative and cultivate positive change in students—academically, spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Shaza Khan is the Executive Director of the Islamic Schools League of America. She has worked in Islamic education for over 15 years as a teacher, curriculum developer and researcher. Her research interests include Muslim identity and adolescent development. TheImpactofCOVID-19onIslamicSchoolsintheUnitedStates · Brifkani & Khan83 enrollment, tuition, and donation dollars, upon which Islamic schools rely heavily. Under pressure to provide continuity and minimize academic disruption , Islamic schools across the United States invested immense energy to adapt to the pandemic and offer their educational services through distance learning platforms within a span of days or weeks. The new reality that schools across the globe had to face—specifically, abrupt interruptions to their educational programming for an unforeseen future—was not part of the education manuals or training educators had received. Organizations that support Islamic schools, such as ISLA, provided professional development webinars, courses, and guidance to Islamic schools on topics ranging from hybrid learning design to teaching with technology, fundraising during a pandemic, and mental health support for both teachers and students. These resources supported Islamic school leaders and teachers as they concluded the academic year, many of them still operating virtually. Yet, as the 2019–2020 academic school year ended and a new one commenced, Islamic schools grappled with the conundrum of reopening schools via in-person, hybrid, or virtual learning models. Their decisions required that they take into account federal and local guidelines on school reopenings, the needs of their school community, and the resources available to them to maintain their educational services. To provide a data-based perspective and guidance to Islamic schools, ISLA administered a survey to gauge the impact COVID-19 had on current Islamic school enrollment and instructional delivery models. The data would serve as a benchmarking tool for Islamic schools and provide a broad-view picture of how Islamic schools were operating as the pandemic continued to impact educational institutions even with the start of a new school year. In the sections that follow, we provide a brief background of Islamic schools in the United States and then discuss the survey methodology , results, and implications of the findings. BACKGROUND The first full-time Islamic schools in the United States were established 90 years ago, known as the “University of Islam.” These were K-12 schools for children of the Nation of Islam to provide an empowering alternative to public schools that perpetuated white supremacy and racial and economic inequality for Black students. They...