In this paper, we propose to discuss the first results of an ongoing research project focused on the analysis of the post-pandemic changes introduced in the Portuguese schools of first cycle (the first four years of schooling – grades one to four) and the second cycle (the next two years – grades five and six) of basic education (ISCED 1).

At the national level, the several research works conducted on the shutdown of schools, with the imposition of confinement and of an emergency remote teaching (e.g., Alves & Cabral, 2020; Benavente et al., 2020; CNE, 2021; Fernandes et al, 2021; IAVE, 2021; Martins, 2020) highlighted as main effects on the education system: 1) the worsening of school inequalities translated, namely, in the differentiated access to working conditions in the family space, to technological equipment, to knowledge and to digital literacy; 2) the loss of learning; 3) the increased risk of dropping out; 4)  limitations at the level of the development of emotional and social skills of the students.

Similarly, other international studies (e.g., Bannink & Dam, 2021; Cohen-Fraade & Donahu 2022; König et al., 2020; Mari et al., 2021; MacIntyre et al., 2020; OECD, 2021; Pirone, 2021; Zacanjo et al, 2022), highlighted: 1) the relationship of the pandemic to the unravelling of social and economic inequalities and the worsening of school inequalities, particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe; 2) the effects of "fractured ecologies" (Bannink & Van, 2021, p.2 ) resulting from the dissociation of sharing the same physical space between teachers and students, amplified by computer-mediated communication, in the organization of teaching, curriculum compliance and motivation for learning; 3) the gaps in the digital skills of the teaching staff; and 4) the working conditions of teachers generated by the pandemic, in a perspective of psychological well-being, especially among those with children and with greater difficulties in balancing professional duties and personal and family life.

In the review of the scientific literature published between 2020 and 2022, we found, however, that the research conducted focused either on the analysis of the effects of the pandemic on education, as we have explained, particularly in secondary and higher education, or on the type of changes generated by crisis management plans implemented in schools.

The proposal of this project arises, precisely, from the identification of this gap and intends to answer the following research questions, considering the three central axes of analysis highlighted by this literature review:
Q1. What post-pandemic changes were implemented to mitigate school inequalities?
Q2. What post-pandemic changes can we identify in the working conditions provided to teachers and in the promotion of their well-being and mental health?
Q3. What post-pandemic changes can we identify in supporting the recovery of students' learning, in monitoring and assessing their learning?

To answer these questions, the research plan follows an integrative mixed-methods methodological approach (Åkerblad et al., 2020) that includes questionnaires and focus groups. The questionnaires are being applied up to a maximum number of 300 directors and 700 teachers, based on a purposive sample of 1st cycle (N= 3 589) and 2nd cycle (N=916) public schools, considering that: 1) survey instruments do not aim at inference of attributes for a population; 2) an intentional sample often preserves relationships between variables. Data will be processed using SPSS (closed-ended questions; descriptive and multivariate statistics) and MAXQDA (open-ended questions; content analysis) software. Three focus groups will be conducted considering the axes of analysis of this work: 1) socioeducational inequalities; 2) working conditions, well-being and mental health of teachers; and 3) recovery of learning, monitoring and assessment of students. The recruitment of participants will seek to ensure that stakeholders are representative. A maximum of 12 participants will be invited. Each discussion session will have a maximum duration of 3 hours, divided into two parts of 1.5 hours each. The contributions will be audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using MAXQDA software.

The first results of this work suggest that there was: 1) an extension of some of the equity measures previously implemented by the government, such as the increase of students with social and economic aid and the implementation at a national level of an Integrated Plan for the Recovery of Learning; 2) a reinforcement of technological equipment in schools and of the supply of continuous teacher training in this area; 3) by contrast, the changes introduced in their pedagogical practices, as well as, the actions implemented to promote their well-being and mental health, and addressed to the provision of training in socio-emotional skills that may support their pedagogical work in the current post-pandemic context, are less expressive; 4) It is also at the level of socio-emotional skills, relationships, autonomy and communication with peers and teachers that students have shown the greatest difficulties in making up ground.

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