Tommy Holtmeier is a dual major in Computer Science and Math Secondary Education at Mount St. Joseph University. He published research in an academic journal with professors Dr. Brook Batch and Dr. Rebecca Allen. Holtmeier, class of 2027, started his research during his freshman year in a required undergraduate research class for Computer Science majors. He chose to study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on high school math classrooms, aligning with his interest in math education.
Holtmeier’s research focused on private Catholic high schools. He interviewed four math teachers from two local Catholic private schools and reviewed data from 29 academic studies. His findings showed that the pandemic negatively affected student performance and engagement in high school math. He also found that students who were in grade school during the pandemic had difficulties adjusting to high school, indicating ongoing effects from disrupted learning.
Holtmeier emphasized private schools in his research. As a graduate of Elder High School, he wanted to include private school experiences in studies about the impact of COVID-19 on education. He stated that understanding challenges in private schools is as important as in public schools. His research adds information about this group…