“Public Education Will Never Be the Same”: How COVID-19 Forced School District Leaders to Innovate on the Fly
In this brief, we summarize themes from an American School District Panel survey on innovation during COVID-19.
How Are School Districts Addressing Student Social-Emotional Needs during the Pandemic?
In this brief, we look at how our nationally representative sample of 477 school districts attended to students’ social-emotional learning and well-being in fall 2020.
In the future, diverse approaches to schooling
This article originally ran in the November 2010 edition of the Phi Delta Kappan. We’re republishing it here because many of the ideas it describes are now being tested in real time on a large scale, as school systems across the country experiment with new structures that allow them to support remote learning. Critics of […]
Don’t force square-peg students back into wrong-shaped holes
While President Biden has promised to have most public schools open within his first 100 days, new data indicate it will be a daunting challenge. Spiking virus rates and intense opposition from teachers unions is causing many school districts to revert to all-remote instruction. The benefits of in-person contact with friends and teachers are real. […]
Five lessons on how community-driven learning hubs could change school districts long-term
In the final months of 2020, we sat in on nearly three dozen conversations with teams of district leaders and community-based nonprofits that are collaborating to run learning hubs. Learning hubs provide in-person learning environments or intensive virtual support to students—often in small groups. They offer school systems promising opportunities to rethink how they work […]
What does ‘attendance’ mean for remote learners in a pandemic? How 106 districts are dealing with absenteeism, student engagement & grades
Our analysis of reopening plans in 106 large, high-profile districts finds that they have taken student engagement and attendance far more seriously this fall than they did after schools first closed last spring. But many school systems have struggled to create consistent rules, especially for remote learners.
Thinking forward in 2021: We must safely reopen schools, but the goal cannot be a return to normal
What a year! Since early in March, the CRPE team has been operating at full steam to try to be helpful in the pandemic. In the first few months we pushed for urgent action to prepare schools to move to remote learning. I am incredibly proud of the CRPE team. We were often exhausted, but […]
How Can Learning Management Systems be Used Effectively to Improve Student Engagement?
This paper summarizes findings from a consensus panel on using data from learning management systems and software to help educators understand and improve student engagement during remote instruction.
Student Supports, Professional Development, Operations and Finance at Proyecto Vimenti
Three papers document lessons about finance and operations, professional development, and student support from the first year and a half of Proyecto Vimenti, Puerto Rico’s first public charter school.
How Is School Enrollment in Washington State Shifting during COVID-19?
This brief examines shifts in Washington State’s public school enrollment after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
