It’s time for a new K–12 reform agenda
For the second year in a row, many school districts are not ready to switch kids to remote learning if in-person school is interrupted. While most large districts offer full-time remote learning, parents had to choose at the beginning of the year and cannot easily switch in or out. Now, many districts are forced to send hundreds or even thousands of COVID-exposed kids […]
Leaders should learn from families of color who shaped education during the pandemic
COVID-19 has been deeply traumatic and disruptive for students and families. But the pandemic also created opportunities for families and community organizations to design their own solutions to educational challenges that existed long before it. As school systems move into the 2021–22 school year, they should learn from experiments led by Black and Latinx families […]
Surging enrollment in virtual schools during the pandemic spurs new questions for policymakers
During the 2020–21 school year, a large share of students opted to enroll in established, full-time virtual schools. Our analysis of federal enrollment data suggests parents, perhaps dissatisfied with remote schooling or concerned about the safety of in-person learning, sought new alternatives to traditional school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined data from the […]
Closing the void at the core of public education
As schools reopen, it is less clear than ever what public education is for. States and districts resist testing students to see what they know now, and many won’t judge schools on whether anyone learns. National assessments are on hold, and traditional elements of the curriculum—and even grading—are under assault as supporting white supremacy. Yes, […]
Has the number of homeschoolers doubled? Or are the lines blurring?
One Saturday morning a few years ago, I was walking through an outdoor market in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., where I lived at the time, when something piqued my professional curiosity. A group of homeschool students were showing off art projects. I was trying to get a better feel for the various homeschool cooperatives that […]
Notes from our database: The latest on 2021-22’s rocky return to school
The scramble to reopen schools, keep students safe, and keep them learning hasn’t abated.
Families delivered innovative solutions to pandemic-fueled education disruptions. Policymakers should support them to do so again
After an optimistic summer, Delta’s rise and an escalating public health situation has crushed many people’s hope for a quiet, even “normal” school year. Families worried about the risks presented by COVID-19 are increasingly stuck between a rock and a hard place: accept the risks that come with in-person instruction—often with inadequate mitigation measures—or face […]
More masks, more vaccines, more online learning, but what about quarantines? The latest on school district fall reopening
More school districts are requiring masks and vaccines, and remote learning plans are more detailed as the threat of the Delta variant looms.
Division or détente?
Divisions about mask and vaccine mandates, in-person vs. remote learning, student discipline, and racism and anti-racism in the curriculum will make it difficult for schools to serve anyone well this year. In some localities, district and school leaders face a multi-dimensional catch-22, as any move they make is sure to outrage some group of parents, […]
District update: Stronger health precautions, far more virtual options
School districts have stepped up health precautions and expanded virtual learning options as they prepare for students’ return to school.
