For these six schools, pandemic-era innovation demanded “know thyself”
Over the past year, we worked with six high schools in New England to learn how they’re reimagining the high school experience.
Shrink the cereal box—but not the school week
As health and safety concerns recede, districts are under pressure to provide fewer days and hours of student-teacher contact than before the pandemic.
The COVID crisis cracked our education system. A new reform coalition must come together to fix it in the interest of children
This piece originally appeared in The 74. Anyone who cares about kids must rejoice over their being back in school with their peers. But that should not blind us to the harsh truths we have learned about our public education system, how badly it responded to the pandemic and how, as always, it served those with […]
Teacher collaboration: Students and educators need systematic organizational responses this school year
In 2020–21, many teachers, despite all of their struggles, saw a surge of collaboration and coordination.
These 232 innovative schools are challenging old assumptions about education
A diverse array of communities are working to reinvent schooling in pursuit of their visions for thriving young people and families.
The State of the American District: Refocusing State and Local Agendas on Teaching, Learning, and Engagement
Surveys of a national panel of superintendents revealed that many districts are expanding nonacademic services, navigating an immediate staffing crunch and longer-range fiscal uncertainty when federal recovery funds expire, and expanding virtual schools.
What schools can learn from learning pods about supporting effective teacher-student relationships
When schools closed down last spring, some parents and educators responded by forming “pandemic pods,” or small groups of students who came together outside of school to learn during the pandemic. These experiments from last year provide some important examples of how families and educators can affirm students’ identities, instill a sense of belonging, and […]
Pandemic learning pod instructors loved teaching, but don’t want to be traditional classroom teachers
Samantha* had been a veteran educator for fourteen years, first as a classroom teacher and then a principal, when the pandemic shut down schools. Last year, when she learned about the then-growing learning pod movement, she thought starting one would help solve several immediate problems. “[My daughter] needs social interaction,” she said in an interview. […]
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 […]