Virtual IEPs should stay
This is the first blog post in our Notes from the Field: Special Education blog series. When the pandemic hit last spring, schools across the country shifted out of sheer necessity to virtual meetings to discuss students’ Individual Education Plans (IEP). But the move has had some unanticipated benefits, with some educators and parents praising them […]
Pandemic pods show the value of designing for individual needs. Will we learn from them?
Pandemic pods were born out of necessity, as schools shuttered around the country last spring and families cast out in search of urgent solutions to childcare and remote learning support. But in a year characterized by unprecedented disruption and loss, families and educators participating in pods discovered something important: students, educators, and families benefit from […]
In thousands of districts, 4-day school weeks are robbing students of learning time for what amounts to hygiene theater
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made clear that good ventilation and consistent mask wearing are far more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 than disinfecting surfaces. This clarification was long overdue. Scientists have long suspected that the virus is mainly airborne. They recognized that measures like deep cleaning and temperature checks […]
The summer puzzle: Summer plans to date are lacking in key areas
CRPE’s review of 100 urban and large school districts for summer plans finds that, similar to last year, most summer school plans are vague. A significant majority lack explicit learning supports and feature incomplete or confusing messaging.
As urban districts prepare to reopen, most are not doing enough to communicate how they will keep students and teachers safe
As districts move to offer more in-person learning this spring, many teachers, parents and students remain hesitant, worrying whether schools — and their specific campuses and classrooms — are safe.
Learning hubs: A shovel-ready strategy for spending federal dollars
The just-passed American Rescue Plan includes $123 billion in new help for schools and hundreds of billions more for state governments. How state and local leaders use this unprecedented infusion of federal funding will be a critical question in the coming weeks and months. School districts have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use this money to […]
We can’t afford to love learning acceleration to death
As children return to school after as much as a year away, schools and districts have a new strategy for helping them make up for lost time. Often called acceleration, the strategy’s essence is to: Teach kids the ideas and skills that are intellectually demanding and interesting for individuals of their age. Expect they […]
Help wanted: School systems must act now to support graduating seniors
COVID-19 disrupted the already tenuous system of support for students graduating high school and going on to college or career. Students from low-income households and students of color have been hit hardest. In 2020 many graduating seniors—especially those from schools serving students from low-income households—held off on college. Newly graduated students who wanted to transition […]
A missing link to help students emotionally and academically
Fifty-six percent of students say they are more stressed about school than before the pandemic. Eighty-three percent report a physical symptom of stress—like difficulty sleeping, headaches, and weight gain or loss. That’s all according to a survey of more than 10,000 high school students conducted last fall by Challenge Success, a nonprofit that supports student […]
We must ensure communities can keep the innovations that kids need
For nearly a year, schools’ unpredictability has created stress and suffering for kids and families, especially in Black and brown communities where jobs and lives are also most at risk from the virus. We’ve seen record learning loss, disengagement, depression, and signs of great stress in families. But just as many schools struggle to serve […]
