We reviewed the school reopening plans for 106 districts around the country. Here’s how they square with reality
Perhaps as to be expected, districts’ already lackluster plans for the start of school have been beset by execution challenges, confusing and tardy federal guidance, and barriers to student access.
Special education must no longer be an afterthought
When districts closed last spring, students with disabilities were suddenly cut off from receiving legally mandated therapeutic services that allow them to participate in school. Some families reported not even hearing from their child’s special education teachers for the remainder of the school year. Facebook groups filled with stories from parents at their wit’s end, […]
What we learned from deep dives into six school systems’ COVID-19 response
For an analysis we published last week as part of the American School District Panel project, we looked closely at six districts and charter management organizations, hoping to understand why they took particular approaches to remote learning and how their experiences last spring affected their plans for the fall.
Like the dinosaurs, public education as we know it is facing a meteor moment. We must adapt to a new model beyond what we know as ‘school’
Before the COVID meteor knocked them for a loop, school districts were the primary providers of child care, nutrition, recreation and education — not to mention the largest employers of adults — in their communities. By the time our crisis has passed, families, school staff and district administrators will have spent at least a full […]
More districts should seize the opportunity to improve professional learning for teachers
Our nationwide scan found some promising efforts by school districts to support professional learning despite massive logistical hurdles and a tangle of red tape. But we also see significant missed opportunities to improve support for teachers.
What a diverse group of 20 school districts are doing right in their COVID-19 reopening plans
This summer, the Center on Reinventing Public Education partnered with the Collaborative for Student Success to convene experts in fields such as school system leadership, disaster response, public health and family engagement. They analyzed reopening plans in a diverse group of 20 school districts.
Learning pods for all, the Hoosier way
Across Indianapolis, hundreds of students are getting help navigating remote learning while school campuses remain closed. The city is now home to two efforts—one led by the local school district, one outside it—to extend an academic lifeline to students who, for a variety of reasons, needed additional support during remote learning. Once Indianapolis Public Schools […]
As many school districts reopen virtually, the opportunity gap widens for students living in poverty
As students and teachers begin the new school year, the opportunity gap for students living in poverty is likely to be wider than ever.
Urgent action by states, fed needed to clarify school reopening decisions
Schools around the country are shuttered again this fall as school systems continue to face chaotic conditions as result of the pandemic. As many students begin the school year remotely, families are eager for answers to the question of when schools will open for in-person instruction. There are no easy answers to this question, of […]
It helps to start small: Lessons on launching schools of choice in a pandemic
“How are we going to [recruit students and families to] this school, because we can’t do anything in person?” This question, which we heard expressed by one founder of a new-school-to-be in Washington State, is being asked by thousands of schools of choice across the country, ever since most of them closed their campuses last […]
