What supports were needed to enable the small learning communities, or pods, that emerged in 2020 and 2021?
While learning pods may have emerged as a temporary response to a crisis, some persisted in fall 2021, either because of continued uncertainty over the pandemic’s trajectory or because of their potential value as part of new structure for public education.
This working paper maps the ecosystem of organizations needed to support a small subset of these learning communities, and offers conclusions to help leaders make the most of this opportunity.
- Start with the “organizer.”
- Focus on ecosystem gaps.
- Attend to funding.
- Move (with caution!) toward accountability.
- Pursue equity.
