While COVID-19 caused unimaginable disruptions to public education, we saw remarkable examples of innovation and commitment to supporting high school student success. In our New England landscape of learning research, we learned that the boundaries of what it means to “reinvent” high school stretched, and in some systems, the momentum for change accelerated. Students and teachers learned to work in new ways and reached new understandings about each other.
Now, building off these lessons and in partnership with the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL), we are engaged in an in-depth look at the American Rescue Plan (ARP), post-pandemic recovery in New England high schools. Our research is designed to reveal whether and how federal dollars are being directed toward supporting a better adolescent experience, how high schools are innovating and adapting to advance equity, and what kinds of choices students are making about their futures after high school. The results from this investigation will equip school and system leaders, state policymakers, and advocates—in New England and beyond—to better understand and support pandemic-era innovations that connect to what students and families need and want from high school.
Innovation spotlights: Case studies in high school redesign
Educators nationwide are forging their way in a landscape rocked by pandemic-induced disruptions. Training resources designed to spark new thinking among school staff often feel
Voice and choice: New England students highlight which pandemic-era changes should stay—and which should go
Research on the pandemic’s negative impact on student learning, peer-to-peer relationships, and teenagers’ mental health makes it easy to assume high schoolers are eager to “return
The Promise and Challenges of Pandemic Innovation in High Schools
This report summarizes what we observed from a survey of New England high schools as they navigated the uncertainty of the pandemic.
Toward Better Family and Educator Engagement: Lessons from COVID Relief Dollars
School systems interested in better approaches to engaging the public must not start from scratch.
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.
New England Profiles of Innovation | Great Oaks Charter School Bridgeport
Great Oaks Charter School Bridgeport in Connecticut offers an example of a high dosage tutoring model that has been refined and adapted to meet local needs.
Voice and choice: New England students highlight which pandemic-era changes should stay—and which should go
Lisa Chu
Research AnalystMaddy Sims
Center for Public Research and Leadership