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.
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.
New England Profiles of Innovation | Holyoke High School
Despite pandemic-induced challenges, Holyoke school leaders and staff kept student engagement at the forefront of their efforts to ensure continuity of learning.
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.
Schools supporting multilingual learners
We spoke with teachers and administrators in three New England districts with large numbers of multilingual learners about how the pandemic influenced student learning and teaching practice last year.
COVID–19 Showed Us How Important It Is to Focus on Adolescent Well-Being: Here is What School Systems Should Do
States and districts should be using this moment as an opportunity to reassess how they support adolescents and their families.
New England Profiles of Innovation | Margarita Muñiz Academy
Margarita Muñiz Academy’s development of its “Portrait of a Scholar” project led to a number of changes focused on providing greater opportunities for student voice and participation.
