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All students benefit from opportunities to reflect on their learning and work. Around the country, schools are adopting portfolios, showcases, and other forms of performance assessment to help students build essential metacognitive skills. Given the disruption caused by COVID-19, these strategies can also be an effective way to bring closure and add meaning to a tumultuous school year.

Community schools create opportunities for engaged and rigorous learning rooted in the assets and needs of students, families, and the larger community. As COVID-19 forced schools to close and shift to distance learning, teachers at two Los Angeles community schools adapted and created community-based learning projects that address issues currently affecting students’ lives.

The pandemic and resulting school closures have made clear the essential role schools play in the lives of students, families, and communities. Besides their core role of advancing learning, they have fed millions of children and families, provided computers and connectivity to those without, and—in many cases—enabled child care for essential workers. Pandemic-related state budget cuts will make federal stimulus funds critical to ensuring that school systems can continue to fill these vital functions.

Schools, districts, educators, and families are not equally empowered to switch to distance education in response to the pandemic. Educators, policymakers, and partners have taken on the essential work of bridging the technology gap, but tactical interventions alone are insufficient. Another challenge—and opportunity—brought on by the COVID-19 crisis is the need to shift to next-generation instructional models characterized by collaboration, student agency, and opportunities to learn in diverse settings.

Reductions in state revenue and corresponding cuts to state education budgets will mean significant cuts to teaching positions unless the federal government provides increased education funding to states. This blog explores the potential impact of state budget cuts on teaching positions. An accompanying interactive allows for a state-by-state analysis based on different funding scenarios.