This blog series explores evidence-based and equity-focused strategies and investments to address the current crisis and build long-term systems capacity.
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As the pandemic landscape continues to evolve, schools and districts are encountering a range of new challenges. LPI has synthesized 10 of the most important COVID-19-related actions schools and districts can take this fall to support students and staff.
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A thoughtful planning process following the first few months of distance learning led one San Francisco Bay Area school district to rethink its professional development strategy for elementary math instruction. The result: More collaboration, alignment, and engagement among teachers and minimal disruption to student learning, even when the pandemic necessitated switching of classrooms and teachers.
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Many students, families, and teachers looked forward to in-person learning this fall, but now find themselves on a pandemic roller coaster as the school year opens with a surge of COVID-19 cases. It is critical that we follow the available science so that we can protect students and ensure their education.
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Although schools are reopening on the shifting sands of COVID-19 variants and low vaccination rates in some regions, they can resume in-person classes in a safe and supportive manner using science-based mitigation approaches, such as masking and social distancing, and by attending to student and teacher social and emotional needs.
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Thanks to unprecedented funding from the American Rescue Plan and other federal, state, and local resources, school districts across the country are leveraging several evidence-informed strategies to accelerate learning and support student wellbeing. Local initiatives include conducting formative assessments to measure and support students’ growth and health, providing high-quality tutoring that is connected to classroom instruction, and expanding learning time.
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As we work to reopen schools safely and effectively, it’s important not to return to “normal” but to reinvent school in ways that center relationships and are grounded in the science of learning and development. We must move past remediation and, instead, turn to the research on how people learn.
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The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes just over $170.3 billion for schools, making this the federal government’s largest-ever single education investment. Among approved uses for funds are initiatives to accelerate learning, such as through summer school, expanded learning time, or tutoring programs; upgrades to facilities and other improvements to ensure a safe school reopening; investments in wraparound supports, such as through community schools; and initiatives to stabilize and diversify the educator workforce.
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Well before the pandemic, districts across the country grappled with ongoing teacher shortages, driven by both teacher turnover and significant declines in those choosing to enter the profession. COVID-19 has only worsened these pre-pandemic conditions, undermining access to well-prepared and experienced teachers, especially for students from historically underserved groups. A number of federal opportunities are key levers to strengthening the pipeline into the profession.
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Can large-scale tutoring support students and teachers in addressing lost instructional time? The short answer is yes, but only if we pay close attention to the details of implementation to avoid the mistakes of the past. New policy proposals can draw upon the most up-to-date education research to design tutoring programs that are effective in meeting student needs.
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In Baltimore City and around the country, community-based organizations, often in partnership with schools and districts, are providing students with structured expanded learning opportunities during the pandemic. These connections and supports are providing students critical opportunities to build skills and stay connected to their peers, mentors, and community while schools are shuttered.
