National Safe School Reopening Summit
Hosted by the U.S. Department of Education
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this video belong solely to the speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the perspective of the Learning Policy Institute.
On Wednesday, March 24, Learning Policy Institute President Linda Darling-Hammond joined President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky at a virtual summit on school reopening.
The Summit was one of a series of steps the U.S. Department of Education is taking to provide support and resources to schools as they work to reopen quickly and safely and equitably address the academic, social, and emotional needs of students most impacted by the pandemic. The Department partnered with the Learning Policy Institute to provide research support for the Summit.
Participants in the Summit included:
- President Joe Biden
- Vice President Kamala Harris
- Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States
- Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education
- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute
- Students, educators, and representatives from school districts across the country
The Summit featured:
- Welcome remarks from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden
- Lessons from the Field - Implementing CDC’s K-12 Operational Strategy to Keep Students, Educators, and Staff Safe
- Representatives from Cleveland, OH, and New York City, NY, highlighted effective school and district reopening approaches that have a focus on equity.
- Participants: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
- Technical Assistance from CDC and ED - Implementing CDC’s Guidance to Keep Students, Educators, and Staff Safe
- Technical experts from CDC and ED discussed CDC’s K-12 Operational Strategy, ED’s COVID-19 Implementation Handbook, and other resources; answered common question; and clarified misconceptions.
- Participants: Dr. Greta Massetti, Co-Lead of the Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force for CDC COVID response, Donna Harris-Aikens, Senior Advisor for Policy and Planning for the Department of Education
- Moderator: Jessica Cardichon, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development for the Department of Education
- Pre-taped Remarks by Vice President Kamala Harris
- Lessons from the Field - Supporting All Students: Addressing the Academic, Social, and Emotional Needs of Students with a Focus on Equity
- Representatives from El Cajon, CA, and Tulsa, OK, shared promising strategies to support the social, emotional, and academic development needs of students, with a particular focus on students who have been historically underserved and who have experienced the greatest disruption from the pandemic.
- Moderator: Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute.
- Remarks by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
- Pre-taped Remarks by President Joe Biden
This was a public event and closed captioning and ASL interpreters were available throughout the entire Summit. The event was livestreamed on the Department of Education’s YouTube channel.
