Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, districts nationwide have faced the difficult task of reopening schools safely and keeping them open, while also accelerating student learning and attending to the trauma and loss experienced by students and families. By adopting a nimble and forward-looking recovery strategy encompassing social and emotional, as well as physical, safety, Tulsa Public Schools had a safe and successful spring and summer 2021, and plans to continue these efforts into the fall.
San Diego County provided a wide range of supports to districts throughout the pandemic—from a website consolidating COVID-19 and distance learning information to a reopening framework with resources on facility sanitizing, campus capacity, meal programs, busing, arrival and symptom screening procedures, and scheduling. Working with public health partners, these efforts resulted in 98% of districts in the county reopening for in-person learning as of May 2021.
In March 2020, New York City was a pandemic hotspot. Yet NYC was also the first large U.S. city to reopen its schools. Researchers explore the various mitigation strategies the NYC Department of Education implemented to bring students back and offer useful resources that can support policymakers and educators navigating their own school reopening plans.
