Answer:

1. Curriculum: We’ve been suddenly given an opportunity to create a curriculum that not only provides space for choice and differentiation, but also expands access. When everyone is attending the same school (the internet), there are ways to ensure that they all have access to the same curriculum. We may need two sets of teachers in schools—presenters, who are screencast experts and will spend their time developing engaging virtual lessons, and tutors, who will work with small groups of students to help them understand those lessons.

No matter our strategy, our first and most important consideration must be equity. The Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium has an equity audit that schools can use to evaluate policies as they work to ensure that all students have a path to success. How are we using equity as a lens as we rethink schools?

2. Pre-K to 2nd grade: While it’s logical to expect middle and high school students to be able to work more independently and from a distance, elementary students—especially pre-K to second grade—are at the greatest risk in this setting. During distance learning, parents of younger children must monitor and guide the learning process more closely, so schools will need to invest more heavily in supports for families with younger children. Interventions might look like smaller e-class sizes; more student-friendly technology platforms; and distributing books, whiteboards, and manipulatives like math blocks to families. How are we redirecting resources to K–2?

3. Summer: Covid-19 is no doubt going to be a summer slide multiplier. While there are plenty of programs that work to close opportunity gaps by leveraging summer and other out-of-school time, we have to also explore in-house interventions. We might even want to make summer school a permanent feature of schooling. Leaders should discuss what additional opportunities they can provide students outside of the traditional (now remote) school day. Even if schools get only a small number of students continuing to engage in learning during the summer, it’s worth it. How are we leveraging time during the summer to catch students up?

STAFF
4. Professional development: We need to start shifting away from traditional professional development. Districts can move professional development to individualized e-courses and webinars that target teachers’ specific needs. Imagine every teacher in the school choosing from dozens of professional development learning pathways. What professional learning this summer and next year will best set up staff to serve a new set of students’ needs?

Explanation: