Craft Category: Strategies

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District provided materials and held Family STEAM Nights to engage families over Zoom during the pandemic.

Ector County Independent School District is currently piloting outcomes-based tutoring with a virtual tutoring company at the district’s lowest-performing middle school. The district targeted 40 of its highest-need students that will be provided nineteen hours of virtual tutoring.

Leaders at Monterey Peninsula Unified School Districts worked to negotiate an agreement with union leaders that clearly defined expectations for remote instruction in ways that tied to student-centered aims.

Thirty-nine percent of families in Ector County Independent School District had no internet access or cell phone internet access. To provide universal access, the district provided families with MiFi devices and connected with local cable services as well as SpaceX to bring satellite Wi-Fi access to ALL those who needed it.

In response to the high failure rates seen during the pandemic, Monterey Peninsula shifted its grading system to be more focused on standards mastery.

In order to prioritize in-person instruction for students with the greatest needs, Ector County Independent School District phased in students for in-person instruction through a seven-phase approach starting first for those without internet access.

To support teacher growth, the Ector County Independent School District launched virtual coaching for teachers. Most coaches are not located within the district, so remote coaching was needed to provide the volume of coaching needed. Coaches watch teacher lessons live via Swivl robots that follow the teachers in the class. Teachers wear earbuds and coaches provide real-time feedback.

Build in a time at all schools for all students regardless of location (virtual or in-person) when they are able to build relationships with staff members and their peers.

Establish a proactive approach to communication by establishing a variety of regular touch points for engagement with all stakeholders.

The School District of Cudahy reconfigured interventionist schedules by having staff deliver interventions virtually. This allows students from different campuses with the same intervention needs to work together and allows staff to deliver more interventions by reducing travel time.