Families and caregivers are important stakeholders who need to be kept informed of school reopening decisions and adjustments to academics, operations, athletics, and other school functions. Being transparent is crucial in establishing trust with families and caregivers.
Schools need clear procedures to follow when a student or staff member has been exposed to COVID-19 and/or is showing symptoms. Following public health recommendations around screening, testing, tracing, and preparing for positive cases is crucial to prevent any spread.
With COVID-19 being transmitted via droplets in the air, it is critical that air in school spaces is ventilated and if possible filtered. Fresh air from opening windows can also keep virus particles from accumulating inside.
Vaccinating the population against COVID-19 will help stop the spread of the virus. Adults and children (when authorized) should receive the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves, their families, and their community.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets. Having students and staff sanitize themselves, objects in classrooms, and high-touch surfaces reduces the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
On this final episode of What Will We Take With Us?, a series featuring our conversations with education leaders across the United States on how they grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 education, we speak with Scott Muri, Superintendent of Ector County Independent School District in Texas, about how leaders worked to make the most of the pandemic to accelerate the implementation of goals that benefitted the entire school community, ranging from expanding connectivity and internet access, to focusing on personalized professional development, to forging stronger, more meaningful connections between schools and student families.
On this episode of What Will We Take With Us?, a series featuring our conversations with education leaders across the United States on how they grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 education, we speak with two leaders at Distinctive Schools in Chicago: Mike McCarthy, Executive Director of Student Services, and Stephanie Cardella, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. They share with us how Distinctive developed a community of care, nimble practices, and targeted instructional strategies to support students in balancing their learning and well-being through a year of uncertainty as schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this episode of What Will We Take With Us?, a series featuring our conversations with education leaders across the United States on how they grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 education, we speak with three school leaders from Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut: Mark Benigni, Superintendent of Schools; Barbara Haeffner, Director for Teaching and Innovation; and Susan Moore, Supervisor of Blended Learning Director for Teaching and Learning. These three leaders shared with us how they worked to establish partnerships with community organizations and local educational institutions, to reimagine learning spaces, and to leverage technology to support students and create engaging learning opportunities.
This report offers guidance for K-12 districts and schools by synthesizing the latest research and knowledge on emerging practices for: 1) developing local habits of success frameworks, 2) addressing equity and cultural considerations in implementing habits of success and lifelong learning skills, and 3) promoting and assessing habits of success. The report also provides recommendations and next steps to support all students in building strong habits of success.
Habits of success are the skills, dispositions, and mindsets needed to continue as a lifelong learner and participate effectively in work and civic life. (They are also called 21st century skills, personal success skills, social-emotional skills, and noncognitive skills.) Schools, districts, and states have recently devoted an increasing level of attention to helping students develop habits of success.
Success in most professional and personal pursuits requires an additional set of skills and dispositions, in addition to academic knowledge, that can be learned in school and anytime/anywhere. These “habits of success” include self-direction, collaboration, communication, self-awareness, social awareness, and others. The extensive practice examples and research findings synthesized in this report will help practitioners implement frameworks to support students in developing essential skills for learning, work, and life.
Schools have to look different and function differently to keep students and staff safe. School leaders will need to reconfigure student groupings, daily schedules, and visitor access to limit contact between individuals.
