What are some of the things that helped us survive the past year with the coronavirus? At the Education Research & Development Institute (ERDI) conference in Chicago in July, we hosted a Women’s Fellowship Breakfast for 50 women leaders in education, mostly school district administrators, plus education industry leaders. We spent time reflecting on the things that helped us get through this past year of chaos and crisis. Some of us were gathering in person for the first time in a very long time, and the mood was joyful and thankful, and that was reflected in comments we gathered from the guests.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and, in many ways, worsened the digital divide and other inequitable aspects of America’s education system. However, it also created opportunities to develop more equitable outcomes, based on the widespread switch to digital learning experiences and new education models.
In a recent edWebinar, sponsored by Scholastic Digital Solutions, the presenters discussed the reality of racial violence and inequity that students of color face and what we as educators and administrators can do to confront it rather than perpetuate it. They identified racial violence as violence incurred by students of color that can be overt and covert, taken for granted, an act of invisibilization, or the erasure of students’ identities and realities.
Billions of dollars in federal relief funding for schools and districts have become available during the coronavirus pandemic, but with limited time available before application deadlines arrive, there is an urgent need to understand the funding requirements and process, and also to determine how the funds can best be used to provide improvements for local students and staff.
Education is just different than it was pre-pandemic—many school leaders think it shouldn’t go back to the way it was before when schools used systems developed in the 20th century. But that doesn’t mean even more changes aren’t needed. In a recent edWebinar, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association and AASA’s Leadership Network, the presenters discussed the findings of the AASA Learning 2025 National Commission and the need to get more students engaged in their own educational experience.
Last year, Chris Böttger’s son spent fifth grade learning at home because of his disability, intractable chronic migraine. That was until COVID forced the school, Oak Meadow (MA), to shut down and go remote. Virtual learning ended up being the boy’s path “into the classroom.”
Looking through the lens of three district leaders, a recent edWebinar, sponsored by ClassLink and co-hosted by CoSN and AASA, highlighted how school districts are working with their staff and students to assure accessibility for all. The presenters discussed and reflected on five compelling steps that school districts must take to ensure accessibility.
When only 28% of a school district’s third graders are reading at grade level, changes are clearly needed. In the Aldine Independent School District just outside of Houston, Texas, the need for change resulted in a dual focus on improving the district’s leadership bench and revamping literacy instruction, in order to provide an equitable education for all students.
Online and far away. That’s what it felt like for teachers and students when COVID propelled them into the digital world. They wondered: Would it be possible for students to learn effectively outside of the classroom? Could instruction be adapted to keep learners engaged from afar? Could schools support student well-being at a distance?
“Techquity,” as defined by educator and consultant Ken Shelton in a recent edLeader Panel, sponsored by NetRef, is the intersection of the use of technology and ensuring equitable learning environments. He defines equity simply as access and opportunities for all learners to realize their full potential. Whether it is a classroom, the school, or the whole school experience, if a student’s learning environment is not culturally affirming, culturally responsive, and culturally relevant, they cannot connect learning to their real-world environment.