How We Go Back to School
An eight-part series from Education Week
June 11, 2020
District and school leaders are confronting difficult, high-stakes decisions as they plan for how they will reopen schools this fall as the global pandemic rages on. Safety for students and staff members is the chief priority. But with no vaccine or effective treatment yet against COVID-19, no one can be fully shielded from the risk.
That leaves K-12 leaders to balance three critical鈥攐ften competing鈥攔esponsibilities: the health and safety of their people, the role their schools play in the larger community, and the effective teaching of their students.
Many of the options for reopening schools will upend some of the most effective aspects of teaching and learning. The close, in-person collaboration of students on classroom projects, for example, will have to cease for now. And classes like art, music, and physical education鈥攁 critical part of keeping students engaged in school鈥攚ill need to be severely restricted.
There are no playbooks for how to do this. Following public health protocols will cost a lot of money, even as school budgets are pummeled by the economic collapse. Managing the anxieties of teachers, students, and parents will require patience, compassion, and careful communication.
To help district and school leaders navigate these monumental decisions, Education Week lays out the big challenges ahead and some solutions in an eight-part series of reported stories, diagrams, and data visualizations.
Through interviews with dozens of public health experts, consultants, and frontline educators, we present a broad spectrum of options for how to open and operate schools in the COVID-19 crisis, explore specific strategies that some districts will adopt, and explain the pros, the cons, and the costs.
鈥擳he Editors
That leaves K-12 leaders to balance three critical鈥攐ften competing鈥攔esponsibilities: the health and safety of their people, the role their schools play in the larger community, and the effective teaching of their students.
Many of the options for reopening schools will upend some of the most effective aspects of teaching and learning. The close, in-person collaboration of students on classroom projects, for example, will have to cease for now. And classes like art, music, and physical education鈥攁 critical part of keeping students engaged in school鈥攚ill need to be severely restricted.
There are no playbooks for how to do this. Following public health protocols will cost a lot of money, even as school budgets are pummeled by the economic collapse. Managing the anxieties of teachers, students, and parents will require patience, compassion, and careful communication.
To help district and school leaders navigate these monumental decisions, Education Week lays out the big challenges ahead and some solutions in an eight-part series of reported stories, diagrams, and data visualizations.
Through interviews with dozens of public health experts, consultants, and frontline educators, we present a broad spectrum of options for how to open and operate schools in the COVID-19 crisis, explore specific strategies that some districts will adopt, and explain the pros, the cons, and the costs.
鈥擳he Editors
School & District Management Explainer The Socially Distanced School DayClassrooms. Hallways. Extracurriculars. Every facet of the school day will have to be fundamentally altered when students return to school.
School & District Management Explainer Scheduling the COVID-19 School YearExplore options for building a calendar, choosing a schedule, and deploying teachers and staff to maximize student learning safely.
School & District Management Explainer Getting Kids to School: Tackling the COVID-19 Transportation ProblemReducing ridership, "walking school buses," and staggered schedules are among the strategies districts are considering.
Classroom Technology Explainer COVID-19 & Remote Learning: How to Make It WorkRead our tips, checklists, best practices, and expert advice on how to make teaching and learning at home engaging, productive, and equitable.
Teaching Explainer Teaching and Learning in the PandemicAdvice for deciding what to teach, how to teach it, and how to make sure students and teachers both get the support that they need.
Student Achievement Explainer Overcoming COVID-19 Learning LossHalting erosion to learning is critical as the new school year begins. Well-known practices backed by research are the best solution.
Student Well-Being Explainer Teaching Social-Emotional Skills Amid COVID-19There are ways to attend to students鈥� social-emotional growth even when they are learning remotely or sitting in a classroom six feet apart.
Equity & Diversity Explainer Closing COVID-19 Equity Gaps in 69传媒Education Week talked to dozens of educators and parents about how to infuse equity into learning plans. Here's what they said.
Coverage of whole-child approaches to learning is supported in part by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, at . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.