By Bryan Hassel and Sharon Kebschull Barrett; first published in Education Week. To exhausted or worried parents deciding whether to send their children into school buildings this fall, “pandemic pods” may look like an appealing way out. Keeping their boys and girls at home learning alone may be better for physical health but not for […]
Learning in Real Time: How Charter Schools Served Students During Covid-19 Closures
Report profiles several charter schools to see how they used their flexibility and resourcefulness to respond quickly to the needs of their students at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in spring 2020.
How Schools Can Redeploy Teachers in Creative Ways During COVID-19
Education Week, August 5, 2020, by Catherine Gewertz Extending the reach of excellent teachers One teacher-leadership model is sparking increased interest as schools grapple with how best to support students. It’s called the Multi-Classroom Leadership model, and it was designed by the education advocacy group Public Impact to help excellent teachers reach more students. More than […]
States: It’s not too late to guide districts on teaching and learning
By Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan Hassel; first published by CRPE, August 4, 2020 One striking finding of the CRPE and Public Impact review of state reopening plans is what’s not there: the primary purpose of schools, teaching and learning. During COVID-19, states are giving districts only minimal guidance and support about teaching and learning. […]
States Overlook Academics in School Reopening Plans, Analysis Finds
Education Week, July 29, 2020, by Evie Blad State guidance on reopening schools largely focuses on health and safety practices without adequately addressing the challenges of keeping students on-track academically following extended coronavirus closures, a new analysis of state reopening plans finds. The report, released Wednesday by education organizations the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Public […]
Database of State Reopening Plans Shows Alarming Lack of Clear Expectations for Student Learning
Without decisive state expectations and action on remote learning, student learning will suffer: That’s the message from a new analysis of state reopening plans by CRPE (the Center for Reinventing Public Education) and Public Impact. Our just-released database of state reopening plans and accompanying blog post highlight the need for state action now, before it’s too late. As CRPE’s […]
North Carolina district responses to COVID-19: An updated database from EdNC and Public Impact
By Molly Osborne, Jessica Struhs, Troy Smith and Beth Clifford; first published on EdNC. In March 2020, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) released “District Responses to COVID-19,” an online database tracking how some of the nation’s largest public school districts have shifted instruction, student support, and organizational operations in response to COVID-19 school closures. CRPE continues to update the […]
Pinpointing Problems in COVID Response Plans
“Student learning is an afterthought in many state reopening plans; that’s a huge mistake” We’ve been working with the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) to create a database of all states’ reopening plans, accompanied by a series of briefs and analyses. The database will be published soon. Meanwhile, a new blog by CRPE’s Ashley […]
What is an Opportunity Culture? Broadening the reach of the most effective teachers
Little Things First, June 2, 2020 Public Impact has been serving urban and rural schools for many years, helping them rethink what is possible in schools. Opportunity Culture is a subset of Public Impact that explores ways to increase the reach of our best teachers. is it time to rethink our model of instructional coaching? […]
3 Model Options Give Schools Budget-Neutral Plans, Schedules, Roles for Partial School Closures
Districts and schools are confronting the learning loss caused by missed school time so far. Opportunity Culture schools—90 percent of which are Title I—have a special responsibility and opportunity to reverse that learning loss with the same method they’ve used for years: highly connective, high-standards instruction that helps more students achieve high-growth learning. Multi-Classroom Leadership by teachers […]
More Stories and Tips from Top Educators
By Paola Gilliam Opportunity Culture Fellows are educators with a track record of high-growth student learning who lead more students, fellow teachers, and, as principals or assistant principals, whole schools. This week, we added to the collection of stories and tips from these field leaders focused on helping students learn—and supporting their social-emotional health—no matter what challenges […]
On the Ground: Reflections from Opportunity Culture Educators on At-Home Teaching and Leading
By Paola Gilliam Over the past week and a half, Public Impact’s Sharon Kebschull Barrett has interviewed many current and past Opportunity Culture Fellows about their shifts to at-home learning—what’s going well, what worries them, and what tips they have for other Opportunity Culture educators and districts. Use this link to find these stories of how great teachers adapted […]