Education NC, April 24, 2020, by Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel
As Public Impact’s co-presidents, we’re pleased to have our organization collaborate with EdNC on the 1.0 version of the NC District Response to COVID-19 School Closures Database, based on CRPE’s national database.
What do the data tell us so far? We took a close look to summarize districts’ readiness to serve students and teachers at home, compare that readiness to research about what works, and suggest steps for leaders to help North Carolina teachers and students succeed in these conditions.
Our finding in a nutshell: Very few of the state’s 115 districts are ready to provide high-growth student learning with students and teachers at home. How could they be? None of the districts expected this situation, but now that it may be here to stay for a while, it’s time to address some missing elements: technology to connect all students with teachers, protocols for using technology well, and the support teachers need to ensure high-growth learning—especially for our most vulnerable students.
We started analyzing the data with a belief that has guided us through two decades of work: All students can make high learning growth, despite enormous challenges—if they and their educators have the right guidance and resources. Both research and the stories of educators who have made it happen in the most difficult of circumstances tell us this. Read the full article…