Teaching and Learning Team

There is no doubt that multiple pandemics have disrupted students’ experiences during the 2019-21 school years, leading to what some are calling learning loss. We recognize that students may have lost access to physical interaction between students and students with school personnel; access to an array of classes that promote engaged learning; and access to social-emotional and mental health supports. At the same time, we recognize that families, community partners, teachers, school leaders, and school support staff have continued to provide students with opportunities to learn while also caring for students’ physical, social, and emotional needs. We know and value that learning occurs naturally in a variety of places and spaces. We also know and value the following:

• Teachers have re-imagined instructional strategies across multiple learning environments.
• Family and community members are critical partners in student learning.
• Students have become more self-directed learners.
• More students than ever before have access to devices and the internet.

In planning for the 2021-22 school year, programming should create opportunities to foster joy and engagement. High-quality, standards-aligned curriculum can be contextualized within place-based and/or project-based learning, which will provide rigor and relevance in students’ learning. All students need to have access to and be engaged with grade-level curriculum, and for those who need an extra boost, additional supports and 1:1 teaching should be designed to fill learning gaps within the scope of grade-level learning. The following questions should guide what to prioritize for 2021-22 school year:

• How are you creating welcoming and affirming learning environments for all students?
• How are you creating authentic, student-centered learning experiences for all students?
• How are you ensuring all students have access to and are engaged with rigorous and relevant standards-based instruction with aligned systems of assessment, grading, and reporting?

The Learning Policy Institute (Apr 5, 2021) has identified the following strategies to accelerate learning during summer and regular school year learning:

• Experience warm relationships and social-emotional supports achieved by redesigning schools so that they are relationship-centered, with built-in time for creating community, trust, and belonging among students and with families;
• Engage in outdoor play and exercise, expressive arts, and collaborative activities that support brain development and learning;
• Encounter authentic, culturally responsive learning tasks and inquiry projects connected to their experiences that allow them to understand and positively impact their environment;
• Assess what students need both socially and emotionally as well as academically, address trauma with healing and support, and identify the next steps they are ready to take in their learning rather than labeling them.