What our district learned by moving from in-person to distance learning in 8 days

Distance learning has become a new reality for many learning institutions across the country. Moving a brick-and-mortar curriculum online overnight is no easy task. Many districts that lacked distance learning plans, communication tools, and training for teachers found the rapid change from the classroom to distance learning a bit too challenging. Some even shut down the school year early.

However, at Marshall Public Schools, a rural district serving approximately 2,500 students, we were fortunate enough to have a few plans in place should the need for distance learning arise.

Related content: 4 steps to deliver distance learning effectively

When the pandemic hit, we knew that schools’ potential to close was coming, and we began preparing for distance learning in mid-March. In the mere eight days provided by our state government, we were able to flip our traditional classroom environment to an online environment and immediately communicate that plan with parents.