Leaders need the right partners in the classroom with their teachers to support and lift them up now and into the future. Although it has been a struggle, educators have a strong commitment to maintaining high quality instruction in a shifting landscape.
Moving forward
Some partners are supporting teachers with instructional technology that is adapting to the strengths and needs of every child. With the click of a mouse, there is a data point that we can leverage to improve and accelerate learning through personalized instruction. The accuracy of the data and the reporting allow us to show leaders where our kids are. “Here’s how we know what it means. Here’s what we will do next.” Data makes it easier to communicate clearly with all stakeholders and reassure them that students are always at the center of our plans.
The community needs reliable data that can be shared and discussed so that all stakeholders are clear about student progress and needs. Teachers rely on actionable data to inform instructional decisions, such as skills to target and small groups to create so students’ strengths are leveraged throughout the learning journey.There are resources that provide quantitative data as do other forms of assessment that can be shared, analyzed, and leveraged to make decisions and communicate with stakeholders.
With future health and climate disruptions almost guaranteed, leaders need rigorous and engaging instruction that can be delivered remotely as well as in person. Instructional technology platforms can use adaptive blended learning to pivot instruction from in-person to remote, regardless of circumstances.
If I were still in a district leadership role, I would be leading the charge to plan an academic calendar that incorporates short periods of distance learning, so that we can prepare for another health or climate emergency. I would schedule meaningful periods of distance learning around school breaks where we know infections tend to spread. The shift back and forth between in-person and remote learning would become a seamless transition for both teachers and students. This is an opportunity to be in proactive rather than responsive mode. Because the remote learning sessions are regularly scheduled, we would be prepared for future emergency transitions.
A new understanding
We have learned a lot during this unusual time. The importance of the relationships between teacher and student, school and home and the social and emotional health of teachers and students are all critical to learning. For best results, the school community should be stable, well-staffed, and share a holistic commitment to students.
We have to be honest and clear about how challenging things still are for schools. We entered this school year with hope and optimism, and we had a good first half of the year. Although it is a bit unclear where we will end the year, we know how to leverage the good things we have learned. We know how to support our teachers and leaders to ensure that good instruction continues so that every single student, every single day, has the opportunity to learn how to read, write, and speak with confidence.
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