Schools are still determining what changes they’ll need to make before reopening in the fall. Some, like LAUSD and San Diego Unified, have already determined they’ll remain online only for now, while others are still grappling with the complexities involved: How will they ensure social distancing in the classroom? Will face masks be required? What about...

While we are all wading through the uncharted waters of a global pandemic interlaced with a racial justice uprising, one thing is clear — the clock is ticking towards back to school. Last week, Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, announced what many had predicted: that because of the surge in coronavirus...

A version of this essay originally appeared on the KIPP.NJ blog. Remote learning is not what I signed on for when I became a teacher. The physical distance makes it very difficult for me to be there for my kids. But while this is an unpredictable and stressful time for everyone, helping students create new routines...

Since the Los Angeles Unified School Board voted to cut its school police budget by $25 million, activists have been calling for more student support services, such as additional counselors and social workers. Meanwhile, restorative justice programs offer another strategy that could prove useful as we look to soften our schools and move away from...

Students across the world have had to adapt to a new way of learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as the school year comes to a close, they are also adapting to a new way of being evaluated: taking tests online. Advanced Placement exams were recently administered virtually, with widespread glitches, and colleges and...

On June 30, Sen. Lamar Alexander convened the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to hear four health experts — including Dr. Anthony Fauci — provide an update on COVID-19, including how K-12 leaders and other stakeholders can open schools safely this fall. Alexander was direct in offering his thoughts: “The question before the...

Parenting during COVID-19 can feel overwhelming. While managing worries about our family’s health, financial and emotional well-being, we were also responsible for homeschooling and ensuring our children continued learning, which is a heavy weight to carry. As we navigated these pressures, I gained a newfound appreciation for the invaluable role our schools and teachers played...

In developing its public school system, the United States deliberately departed from the traditional European model of channeling students from wealthy backgrounds into rigorous academic tracks and those from the working class into vocational ones. Instead, as Harvard economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz note in their book The Race Between Education and Technology, the aim was...

In September 1977, I was born in San Diego into a lifelong battle. I didn’t choose this fight. Many people get to choose lifelong outcomes, but that’s not an option for people like me. The fact that I was born with dark skin meant that I had no choice but to engage in a lifelong...

While all students have experienced disruption to their daily lives this spring, COVID-19, the economic disaster that followed and the continued violence against African Americans are disproportionately affecting communities of color, particularly black students. Educators need to step up and help students regain their footing, heal and flourish. The country’s education system’s typical, standardized response...