New information helps parents understand school district plans for remote and summer learning

New information helps parents understand school district plans for remote and summer learning

GreatSchools.org partners with the Center on Reinventing Public Education to shine the light on what district do — and do not — provide during school closures

OAKLAND, CA (June 15, 2020) — GreatSchools.org, in partnership with the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), launched a new COVID-19 Response section on GreatSchools.org. Parents, advocacy organizations, and education leaders can now find information about how many school districts plan for and deliver distance learning and assess and address learning loss. The information includes how teachers provide instruction, whether or not there are real-time interactions with other students, grading policies, and resources the district does — or doesn’t — provide to address the digital divide. Also included is new information about summer learning opportunities.

“Unprecedented school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have forced schools and districts to rethink how they provide learning for their students,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools. “Parents need new information that we never imagined they would need, and we are pleased to partner with CRPE to provide this important resource.”

As schools plan to re-start in the fall with continued uncertainty, parents need to be part of conversations that will affect their child’s health and learning. The communication channels between schools and parents are more critical than ever. The new District Distance Learning information provides parents with another tool to engage in conversations with schools, community organizations, and other parents giving them a new lens of school quality during the pandemic.

CRPE has also used the district information to analyze remote education and while they have found that many districts have made extraordinary efforts, too many districts are leaving learning to chance during COVID-related closures. “Our analysis showed far too many teachers and families were on their own to figure out remote learning. As a result, many students will start next school year far behind where they should be,” said Robin Lake, CRPE’s Director. “School systems and educators must prepare now to limit learning losses and address individual student needs.”

The new information collected by CRPE and presented on GreatSchools district pages, include distance learning information from over 98 districts across 47 states, with a total of 8,251,528 students enrolled across all those districts. Search for districts in the search bar on GreatSchools.org to see available information. CRPE and GreatSchools will continue to update distance learning information to provide the most recent information possible. District leaders are invited to update their information by emailing CRPE at crpedatabase@uw.edu.

About GreatSchools:
GreatSchools is the leading national nonprofit empowering parents with essential information to improve educational opportunities for their child. Using GreatSchools’ trusted ratings and school quality information, parents can find the right school for their family and take action to improve schools in their communities. Thousands of articles, tips and interactive tools offer parents easy-to-use resources to support their child’s learning and wellbeing every day. Families, community leaders and policymakers turn to GreatSchools for the school information they need to guide children to great futures.

About Center on Reinventing Public Education:
Part of the University of Washington Bothell, the Center on Reinventing Public Education is one of the nation’s leading sources for transformative, evidence-based ideas to improve education. To ensure all students are prepared for the future, CRPE puts forward rigorous research and policy analysis to help educators, policymakers, civic and community leaders, parents, and students themselves reimagine education systems and structures. Learn more about CRPE’s current research here.