Even as federal relief funding runs out, education leaders will need to continue to act on strategies that are working to address learning recovery and students’ social- emotional needs post-pandemic, according to panelists at EdSource’s March 27 webinar, “Five years after COVID: Innovations that are driving result.”
“If anything, the pandemic showed us that schools are so much more than just places to teach our students in the classroom, so we have to support our students and their families to get them to school but also that they’re prepared to learn,” said Lorena Solorio, associate director of the Care Corps Program at Rocketship Public Schools, which serves Bay Area students.
Functioning as community schools, Solorio said Rocketship supports students and their families by addressing needs such as housing and medical care, which also fosters a sense of trust and connection.
“We know that if we partner with our local office of education and we bring organizations together, that we’re going to be able to develop strong support systems that will be focused on student academic success,” Solorio noted.
Also in the Bay Area, The Oakland REACH’s Liberator Model was initially focused on improving literacy rates among local students but expanded to include math in response to community interest. The organization has had positive results with its model, which “upskills parents and caregivers to be paid tutors, providing high-dosage tutoring in some of the lowest-performing schools,” according to its website.
“Parents want their kids to be able to read and do math better. Why don’t we train them to help do that,” said Lakisha Young, co-founder and CEO.
The REACH Certified Virtual Tutoring and Family Success Coaching Pilot, a six month research study that connects virtual tutoring providers with lower-income families, was also recently introduced.
Milpitas Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Jordan spoke about the district’s Innovation Campus, located in Santa Clara County’s Silicon Valley, which is intended to bridge the diversity gap in the technology sector by providing project-based learning, internships and more.
Jordan said that crisis can provide opportunities for improvement “in order to develop something that is better and meets the needs of our learners in a way that’s innovative and really excels them to be the leaders and creators of the future.”
Across the state in Compton USD, Superintendent Darin Brawley echoed that sentiment, stating that conflict can be necessary to cause change.
Brawley said the district has long relied on data for things like academic performance, graduation rates and absenteeism to inform its decision-making. Having this information handy allowed them to spot the gaps occurring during the pandemic and address them.
In addition to pursuing the best academic outcomes possible in K-12, the district pursues partnerships with colleges to set students up for success in adulthood.
