Reopening Schools: Ideas Across Scenarios

Last Update: August 20, 2020

There is no shortage of resources around reopening schools. The topic is front of mind for teachers, leaders, policymakers, and families across the country and world. These resources are critical as district leadership teams convene to plan for an unprecedented fall; the problem is time - wading through all of the information out there is tough when demands on leadership have never been higher. In response, the Highlander Institute team has culled through dozens of resources and extracted a list of concrete, actionable ideas to support re-entry planning. The intent is to inspire school teams to consider multiple ways of approaching looming challenges through a quick review so they can efficiently adapt and expand on ideas that fit well within local contexts.

The following compilation reflects a review of 50+ resources as well as the collective brainstorm of 50+ talented teachers and leaders across the state of Rhode Island. The majority of this group is composed of Fuse RI Fellows, who have played a variety of critical leadership roles in their district transitions to distance learning this spring. Organized into five categories: Summer Planning, Full Distance Learning, Combination Learning, Full In-Person Learning, and Good Ideas Across Scenarios, our list attends to the values defined in our 4 Key Considerations framework - which sets meaningful learning on top of a strong foundation of relationship building, wellness, communication, and care for students and families. Links have been added when original sources offer detailed implementation guidance. Ideas within each scenario explore guiding questions that will be front and center during planning conversations:

How might we ensure health & safety for all?
How might we modify facilities?
How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness?
How might we effectively engage families?
How might we build strong relationships with students?
How might we support meaningful learning?
How might we support vulnerable learners?
How might we use staff differently?
How might we facilitate transportation?

FULL DISTANCE LEARNING

A remote experience, connecting students and educators through virtual platforms, with little to no in-person contact. Schools may consider full distance learning for immunocompromised staff and students, and keep it as an option for families to opt into based on their needs.

COMBINATION LEARNING

Models that incorporate some components of both distance learning and in-person learning. May also be called hybrid learning. While combination learning provides flexibility, the constraints of staffing and physical space may require schools to prioritize access by grade level, learner needs, etc.

FULL IN-PERSON LEARNING

Full in-person learning comprises face-to-face experiences between students and educators that follow social distancing and sanitization guidelines, with the goal of minimizing the spread of disease while reopening the physical school environment for as many people as possible.

SUMMER PLANNING

FULL DISTANCE LEARNING

COMBINATION LEARNING

FULL IN-PERSON LEARNING

GOOD IDEAS ACROSS SCENARIOS

SUMMER PLANNING

1 Assess Needs of Students, Families, & Educators 2 Deepen Relationships 3 Streamline Systems

1 Assess Needs of Students, Families, & Educators

Survey students & families:
- Confirm whether broadband & device allowed students to participate in distance learning (DL)
- Identify students who had the hardest time during DL this spring. Work with these families during the summer to ensure they are prepared with the resources and knowledge to be successful in a continued DL setting
- Identify families who had success this spring in a DL model - asking empathic questions to get at the core set of strategies and supports that led to this success; scale these ideas in future DL models
- Elicit feedback on what worked and didn’t work from all types of family makeups about their experiences with DL this past spring
- Understand what percentage of families in the district will keep their children home no matter what
- Ask about the questions, concerns, or ideas they have when considering a return to in-person schooling after this extended closure
- Understand work status: who can be home with kids, who must go to work, who is able to provide supervision for kids who are participating in DL
- Understand bussing needs and the impact of a potential incentive for driving / carpooling
Survey educators:
- Understand what percentage of teachers are uncomfortable returning to a building in the fall
- Understand the skillsets and comfort levels of teachers related to DL
- Provide an opportunity for teachers to share their questions, concerns, and ideas related to returning to the school building for in-person or combination learning
- Source ideas for professional development sessions the school/district should offer throughout SY20-21 to support educators
As a first step toward understanding learning loss, have teachers submit class rosters to building administrators using a key such as:
- + = student ended the year on grade level;
- - = student ended the year below grade level;
- A = student attended and engaged in distance learning activities;
- B = student attended but did not engage;
- C = student did not attend
Create school-level planning teams that meet regularly to design & check in on the school's re-entry plan
- Make intentional efforts to recruit a diverse group of parents to participate on these teams. Parent voice is particularly important to ensure that the planning teams consider equity issues as they make critical decisions/policies.
- Ensure that teacher voice is represented on the planning teams, as teachers comprise the vast majority of adults who will be implementing any of the policies/school models outlined in the re-entry plans

2 Deepen Relationships

Set up virtual home visits before school begins
- Ask parents and students about goals and challenges
- Provide opportunities for sharing “learning preferences”
- Discuss school expectations and how to set up students for success
- Ask about family expectations for the school
Invite families to the school to meet their teachers individually before school starts, with options for either in-person or virtual meetings
Form a task force of district leaders and community organizations to connect with all families, understand how they are doing, how their situation has changed, what they might need
Divide student lists between principals, teachers, and school psychologists/other support personnel to have 1-on-1 conversations with students/families and record responses. Enlist partner organizations to provide support, with the goal of finding & connecting with all families before school starts

3 Streamline Systems

Test out broadband and devices during the summer
- Perform an inventory/review to understand both the success rate of school-issued devices and the other device types students may have utilized for DL during SY19-20 (i.e., mobile phones, tablets, shared devices across families)
- Plan time to provide families with new devices and/or updated internet access before the school year begins
Streamline platforms and operations for accessing and submitting work
- Finetune the learning platform/learning management system (LMS) (Google Classroom or the equivalent) to house extensive resources that can be used in and out of school
- Design summer professional development (PD) sessions for teachers that model the consistent platforms, systems, & logistics that teachers should know about & utilize during the year
Develop a strong Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program
- NEW! Take time to build partnerships, deepen your understanding, and plan for SEL
- Design opportunities for adults to connect, heal, and cultivate their own SEL competencies and capacities
- Create emotionally and physically safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments that promote all students’ social and emotional development
- Use data as an opportunity to deepen relationships and continuously improve support for students, families, and staff
Provide PD:
- Scheduling, including expectations around the balance of synchronous vs. asynchronous time;
- NEW! Curriculum, pedagogy, & how to develop meaningful learning tasks across re-entry scenarios;
- NEW! Utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guiding principles to build lesson plans;
- While some teachers will be teaching onsite, develop methods so that all will be able to pivot quickly to distance models in the case of an outbreak
- Include teacher assistants (TAs), support staff, guidance counselors to ensure that all personnel have the "tech skills" needed to support student learning & SEL
- If your school's plan includes in-person learning, hold PD sessions in person in order to model expectations for social distancing within the physical space, cleaning protocols, mask-wearing, etc.
Do not expect teachers to be responsible for both in-person and distance learning simultaneously. Create a sustainable plan for teacher roles, with the opportunity for teachers to weigh in.
Define participation versus attendance:
- Consider shifting terminology from attendance to participation. Participation may look like attending in person or attending synchronous virtual classes, submitting work, participating in discussion boards and office hours, and contributing to learning journal reflection blogs. How will you determine the criteria for participation?
- NEW! Learn about strategies for reducing chronic absenteeism & partnering with students/families (Attendance Works)
- NEW! Use data to implement equity-focused attendance strategies (EveryDay Labs)
Develop a comprehensive assessment system that incorporates a 360 degree view at the start of the school year to determine a child’s strengths and challenges with a section developed to incorporate parent input to count toward 25% of overall score

FULL DISTANCE LEARNING

1 How might we modify facilities? 2 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness? 3 How might we effectively engage families? 4 How might we build strong relationships with students? 5 How might we support meaningful learning? 6 How might we support vulnerable learners? 7 How might we use staff differently? 8 How might we facilitate transportation?

1 How might we modify facilities?

Offer building access as needed to facilitate learning
Allow teachers to teach in a DL format from their classrooms to access supplies/white boards, etc.
Use facilities to support small groups based on need/opt-ins. Through sign-ups, provide small group/individual access to counselors, social workers, psychologists, tutors, tech support, and other support staff on site while wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines. Use scanning thermometers, coupled with ID scanners or contact diaries for contact tracing purposes.
Provide transparent reporting on savings on electricity, heating, supplies and how that money will be reallocated

2 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness?

NEW! Design options for students to build movement & choice into their day in relation to wellness activities. Check out this example Well-Being Grid from Sha Tin Junior High School & Transcend.
Elementary School (ES) - Devote 50% of instructional time to support SEL components delivered through DL
- Meditation or yoga/movement to help students maintain healthy spaces & bodily awareness
MS/HS: Start the year with a journal prompt asking how the pandemic has impacted them
Give mental health professionals a larger role in designing things like advisory curriculum
Start student days with wellness check-ins
- Consider edtech platforms like EMOTE and KlickEngage for monitoring students’ SEL needs for when in-person communication is not possible
Help parents form networks and pool resources to support their children & each other
- Identify students in similar grade levels in a neighborhood
- Provide infrastructure to support the creation of mini-networks, where 3-5 students rotate houses for DL/social interactions/childcare
Facilitate family support groups at the grade/school level, through weekly virtual meetings

3 How might we effectively engage families?

Create a school or district-wide approach to DL with consistent platforms, logins, and work requirements
Ensure that teaching and materials are available asynchronously to meet varying family circumstances of time and schedules
Communication
- Be honest about time expectations for parents and how they should be using that time to support their children. Understand how much time parents should be involved by grade level. ES parents report spending approximately 2.5 hours per weekday supporting their child with schoolwork
- Entrust parents and caregivers with the role of providing regular formal and informal feedback and create a virtual open-door policy for any and all questions and concerns. If parents articulate that their child has had enough (on a particular assignment, day, or week), or that they need a break from videoconferencing, teachers should respect that feedback and use it to inform their lesson planning
- Provide “How To” videos about effectively supporting students across core academic areas, with guidance on developmentally appropriate expectations and strategies. For instance, videos:
  - coaching families on how to set goals and practice specific concepts around reading & math;
  - sharing tips on the importance of taking breaks while learning;
  - guiding parents to break up lessons into more accessible sections;
  - adding an element of fun by allowing children to utilize different tools, markers/crayons, or paper to increase engagement;
  - giving step-by-step instructions for the common tech tools students will be using
- Hold bi-weekly 20 minute meetings with a student/parent so parents can see what students are doing/what they might need help with/how to help them - allocate a portion of “synchronous” time for this
- Set up clear expectations for student participation in synchronous video platforms
- Give families freedom and support to adjust curriculum through some choice options and the ability to create learning experiences
- Use video morning announcements to add a piece of normalcy and connectedness each day
- ES:
  - Have teachers and staff members share virtual bedtime stories to add a sense of warmth and shared experience
  - Encourage families to submit pictures of home learning that schools can turn into a video or collage
Invite family members to join the virtual synchronous class time to:
- Observe & provide feedback on the experience
- Get up to speed on routines & ask questions in real-time
- See the teacher model the flow of the lesson & the way the s/he checks for understanding
Help families build routines, structures, and an effective home learning environment (NYU Steinhardt)
- Find partners who can donate desks, paper, or writing utensils to set up an effective home learning environment
- Help parents set expectations for student work at home, including when and how they will check complete assignments and communicate with teachers

4 How might we build strong relationships with students?

NEW! Create a consistent community building routine to use with your class(es). Consider this example from Van Ness Elementary as inspiration: Strong Start slides. (Note: each school/district is setting their own expectations for virtual, synchronous instruction. Camera settings in particular have been at the center of equity discussions).
Meet with every student individually for 10-20 minutes each week
- Use this time to check-in, answer questions and review progress
- Invite parents to attend these meetings and modify work to meet the student's needs/interests
Facilitate whole group lunch or lunch bunches that meet in smaller groups around a nonacademic topic of interest
Build and expand on virtual advisory
- Dedicate a separate Google Classroom/platform link and/or think of ways to group chat on a medium that works for all
- Community building activities by advisory
- Ensure advisory time is incorporated into the synchronous learning schedule each week
- A point-person / advisor immediately follow students who are not attending / participating in DL sessions
Hold morning meetings for 10-20 minutes each day where students share 1 thing around a particular topic
ES: Find ways to replicate the style of teaching and learning that research shows works best with young students
- Use video conferencing to share learning songs
- Create lessons that incorporate items and objects from the home environment
- Make sure that each videoconference is short and has a clear, directed purpose to respect young children’s attention spans
- Think carefully about when to use whole group virtual meetings for social connection vs. small groups to allow all students enough airtime to contribute
MS/HS: Required virtual clubs or affinity groups to attend early morning, during lunch, and/or late afternoon
HS: Create student & teacher FlipGrid introduction videos per class
Teachers should prepare explicit lessons about the rules of their new virtual classroom
- When to use the mute button
- How to "raise your hand" to speak
- Best way for students to get feedback on their work
- How to collaborate with other students
Host “live viewing” parties for streaming movies with an open chat option or online game tournaments

5 How might we support meaningful learning?

Understand ideal ranges of synchronous and asynchronous learning time at different grade levels
- Review developmental limitations of online work
- K - 2 = 2.5 hours a day
- Grades 3 - 4 = 3.5 hours a day
- Grades 5 - 8 = 5 hours a day
Share School Supplies & Manipulatives with Families
- Schools are filled with specialty tools and resources that are fundamental to student learning, many of which are not common in households: book rooms filled with leveled readers, math manipulatives that help children visualize mathematical concepts, dry erase boards and markers that facilitate easy feedback for teachers and novelty in learning, libraries filled with diverse selection of high-quality books, and countless other supplies that increase engagement and make learning happen. When schools must shut their doors, in addition to distributing devices, districts and schools should find processes to distribute these other important supplies. A lack of doing so risks amplifying inequities as many families are unable to curate a selection of learning tools on demand.
Design Project Based Learning (PBL)/Interdisciplinary Units
- Intentionally create collaborative project groups
- Promote project based learning that applies the curriculum in various ways with flexibility
- Think through ways for students to demonstrate mastery through hands-on building/creation in an effort to balance the online learning/screentime components
Adjust expectations for tests/demonstrating mastery
- Provide physical copies of tests to get students off screens
- Let students demonstrate knowledge in a personalized virtual meeting conversation instead of a test/online assignment
- Share a succinct policy on plagiarism/unauthorized borrowing/sharing of work
Set formats and schedules throughout districts
Design tasks that encourage creativity/creation
Continue to provide students with books when possible - some need the tactile support of having a book in their hands.
Build robust playlists around the curriculum that support personalization & differentiation and can be used when in person learning resumes
Differentiate learning and offer students multiple options for assignments

6 How might we support vulnerable learners?

Balance the amount of virtual meetings for students with IEPs
- Schedule/combine supports so that they aren’t in meetings all day or miss a class meeting
Concentrate on the core classes for struggling students
Deliver teacher-led instruction in small groups and office hours for 1-on-1 support
Make sure accommodations are met through DL in all of their classes
Utilize mobile vans (housing the teacher and supplies) that are equipped to handle 1:1 teaching check-ins
- Van can come to the home of the student to provide services so that child does not have to get transportation to the school building
- Clean in between services
Leverage new and/or community resources outside of a school system for PT, OT, and delivering IEP services
Design Google Classroom/LMS with the same “template” to make it easier for students to find work in all classes
Teach Executive Function strategies explicitly
- Prioritizing and planning skills needed for distance learning
- Use a tool like Google Keep to take notes/reminders
- Create reminder "how to" videos for students to watch
Provide instruction/expectations to parents/guardians/family members who can help support oral language development for English Learners (ELs) in the home
- Be inquisitive: ask lots of questions about the learning
- Be patient: wait out responses, do not rush the child so s/he can express freely
- Let your child shine: invite children to summarize key learnings each day
- Let your child teach: encourage your child to teach you something new each day
- Be a language model: during the learning/throughout your day, talk with your child and describe everything you are doing
- Make connections: help your child make connections with previous learning

7 How might we use staff differently?

Designate a staff person to be responsible for responding to concerns specifically related to COVID-19, someone who families know they can reach out to
Design flexible leave policies, including allowing for staff to take leave to care for a family member or stay home with a child when school is canceled or their child is sick
Utilize interventionists to support students academically but also strategize around supporting students who are not engaged in the process of DL
Support staff does more outreach to families, more check-ins; help students reflect and stay organized
Truant officer follows up with “no shows” and documents what is not working about the current DL model for that student/family
Teacher Assistants
- Meet with students 1:1 or small group to reinforce skills
- Make connections with individual students to better help them through any transition back to the school building
Guidance counselors provide support for struggling students and families, with resources available via their own Google Classroom
Librarians/Library Media Specialists
- Find/organize resources
- Facilitate access to books
- Provide technology integration assistance to both colleagues & students/families
ES integrates PE, art, music activities into the regular class schedule/ assignments to support wellness: after each learning task, a physical movement, mindfulness choice, art or music is built into the schedule
Have teachers share the work of lesson planning and adjusting instruction to meet student need. They do this as a regular part of their work week, supported by expert teachers and coaches providing ongoing feedback.
MS/HS: Identify teachers to lead subject areas. Choose one teacher per content per grade for daily live instruction and utilize all other teachers to:
- Review, grade, and give feedback on assignments
- Hold daily office hours using Google Classroom/Meet
- Deliver small group differentiated instruction/support, with students self-selecting into the level that best suits them (i.e, I need help/I kind of get it/I am ready to move on)
- Collaborate with content team to plan for launch lessons led by chosen teacher
- Check in with students and families that miss launch or instruction
- Lead their Homeroom/Advisory group with the lesson launch or another check-in activity

8 How might we facilitate transportation?

COMBINATION LEARNING

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all? 2 How might we modify facilities? 3 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness? 4 How might we effectively engage families? 5 How might we build strong relationships with students? 6 How might we support meaningful learning? 7 How might we support vulnerable learners? 8 How might we use staff differently?

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all?

NEW! Have students alternate days or weeks of in-person learning & DL. As outlined in Transcend's Hybrid Learning Curated Collection, consider grouping students into cohorts based on:
- grade level;
- household;
- prioritization of need; or
- alphabetical by last name
Assign teachers in the at-risk age bracket or immunocompromised category to teach from home through a DL format, with appropriate supports & PD
Schedule different groups of students for in-person learning to occur in 2-day blocks, within week on/week off formats, or half day sessions
For ideas related to the in-person component of your school's combination learning model, see this section on the Full In-Person Learning tab

2 How might we modify facilities?

Utilize different layouts & models depending on grade level & need:
- Grades K-3: spread out students within the district's ES building(s)
- Grades 4 - 6: instruct SPED/ELL students fully in-person in a MS building; remaining students split time between in-person learning in the building & at home learning through DL;
- Grades 7-12: instruct SPED/ELL students fully in-person within HS buildings; remaining students split time between in-person learning in the building & at home learning through DL
Use the larger buildings (HS/MS) to house the populations that most need the face-to-face interaction. This may help with spacing out students.
Increase space:
- Consider asking large businesses with mostly remote employees or Convention Centers/meeting halls to donate space, allowing for more socially distanced, in-person learning
- Use local community libraries as an extension of the school, as a place where small groups could meet to either get tutoring/direct instruction/miscellaneous support. This could also help with wifi accessibility
- Use some of the stand-up medical facilities that were built to handle the surge, but now could serve as learning spaces for MS/HS students (note: this applies to states/regions who are past the peak of the pandemic spread)
- Determine if there are other town-owned spaces or places in school that classes can meet (end of hallways, cafeteria, library, etc.)
- Rent trailers to keep groups separated around the school grounds
Create “microschools”
Districts with multiple schools (ES/MS/HS) on the same campus share buildings cross-district within a part-time hybrid schedule to spread students out physically
Develop pods/cohorts within building
- Keep students separate and in zones, with the same students interacting only with each other, and teachers cycling in and out of the cohort
- Design a classroom layout with a zone for each student that remains the same
- Assign 1 teacher and 1 Teacher Assistant per pod/cohort
Use furniture effectively. Move tables, individual desks to classrooms or larger spaces to meet needs.
Use building level administrators based on their strengths to support either DL or in-person learning. Building administrators should not have to be spread thin between the two worlds.
Perform an inventory to understand the most needed supplies if students will no longer be allowed to share manipulatives, devices, etc. & provide necessary funding as almost everything in our schools is shared.
Stagger students’ reentry to school. That means some children are coming back for as little as two shifts a week for 150 minutes each time, so that a required 6 ft of distance can be maintained between students.

3 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness?

Childcare
- Multiple children in the same family can choose DL with older children helping younger children
- Make sure siblings are on the same schedule for in-person/DL
- Create neighborhood zones for times when students are completing their assigned distance learning tasks at home, with 3-5 families grouped together to share space, and a different parent supervising on different days as schedules allow
- Align day care/after care programs within a district /state to the hybrid schedule, allowing children to rotate spots
Possibilities related to the question "Who comes back to in-person schooling first?"
- Students in PK-1
- Those close to graduating but who need more supports
- ES students to decrease the childcare burden on families
- Vulnerable populations who need the most support
  - May include: students who are differently-abled; multilingual learners; homeless or living in temporary housing; migrant; at-risk of leaving school; live in poverty or whose families face other challenges; and/or, directly affected by COVID-19
  - Consider having these students attend in-person all 5 days of the week or attend full days in person while remaining students alternate half days
  - Think critically about how to support these students without reinforcing the stigma of being classified as vulnerable
- Students who were successful or who appreciated DL during SY19-20 retain the option to continue with this model
- MS/HS: Start with 6th and 9th graders (and transfer students) in building to build relationships
Provide resources and supplies for families to take home with them when students do show up in class (i.e. students not only get materials for class but also meals and other things they depend on from school)
Antibody testing used to intentionally place teachers - some in school, some teaching from home

4 How might we effectively engage families?

5 How might we build strong relationships with students?

Give every student at least one day in-person each week as a touchpoint with teachers and peers
- Schools assign students to courses as usual (traditional or block schedule)
- Each student is assigned one of four attendance days: A, B, C, or D.
- Three factors determine attendance day assignments: student transportation needs and bus capacity; class sizes and classroom capacity; sibling matching and unique family circumstances
Build community as much as possible in the first few in-person days. Put content aside in order to build relationships with students so that if the school needs to move to full DL, they will understand their students and needs better.
Host small group celebrations/activities in person every few weeks for DL students
Think critically about purpose of DL vs. In-Person Learning
- Consider DL the primary method of working towards competency in a grade level and/or content area, while in-person learning is focused on relationship-building and developing non-academic skills (technology troubleshooting, mental health, social-emotional learning, and special services that are difficult to provide over the internet

6 How might we support meaningful learning?

Remote plus small-group discussion: Similar to college courses that hold lectures and separate smaller discussion sections, teachers deliver 3-4 asynchronous remote lessons per week and meet with one smaller discussion section each day, Monday-Thursday, limited to students attending in person. Educators teaching the same grade level/course can play different roles (lecturer, small group facilitator, office hours, etc).
Be intentional about instruction & activity/practice blocks in scheduling teacher & student time
- Teacher instructs 1/2 class in-person in the morning, then that group switches to practice skills, or do personalized work, playlists, etc in the afternoon (either in a larger space outside of the classroom or through DL)
- Other 1/2 of the class starts with practice/playlists in the morning and joins the teacher in the classroom for in-person instruction in the afternoon
- TA, interventionists, and/or specialists tag-team with the teacher in this model to support the students outside of the classroom with the teacher
Simulcast/live-streaming:
- The teacher simultaneously teaches in-person and remote students
- Students attending in person might take on unique roles (e.g., individual or group presentations; discussion leaders; leaders of small groups with remote students)
- Students attending remotely are actively engaged synchronously in the same live classes
- Teacher must think purposefully about designing tasks in this model, as it can reinforce traditional lecture-based instruction that is teacher-focused instead of student-centered
HS: Some classes like ELA have grade 9/10 and 11/12 standards, which may be helpful to group some students based on need vs. strictly by grade level

7 How might we support vulnerable learners?

Support TAs and special educators to provide in-person instruction when needed, in addition to virtual instruction from content teachers
Consider a “team teaching” approach where the teachers/faculty/support personnel have specific times set aside to discuss the progress of identified students
Arrange weekly or biweekly in person check-ins with students (during the DL component of the combination learning model)

8 How might we use staff differently?

FULL IN-PERSON LEARNING

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all? 2 How might we modify facilities? 3 How might we effectively engage families? 4 How might we build strong relationships with students? 5 How might we use staff differently? 6 How might we facilitate transportation?

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all?

Avoid large crowds in a building
- Set up one way hallway & stairway movement
- Install barriers in the hallways to establish new foot traffic pattern
- Use staggered schedule/bells within the school day to limit the number of people in the hallways
- Use staggered start and end times to limit the number of people in the building
- Create staggered bathroom protocols per classroom with explicit hand-washing protocols
- One set of entrances, one set of exits with staff monitors to lock/unlock doors
Nurses go to classroom rather than students to nurse's office
Hang clear plastic shower liners from classroom ceilings to divide classrooms into smaller collaborative stations
Have a protocol in place for what to do if a student tests positively for COVID-19
- In Germany, students had a throat swab every 4 days with results emailed to teacher/parents overnight. A negative test meant a green sticker that allowed the student to move within their “house” of students and teachers. A positive test meant DL until they were cleared to return to school.
Wellness checks
- Use an advisory or homeroom to schedule wellness checks
- Use randomized sampling to periodically test students and teachers
- Cleaning protocols
- Desks wiped down between classes
- Bathrooms cleaned between/during classes
- Funding for cleaning supplies and more custodial staff. Hiring more cleaning staff to help custodians and teachers
- All school members sanitize hands upon entering classrooms
No sharing of items like calculators, rulers, books, manipulatives, etc.
Determine policy around face shields vs. masks
Contact tracing diary per student (or pod/cohort)
Plans in place to isolate students/staff when sick or utilize DL
Loosen certifications, sub requirements to ensure we can keep effective adult leaders in the classroom
Create videos and protocols for students to know the map of their “safe journey to school”
Encourage students to bring their own filled water bottles instead of relying on water fountains

2 How might we modify facilities?

ES students remain in classroom with little movement through the school. Hold specials in the classroom, with itinerant teachers teaching either in the regular education setting, or via Google Meet/Zoom
Consider shifting the school calendar to align with better weather
Utilize school auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, etc. creatively as learning areas, since spacing out desks/students/staff will be easier in these larger spaces. Use a lesson format of teacher launches of key ideas to a large group followed by small group support
Add hand washing stations
Use lane strips to identify 6 feet distance on the floor
Post clear signage & directions
Serve individually plated foods in classrooms instead of cafeteria, and use disposable items (if non-disposable, staff should handle with gloves and wash items with soap and hot water)
MS & HS:
- Form cohorts to use external facilities - smaller “schools” or “houses” in different locations, with support staff traveling to students
- Keep the classes for designated “houses” on the same floor to help students and teachers limit movement between classes as well as avoid stairwells
Utilize outdoor spaces (i.e. have band practice on the football field, campus science field trips, etc.) whenever weather permits. Teachers should all get walkie-talkies to communicate with school leaders.
It is not recommended to temperature check students at entry due to the significant number of both false positive and false negative results. In addition, many carriers may initially present as asymptomatic.
Keep windows and doors open whenever possible to promote airflow and ventilation around the building.
HS:
- Double sessions or modified schedule so all students get the opportunity to be in the building at a certain point in the day, just not all at once
- Split schedule - ½ school afternoon, ½ school morning; block schedule so certain groups only have a few classes each day
For recess, subdivide outdoor space into units and assign/appoint each class to a space. Consider staggering recess time slots to allow time for sanitizing equipment.
If weather permits, set up outdoor spaces for in-person check-ins and learning spaces, particularly during the September & October months (note: this relates to weather patterns/temperatures in New England, your region may differ)
Use no touch/foot pedal trash cans
Set up physical dividers, distribute face shields, and space out students/desks in classrooms to reinforce distancing requirements

3 How might we effectively engage families?

4 How might we build strong relationships with students?

Process emotions and use coping strategies
- Allow children proper space and time to reconnect with each other by strengthening previous relationships and establishing new ones
- Allow children to feel safe and secure at school
- Allow children to process stressful events at school and develop resilience, coping strategies, and a positive self-image
Allow returning students to spend time with their previous year’s teachers and classmates, reflect on their experiences, and close out the year that was left abruptly
Consider purchasing teacher masks with clear areas to allow students to see their teacher's mouth/face shield. In particular, young learners need to see for phonics, this is helpful for special education needs, and necessary for the hearing impaired, etc.
Have classes live streamed to students who are not able to attend in-person
Customize schedules to support student needs (more independent work time for those who are handling it well, more individual/small group time for those who need it)
Follow this advice from Dorothy Siegel, if staffing allows: “In the youngest grades, I would limit classes to 18 students, each with a general education teacher and a special education teacher who would have the time and space to identify the academic needs of every student. A social worker or guidance counselor would be assigned to three classes, conducting small-group discussions about the traumatic things our kids have experienced, and working 1:1 with the many children who need it.”

5 How might we use staff differently?

NEW! ES staffing for specials (Art, Music, Library, P.E., and Health.)
- Assign itinerant teachers for these subjects to a specific grade level for daily instruction in 6 week blocks (i.e, librarians work with 1st graders for first 6 weeks of the school year)
- P.E. could be scheduled Fall and Spring in outdoor areas, saving Health for the cold weather months
- Teachers retain consistent planning periods, and could potentially work more closely with itinerants to build interdisciplinary, culminating projects
- Students cut down exposure to different teachers and stay within small pod constraints
- Itinerants are exposed to far fewer students at a time within each of the 6 week blocks
- Challenges: transfer students missing subjects or having to make them up, and a lack of substitutes if an itinerant is absent
ES:
- Establish pods/cohorts of 30
- Assign one main teacher and one rotating teacher at all times
- TAs, itinerants, Resource Specialists, SPED teachers, etc. rotate through pods after self-sanitizing
- Use the staff who are not general education classroom teachers to reduce class sizes. For example, split a pod into 2 groups. One meets with their classroom teacher while the other does work in a different classroom with an itinerant teacher assigned to that group. The teachers can switch either halfway through the day, or on different days so that all students are getting face time with the regular teacher, and all students have access to an adult to provide support.
Review this Example Grade 2 schedule for inspiration
TAs can be used to have small meetings to build social skills, check in on those students that may seem disengaged

6 How might we facilitate transportation?

Set up staggered bus schedules in morning and afternoon shifts that align with the needs of the pods/cohorts
Assign bus lines K-8
Within a district, encourage students to attend their neighborhood school to limit the amount of bussing needed (we recognize that while a useful short term solution, there are long term equity issues related to this idea)
Local example: give every Providence student a RIPTA (public bus transportation) pass at a free or discounted rate
Creative car pool for morning, late morning, afternoon to align with any staggered start times
Understand transportation needs for before/after school care
Offer parents willing to drive their child/carpool with one other family gas cards every month or some other incentive

GOOD IDEAS ACROSS SCENARIOS

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all? 2 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness? 3 How might we effectively engage families? 4 How might we build strong relationships with students? 5 How might we support meaningful learning? 6 How might we support vulnerable learners? 7 How might we use staff differently? 8 Comprehensive Planning Resources

1 How might we ensure health & safety for all?

Create school-level planning teams that meet regularly to design & check in on the school's re-entry plan
- Ensure that teacher voice is represented on the planning teams, as teachers comprise the vast majority of adults who will be implementing any of the policies/school models outlined in the re-entry plans
Emphasize the importance of personalized wellness check-ins with students
- Prioritize check-ins with students based on social worker capacity and Department of Children, Youth, and Families issues
- Due to limited resources, create a method for prioritizing access to guidance counselors, school psychologists, and social workers and/or determining the urgency level of issues as they arise
- Create a schedule of 15-minute phone call check-ins to families on a biweekly basis with questions focused on Consideration 1 from the 4 Considerations
  - Mental health check-ins from certified staff
  - Share a mental health anonymous hotline for students to help with anxiety, depression, etc.
  - Home visits for students who are unresponsive/absent for a certain amount of time
Host informational webinars for families, ideally created at the state & district level
- How to stay safe amidst the pandemic
- Share community resources with families in one place making access as easy as possible
- Increase the frequency of meetings/info sessions/webinars for parents
- Bring in people from the community for Virtual Town Hall meetings to talk about health, wellness, housing, etc.
Continuously provide meals for qualified families
Leverage local health partnerships: school nurses are going to be overloaded, so help will be a necessity to make sure needs are met
- Keep tele-health options open and expand availability to all insurance carriers.

2 How might we understand & support current family needs/ensure student wellness?

NEW! Utilize a protocol for student wellness check-ins, like this Conversation Roadmap from Zeta Charter Schools
Teachers, Social Workers, Guidance Counselors, Resource Officers organize continued contact with families - at least one follow up contact per week
Identify point people for all families (advisor & teacher - 2 adults per student). Work to build relationship with families through personalized phone calls home biweekly: highlighting positives, building trust, check-ins, making parents aware of available supports.
Encourage relationships between families at the same school (like family buddies) to support one another

3 How might we effectively engage families?

NEW! Utilize the Family Engagement Choice Board for Reopening Schools to design a holistic plan for relationship-building & developing consistent communication systems
Create school-level planning teams that meet regularly to design & check in on the school's re-entry plan, making intentional efforts to recruit a diverse group of parents to participate on these teams. Parent voice is particularly important to ensure that the planning teams consider equity issues as they make critical decisions/policies.
Set up consistent norms for parent communication for all teachers so as not to overwhelm the same parent/family with disconnected messages from multiple staff
From their new front row seat and despite significant challenges, parents are engaging deeply in their children's remote schooling and will show up differently next school year. Even with more hands-on time, parents still have an inflated view of their children’s grade level ability – 92% report their children are at/above grade level in reading and math. It is closer to 37% (2019 NAEP). This is a moment to establish clear expectations for parent, teacher relationships grounded in a shared understanding of the child’s progress and academic achievement.
Communication
- Beginning of the year virtual introductory conference for students and parents to hear expectations and ask questions/virtual “home visit” where parents can share their perspectives and dreams. Ensure that translation services are available as needed.
- Post work expectations for the week every Sunday
- Set up robo calls on Sunday night or Monday morning to give a snippet of what the week might look like
- Leverage user friendly apps to communicate with families (WhatsApp, Bloomz, Seesaw, Talking Points)
- Schedule a virtual “ office hour” for families each week; allow parents to sign up for 15 minute meetings
- Biweekly/monthly, share 1 strategy parents can utilize to support their child in their learning (i.e., what does a read aloud look like? What kind of questions should I ask my child to see if they can share their newly acquired knowledge with me?).
- Help families organize “family nights” at home - offer a prompt, game, book, debate, etc.
Meet families as equals who possess large funds of knowledge about the best ways to educate their own children
Ensure consistent platforms and expectations across classrooms/schools so parents don’t have to juggle and learn new routines for each of their children
Send out biweekly feedback forms on Fridays to gather information on how best to support families, get a pulse check on how families are feeling, what’s working/not working, and suggestions for improvement. Keep the questions concise & relatively similar each time. Make adjustments based on this feedback.
Host virtual parent nights periodically to introduce a concept, feature an important academic skill, engage parents in discussion, etc. Virtual participation will reduce the number of people in the building and reduce needed cleaning protocols.
Invite each teacher to host a monthly parent/student virtual meeting to connect, share, and discuss successes and challenges
Invite family members to be virtual guest speakers

4 How might we build strong relationships with students?

Check our tendencies to make assumptions about students and their reasons for doing/not doing certain work
Build opportunities for teacher communication between grades around who students are, what they need
Build and expand on the advisory concept
- Student selects advisor through a connection survey (adult s/he feels connected to at school)
- “Open enrollment” period to switch advisors
- Advisor finds time to connect with their students virtually or in person 5-10 minutes each week
- All adults in a building act as an advisor to 4-7 students per adult
- Set up a system where the advisor and teachers are the main points of contact for students/families, which should ensure that no one falls through the cracks
- Advisors develop plans if their students struggle, attendance falls off, etc.
- Ideally, advisors for vulnerable learners are specialists
If possible, have teachers loop with students from the previous school year to build off the previous connections established in person prior to the shift to DL
Create a classroom environment/culture that can be sustained in a virtual setting, with consistent community building, norms, expectations, celebrations, consequences, etc.
- Knowing what’s coming next and having a predictable structure to the school day promotes a feeling of safety.
- This includes: Morning meeting, visual agenda, predictable transitions.
Teachers allocate time for brief, individualized check-ins for students each week
Teachers offer students continuous, thoughtful, carefully wrought feedback that shows they have a pulse on student learning and know how to push it forward in objective-driven ways
Begin the year with intentional community building activities including diversity circles, getting to know you tasks, etc.
Follow the advice of Christopher Emdin:
- “Traditionally, schools have defined ‘falling behind’ only in terms of academics. But students can also fall behind emotionally...In the midst of disaster, if children and teens find themselves flailing, stories of hope are healing for those telling them and also for those hearing them. Have students create video blogs about their moments of joy and success and share them with each other."
- "Celebrate teachers, and share stories of their efforts that have paid off. For every story about dysfunction, ensure that you tell two about victories and progress.”
Create Individualized Learning Plans for all students with parent, teacher, and student input
Allow students/families to select the students they would most like to learn with; understand ongoing student conflicts before placing students together in a confined pod
Use the 2x10 Strategy
- Spend 2 minutes per day for 10 days in a row talking with a student about anything they want to talk about. This ongoing relationship-building helps a child see that you care about their well-being and interests.
Teacher action steps
- Start the school year with a focus on relationships. Ask students to write you a letter to share their interests, hopes, and dreams. Write a personal response to each letter.
- Find ways to connect with students each day. Greet students by name when they enter the classroom (either in-person or virtually). Talk to them about their interests outside of school.
- Take time to understand your own identity. Start with the Unpacking Identity resource from Teaching Tolerance.
- Take time during the school day to reflect on how you’re feeling. Complete the Professional Quality of Life measure to assess and address any secondary trauma that you are experiencing.
- Teach classroom expectations and revisit them often. Provide predictable positive attention by offering frequent praise when student actions align with classroom expectations.
- Help students learn to identify and articulate emotion by introducing them to the Mood Meter. Use the Mood Meter to check in with students often about how they’re feeling.
- Introduce students to mindfulness as a way to build self-regulation skills.
- Provide voice and choice in the classroom to empower students. Ask students what they want to learn about and incorporate their requests into classroom teaching.
- Identify opportunities for students who are struggling to build a sense of academic competence. This may include asking a student to read to a younger peer or providing a note at the end of the day telling the student something they did well.

5 How might we support meaningful learning?

Assess learning loss. Consider utilizing Khan Academy’s new “getting ready for grade level” courses to identify mastery & gaps
Emphasize priority standards
Provide the space for students to explore and affirm their identities through literature, classroom projects, and storytelling to instill community and a healthy sense of self. This powerful work helps students recognize that they are more than the trauma they have experienced.
Provide opportunities for students to impact their communities
Use a team-based approach to designing lessons
Support a transition to project-based (or at least student-paced) instruction, so students in and out of school will stay on track
Switch to a flipped classroom model, which can be implemented in both DL and in-person settings
Since assessment opportunities and expectations will need to be adjusted, focusing on personalized learning/instruction in all subject areas will keep students engaged in and out of the classroom
Leverage virtual opportunities for all students across instructional scenarios to have access to all teachers within a school or district
- Leverage grade level/course teachers to offer slightly different follow-up activities after a lesson, with students opting in to the one that suits them best (even if they are in person)
- Offer curricular or extracurricular opportunities for enrichment by scheduling all teachers to run a 30 minute virtual session of interest each month exploring different topics, careers, questions

6 How might we support vulnerable learners?

Create staff teams to meet weekly around a caseload of struggling students. Advisors & teachers can elevate students of concern to these teams. Teams can leverage research-based methods such as Building Assets, Reducing Risks
Increase teacher/advisor communication for vulnerable learners and their families
Expand tutoring opportunities
- Offer credit opportunities for advanced students to be part of a teacher-mentored tutoring program
- HS: Connect students with college student tutors by either researching partnerships with local colleges/universities or considering edtech services like GoPeer who specialize in this
Further simplify protocols for work assignments (platforms, templates, expectations) to reduce anxiety and stress when accessing class materials
Offer more opportunities for small group instruction
Prioritize in-person opportunities

7 How might we use staff differently?

Allow older teachers or teachers with compromised immune systems who have had success with DL this spring first choice to teach in DL models
Provide time for teachers to plan lessons together and share curriculum; continue grade level common planning/curation of materials & resources
Purposeful use of Teacher Assistants/support personnel in “breakout” rooms (both virtually and in person) to support students both academically and with SEL
Group grade level and course level teachers across a district
- Facilitate virtual collaboration of these groups to share materials, units, lessons;
- Assign some teachers within the group to DL & others to in-person;
- Align all coursework & make it accessible virtually in case any students cannot attend or if a pod/cohort needs to quarantine
Establish an attendance team that must travel to homes of no/never show students
Explore ways in which library media specialists can be utilized

8 Comprehensive Planning Resources

Reopening RI FAQ from the Rhode Island Department of Education
Back to School Instructional Program Scheduling Map, Brooklyn Lab Charter School. Investigating instructional program scheduling ideas that make the return to school in fall 2020 better for all students and staff.
Transcend Library. Over 100 curated remote learning and re-entry models to help accelerate your school design journey. These examples are intended to serve as inspirations, provocations, and "80% of the way there" building blocks that you can use as a starting place and adapt to your own context.

Reopening Schools: Ideas Across Scenarios

Reopening Schools: Ideas Across Scenarios

Last Update: August 20, 2020

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FULL DISTANCE LEARNING

COMBINATION LEARNING

FULL IN-PERSON LEARNING

GOOD IDEAS ACROSS SCENARIOS

SUMMER PLANNING

FULL DISTANCE LEARNING

COMBINATION LEARNING

FULL IN-PERSON LEARNING

GOOD IDEAS ACROSS SCENARIOS

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