Going Back to a Better School: NEA Issues Guidance on Reopening
Many schools across the country will in all likelihood reopen in the fall for the 2020-21 school year. States are currently reviewing potential models that maximize both learning – whether in-person or continued remote instruction – and health and safety. Still, because of continued uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, “back to school” for many districts and college campuses remains more of an ‘if’ than a ‘when.’
As some states are currently discovering, reopening plans that ignore or downplay the advice of scientists and public health experts can backfire. For K-12 and higher ed buildings, a poorly designed and executed strategy can cost lives, particularly among our most vulnerable students and in communities of color, or the very least further jeopardize their educational progress.
The National Education Association (NEA) believes that any reopening model has to not only ensure the health and safety of students and staff, but also prioritize long term strategies on student learning and educational equity.
To assist states and school districts in this effort, NEA this week released “All Hands on Deck: Initial Guidance Regarding Reopening School Buildings.” Built around four basic principles – health expertise, educator voice, access to protection, and leading with equity – the document lays out what schools need to do to prepare for reopening, and how they can make their reopening succeed far beyond the first few weeks of the new school year.“We have a unique opportunity” the guidance says, “to create schools and campuses that are unequivocally resolute in their commitment to student learning, beacons of service and partnership to communities, and respected and sought-after institutions of employment. The aim CONTINUE READING: Going Back to a Better School: NEA Issues Guidance on Reopening
