https://www.crpe.org/sites/default/files/aspd_case_studies_final.pdf

Lessons from Remote Learning in Six School Systems

October 2020

Since schools closed in March 2020, CRPE has tracked a sample of school districts and charter networks as they tried to reach students and provide instruction. This report looks more deeply into a smaller number of districts and charter management organizations (CMOs), hoping to understand why they took particular approaches to remote learning and how their experiences last spring affected their plans for the fall.

We present a series of case studies based on our dives into big-city districts (Baltimore City Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools), a large inner suburb (Aurora Public Schools), a rural district (Roaring Fork School District), and two CMOs working in urban areas (Green Dot Public Schools and LEARN Charter Schools).

Download the full report, or explore the individual case studies below.

About this Project

This is the first qualitative analysis released as part of the American School District Panel—a national effort by CRPE, the RAND Corporation, Chiefs for Change, and Kitamba to surface and examine trends in the policy and practice of school districts and charter management organizations.

This groundbreaking effort will enable district and CMO leaders an opportunity to share their perspectives and contribute to decisions about education policy and practice. Researchers will survey leaders and staff from a representative panel of school districts and CMOs across the country, as well as conduct a complementary set of qualitative studies, following these districts and CMOs over time to monitor trends.

This analysis is based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We also thank all the school system leaders who, under difficult circumstances, took the time to share lessons and insights with us.

While this analysis draws upon the help of many people, fault for any errors or omissions rests with the authors alone.

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This brief, informed by interviews with school and system leaders in the New England region, suggests some efforts to reinvent schools before the pandemic have helped schools to navigate the current crisis.