As schools across the country shut down, parents, students, and teachers are left with uncertainty and questions about what the future holds. As advocates for a high-quality education for ALL students, we’ll work to keep you up to date on the education world’s response to this crisis. As we’ve seen time and time again, many of our nation’s students are particularly vulnerable during times like this. We need to remain vigilant, stay informed of how the response is affecting ALL of God’s children, and advocate for our students’ protection and well-being.

Here are the stories that we’ve been focused on this week.

Should the Virus Mean Straight A’s for Everyone? via The New York Times

School districts across the country have adopted new grading systems for this semester, driven by concern for students who face hardship from the coronavirus and its economic fallout. Some districts have dropped letter grades altogether, while others are guaranteeing A’s in most cases, or ensuring that students’ performance during the pandemic will not count against them.

When it Comes to Social-Emotional Development, Relationships Matter, Especially During COVID-19 via Education Trust

The social and emotional well-being of students is of the upmost importance at this time, not just because it matters for our humanity but because it matters for academic learning and student engagement. Historically marginalized communities and school staff have sometimes had a tenuous relationship, but this is the time to make it stronger, to build trust and understanding, and to work with families who have been supporting the social and emotional well-being of their children all along.

‘I miss my teachers’: Already on the margins, homeless students hit hard by shuttered schools via MPR News

“I miss the teachers,” she said. “I miss interacting with my teachers.”

The disruption has left Bass and many other teens experiencing homelessness without the stability, routine and support of school. It has forced them to navigate distance learning on their own while also dealing with the trauma that homelessness brings.

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One thing to read this weekend

Triaging trauma: Community schools tap partners to address needs made worse by COVID-19 via Education Dive

A month ago, during what now feels like the olden days of education, Lorenza Scott, a family liaison coordinator for two community schools in Washington’s Renton School District, had a caseload of 68 low-income students and their families.

But ever since COVID-19 shuttered schools, her caseload has grown to 100, stretched by families who had been barely scraping by before. 

“When COVID-19 happened, we saw a huge increase in need,” Scott said. “A lot of families who had a stable income, stable housing, things like that, had that no longer.”

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Did any of these articles particularly speak to you? We would like to hear your thoughts. Let us know in the comments below: