From the report: "Given the major disruptions to students’ daily lives as well as the education field more generally caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, NCRERN was interested in learning how its partner districts navigated mandatory school closures and the shift to online learning, as well as identifying ways that NCRERN could support the short- and long-term needs of rural educators. This report examines four key functions of schools...that districts worked diligently to address in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) meeting students’ basic needs, (2) facilitating access to learning, (3) educating students, and (4) building community. These areas ranged from the more straightforward functions of schools (e.g., providing nutritious meals) to the more complex (e.g., fostering belonging)."