Policymaker
On October 11, 2024 the RESTART Network hosted the 2024 Virtual National Symposium: Lasting Lessons: Embracing Enduring Shifts in PreK-12 Education Systems featuring the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS). The symposium included presentations from researchers, school leaders, and policymakers about the enduring changes in PreK-12 education in the wake of the pandemic.
It won’t come as a surprise to most, that when students feel like they belong in school and are meaningfully connected to their peers and adults in the building, school becomes a safe place where they want to be.
Post-pandemic, the country has been plagued by chronic absenteeism, with some reports finding that two-thirds of students in the country attend a school with high levels of chronic absence (20% of students missing four or more weeks).
How should education officials define success for K-12 summer school programs? This question has become increasingly salient in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many states and districts implemented summer programs to help students recover academically and re-engage with school. Now, as ESSER funding dries up, states and school districts face tough decisions about which programs to keep, amend, or discontinue.