It amazes me how quickly we seem to forget that in March 2020 we experienced the beginning of a global pandemic. The K-12 education systems throughout the country closed and then moved to remote learning.  

And thus began our journey learning how to operate a public K-12 education system in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Learning disruptions can require school leaders to make changes quickly. In the wake of the pandemic, the Chicago Skyline Early Literacy project channeled this sense of urgency into a drive to innovate.

Driven by a commitment to put actionable research directly into the hands of policymakers and practitioners, the RESTART Network’s five research teams have distilled years of rigorous analysis into accessible infographics. Each team has carefully crafted these visual summaries to highlight the most important findings and recommendations, making it easier for leaders to apply evidence-based strategies to build resilient schools and prepare for future disruptions. 

For the past two and half years, the RESTART Network  has been tasked with conducting a systematic search for studies on district and school activities focusing in COVID-19 pandemic recovery and academic acceleration.  We identified and reviewed academic recovery studies published between January 2020 and March 2024. We focused on critical topics identified by policymakers, school leaders and practitioners as imperative.