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.

From the report: "This report offers recommendations for state departments of education on how to meet the assessment needs of students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities and students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, during times of interrupted education due to extended school closures. It also includes ideas for information that state departments can give to local schools.

From the report: "Over the past 18 months, the parents of an estimated 10.8 million students, or nearly one in five of the nation’s schoolchildren, did not get what they wanted from their child’s school. These families are not a monolith — they represent a diverse range of communities found across America, both in terms of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Families’ preferences for their children’s education in the fall of 2020 looked very different from their preferences in any previous year.

From the report: "With the rapid closures of schools following the COVID-19 pandemic, the dissemination of information was chaotic and, at times, unavailable. Additionally, as families began to understand the closures would continue through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, these same problems persisted. ...almost half of the districts did not provide information regarding grading procedures for assignments/tasks/assessments.