Before the COVID-19 crisis, most superintendents we talked to felt like the world was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Now, that feeling has gone off the charts. We can’t be sure when school will be back in session or whether districts will need to close again in the winter.
What we do know is that school leaders have responded to COVID-19 by working around the clock to meet the needs of their communities. Amid school closures and shelter-in-place orders, we’ve seen an explosion in innovation, from school buses turning into wifi hubs to teacher car parades helping students feel connected.
We at SchoolCEO are not the ones in the thick of it, but we are feeling many of the same pressures. Most of this edition was written and edited from our homes. Zoom calls have re-placed team meetings, and print proofs have to be delivered in carefully packaged plastic bags.
It can be easy to lose heart in these circumstances. The current situation exacerbates the barriers to learning many students faced before COVID-19. We don’t know what form those effects will take in the fall, and we’ll need to figure out how to adjust.
Perhaps we can take a moment for hope. An international crisis like this will inevitably bring about major changes in our society. Fortunately, school leaders have worked for decades to give every student, no matter where they come from, a world-class education. This crisis will end, and the new world will be ours to make.
Before the COVID-19 crisis, most superintendents we talked to felt like the world was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Now, that feeling has gone off the charts. We can’t be sure when school will be back in session or whether districts will need to close again in the winter.
What we do know is that school leaders have responded to COVID-19 by working around the clock to meet the needs of their communities. Amid school closures and shelter-in-place orders, we’ve seen an explosion in innovation, from school buses turning into wifi hubs to teacher car parades helping students feel connected.
We at SchoolCEO are not the ones in the thick of it, but we are feeling many of the same pressures. Most of this edition was written and edited from our homes. Zoom calls have re-placed team meetings, and print proofs have to be delivered in carefully packaged plastic bags.
It can be easy to lose heart in these circumstances. The current situation exacerbates the barriers to learning many students faced before COVID-19. We don’t know what form those effects will take in the fall, and we’ll need to figure out how to adjust.
Perhaps we can take a moment for hope. An international crisis like this will inevitably bring about major changes in our society. Fortunately, school leaders have worked for decades to give every student, no matter where they come from, a world-class education. This crisis will end, and the new world will be ours to make.