i

Roadmap to Reopening Safely and 

Meeting All Students’ Needs

VOLUME 2

2021

ED COVID-19

HANDBOOK

Roadmap to Reopening Safely and 

Meeting All Students’ Needs

Volume 2 • 2021

OPEPD-IO-21-02
ii

U.S. Department of Education 

Dr. Miguel A. Cardona

Secretary of Education 

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development 

Donna M. Harris-Aikens

Acting Assistant Secretary 

Initially released in April 2021; updated August 2021

• The updates included in this Volume of the ED COVID-19 Handbook are based on the most 

recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance issued as of August 17, 2021. For the 

most recent CDC guidance issued after the release of this Volume – and how to consider 

the strategies included in this resource within the context of the most up to date guidance 

– please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k12-guidance.html.

• Summary of Recent Changes in August 2021 Update:

° Revised guidance related to physical health and safety to align with updates to CDC 

guidance as of the time of the release. For the most recent CDC guidance, please 

visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-

guidance.html.

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. 

While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be U.S. Department 

of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, ED COVID-19 Handbook, 

Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students’ Needs Washington, DC, 2021. 

This report is available on the Department’s website at https://www2.ed.gov/documents/coronavirus/

reopening-2.pdf. 

Availability of Alternate Formats 

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille or large print. For more 

information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at 202-260-0818 or via 

e-mail at alternateformatcenter@ed.gov. 

Notice to Limited English Proficient Persons 

If you have difficulty understanding English, you may request language assistance services for 

Department information that is available to the public. These language assistance services are 

available free of charge. If you need more information about interpretation or translation services, 

please call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (TTY: 1-800-877-8339), email us at Ed.Language.

Assistance@ed.gov, or write to U.S. Department of Education, Information Resource Center, 400 

Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202.
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Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

I. Creating Safe and Healthy Learning Environments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

a. Meeting basic needs: providing school meals regardless 

of educational setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

b. Meeting the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students. . . . . . . . . 8

c. Providing all students with access to a safe and inclusive 

learning environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

II. Addressing Lost Instructional Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

a. Accelerating learning through instructional approaches, tutoring, 

and expanded learning time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

b. Supporting equitable access and effective use of technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

c. Using data about students’ opportunity to learn to help target 

resources and support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

d. Addressing resource inequities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

III. Supporting Educator and Staff Stability and Well-Being. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

a. Stabilizing a diverse and qualified educator workforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

b. Supporting educator and staff well-being. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
1

Introduction

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exacerbated existing inequities and inadequacies across a range 

of social structures, including our nation’s education system. The pandemic has also had a more damaging 

impact on communities and people of color, including many who already faced health challenges. Congress 

has provided significant federal funding, including most recently through the historic American Rescue Plan 

Act of 2021 (ARP), to support the safe reopening of schools. However, this is the first of many steps ahead. 

For most schools, returning to the status quo will not address the full impact of COVID-19 on students’ social, 

emotional, physical, mental health, and academic needs or the impact on educator and staff well-being. 

Approaches to school reopening must be designed in ways that meet the needs of students, educators, 

and staff. President Joe Biden has called on us all to consider how we can “build back better.” Just as we 

continue to look to the evolving science as we work to reopen schools safely, so too should we turn to 

research and evidence, as well as the voices of students, educators, staff, and their families, to inform efforts 

to address the social, emotional, mental health, and academic impact of COVID-19.

With the passage of ARP, states, districts, and schools now have significant federal resources available to 

implement evidence-based and practitioner-informed strategies to meet the needs of students related to 

COVID-19, including students most affected by the pandemic and for whom the pandemic exacerbated preexisting inequities. This guidance document is intended to be a resource for states, districts, schools, and 

teachers as they reopen schools safely and support students. Separately, the Department will issue guidance 

on specific provisions of ARP statute and program implementation.

Specifically, funding under ARP can be used to:

• Implement COVID-19 prevention strategies to safely reopen schools and maximize in-person 

instruction and that align with public health guidance, including upgrading school facilities for healthy 

learning environments;

• Address the impact of lost instructional time by supporting the implementation of evidence-based 

interventions that respond to students’ social, emotional, and academic needs;

• Address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students of color, students from low-income 

backgrounds, students with disabilities, English learners, students who are migratory, students 

experiencing homelessness, students in correctional facilities, and students in foster care;

• Provide afterschool, or other out-of-school time, programs that address students’ social, emotional, 

and academic needs;

• Address the mental health needs of students, including through using funds to hire counselors and 

other staff;

• Provide integrated student supports, including through the use of full-service community schools;

• Provide students with evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs, including through 

partnerships with community-based organizations;

• Connect K-12 students to high-quality home internet and/or devices;

• Stabilize and diversify the educator workforce and rebuild the educator pipeline;
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• Provide children and youth experiencing homelessness with integrated student support services and 

assistance with attending school/participating in activities; and 

• Provide for any activities allowed under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 

as amended (ESEA), the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act 

(Perkins V), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

These funds also provide an opportunity to address the most urgent needs of students, teachers, and staff 

while making the kinds of investments that build state, district, and school capacity in ways that sustain 

meaningful and effective teaching and learning. If well-invested, funding through ARP can help address gaps 

in educational opportunity and outcomes — not just during the COVID-19 pandemic, but beyond.

As stated in Executive Order 14000, Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and 

Early Childhood Education Providers, every student in America deserves a high-quality education in a safe 

environment. The Biden-Harris Administration (Administration) believes strongly that returning to in-person 

learning as soon as possible is essential for all students and families. This is why the Administration moved 

quickly to release Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools of this 

COVID-19 Handbook to aid educators in implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Prevention (K-12 Operational Strategy) by addressing 

common challenges and providing practical examples. 

As stated in Volume 1, the Administration acknowledges the unique impact of COVID-19 on, and trauma 

experienced by, underserved students, including students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, 

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students, English learners, students with disabilities, 

migratory students, rural students, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Asian American 

Pacific Islander students, students in foster care, students in correctional facilities, and students experiencing 

homelessness. The Administration recognizes that communities of color have borne a disproportionate 

burden of illness and serious outcomes from COVID-19 and require additional considerations.

Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students’ Needs is intended to offer 

initial strategies for providing equitable and adequate educational opportunities that address the impact 

of COVID-19 on students, educators, and staff, focusing on evidence-based strategies for: 

• Meeting students’ social, emotional, mental and physical health, and academic needs, including 

through meeting basic student needs; reengaging students; and providing access to a safe and 

inclusive learning environment;

• Addressing the impact of COVID-19 on students’ opportunity to learn, including closing 

the digital divide; implementing strategies for accelerating learning; effectively using data; and 

addressing resource inequities; and

• Supporting educator and staff well-being and stability, including stabilizing a diverse and 

qualified educator workforce.

Within these areas, this volume shares underlying research, implementation recommendations, and 

considerations — with a focus on underserved students — and examples of practice. The U.S. Department of 

Education (the Department) is grateful to the more than 60 education organizations that shared research, 

recommendations, examples, and resources, as well as the perspectives of students, families, and school 

staff members, that were used to inform Volume 2 of the COVID-19 Handbook. These recommendations 

and resources were submitted through a Department email shared broadly as part of the Department’s 

stakeholder engagement efforts and listed in Volume 1. The Department also hosted six listening sessions 

attended by more than 30 organizations to gather insights into challenges students, educators, and staff 
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are facing and promising practices and to make recommendations to address the impact of COVID-19 on the 

school community. The research, recommendations, examples, and resources that the Department received 

will also help inform future guidance and resources issued by the Department.

Funding under ARP may be used by states, districts, and schools to ensure that all students have access to 

the educational opportunities they need to succeed in response to COVID-19. The same way listening to the 

science will lead us out of this pandemic, we must listen to the researchers, the educators, the students and 

their families to lead us to a changed education system that is designed to build capacity, support systems of 

continuous improvement, and which at its core is committed to equity, adequacy, and the limitless potential 

of each and every student.

Engaging the School Community

As emphasized in Volume 1, as schools and districts work to develop and implement strategies, including 

those included in this Volume, engagement with educators and staff (including their unions), students, 

families, and the school community is key. School representatives should include, at a minimum, 

administrators, teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, related service providers, early 

childhood education providers, school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and nurses, as 

well as custodial personnel, transportation personnel, food personnel, and family services representatives. 

Strategic planning for the long-term recovery should include student and parent representatives, and 

individuals and organizations that represent the interests of students, staff, and parents with disabilities and 

limited English proficiency. To that end, schools and school districts should also conduct active and specific 

engagement with historically underserved students and families — including parents of students of color, 

English learners, students with disabilities, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students, 

students in foster care, students in correctional facilities, and students experiencing homelessness. 

For example, in Oak Park, Illinois, a local nonprofit organization, prior to COVID-19, created an approach to 

family engagement and partnered with parent teacher organizations leaders and the district’s Culture and 

Climate Coaches to launch Come Together, family dinners where teachers, families, and students connect 

and work to identify and solve challenges in their school over the course of the school year. During the 

pandemic, the group successfully pivoted to online gatherings, reaching nearly 2,000 participants in an 

effort to open dialogue over the issue of remote learning. In the remaining months of the school year, these 

virtual gatherings will focus on transitions and on-going support using community organizing strategies to 

intentionally reach all families.

This engagement should begin early in the decision-making process and should be ongoing and 

collaborative. This will help to select strategies designed for systemic change that can build buy-in and 

capacity at the local level for the long-term.

Legal Requirements

Districts and schools can use funding under ARP to support the following strategies and interventions to 

address the impact of COVID-19, consistent with ARP requirements and the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR 

Part 200. Other than statutory and regulatory requirements referenced in the document, the contents 

of this volume do not have the force or effect of law and do not bind the public and school communities. 

This document is intended only to provide clarity regarding existing requirements under the law or agency 

policies. Further, this document does not substantively address federal disability law, which requires 

schools to provide certain educational and related services to students with disabilities and to take an 

individualized approach to providing specialized instruction and related services, consistent with the 
4

student’s individualized education program (IEP) developed under IDEA or plan developed under Section 

504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504 plan), as appropriate. Additional guidance on these issues may 

be provided. For information on the rights of students with disabilities and schools’ obligations, please refer 

to information provided by the Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and

Office for Civil Rights. Please also refer to the Department’s COVID-19 Resources for Schools, Students, and 

Families.

Legal Disclaimer

This document contains resources (including links to those resources) that are provided for the user’s 

convenience. Inclusion of these materials is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to 

endorse any views expressed or products or services offered. These materials might contain the views and 

recommendations of various subject-matter experts, as well as hyperlinked text, contact addresses, and 

websites to information that other public and private organizations created and maintain. The opinions 

expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Department. 

The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of 

any outside information included in these materials. For the reader’s convenience, this document contains 

examples of potentially useful resources and methodologies states and localities use. Inclusion of such 

information does not constitute an endorsement by the Department or the federal government, nor a 

preference or support for these examples as compared with others that might be available and be presented. 
5

I. Creating Safe and Healthy Learning Environments 

a. Meeting basic needs: providing school meals regardless of educational setting

Healthy eating is important for child and adolescent growth, development, well-being, and academic 

performance. According to the National School Lunch Program, before COVID-19, about 22 million students 

received free or reduced-priced lunches each day — providing them with access to this basic need. In 

fact, children consume as many as half of their daily calories at school. When the pandemic-related school 

closures began in March 2020, schools quickly realized that this could threaten or eliminate students’ access 

to school nutrition services — even if districts used hybrid approaches to learning — and significantly affect 

schools’ ability to meet this basic need.

In response, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided flexibilities and waivers including 

allowing meals to be served in a drive-thru or walk-up setting, offered as “grab-and-go” meals. Multiple 

meals (i.e., breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner) can be provided as well as multiple days’ worth of meals at a 

time, regardless of whether they are tied to an educational or enrichment activity, and meals can be provided 

to parents or guardians without the presence of a child. School districts have taken advantage of these 

flexibilities and established various creative food distribution models, including curbside distribution, home 

delivery, school bus route delivery, and delivery to accessible community locations (such as library parking 

lots) during remote or hybrid instruction. These new strategies enhanced schools’ abilities to provide this 

critical resource to students and families. Information on waivers and flexibilities that have been approved 

can be found on the Child Nutrition Programs: COVID-19 Waivers by State webpage.

As more schools plan for reopening, feeding and food distribution will continue to be essential. School 

nutrition staff, school nurses, and transportation staff are vital members of the district and school reopening 

teams. Where fewer meals have been provided, there might be less money from federal reimbursements and 

decreased revenue from a la carte services. School leaders should communicate with nutrition directors to 

assess how the meal programs are faring financially and plan for ways to address any challenges exacerbated 

by the pandemic, including using federal funding provided under ARP, the Coronavirus Response and Relief 

Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act 

(CARES Act).

As part of these plans, districts and schools will also need to implement COVID-19-related safety protocols 

for food distribution. CDC provides online resources for safely distributing school meals, either away from 

school or in school, including a checklist for school nutrition professionals for serving meals at school and 

strategies for reducing crowding, increasing ventilation, and serving grab-and-go meals. Detailed information 

on COVID-19-adapted school meal serving models and adapting school spaces can be found on CDC’s Safely 

Distributing School Meals During COVID-19 webpage.

Meal programs should be tailored to meet the local community and individual school needs. Learning about 

these needs might include conducting family surveys to inform distribution of meal kits (e.g., whether 

students pick up meals for a week or two days at a time, the time of day meals are available for pick up, 

and whether a grab-and-go service, delivery services, or some combination would be most effective) and 

ensure they are responsive to dietary restrictions. School leaders should design a variety of distribution meal 

schedules to ensure equity among recipients. For example, following a consistent alphabetical format might 

place families with surnames in the second half of the alphabet at a disadvantage in terms of availability 

of food items. Meal service plans should ensure there is adequate staff available on a sufficiently flexible 

or extended schedule (with appropriate compensation or use of volunteers) to maintain services for 

hybrid or remote students (e.g., bagging meals, staffing grab-and-go sites), while also staffing kitchens for 

in-person students. 
6

As districts and schools plan for summer learning and enrichment programs, they should also develop a 

plan to provide meal programs in non-school settings. On March 9, 2021, USDA announced the nationwide 

extension of several waivers that allow all children to continue to receive nutritious meals during the 

summer and that allow for safe meal distribution sites that serve all children for free regardless of family 

income. These flexibilities have been extended through September 30, 2021. In addition, USDA is expanding 

the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to support families with lower incomes with 

children and replace the value of school meals missed when schools are closed. On January 22, 2021, USDA 

announced that it would increase the P-EBT benefit by approximately 15%. In addition, ARP expanded P-EBT 

through the 2020-2021 school year, as well as during summer months.

As an example of how one state has approached this effort, the Tennessee School Safety Center established 

principles at the onset of the pandemic for developing a school meal plan. These principles include involving 

the community in school nutrition strategies, including community organizations, such as afterschool 

programs, shelters, local safety personnel and emergency managers, and transportation directors; identifying 

important safety protocols in food distribution, even after schools reopen; forecasting operational needs for 

30, 60, and 90 days; organizing the work and determining clear lines of responsibility; and analyzing lessons 

learned during the pandemic and updating plans to incorporate those lessons learned. 

Meal planning should include an ongoing assessment of the needs of underserved students, including 

students not attending in-person instruction for the full five days per week, highly mobile students, such as 

students experiencing homelessness, migratory and foster youth, students who have become disengaged, 

and populations with limited food resources or restricted dietary requirements. 

Additional suggestions for meeting the nutritional needs of underserved students include:

• Working with the state nutrition agency to determine how to provide students with free meals 

during afterschool and summer learning and enrichment programs, including through the USDA

Afterschool Program and Summer Food Service Program.

• Providing information and maps of meal sites in multiple languages and in multiple accessible 

formats (e.g., social media, flyers, phone calls, community listservs) and distributing information 

through partners (e.g., government agencies, local nonprofit organizations, places of worship) taking 

into consideration that some families might be reluctant to access meal programs and services (e.g., 

families with a member without documentation).

• Supporting families in accessing meals during hybrid learning and during non-school days, such as 

weekends and holidays. For example, through the P-EBT, funds are provided on pre-loaded cards to 

families of children who would normally receive free or reduced-price meals.

• Partnering with local food banks and pantries to provide boxes of groceries along with meals or with

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators to offer CACFP foods along with meals.

• Establishing school-based wellness teams comprised of representatives from administration, 

teachers, counseling, nursing, and support staff to ensure all families in need are identified and 

provided with resources to access food and meals. For example, team members could be assigned to 

families as “case managers” to identify specific needs and to ensure families have access to nutritious 

meals and food.

• Where applicable and to increase the reach of services, decentralizing food preparation and 

distribution by activating multiple school kitchens and delivering meals to school bus stops or 

directly to students’ homes.
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• Creating schedules that provide families with equitable access to food distribution and flexibility in 

schedule to provide time offerings that are conducive to working families. Food distribution should 

not be limited to school hours.

• Providing flexible pick-up hours to maximize access to meals at strategically located meal pick-up 

sites. Provide meal packages with multiple days’ worth of meals. For in-school meals, allow students 

access to breakfast meals even after the morning bell, including by allowing students to bring graband-go meals into the classroom. 

• Staffing delivery buses with school nurses, counselors, and social workers. School leaders should be 

mindful of the potential impact of enlisting police officers to assist with meal site logistics (i.e., the 

sight of police might elicit fear in some families).

• Ensuring that liaisons for students experiencing homelessness and personnel serving students with 

disabilities have the information they need to ensure students can access food inside and outside 

of school and to provide training to school district staff or community members on identifying and 

serving students experiencing homelessness or students with disabilities.

• Ensuring policies do not prevent or delay providing free meals to students due to unpaid fees.
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b. Meeting the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students

Many students have been exposed to trauma, disruptions in learning, physical isolation, and disengagement 

from school and peers, which negatively affects their mental health. Students learn, take academic risks, and 

achieve at higher levels in safe and supportive learning environments and in the care of responsive adults 

they can trust. However, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 has contributed to student experiences that are 

far from universal — with underserved students experiencing a disproportionate burden of the pandemic. As 

a result, many students might require additional supports and interventions to take risks in their learning so 

they can achieve at higher levels.

Homelessness, foster care, and juvenile justice are adverse experiences that might disproportionately affect 

students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities. 

These adverse experiences may also create unique and severe barriers to access and participation in 

programs and services. School leaders, educators, and staff who work with students with these backgrounds 

should acknowledge the intersectionality (the overlapping identities) among these groups. This framing will 

help educators understand the multiple layers of disparities and complexities encountered by impacted 

students and the mobile and changing nature of homelessness, foster care, and the juvenile justice system 

and the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on these students. 

Research on the science of learning has established that while adverse experiences can have profound 

effects on students, learning environments and conditions can be designed in ways that that can help 

students overcome these effects and thrive. This research also shows that social, emotional, identity, 

cognitive, and academic development are all interconnected. Improving academic outcomes for students 

requires nurturing each of these areas of development in ways that are asset-oriented and personalized 

to meet students where they are as they return to school. For example, California provides resources for 

creating asset-based approaches to teaching, such as culturally responsive pedagogy. 

While there is concern regarding the impact of lost instructional time as it relates to student academic 

performance, meeting the social and emotional needs of students must be foundational to efforts to 

improve academic outcomes for students. The teaching of social and emotional skills can be woven into 

how teachers design instruction and the kinds of learning opportunities they provide to students. Such 

learning can be developed through explicit instruction in social, emotional, and cognitive skills (including 

intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and decision-making) and integrating social and 

emotional skills, habits, and mindsets within classroom lessons and activities. For example, Baltimore City 

Public Schools built upon existing social and emotional learning implementation efforts and developed social 

emotional learning (SEL) lesson plans aligned with grade groupings and weekly themes around compassion, 

connection, and courage.

Key evidence-based practices that maximize students’ social, emotional, and academic benefits include: 

• Creating a framework for meeting students’ social, emotional, and academic needs;

• Building strong and trusting relationships among students, families, and educators; 

• Establishing safe, positive, and stable environments; 

• Explicitly teaching critical social, emotional, and academic skills; 

• Actively engaging students in meaningful and culturally and linguistically relevant learning 

experiences rooted in high academic expectations for all students; 
9

• Providing supportive and specific feedback to encourage skill growth across all domains; 

• Providing access to support from school counselors, psychologists, and trusted staff members; and

• Establishing building-level wellness teams to address the SEL needs of both students and staff.

While a schoolwide approach benefits all students, school-based mental health professionals, such as 

counselors, social workers, and psychologists might need to provide additional and more intensive support 

to students with the most urgent needs that have been caused or exacerbated by the pandemic. A multitier system of supports (MTSS) framework, like positive behavioral interventions and supports, relies on a 

continuum of evidence-based practices matched to student needs. The tiers provide an increasing amount 

of support and intervention moving from support provided to all, then to some, and finally providing the 

most intensive support to a few. Successful approaches to MTSS begin with leadership teams who (1) meet 

regularly to collect student data through ongoing screening to determine student needs; (2) monitor student 

progress; and (3) analyze schoolwide data to address emerging or new needs to add or adjust personnel to 

provide additional services and expertise. 

Supporting student voice and choice in how they learn, often referred to as “student agency,” should also be 

considered as part of the work ahead. For example, an educator in Allentown, Pennsylvania, describes using 

scaffolding to allow students to engage in a productive struggle, giving students the tools to design their 

own learning, and being purposeful about also developing collaboration skills. Providing opportunities for 

students to express themselves and make decisions about their learning after experiencing a stressful year 

with many factors out of their control can instill a connectedness with self and others. 

SEL can encourage self-awareness and mindfulness, which may ultimately translate to more thoughtful 

and engaged citizens who feel a sense of duty to their communities.1 For example, classroom activities can 

include writing letters, discussing with peers how the last few months have impacted them, journal writing, 

poetry, artwork, music, or other creative outlets. The Social Justice Humanitas Academy in Los Angeles uses 

councils as part of their school’s advisory classes to build community and create space for “the practice 

of listening and speaking from the heart.” During this time, students and teachers take turns sharing the 

positive and difficult things happening in their lives.

With this mindset, educators can consider how civics education can be an important lever to bridge the 

social and emotional competencies learned in school to empower students as citizens who are equipped with 

the critical thinking skills to create a better society. Robust civics education that includes youth participatory 

action research and opportunities for activism on issues students care about may benefit all students, and in 

particular has the potential to engage and uplift students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, students with disabilities, 

and those from immigrant or low-income communities who face barriers to civic participation.

A districtwide or schoolwide approach to meeting social, emotional, and mental health needs that is 

responsive to the trauma of COVID-19 and grounds itself in equity can help all students feel seen and 

valued. It is important for educators to recognize that social and emotional competencies can be expressed 

differently across cultures, especially considering that young students of color are living through, witnessing, 

and making sense of historic moments in American history and their place in it. Schools are microcosms 

of society; therefore, culturally responsive practices, intentional conversations related to race and 

social emotional learning, and helping students understand the skills they are building in school are the 

foundation for participating in a democracy and should be anchor tenets in building a schoolwide system of 

educational opportunity.
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To support students’ social and emotional learning as schools reopen, educators are encouraged to: 

• Measure social and emotional well-being through the use of engagement surveys;

• Provide time for regular check-ins with students and families;

• Implement restorative circles or “mindful moments” that provide students with space to self-regulate 

emotions;

• Establish morning or closing meetings, or other rituals within each school day; and 

• Provide opportunities for student voice to be represented in classroom or school decision-making.

School communities implementing a social emotional approach on a schoolwide basis for the first time, 

or that are in the early stages of this work will need to consider how to provide extensive professional 

development for educators on how to effectively implement programs alongside other school staff, such 

as school counselors and afterschool staff to ensure coordination and appropriate support. This work is 

important to the whole school community, and every member of the community has a role in upholding and 

maintaining a safe, inclusive, and welcoming school community.

The Department will be providing additional information on how to meet the social, emotional, and academic 

needs of students in future guidance documents and technical assistance opportunities. 

Supporting Student Mental Health Needs

In addition to meeting the social and emotional needs of students, schools should also be prepared to meet 

the mental health needs of their students. There is no question that COVID-19 has taken a toll on the mental 

health of many students. For example, data from CDC shows that the proportion of student emergency 

department visits related to mental health has increased dramatically during the pandemic. A National 

Association of Elementary School Principals survey reported in December that 84% of elementary school 

principals are very concerned about student mental health needs and 68% report that they do not have 

sufficient school-based mental health professionals to adequately meet those needs.2 Further, during the 

pandemic, since many underserved students rely on school-based mental health services, it is likely that 

many went without these mental health services if their schools were not able to provide telehealth services. 

An example of a statewide mental health program is the SafeUT program in Utah. The free app, SafeUT, is 

a statewide service that provides real-time crisis intervention to youth through live chat and a confidential 

tip program from a smartphone. All educators, students, and families are encouraged to download the 

app. Licensed clinicians in the 24/7 Crisis Line call center respond to all incoming chats and calls by 

providing supportive or crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and referral services. They can help anyone 

with emotional crises, bullying, relationship problems, mental health, or suicide-related issues in a private, 

nonthreatening, and open-access way. 

Students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and English learners 

often face barriers to diagnosing and treating mental health issues that reach beyond whether there are 

services available. For students of color, mental health issues are often more likely to be met with discipline 

rather than to be treated.

3

 Even when mental health support is provided, it may not be used. The underrepresentation of people of color in the medical profession along with a history of institutionalized racism 

in medicine has led to a distrust among many toward the medical system and might prevent students from 

wanting to use services provided. Some students whose first language is not English face language barriers 
11

that affect the quality of care that they receive, which may make them reluctant to access care. Students 

with sensory or communicative disabilities might also face barriers, such as inaccessible technology or the 

limited availability of mental health professionals with sign language skills, that affect the quality of care 

they receive. Native American students traditionally have had higher rates of depression than their peers, 

and a lack of culturally competent care is a barrier to effective treatment.4

These students are most likely to be living in communities that have been hit hardest by COVID-19, and 

their schools are more likely to have been closed longer for in-person learning versus schools in more 

affluent communities, leading to even greater needs for supports. Thus, it will be especially important for 

school communities reopening to develop and operationalize a plan for conducting mental health first aid, 

mental health screenings, and procedures for referral. To support these efforts, district and school leaders 

are encouraged to examine the ratio of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists to students in 

schools and develop a plan to meet recommended ratios for each if they are not met already. Schools can 

spend ARP funds to meet any of these needs.

Students with disabilities who are eligible under IDEA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

(Section 504), regardless of the student’s disability classification, can also receive a range of mental healthrelated services, such as counseling services, psychological services, and social work services in schools, if 

included in their IEP or 504 plan, as appropriate. 

It is also important to consider how states, school districts, and school staff can all work together to help 

destigmatize mental health support so that students feel comfortable and safe in reaching out or receiving 

the services. Students of color are more likely to report that they do not feel they can reach out to a teacher 

or counselor if they need mental health support.5 Thus, building trusting relationships among educators, 

staff, and students and their families is essential. To the extent possible, states, districts, and schools can 

align and agree on shared goals for student mental health. For example, New York state issued reopening 

guidance that required all school districts and schools to establish a comprehensive developmental 

counseling plan; establish an advisory council of students, parents, teachers, and school mental health 

professionals; and provide professional development to all school staff on how to help students develop 

coping and resiliency skills. 

To help remove the stigma and ensure students can access mental health programs when they are available, 

the American Psychological Association recommends school leaders and educators:

• Share educational resources with staff and students that provide a better sense of what mental 

health means;

• Talk about mental health and allow students the opportunity to speak openly about life, 

school, the future, and anxiety; and

• Let students know they are not alone and that others are going through similar situations and 

provide them the time needed to heal.

The Department will also be releasing guidance with further information and resources on supporting the 

mental health needs of students, with a focus on underserved students. 
12

c. Providing all students with access to a safe and inclusive learning environment

The academic disruption COVID-19 has caused has been traumatic for students and their families, educators, 

and staff alike. For significant portions of two academic years, what it means to be “in school,” and the 

routines, expectations, and norms associated with those routines, have been vastly different from what most 

students have ever experienced. School leaders, educators, and staff should ensure physically, socially, and 

emotionally safe communities that prioritize creating environments that support students and respond to 

the trauma experienced by many students as school buildings reopen for in-person instruction. It is almost 

certain that some students in every school will require supports to address the isolation, anxiety, and trauma 

they have experienced. 

As more schools reopen for in-person instruction, districts and schools are revisiting their approach to 

school safety and inclusiveness, including discipline policies to ensure that those implemented are designed 

to best support and respond to students — including students with disabilities — returning to in-person 

instruction after the extended absence due to COVID-19. Research increasingly shows that school safety 

and discipline practices that create and sustain safe, stable, positive, inclusive, and identity-safe learning 

environments for all students are more effective in meeting students’ social, emotional, physical and mental 

health, and academic needs than zero tolerance exclusionary approaches.6 Further, safe and inclusive schools 

can provide the support required to reengage those students most disconnected from school during the 

pandemic. 

For example, public school systems’ role is critical in the lives of students experiencing homelessness, 

because they are often the only source of identification of, and main source of support for, physical and 

mental health, social, and emotional needs. Students experiencing homelessness are often left disconnected 

from critical support when schools are closed, offer very limited programs, or do not provide transportation.

Locating Absent Students and Reengaging Disconnected Youth 

Some researchers estimate 3 million students have either been absent from or have not been actively 

participating in remote learning since the beginning of the pandemic.7 These students were more likely to 

be English learners, students with disabilities, students in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, 

students from low-income backgrounds, Native American youth, and migratory students. LGBTQ+ students, 

especially those who are Black or Native American, are more likely than others to be homeless. The reasons 

for their absences or lack of access to instruction or support are varied. Native American, Black, and Latinx 

youth in particular were least likely to have consistent connections to high-speed broadband to participate 

in remote learning.8

Access to integrated student support has also been a challenge. A recent federally funded study that 

examined a nationally representative sample of websites from 3,511 traditional public schools, charter 

schools, and private schools found that the most extensive academic instruction and resources were aimed 

at the general population, with English learners and students with disabilities receiving less support.9

Because of the difficulty of implementing services remotely, English learners lost opportunities to practice 

language skills with others, and many students with disabilities lost opportunities to receive required 

academic instruction or related services; such as orientation and mobility training; speech, physical, or 

occupational therapy services; and other individualized supports while at home that they would have 

received while attending school in person.10
13

No matter the reason for their absences, school district officials should work quickly to locate and reengage 

students who are chronically absent or disengaged. These efforts should be undertaken in a non-punitive 

manner; punitive actions include not promoting students to the next grade, failing them in a course, or 

directing parents to truancy court. Schools should also consider the unique challenges for adolescents 

created by COVID-19 as they design their approaches to reengagement. Many adolescent students might 

have new family responsibilities as a result of the pandemic, such as having to help support the family 

financially or care for a family member. In these instances, additional flexibilities should be provided.

Practice has shown that personal outreach is a promising way to reengage students and their families. 

Personal outreach to students should be conducted by a school official rather than law enforcement 

or school-based police because the presence of law enforcement or school-based police might cause 

confusion or be unintentionally intimidating. For example, Hillsborough County Schools in Florida had more 

than 7,000 students missing at the start of the 2020 school year. They sent social workers on a doorknocking campaign to homes, hotels, motels, and shelters; created social media pages in Spanish to reach 

their majority Latinx student population; and shared COVID-19 dashboards to help parents make informed 

decisions about sending their children back to school. District leaders also held virtual community meetings, 

further establishing transparency that promoted trust. By December 2020, Hillsborough County Schools had 

located all but 300 of their students. 

In Green Cove Springs, Florida, high school leaders used one-on-one conversations to allow families to 

openly voice their reopening worries and create dialogue to address community concerns about returning 

to in-person instruction. Other school districts, such as Oakland Unified in California, provided stipends to 

teachers who spent time outside their regular working hours to locate and reengage students who were 

chronically absent. 

Another example of supporting students experiencing homelessness is the work the Ohio Department of 

Education did to repurpose funding under the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth 

program. Ohio repurposed state activity funds to provide more funds to school districts and provided 

guidance on how school districts could further support homeless liaisons in meeting the needs of a 

population that likely increased. 

To support students from migratory families, the states that have reported success in locating students have

Migrant Education Program recruiters who have flexible work hours during the week, weekends, nights, and 

during the summer and who are assigned to specific campuses. These staff have the freedom to canvas the 

community and work sites in search of agricultural workers and to visit families in their homes.

One example of how partnerships are being formed to support efforts to reengage students after COVID-19 

disruptions is the partnership between City Year, an AmeriCorps program that works with under-resourced 

schools across the country, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University. This partnership 

aims to help educators quickly establish practices that strengthen students’ connection to school and 

has supported an Action Community of schools in Colorado, Florida, New York, and South Carolina. This 

community developed and shared a resource intended to increase a student’s sense of school belonging 

and engagement. Strategies included building fun routines, such as choosing a class theme song to mark key 

moments in the school day to motivate students and ensuring break time for physical movement. With the 

types of outreach strategies highlighted in this section and a spirit of unity, students and their families can 

feel a stronger connection to their school communities to recover from a tumultuous year. In addition to 

reintegrated communities, such strategies may also assist state educational agencies to determine a more 

accurate enrollment count for funding allocation purposes by the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. 
14

Building Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments 

According to recent data from the 2021 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) School Survey 

released by the Department’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), while an increasing number of schools 

are offering full-time in-person instruction, there are significant disparities in who is accessing in-person 

instruction among students by race and ethnicity. According to data from February 2021, more than half of 

all Black, Latinx, and Asian fourth graders learned in a fully remote environment, with Asian students at the 

lowest rate of in-person learning at 15%. By comparison, in the same time frame, about a quarter of white 

students learned fully remotely, and about half of white students learned in-person full-time. The work 

of safely reopening schools and reengaging students includes recognizing that even as schools continue 

to reopen, some Black, Latinx, and Asian families across the country might be more hesitant to send their 

children back to school for a variety of reasons, including those related to safety. Understanding why some 

students of color are choosing to not return when presented with the option of in-person learning is critical 

as schools are working to reengage these learners. 

Even while data show remote learning has largely been detrimental to student academic achievement, some 

families have expressed hesitation to return to in-person learning, citing reasons related to physical, mental, 

and emotional safety and beyond. While there is no singular study that captures the representative views 

of all families, some families have provided a variety of reasons for not yet returning to in-person learning. 

For example, some Asian families report fears that their children will experience peer pressure or other 

harassment for the pandemic based on their race. For some Black students, pre-pandemic school exclusion, 

among other factors, may impact Black families’ willingness to return students to in-person instruction. 

Pre-pandemic, Black students made up 15% of the public school population but represented 39% of 

students suspended, an overrepresentation of 23 percentage points.11 In addition, while students have been 

away from in-person learning, many have experienced additional health, economic, and social traumas: 

People of color are more likely to have experienced the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic, hunger due 

to lay-offs of family members, and the stress of additional care-taking responsibilities or juggling a job while 

in school.12

Although students are protected from racial discrimination in schools under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 

1964, students and families still experience racism and implicit bias in their lives in and out of school. Efforts 

to reengage students of color can be supported by directly working to address any longstanding feelings of 

distrust resulting from students’ and families’ of color experiences in school prior to the pandemic and that 

may have been exacerbated by events of the last year in and out of the school context. Educators and staff 

should provide safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments as they start to rebuild trust, reengage 

students, and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. For example, schools can start to reengage through 

surveys, personal outreach, or forums to hear directly from students and families. 

One way of building that trust can be ensuring that school policies and practices, do not further perpetuate 

racial disparities. This includes reexamining the use of exclusionary discipline practices, which have a 

disparate impact on students of color who are frequently disciplined more harshly than their white peers, 

especially for subjective offenses. School leaders should consider adopting strategies previously mentioned 

such as wraparound services, mental health counseling, social emotional learning, culturally and linguistically 

inclusive curriculums, and a schoolwide multi-tiered system of support. All students should feel safe and 

welcomed in their school communities.13 This also includes creating identity-safe classrooms and schools that 

support our students who are LGBTQ+. 
15

School and district leaders set the tone for school culture and climate. Educators and staff should use 

evidence-based strategies to create and sustain school safety and discipline policies that take a holistic, nonpunitive, and non-exclusionary approach to support students’ academic needs and address their trauma. 

They should consider using federal funding to provide professional development to help educators and 

staff build more equitable and inclusive approaches to school climate, especially as they work to reengage 

students in their safe return to school. A national survey of elementary school principals just before the 

pandemic found that school climate and social-development-related professional development were the 

most requested topics for professional development. The pandemic has made the need to ensure safe school 

climates even more critical than before. Investing in high-quality professional development to support the 

implementation of these practices should be considered.14

While providing intentional opportunities to develop student social and emotional skills, covered in more 

detail in the previous section, is critically important to the work ahead, educators and staff will also need 

tools to understand and effectively respond to student trauma. Adopting a schoolwide trauma-informed 

approach can help to meet students where they are, particularly for those coming from families experiencing 

unemployment, loss of family and friends, and the collective grief and burden of systemic racism, including 

the upheavals of the past year. This work begins with providing high-quality professional development for 

all educators and staff on trauma-informed care and teaching practices. Resources on trauma-informed 

practices and other approaches to ensuring safe and inclusive learning environments can be found at the 

Department’s Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse. 

Professional development for all educators and school staff should support individuals in identifying and 

addressing bias in themselves and in their communities, and help school teams to replace exclusionary 

discipline practices with social and emotional supports best suited to address the impacts of COVID-19, 

including restorative justice approaches, social emotional learning, and positive behavioral intervention and 

supports. Positive discipline practices should acknowledge the lived experience of all students, including 

implementing culturally inclusive dress codes that do not perpetuate gender stereotypes, and creating an 

environment that promotes belonging. 
16

Physically Healthy Learning Environments 

Updated CDC guidance emphasizes the benefit of in-person instruction. As described in Volume 1 of the 

COVID-19 Handbook, to fully reopen schools safely for in-person learning, schools need strong state and 

local public health measures that everyone follows. Achieving high levels of COVID-19 vaccination among 

eligible students as well as teachers, staff, and household members is one of the most critical strategies 

to help schools safely resume full operations. Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy 

to end the COVID-19 pandemic. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are at low risk of 

symptomatic or severe infection. However, the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people 

cannot be completely eliminated as long as there is continued community transmission of the virus. 

People 12 years and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. The Administration is directing pharmacies 

in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program to prioritize vaccinations for youth and to work with school districts 

across the country to host vaccination clinics at schools and colleges. Schools can support teachers, staff, 

students, and their families in getting vaccinated by serving as a vaccination site, providing information 

about vaccination locations near school, and responding to questions and concerns using information 

sessions and other strategies described in CDC’s vaccination toolkits for schools and health departments 

(including in non-English languages and American Sign Language (ASL)). 

Because there will be instances where not all teachers, staff, and students are fully vaccinated, consistent 

implementation of effective layered strategies for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 during all 

school-related activities is critical for reopening schools—and keeping them open. CDC recommends these 

key prevention strategies for safely reopening schools: 

1. Promoting vaccination;

2. Universal indoor mask use in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status; 

3. Physical distancing;

4. Screening testing to promptly identify cases, clusters, and outbreaks;

5. Ventilation;

6. Handwashing and respiratory etiquette;

7. Staying home when sick and getting tested;

8. Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine; and

9. Cleaning and disinfection.

CDC guidance recommends that prevention strategies be layered based on the level of community 

transmission, local vaccination rates, and whether a school will use screening testing to detect cases in 

K-12 schools. The inability to implement one of the strategies shouldn’t prevent districts from offering inperson learning to all students. More detailed information on each of these strategies can be found in the 

hyperlinks above and in CDC’s updated K-12 guidance.

School districts should also do what they can to address other infrastructure issues, such as ensuring 

that preexisting ventilation, roofing, and plumbing needs do not inhibit healthy learning environments as 

students return to school buildings full-time.
17

Building administrators, in particular, should be in communication with the custodial team daily to ensure 

recommendations for cleaning and disinfection of the facility are being followed and to address any concerns 

proactively. In general, cleaning once per day is usually enough to sufficiently remove potential COVID-19 

virus that may be on surfaces. Principals should make it a habit to tour the building to monitor cleaning and 

provide remedies in areas of need. This may include, but not be limited to, changing or expanding custodial 

schedules to meet cleaning needs, augmenting the budget to ensure necessary supplies and staff are readily 

available, and communicating cleaning protocols to families to ease their concerns about the spread of the 

virus that causes COVID-19 at school.
18

II. Addressing Lost Instructional Time 

a. Accelerating learning through instructional approaches, tutoring, and 

expanded learning time 

Initial research shows the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the achievement of students who 

were already underserved, including students of color. Recent studies have used fall 2020 assessment data 

to measure the extent to which lost instructional time is affecting student performance. A comparison of fall 

2020 Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress Growth assessment data to 

fall 2019 data found that students in grades 3-8 performed similarly in reading to same-grade students in fall 

2019, but about 5 to 10 percentile points lower in math. In addition, the study found that most students had 

made some learning gains in both reading and math since spring 2020; however, gains in math were lower 

than average compared to prior years.15 Another study similarly found that achievement gaps that existed 

prior to the pandemic persisted over the past year, and in some cases widened.16 Researchers also noted 

that some students have become disengaged from schooling, so the results of these assessments might not 

include data for those students.

Accelerating learning provides opportunities for students to learn at grade level rather than through tracking

or remediation, which can narrow educational opportunities for students and might lead them to become 

disengaged. Acceleration builds on what students already know as a way to access new learning. Studies 

have shown that when students tie background knowledge to new information, they are better at making 

inferences and retaining the new information more effectively.17 Collaboration between any partners 

providing additional support to students and classroom educators is critical. Schools and districts should 

organize programming in a way that allows time for ongoing two-way communication. Learning acceleration 

focuses on quickly diagnosing gaps in critical skills and concepts that may impede students from accessing 

grade-level coursework. Acceleration provides instruction in prior knowledge and teaching prerequisite skills 

that students need to learn at a pace that allows students to stay engaged in grade-level content and lays a 

foundation for new academic vocabulary. 

Educators face three key questions in determining the most appropriate interventions for acceleration: 

1) where is each student in their mastery of critical skills and concepts, 2) what interventions are most 

effective, and 3) when will accelerated learning take place? Regarding the last question, learning acceleration 

can take place before, during, or after school; on weekends; during school breaks; or over the summer. 

Schools may incorporate accelerated learning into electives and expanded learning time to provide more 

time in school to address challenging subjects. This section will address four approaches, each of which can 

be used in combination with the others:

1. In-school acceleration;

2. Tutoring programs;

3. Out-of-school time programs; and 

4. Summer learning and enrichment. 

To determine appropriate evidence-based intervention models, schools should consider the extent of the 

need for acceleration; available resources and staff to support interventions; family input; and existing 

partners, such as community organizations, that could support the intervention. 
19

In-School Acceleration

To address lost instructional time, educators are encouraged to think differently about time, grade levels, 

and collaboration. Key approaches include:

• Ensuring educators and grade-level teams have time to learn new instructional strategies for 

acceleration and to coordinate to ensure that students learn without relying on remediation or 

pull-out instructional practices. That is, instructors (and partners or tutors, as feasible) can provide 

needed supports for students within the context of grade-level work and within the classroom 

setting; 

• Using high-quality assessments, such as diagnostic and formative assessments that provide timely 

information to help educators know where to focus for particular students. Educators should 

differentiate instruction without tracking students or serving them inequitably;

• Asking teacher leaders and district instructional leaders to identify critical content (e.g., “priority” or 

“power” standards) on which to focus. To avoid overwhelming students, focus on the most essential 

knowledge and skills, particularly the content that is foundational to subsequent grade levels. One 

resource for teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic includes additional information on 

this concept;

• Making time for teachers to collaborate across grade levels. Educators might need to realign their 

focus in spring, summer, and fall 2021, and as necessary beyond, to help get students back on track;

• Supporting educators in using approaches to acceleration that prioritize engaging students and peer 

collaboration, including through project-based learning and opportunities for students to support 

each other in their learning; and 

• For highly mobile students, when they enroll in a new school or district, securing a student’s records 

and connecting with a counselor or teacher from the sending school to ensure the student is quickly 

enrolled, placed in the correct grade, and awarded credits for work already completed. 

At the system level, education leaders are encouraged to consider whether to pursue an expanded day, 

week, or year to provide additional instructional time. While each of these approaches has the potential to 

benefit students, the extra time should be used effectively, including providing students with access to a 

well-rounded education and opportunities for enrichment, and staff should be adequately supported and 

compensated.

COVID-19 has also impacted the number of students matriculating from high school to postsecondary 

education. There are a number of strategies that high schools can implement to support the successful 

transition:

• Leverage data and technology to facilitate enhanced college advising, summer bridge programs,

assistance to students and families in navigating the financial aid process, and other activities with 

a track record of improving postsecondary access and success. Districts should emphasize outreach 

and engagement efforts toward first-generation college students, which can be conducted in 

partnership with community-based organizations. 
20

• Support dual enrollment and early college high schools, which studies show increase postsecondary 

preparation and enrollment. These programs can serve as effective mechanisms at exposing high 

school students to college course-taking, providing a college reengagement strategy for students 

who are at risk of not continuing to postsecondary education upon high school graduation. Research

suggests these dual or concurrent enrollment experiences must be well-designed with scaffolded 

supports to ensure equitable experiences and outcomes for all students. 

• Provide college and career pathways that integrate rigorous academic coursework, career and 

technical education, work-based learning, and support services. Evidence from multiple approaches 

to college and career pathways, such as Career Academies, Linked Learning, and P-Tech,

demonstrates they increase preparation for postsecondary education among other outcomes. Workbased learning can enhance student engagement which is especially important during the COVID-19 

recovery as many students have been disengaged from learning. 

• Support students in completing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form 

which is the first step students and families can take in accessing federal dollars for postsecondary 

education. In addition to federal student aid, submitting the FAFSA form also can unlock 

opportunities for aid from some states, postsecondary institutions, and private organizations. 

High-Quality Tutoring

One strategy that districts can also use ARP funds for is tutoring. Because ARP funding is available to be 

spent through September 2024, districts will be able to hire and retain tutors for the critical time when 

students will most need assistance. Tutoring can be an effective intervention for a wide range of students

if implemented in particular ways. High dosage tutoring (i.e., tutoring that is provided consistently by welltrained tutors or educators at least three days per week for at least 30 minutes at a time in groups of five or 

fewer students), led by a certified teacher or a paraprofessional, and conducted during the school day tends 

to have the largest impact.18 When scheduling tutoring during the school day, schools should do so in a way 

that ensures students still receive instruction on core content and have opportunities for enrichment. For 

example, tutoring could take place during study hall or flexible periods, during independent practice portions 

of a class, or as a complement to instruction in partnership with the classroom teacher. 

One example of statewide use of tutoring is being provided by the Louisiana Department of Education, 

which is encouraging tutoring for all students, recommending that it occur in high-dosages (at least 

30 minutes three times per week), and providing comprehensive materials aligned to state academic 

standards through the Accelerate program. In 2007, four studies reviewed by the Department’s What Works 

Clearinghouse found that peer tutoring had positive effects on English language development for English 

learners. By contrast, less formal, inconsistent tutoring, that is held in larger groups unconnected with 

classroom content is unlikely to help students.

Most recently, a study from the University of Chicago Education Lab shows that personalized, intensive 

tutoring can double or triple the amount of math high school students learn each year, increasing their 

grades and reducing course failures in both math and other subjects. The program included in the study 

reflects the previously described features of effective tutoring. Provided to students in the Chicago Public 

School system, 9th and 10th grade students received 45-50 minutes of personalized math instruction 

in groups of two students per tutor. Tutors worked closely with teachers, students, and families, 

complementing in-classroom learning to help students meet grade-level standards. The study shows that 

these student learning gains persisted over time and increased achievement in other courses. Investments in 

these kinds of approaches to tutoring can be particularly effective in addressing the impact of COVID-19. 
21

Evidence-informed tutoring practices checklist23

The best available evidence suggests educators should: 

Use trained educators as tutors. Tutoring works best when led by teachers, paraprofessionals, 

teaching candidates, recently retired teachers, or highly trained tutors who receive a stipend 

(e.g., AmeriCorps members) and when time for planning and collaboration is provided with the 

classroom teachers. 

Wherever possible, conduct tutoring during the school day. Tutoring programs that take place 

during the school day appear to have the largest effects. Afterschool tutoring programs have also 

been shown to have positive, although smaller, effects.

Provide high dosage tutoring each week. For example, programs that include frequent sessions 

(e.g., daily or at least three sessions per week) of at least 30-50 minutes work best. The youngest 

students (e.g., early childhood through 1st grade) benefit from increased weekly sessions.

Align with an evidence-based core curriculum or use an evidence-based program and 

practices. Take specific actions to support student learning, including using quizzing, asking deep 

explanatory questions, spacing learning over time, incorporating worked example solutions with 

problem-solving exercises, connecting and integrating abstract and concrete representations

of concepts, and combining graphical representations — like figures and graphs — with 

verbal descriptions.24

Emphasize attendance and focused worktime during out-of-school tutoring. Experts have 

suggested that afterschool tutoring programs may have shown smaller effects than in-school 

programs because less tutoring occurs. However, out-of-school time programs can be effective. 

To promote the best results, ensure these programs provide high-dosage tutoring.

Out-of-School Time Programs 

To support students, districts and schools have long offered programming before and after the regular 

school day, as well as on weekends or during school breaks. These programs may help students get back 

into an educational routine; feel connected to their peers, schools, and instructors; augment instruction of 

academic content they may not yet have mastered; and provide enrichment opportunities. 

Funds from programs like the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program and 

ARP can be used to support high-quality afterschool programs, with the goal of providing students with 

important opportunities for academic support and access to enrichment opportunities that help develop 

social, emotional, and leadership skills. These benefits are particularly important to students from lowincome backgrounds, students who are struggling, and students at risk for later academic disengagement. 

High-quality afterschool programs have demonstrated positive effects on student math and language arts 

achievement, and programs strongly rooted in the school context can also have a positive impact on schoolrelated student outcomes, including greater self-confidence, increased civic engagement, better school 

attendance, improved high school graduation, and decreased delinquency.25

a 

a

a 

a

a 
22

To best accelerate learning, out-of-school time programs should include evidence-based approaches. 

Programs ideally:

• Target students needing additional support (including using information provided by diagnostic 

assessments); 

• Have certified teachers deliver the academic instruction; and

• Engage the students in using experiential instruction that incorporates hands-on activities, projectbased learning, enrichment, and field trips. 

Elementary students in particular might need supervision for independent academic work to improve their 

academic achievement. Strong out-of-school time programs have been found to have a positive effect on 

skills for both elementary and secondary students.26 Aligning instructional curriculum in out-of-school time 

or summer school programs with in-school material is important. Consistent attendance in high-quality 

programs is also needed for students to benefit.27

Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs

Summer learning programs can offer another opportunity to accelerate learning, especially for those 

students most impacted by disruptions to learning during the school year. Schools and districts should 

design programs that work best in the local context and reflect the characteristics that evidence suggests 

lead to successful summer programs. These characteristics include: programs are voluntary, full-day lasting 

five to six weeks, include three hours of language arts and mathematics taught by a certified teacher each 

day, and include enrichment activities and experiences. Research points to the potentially positive benefits 

of strong summer programs. A longitudinal study of summer programs showed students who participated in 

the summer programs that were reviewed received some benefits in mathematics; however, students with 

high rates of attendance who attended programs for consecutive summers experienced the greatest learning 

gains. The amount and quality of instruction influenced the academic benefit, with the highest benefits to 

students attending programs with high-quality instruction provided by a certified teacher and high academic 

time on task.28

Summer learning programs should also be designed to meet the social and emotional needs of students 

and provide them with engaging and enriching experiences. Camps can also play a role in summer 

learning, depending on the design and quality of the experience. Local leaders should reduce barriers (e.g., 

transportation, cost, enrollment process) to attending high-quality summer camps, which might support 

academic, social, emotional, and health outcomes, particularly for underserved children and youth. For 

example, in Illinois, a local nonprofit used grant funding to build on an existing afterschool program to 

include a summer program in partnership with the library, a local university, the school district, and other 

community partners in a program called “A new kind of summer school.” The model prioritizes relationships 

with students, using daily restorative circles, student-led projects on social justice, and daily enrichment 

activities.

For older students, these opportunities can include a work-based learning or community service component. 

Leaders can look for opportunities to partner with high-quality mentorship or workforce training programs 

to help reengage disconnected youth. Creating more pathways for underserved youth to participate in highquality enrichment serves a dual role in many communities in the summer for youth who, in some cases, 

face additional challenges in their home or community.29 Purposeful strategies to reengage disconnected 

youth through youth violence reduction programs, mentorship, and strengthening youth skills through 

workforce engagement and training also have the potential to reduce community violence. For example, the 

“Becoming a Man” mentorship program, based out of Chicago with chapters in other cities and supported by 
23

the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, provides small-group youth counseling and teaches young people how to 

de-escalate and manage violence-prone situations. The program decreased violent crime-arrests by 45% and 

increased high school graduation rates by 12% to 19%.30

A parallel small group counseling program for young women who have witnessed or experienced violence, 

“Working on Womanhood” uses a trauma-informed approach to teach social emotional competencies. 

Student participants report a decrease in depression and increase in self-confidence.31 Program providers 

should offer the necessary supports to ensure all students have access to these programs, including students 

with disabilities, English learners, students from low-income backgrounds, and students experiencing 

homelessness, who, for example, may need transportation support.

Cross-Cutting Acceleration Implementation Considerations

In addition to the considerations identified regarding the individual approaches noted above, the following 

apply across interventions:

• Partner with families. Give family members specific resources and strategies to support their 

children’s learning, consistent with legal requirements to communicate in a language and format they 

can understand. For example, ourBRIDGE for KIDS in North Carolina focuses on supporting immigrant 

and refugee families, with assistance that includes translating COVID-19 resources into many 

languages. Other programs incorporate parent classes focusing on nutrition, computer literacy, career 

development, or college preparation;

• Ensure there is a tangible benefit for students. For older students, this could mean offering course 

credit; providing career exploration; arranging for pre-employment transition services for students 

with disabilities, as applicable; and offering apprenticeships or internships;

• Focus on relationships. Sustained and strong adult-student relationships can result in higher 

attendance and better student outcomes;

• Include enrichment opportunities that support social, emotional, and academic development.

The activities provided can include tutoring and homework help, along with a broad array of 

enrichment activities ranging from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

activities, career and technical programs, youth development, physical fitness and health education, 

and arts programs;

• Make programs free, inclusive, and supportive of families. Programs should not charge fees for 

families to participate, should include free transportation and meals, and be available to students 

with disabilities, English learners, and other underserved students;

• Provide flexibility to increase access. For example, summer programs can be provided in full-day 

or partial day options, with flexible drop off and pick up times. If students can only participate in 

afterschool or summer programs for some of the time, this kind of participation should be allowed 

for and supported; 

• Scale up existing programs that have demonstrated results. Enrichment activities and experiences 

might be provided by community partners. Consider partners that already have existing programs 

that have benefitted students and work with them to support afterschool, weekend, and summer 

enrichment opportunities for students enrolled in these programs;
24

• Build in frequent program assessment and evaluation. Continuous quality improvement and 

frequent evaluations of the program assist the providers in analyzing and making improvements 

to better provide students with engaging opportunities that improve their lives. Use early warning 

indicator systems to identify students with the greatest needs (see section on “Using data about 

students’ opportunity to learn to help target resources and support”); and

• Implement policies that support the enrollment, placement, and credit accrual for students 

who are highly mobile. For example, school districts could award partial credit for courses that a 

student might have finished partially before moving and allow flexibility around certain “required” 

courses or offer a waiver if a comparable course was completed in a previous school/state. 

It is important to note that strategies like in-school acceleration, tutoring programs, out-of-school time 

programs, and summer learning and enrichment are supplemental instruction and cannot replace a program 

of special education and related services based on a student’s IEP and the decisions of the IEP Team. 

Similarly, these types of strategies cannot replace the special education and related services and other 

supports included in an IDEA-eligible student’s IEP as determined by the student’s IEP Team or the regular or 

special education and related aids and services documented in a 504 plan, or the decisions made by a group 

of people who are knowledgeable about the child, the meaning of evaluation data, and placement options as 

required by Section 504. 

In addition, inclusion of students with disabilities in district or schoolwide interventions to address lost 

instructional time does not relieve a district of its responsibility to make individualized decisions required 

under the IDEA about needed special education and related services for a student with a disability. These 

could include providing extended school year services as defined in IDEA when determined necessary to 

ensure that the student maintains the skills necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public 

education (FAPE) if educational services are not continued during periods when school is not in session, 

such as the summer. Similarly, Section 504 requires schools to make individualized decisions about services 

needed for a student with a disability. Consistent with IDEA and Section 504 and respective applicable 

standards, students with disabilities might be entitled to additional instruction and services, often referred to 

as compensatory services to make up for any skills that might have been lost if it is individually determined 

that the student was unable to receive FAPE, as a result of the closure of school buildings or other 

disruptions in services during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
25

b. Supporting equitable access and effective use of technology 

Before COVID-19, schools across the country were at different stages in learning how to leverage technology 

to support teaching and learning. However, COVID-19 required a sudden and complete shift to hybrid and 

remote learning for most schools. As schools continue to reopen and look beyond COVID-19, technology will 

continue to play an important role in instructional design and learning both in and out of the classroom. As 

we work to move forward from the current crisis-driven use of technology, we should continue the work 

of supporting educators in learning how technology can be effectively used to support diverse learners and 

provide school and district leaders with flexible models to support learning wherever it occurs.

Unfortunately, too many students, including English learners, students of color, students in rural or tribal 

communities, and students from low-income backgrounds, have less access to the internet, digital devices, 

and high-quality, technology-enabled learning experiences focused on inquiry, collaboration, and content 

creation.32 Expanding access to the internet and devices (the digital access divide) without also addressing 

the divide in how technology is used (the digital use divide) runs the risk of proliferating low-quality learning 

experiences for students. Likewise, attempting to provide high-quality technology-enabled experiences 

without addressing the digital access divide runs the risk of amplifying existing inequities. To effectively 

bridge both digital divides, we must improve the entire digital learning system by addressing both how 

students have access to devices and connectivity, and how those devices are leveraged by educators to 

create high-quality learning experiences.

The digital access divide runs deep. A June 2020 report from Common Sense Media found that up to 16 

million K-12 public school students live in households either without an internet connection or without 

a device adequate for remote learning at home. The digital access divide is more pronounced in rural 

communities and for Black, Latinx, and Native American households.33 In rural communities, internet service 

providers (ISPs) often choose not to build and maintain expensive fiber networks to geographically remote 

locations with low population densities due to the limited return on investment. In urban communities, there 

is documented evidence of “digital redlining,” where ISPs invest in building fiber infrastructure in wealthier 

neighborhoods, while under-investing in the broadband infrastructure in low-income communities, resulting 

in low-income broadband users with more expensive, slower access. Consistent access to broadband can 

also be a challenge for families who are experiencing homelessness and lack a permanent address or who are 

highly mobile.35

Disparate connectivity results in significant consequences for educational opportunities and outcomes. 

According to one study, “Students who do not have access to the internet from home, or who are dependent 

on a cell phone alone for access, perform lower on a range of metrics, including digital skills, homework 

completion, and grade point average.”36 Families with low incomes tend to be more smartphone-dependent 

and often lack access to connected devices, such as tablets or laptops, or assistive technology for students 

with disabilities, that are required for more robust technology-supported learning opportunities.37 For 

example, students with disabilities served under IDEA or Section 504 who have been learning remotely 

might not have been able to access the same assistive technology devices and services they would receive if 

they were attending school in person.

The digital use divide is often under-emphasized but also runs deep. The presence of devices at schools 

alone does not make an instructional system effective or accessible to individual students. While hard to 

quantify, there has been evidence of inconsistent or misguided technology integration for some time. Using 

technology for instruction without integrating it with strong instructional practice is likely to widen inequities 

in student opportunities and outcomes. For example, studies have shown that even when devices are 

available at school, students from low-income backgrounds and students of color tend to receive instruction 
26

that leverages technology for routine drills focused primarily on repetition with lower levels of adult support, 

whereas students in higher income schools experienced technology as a creative and playful medium.38 

While we have limited insight at a national scale into the kinds of instruction that students received over 

the last year, there is evidence to suggest that the instruction provided to students from low-income 

backgrounds and students of color through technology was less authentic and engaging.39

As schools reopen and move to use more technology-based solutions, it is likely that these inequities could 

be exacerbated if particular attention is not given to the quality of the technology-enabled experiences. Any 

effective use of technology must be part of a coherent model of instruction aligned to instructional goals 

that addresses any inequities in student access. 

To help close the digital access and use divides as schools reopen, districts and schools are encouraged to:

• Set clear goals and aggressive timelines for providing all students with access to high-speed 

broadband, devices, and accessible technology they can use when school is not in session. Districts 

and schools should conduct ongoing needs assessments, including through the use of student 

surveys, to determine the extent to which students have access to high-speed internet and devices 

and the quality of that access. For example, it is important to know whether a student only has home 

access through a cellular data plan, which might be subject to data caps that increase cost and slow 

down service once the cap is reached. It is also important for schools to know whether each student 

has a dedicated learning device, or if a student is sharing one device with other family members;

• Set standards for digital learning that are integrated into the broader learning experience and create 

learning plans based on those standards. For example, some groups have worked to provide model

standards for student learning. Wyoming provides an example of how one state has created a 

research-based Digital Learning Plan for student-centered digital learning and implementation;

• Provide extensive professional development opportunities for educators that support improvements 

in instructional design and empower them to effectively use technology to support student learning. 

Research shows technology is most effective when it is integrated into instruction, and activities 

are designed by teachers for students to explore, learn, and create. Recent studies have found that 

teacher professional learning in technology is the most significant predictor of the type and quality 

of classroom technology use by students, suggesting that providing effective training to teachers can 

help close the digital use divide. Education technology coaches and school librarians can also provide 

ongoing support for educators in adopting and implementing new learning technologies;

• Use technology in ways that support students who are performing at different levels — which 

may be an even more common occurrence when students return to in-person instruction — in 

part by leveraging technology to support one-on-one or small group work with students and 

by using student-centered learning models (e.g., competency-based education,40 project-based 

learning,41 universal design for learning42). A video of Eastern Senior High School in Washington, 

D.C., demonstrates how educators can use technology to use their own time more purposefully 

in the classroom and implement instructional approaches that allow for student self-direction, 

personalization, and collaboration. Another example is the Lindsay Unified School District in 

California, where more than 90% of students are from families with low-income backgrounds and 

41% are English learners, which has seen steady and significant gains in academic performance 

by using technology to create learner-centered, inquiry-based, and personalized learning 

opportunities for students; and
27

• Engage families in effectively using technology by providing support, such as tutorials, on the use 

of technology and platforms provided by the school. Consider partnering with trusted communitybased organizations to provide technology support and digital literacy training for families in their 

home language. Technology can also be used to support parent-teacher engagement and can be a 

good way to get information to parents as well as support student learning.

Schools must also ensure that English learners and students with disabilities have equitable access to 

content provided by the school’s technology or as part of the school’s educational program. To support 

English learners, for example, districts and school should provide multilingual technological support and 

ensure that rich curricular content is available on devices in multiple languages. Federal disability law

requires that students with disabilities receive all of the education benefits provided by technology in an 

equally effective and equally integrated manner as their peers. Schools can build accessibility features for 

students with disabilities into their technology by ensuring that websites and documents are compatible 

with screen reader software and providing accurate captioning or embedded sign language interpreting for 

video content. This might also include leveraging technology for IEP Team meetings to ensure that parents 

understand the proceedings at the meeting if, for example, a parent requires a sign language interpreter 

or printed materials in accessible formats for someone with visual impairments. Further, when developing, 

reviewing, or revising an IEP for a student with a disability, the IEP Team must consider whether the child 

requires assistive technology devices or services in order to receive a free appropriate public education. 

States and school districts must ensure that assessments are compatible with assistive technology devices. 
28

c. Using data about students’ opportunity to learn to help target resources 

and support

While schools and districts work to ensure a physically safe learning environment, they should work just as 

urgently to understand students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and identify strategies 

to address those needs. Data on student performance, as well as data on the context for that performance, 

can help schools and districts to fully understand student needs, strategies to address them, and how best to 

target resources. 

One way to better understand the context for student performance is by considering the opportunities 

that students have to learn. The use of opportunity to learn (OTL) indicators “generally refers to inputs and 

processes within a school context necessary for producing student achievement of intended outcomes.”43

The Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles includes as 

examples of OTL indicators qualified teachers, clean and safe facilities, up-to-date books and quality learning 

materials, high-quality coursework, and school conditions that provide students with a fair and equal 

opportunity to learn and develop critical knowledge and skills. 

Research emphasizes that data on OTLs serves a critical role in identifying student needs, particularly 

when considered alongside student performance indicators, and targeting resources.44 States and districts 

should consider prioritizing OTLs that are related to student outcomes in understanding where increased 

investments could be made. For example, research has documented the relationship of preschool 

participation and student outcomes.45 Another study46 examining districts in California in which students 

performed better than expected on California’s statewide assessment describes the OTL indicators 

associated with the performance of students in these districts, including teacher preparedness (using 

credentialing and experience as proxies for teacher preparedness) as key predictors of student performance. 

Additional research highlights high schools that have developed International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula 

to provide opportunities for accelerated coursework to students for whom such opportunities did not 

previously exist.47

Educators, policymakers, and researchers have long sought to make better use of data to drive instructional 

decision-making. When paired with other data, including data on student achievement, OTLs can provide 

information for local recovery efforts, including the targeting of resources and the selection of evidencebased practices demonstrated to improve student outcomes. 

In addition to data on school funding, including per-pupil expenditures, evidence-based OTL indicators can 

be used to identify where improvement is needed and where to target intervention, resources, and supports. 

These can include, among others, measures of student access to:

• A safe, healthy, and inclusive learning environment. Measures can include:

° Chronic absenteeism rates;

° Discipline rates, including in-school and out-of-school suspension (including multiple suspensions 

and length of suspensions), and expulsion rates;

° Data from student, staff, and family surveys; and

° The ratio of students to nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists, and access to 

integrated support services.
29

• Access to qualified and supported educators. Measures can include:

° Educator certification (e.g., full certification in the area assigned, additional certifications such as 

National Board Certification); 

° Educator experience;

° Educator effectiveness;

° Educator chronic absenteeism and turnover rates; and

° Educator supports such as mentors, induction programs, evidence-based professional 

development, and leadership opportunities.

• High-quality curricular and instructional design. Measures can include:

° Internet access (in school and at home) and student device ratios (e.g., 1:1); the quality of remote 

learning (e.g., engagement with high-quality curricula and instructional materials); and educator 

access to personalized, job-embedded professional learning opportunities on the effective use of 

technology; 

° Advanced course participation and completion, including in Advanced Placement (AP), IB, dual 

enrollment, and early college programs, gatekeeper courses, and high-quality STEM and career 

and technical education pathways;

° Culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum designs;

° The adoption of high-quality diagnostic assessments to inform instruction; and

° Access to project-based, experiential learning opportunities that meet the individualized needs 

of students.

In addition, to better understand where and how resources should be targeted as schools reopen and 

beyond, states, districts, and schools should:

• Use locally collected data, in accordance with applicable law, to determine whether different 

subgroups of students who have been historically underserved are participating in in-person 

instruction proportionate to their enrollment in the school and school district and, if they are not, 

conduct enhanced, ongoing active and specific outreach and engagement, including to school 

communities where broad concerns exist;

• Disaggregate any new data that is collected at the state or local level in addition to data included in 

the Statewide Accountability and Improvement System as required by ESEA, including by student 

subgroup, consistent with data standards and privacy protections, including the Family Educational 

Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Data can also be disaggregated by classroom and grade level to 

better target supports, unless doing so reveals students’ personally identifiable information. When 

looking at the data, districts and schools are encouraged to not equate low numbers or percentages 

of students from high-need populations with low degrees of need. For example, after reviewing its 

data on students experiencing homelessness and migratory students and finding few such students 

enrolled, the district and school should take steps to identify and provide needed services to these 

students and to ensure that their data are accurate;

• In addition to collecting data from OTL indicators, as students return to school, conduct an initial 

assessment of student access to learning opportunities during school closure and their well-being 

consistent with applicable privacy protections, including the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. 

For example, this can include collecting and reviewing data on student engagement in “risk 
30

behaviors,” as defined by CDC, and providing universal screening for anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. Additional contextual data relevant to student well-being can include community 

COVID-19 cases, death rates, and economic impact;

• Clearly establish how frequently data will be collected and analyzed and identify who has, and 

is legally permitted to have, access to which data and for what purposes. This can be supported 

through data dashboards that are designed to provide a comprehensive set of OTL and student 

outcome data across the state and its districts and schools. Data dashboards can also include data on 

systemic inequities that extend beyond student, teacher, and school-level data. For example, states, 

districts, and schools can collect, report, and use additional data on racial equity within the school 

system. These efforts can also be supported by existing state longitudinal data systems, which are 

designed to help districts and schools make data-driven decisions from preschool through college 

and the workforce;

• Establish early warning indicator (EWI) systems to promote targeted engagement strategies and 

recovery planning. EWI systems can track attendance, assignment completion, and grades. When 

viewed at the classroom and student level, this data can strengthen a school’s ability to provide 

specific and timely interventions;

• Collect data on the successful transitions of students from preschool into K-12, between middle and 

high school, and between high school and postsecondary education. For example, schools with a 9th 

grade can use on-track indicators to assess how well students are making the transition into high 

school. To support a smooth transition between high school and postsecondary education, districts 

can provide enhanced college advising that can help students navigate the financial aid process 

and select a postsecondary institution that is the best match for them. Districts can also employ 

strategies to ensure students are prepared for college, such as summer bridge programs, and partner 

with local college access programs to ensure students accepted into college actually enroll;

• Assess current processes for determining who has access to advanced courses in an effort to 

continually expand access, including through targeting resources to increase course offerings 

(including ensuring teachers received the professional development necessary to provide these 

courses) and providing universal screening to expand access;

• Ensure that interrupted instruction due to COVID-19 does not narrow students’ opportunities for 

advanced coursework, which might include determining student access to these courses, waiving 

certain requirements to enroll students in these opportunities, and providing students with access 

to these courses over the summer or providing additional course offering to make up for lost 

opportunities;

• Help parents and caregivers understand students’ progress by sharing information on student 

opportunities to learn and academic and other progress. One approach to providing information to 

parents and caregivers is by creating parent portals that provide information (including training and 

tutorials on how to access and use data) to parents in accessible formats for people with disabilities 

and in a language parents can understand to ensure meaningful access; and
31

• Support shared decision-making regarding how resources should be targeted that includes 

superintendents, school leaders, teachers and staff, students, parents and caregivers, and 

community-based organizations. Shared decision-making is an opportunity to reassess how schools 

are funded, what resources are available, how they should be allocated, and the effectiveness of 

those allocations for improving educational opportunity and outcomes. This should include targeting 

resources in ways that build district and school-level capacity and support systems of continuous 

improvement. For example, the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast & Island’s

Continuous Improvement in Education: A Toolkit for Schools and Districts, provides an overview of 

continuous improvement processes in education and offers tools and resources that educators can 

use to implement continuous improvement processes in their own schools and districts. 
32

d. Addressing resource inequities

By virtually any measure, students in communities experiencing poverty and districts that serve a high 

proportion of students from low-income backgrounds and students of color are afforded fewer resources

than those in districts that serve fewer students from families with lower incomes or students of color. A 

substantial body of research documents inequities in per-pupil funds across and within states and districts.48

Other research focuses on inequities in the distribution of practices and personnel that enrich students’ 

academic experiences and have the potential to positively affect student achievement, including advanced 

coursework,49 access to gifted and talented programs,50 and strong teaching, leadership, and support.51 

Recovering from the impact of COVID-19 will be incredibly difficult if the resource inequities that existed 

prior to COVID-19, and which have only been further exacerbated, are not addressed.

Allocating resources in ways that advance equity and ensuring they are adequate for providing the 

opportunities and supports students need to succeed is particularly important as we recover from the 

disparate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and communities experiencing poverty. Addressing 

the many dimensions of resource equity, including equitable and adequate school funding, access to a 

well-rounded education, well-prepared, effective, and diverse educators and staff, and integrated support 

services, can begin to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on schools and students and can close long-standing 

gaps in educational opportunity.

ARP includes several key fiscal equity provisions intended to advance equity and adequacy. The 

“maintenance of effort” provisions require that states maintain support for elementary and secondary 

education in fiscal years (FY) 2022 and 2023 at least at the percentage of the state’s overall spending 

used to support education averaged over FYs 2017, 2018, and 2019. The “maintenance of equity” section 

requires that school districts and schools serving high concentrations of students from low-income 

backgrounds are protected from disproportionate cuts in state and local funding during FYs 2022 and 

2023. In addition, in FYs 2022 or 2023, a state may not reduce state funding (as calculated on a perpupil basis) for any highest poverty district below the level of funding (as calculated on a per pupil basis) 

provided to that district in FY 2019. These maintenance of equity provisions are crucial, but they only 

prevent disproportionate or deep cuts — they do not stop budget cuts from occurring altogether. Because 

states and districts are making decisions about where to target federal, state, and local resources and 

how they should be used, this is an opportunity to do so in ways that advance equity and adequacy in 

educational opportunity. 

Equitable and Adequate School Funding

School finance reforms that reduce inequity and inadequacy have been shown to improve students’ 

academic outcomes.52 In the wake of the pandemic, states and districts have a historic opportunity to 

consider the way they make resources available to students and what changes they can make to improve 

equity and adequacy for the long term.

There is precedent for making significant change in the wake of an economic downturn. Following the 

Great Recession, some states, such as California and Rhode Island, undertook a reevaluation of how their 

schools were funded and began working towards new finance systems that targeted additional funding to 

the students and communities furthest from opportunity and who are experiencing the cumulative effect 

of schools that have been underfunded decade after decade. The current crisis can serve as a call to action 

for states to address, in some cases, long-standing disputes regarding funding for education. Adopting 

more equitable funding formulas is an opportunity to direct additional financial resources to schools in ways 

that account for the additional support students may need (such as students with disabilities and students 

experiencing homelessness), and promoting practices that help high-need schools recruit and retain qualified 

educators. How these resources are used is as important as where they are targeted. Funding provided 
33

under ARP, as well as state and local resources, can be invested in evidence-based strategies that have been 

shown to improve outcomes for students.

Providing a Well-Rounded Education 

As students continue to return to in-person instruction and educators and staff work to address the impact 

of lost instructional time and reengage students, it is important students have access to an enriched and 

well-rounded education to support these efforts. ESEA defines a well-rounded education as including not 

only core academic subjects, such as reading or language arts and mathematics, but also disciplines such 

as writing, music, arts, computer science, and career and technical education. A well-rounded education 

supports the success of learners of all ages, from young students who need rich context as they begin 

“reading to learn” to students in high school preparing for college and careers.

Unfortunately, not all students have access to well-rounded educational opportunities and COVID-19 has 

only served to further limit those opportunities. Prior to the pandemic there were clear differences in 

opportunities and access for underserved students compared to their peers throughout their educational 

careers (e.g., elementary school gifted and talented programs, 8th grade algebra coursework). The lack of 

availability of these courses — or access when they are provided — affects later opportunities (e.g., dual 

enrollment, AP, and IB courses).53 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine panel 

proposed a series of indicators and measures that can identify disparities in students’ access to opportunities 

for a well-rounded education, including disparities in “access to and enrollment in rigorous coursework...

curricular breadth ... [and] high-quality academic supports.”54

In order to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and reengage students after more than a year of disruption, 

districts and schools should work to address inequities in access to a well-rounded education and can look to 

some of the following evidence-based practices for increasing student access to a well-rounded education:

• The Arts Education Partnership’s ArtsEdSearch. Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts 

and the Department, this website focuses on arts education program outcomes;

• The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine panel reports on implementing STEM 

programs, including Teaching K-12 Science and Engineering During a Crisis, Successful K-12 STEM 

Education, Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12, and English Learners in STEM Subjects. These 

reports provide specific examples of state, district, and school practices that can promote STEM 

learning; and

• ED’s What Works Clearinghouse offers summaries of effective programs, products, practices, and 

policies across a range of topics, including career academies and dual enrollment programs that are 

designed to promote success in high school and the transition to college.

When implementing evidence-based practices in support of a well-rounded education, leaders should 

consider the following three factors:

1. The extent to which important opportunities are widely available and for which students. 

• States, districts, and schools can, in accordance with applicable law, regularly and consistently use 

disaggregated student data to determine whether there are disparities in access to and success in 

key gatekeeper and advanced courses that contribute to a well-rounded education, use the data to 

eliminate unnecessary barriers to entry and success, and implement active outreach to and support 

for historically underserved students;
34

• States, districts, and schools can partner with community-based organizations to expand the 

availability of well-rounded courses, including music and art opportunities;

• States, districts, and schools can partner with local institutions of higher education (IHEs) to offer 

dual enrollment or early college opportunities and enrichment opportunities for K-12 students, which 

might also benefit university students, including those interested in education; and 

• States and districts should ensure students are taught by well-qualified (fully certified in the area 

they are assigned to teach) educators skilled in providing instruction in the relevant format and 

ensure that all students have access to devices and connectivity needed to take advantage of them.

2. Ways to eliminate barriers to accessing available opportunities. Rather than using student test 

scores or instructor recommendations as barriers to enrichment or advanced coursework, school leaders 

can allow “open enrollment” in advanced or career-oriented courses.55 Flexible scheduling can improve 

students’ ability to participate while balancing other obligations. States, districts, and schools can also 

consider how they can leverage technology to expand access to advanced coursework, expertise, and 

new learning experiences where resources and geography present challenges.

3. Proactive approaches to encourage student participation in well-rounded education programs. 

This can include family engagement strategies that support families in understanding the full range of 

available program options and their potential benefits, beginning in middle school or earlier,56 providing 

students with a personal adult advocate to help them personalize the educational experience,57 and using 

individualized planning to help students take advantage of available opportunities.

Well-Qualified Educators

As discussed in the following section on supporting educators, periods of economic downturn can destabilize 

the educator workforce, having a disproportionate effect on underserved students, including students of 

color and students from low-income backgrounds. Well-qualified teachers are essential to the learning and 

development of the students they serve, influencing decisions that can affect students into adulthood, 

such as the likelihood students attend college and the quality of those colleges. Yet we are already seeing 

the impact of COVID-19 on teacher shortages. In December 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 

an 8.6% decline in the local government education workforce over the previous 12 months, to its smallest 

size for the same month since 1999.58 This decline in the workforce paired with the more than 40 states 

experiencing shortages in math, science, and special education at the beginning of the pandemic, are signs 

of an immediate challenge that needs to be addressed. To support students in recovering from the impact of 

COVID-19, states and districts will need to ensure they have access to strong teachers. 

Inequities in financial resources among and between districts and schools affect the distribution of fullycertified teachers, one indicator of teacher quality.59 Further, schools in communities experiencing poverty 

and schools that educate higher proportions of students of color are among those most likely to employ 

teachers with fewer years of experience or who are not fully certified (or not certified in the area they 

are assigned to teach, such as special education).60 Although several factors shape the career pathways of 

teachers, among the most important is how states allocate resources to districts.61 Given the importance of 

highly skilled teachers on the student experience and outcomes, the resulting inequities can have profound 

impacts on the lives of learners. To address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, states and districts will 

need to prioritize reversing these inequities and fund schools in ways that make significant investments in 

their educator workforce.
35

Integrated Student Support Services

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, and 

other underserved students faced non-academic barriers to achieving their full potential in the classroom. 

A substantial body of research has documented that hunger, inadequate access to physical and mental 

health care options, housing insecurity, and the lack of high-quality early childhood and child care programs 

can negatively impact student achievement. In response, many schools have developed integrated student 

support (ISS) systems that seek to leverage the school site and community-based resources to ensure 

students’ social, emotional, physical, mental health, and academic needs are better met, improving outcomes 

for students and their families. 

Research on at least some of these programs demonstrates the potential of ISS services to improve 

attendance among young students as well as on-time and high-school graduation rates.62 States and districts 

considering implementing ISS programs have a variety of potential models that can be used to inform their 

approaches that vary in the range and intensity of services provided, as well as on student populations of 

emphasis. Active collaboration within and beyond schools can positively affect students’ perception of caring 

adults in their lives and attitudes toward education.63

Examples of Integrated Student Support Services Models

• The City Connects program structures collaborations between school counselors (or social workers) 

and instructional staff to develop customized support plans that address individual student needs. 

Based on those plans, the program provides enrichment, offers early intervention services, or, 

in the case of students in crisis or in need of more serious intervention, promotes referrals to 

community resources.

• The Communities in Schools program emphasizes dropout prevention. Similar to City Connects, 

Communities in Schools offers both schoolwide and more intensive interventions, including those 

related to academics, basic needs and physical health, mental health, and social and life skills, 

among others. 

• The National Wraparound Initiative focuses on providing wraparound services to students who 

struggle with behavior or are experiencing serious mental health challenges. 

The Department offers grants for Full-Service Community Schools to improve coordination, integration, 

accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, especially those attending underresourced schools. ARP specifically refers to full-service community schools as a model that can support 

the provision of mental health services and supports and for which ARP funding may be used in response 

to COVID-19. 
36

Implementation Considerations

Addressing resource inequity requires action at the state, district, and school levels and should include 

robust stakeholder engagement focused on clear goals throughout the process. Specifically:

At the state level

• Analyze the extent to which state funding is equitably distributed across and within districts using, 

for example, the per-pupil expenditure data required for ESEA report cards, and consider whether 

changes to state funding formulas are needed;

• Identify statewide programming or grant opportunities to increase equity;

• Promote transparency by engaging stakeholders in funding decisions;

• Identify ways to improve the equitable distribution of educators to ensure all students have access to 

well-qualified (fully certified in the subject area they are assigned to teach), experienced (e.g., three 

or more years), and effective educators;

• Revise policies that may create or exacerbate barriers to entry to the teaching profession for diverse 

educator candidates; and

• Consider whether partnering with IHEs and community-based organizations can expand access to 

well-rounded education opportunities.

At the district level

• Analyze the extent to which state and local funding is equitably distributed among schools using, for 

example, the per-pupil expenditure data required for ESEA report cards, and consider how changes 

to funding formulas could improve equity;

• Use the flexibility provided by ESEA, section 1113 to provide more funds per student from a lowincome background under Title I, Part A (Title I) to Title I schools with higher poverty than to Title I 

schools with lower poverty;

• Identify and implement approaches to promote educator equity, such as expanded leadership 

opportunities that allow highly effective teachers to coach or support new or struggling teachers, 

and incentives to work in high-need schools and among communities most affected by COVID-19;

• Establish community schools;

• Ensure all students have access to a well-rounded curriculum, including advanced and career and 

technical education courses, extracurricular activities, and academic rigor; and

• Promote local transparency by engaging stakeholders in district funding decisions.
37

At the school level

• Determine which sources of funding the school has direct control over and analyze the extent to 

which such funds equitably support all students, particularly students with the greatest needs;

• Promote local transparency by engaging stakeholders in school-level funding decisions; and

• Analyze the extent to which all students in the school have access to a well-rounded curriculum and 

to educators who are well-qualified (fully certified in the subject area they are assigned to teach), 

experienced, and effective.
38

III. Supporting Educator and Staff Stability and Well-Being

a. Stabilizing a diverse and qualified educator workforce

COVID-19 has not only taken a toll on our nation’s students, it has impacted our nation’s educators. 

According to a national survey, as of March 2021, teacher satisfaction with their employers is down more 

than 25 percentage points since last year at this time, to 44%, and more than a third have considered 

changing jobs as a result of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have reported increased stress and 

increased working hours due to pandemic-related transitions. As discussed above, as of December 2020, 

there had been an 8.6% decline in the local government education workforce over the previous 12 months.64

This drop could result from accelerated retirements, educators leaving the profession, or layoffs due to 

budget constraints. 

If limited state or local funding leads to educator layoffs, as we learned from the Great Recession, these 

layoffs could disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color.65

Prior to the pandemic, students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, English learners, and 

other underserved students were already less likely to have teachers who are well-qualified, experienced, 

and effective.66 These critical lessons can inform how states and districts design policies to stabilize the 

workforce — and the pipeline into the profession. ARP provides funds that should help states and districts 

avoid layoffs, support additional necessary staff to safely reopen schools and address students’ needs, and 

implement policies to stabilize the educator pipeline and workforce in the face of COVID-19 disruptions.

School and District Approaches to Retain Qualified and Effective Educators

In the short term, leaders may consider inter-related strategies to promote equity while addressing the 

impacts of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. These strategies are particularly important given the need 

for additional educators and school staff to support smaller class sizes to accommodate social distancing, 

particularly in older grade levels, and support accelerating learning, increase student services, and provide 

tutoring or other personalized efforts to accelerate learning. Specifically, schools and districts can:

• Extend the reach of effective teachers using teacher leaders who:

° Support partner teachers across a school;

° Teach larger groups of students (or multiple classrooms) with co-teachers providing small group 

and individualized support;

° Lead remote instruction for a larger group of students, if remote instruction is still needed for 

some students after schools reopen for in-person learning with co-teachers providing small 

group and individualized support; or 

° Lead professional development, professional learning communities, and grade-level or subjectarea teams for educators across the school.

• Increase availability of qualified adults to support educators, students, and staff, such as:

° Teaching candidates in partnership with local schools of education at IHEs;

° Recently retired educators; and

° Non-instructional staff who can identify and support students who are highly mobile or 

chronically absent, such as students who are migratory, students experiencing homelessness, and 

students in foster care. These staff members can support finding and enrolling students on days 

and at hours convenient to families, as well as help students develop a sense of belonging in their 

new schools and identify challenging coursework and peer supports mid-year. In addition, these 

staff can support migratory students and their families with understanding the IEP processes or 

completing college applications.
39

• Build and maintain a cadre of high-quality substitute teachers who can assist by:

° Stepping into the classroom to support continuity for students when educators need to take 

time off, especially due to illness or when in isolation or quarantine;

° Co-leading small group learning; and 

° Supporting release time for educators to allow for teacher professional development.

• Implement flexible and creative scheduling to support students while providing planning and 

collaboration time for teachers by, for example:

° Holding entire days focused on a single core academic subject;

° Offering all “special” subjects (e.g., music, art, physical education) on the same day so grade-level 

teams can plan together; and

° Holding shorter learning cycles, with more frequent breaks, some of which educators can use for 

planning.

• Use targeted incentives to encourage educators to work in high-need subject areas and high-need 

schools.

• Offer relevant, flexible professional learning, including by leveraging existing digital learning options. 

For example, some state approaches include:

° Michigan Virtual has provided “Keep Michigan Learning,” to offer tools and resources for teachers 

and school leaders;

° The Nevada Department of Education created a statewide “Digital Learning Collaborative”; 

° The Tennessee Department of Education offers “Best for All Central: Tennessee’s Hub for 

Learning and Teaching”; and

° Wyoming offers a self-paced course for educators to learn about using education technology.

While there are no quick fixes, there are tools that can serve as a starting point. For example, the Center for 

Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research provides evidence-based toolkits for 

equitably building the educator workforce, including the Talent Development Framework and considerations 

specific to COVID-19, as does the Learning Policy Institute. The New England Consortium on Secondary 

Schools, Learning Policy Institute, and Comprehensive Center Network, among others, have also outlined 

strategies for increasing both the diversity and qualifications of educators, including for educators of Native 

American students specifically. These strategies include cultivating interest in teaching among children of 

color at earlier ages, considering competitive compensation and retention packages, providing supports to 

complete preparation programs, and streamlining certification and licensure processes. 

At the local level, leaders should review school and district demographic data to best identify the unique 

needs, gaps, and opportunities in specific communities. For example, the Collaboration for Effective Educator 

Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center at the University of Florida offers resources to 

consider root causes and solutions for shortages in special education staffing, including a data analysis tool. 

The Department’s Office of Special Education Programs also has resources related to attracting, preparing, 

and retaining educators, particularly those who serve students with disabilities. Improving transparency 

around educator demographic and retention data can help communities target additional attention where 

there is a lack of educator diversity or where there is high teacher turnover. 
40

Supporting Principals

Strong principals are a key driver to retain teachers and other school staff members and improve outcomes 

for students. Supporting principals and their well-being is essential to ensure that they can provide their 

school staff members with the focused work time, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities they need 

to successfully meet students’ needs. Strong principal support is especially critical for new teachers, special 

educators, educators of English learners, and teachers of color who might have less access to the peer 

support they need to be successful. Given the important role principals play in school stability and in teacher 

retention, principals need extra support during these challenging times. Extensive decision-making and 

logistical operations have been added to principals’ workloads as they lead their schools during the COVID-19 

pandemic. Principal supervisors at the district level can work to enable principals to stay focused on their 

roles as instructional leaders. School and district partnerships with local health departments can also support 

principals in focusing on instruction while relying on public health experts for COVID-19 support, such as a 

partnership in Marin County, California. In addition, principal candidates, such as those working through a 

principal pipeline, can help support principal workloads. 

The Effect of COVID-19 on a Diverse Educator Pipeline

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, barriers challenged the educator pipeline, particularly for teaching 

candidates of color. Expensive teacher preparation programs, when paired with low starting salaries for 

educators, might serve as a deterrent. Some students of color are likely to face greater student loan 

debt than their peers, which can make these financial disincentives especially notable.67 While residency 

programs can be powerful tools, lower-capacity districts might have fewer staff available to establish and 

nurture them, even as they are most in need of high-quality educator candidates. The COVID-19 pandemic 

exacerbates existing financial and logistical hurdles for both aspiring teachers and districts. More extensively 

affected by the health and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, educators of color might be less 

likely to begin or continue a program if they are experiencing more financial, physical, and emotional stress.

Educator diversity benefits all students68 and in particular benefits students of color who have at least one 

same-race teacher in the early grades.69 However, while over 50% of American students are students of 

color,70 less than 20% of the educator workforce are teachers of color. Increasing educator diversity begins 

with planning and leadership. Connecticut, Kentucky, and Massachusetts, for example, have prioritized 

educator diversity through strategic, action-oriented goals or leadership committees. Massachusetts has 

initiatives to increase racial and ethnic diversity of both teachers and superintendents.

As states and districts work to stabilize their educator pipeline, a variety of strategies have been identified 

that can both support the preparation and development of new educators and encourage them to work in 

high-need schools. Evidence-based approaches include:

• Providing loan forgiveness, grants, or service scholarship programs that significantly underwrite 

the cost of postsecondary education in exchange for a commitment to teach in a high-need field 

or school for a minimum number (e.g., four) of years (see the North Carolina Teaching Fellows 

Program);71

• Developing and implementing high-quality comprehensive teacher residency programs (further 

described below) that provide extensive clinical experience and have been shown to increase teacher 

retention and effectiveness;72 and
41

• Developing and implementing professional development programs and mentoring models, 

particularly for newer teachers, that emphasize building effective instructional strategies and provide 

time for ongoing collaboration.73 

Programs that engage students early and give them hands-on opportunities to learn about the teaching 

profession, such as “Grow Your Own” programs, might be particularly effective in recruiting educators who 

reflect the diversity and specific needs of our most underserved students. “Grow Your Own” programs often 

also support paraeducators, high-quality substitute teachers, and others in a community who are interested 

in transitioning into roles as educators by supporting their training and path to certification. Partnerships 

with educator preparation programs and especially Minority Serving Institutions and Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities can provide pipelines and opportunities that best prepare candidates for the realworld experiences of teaching in high-need communities. Partnerships among schools, districts, and IHEs 

(including community colleges) can support recruiting diverse educators.

States and districts can shape programs that meet their specific needs. For example, the Washington State 

Professional Educator Standards Board supported several districts in building infrastructure for local “Grow 

Your Own” initiatives. In Colorado, a partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers supports 

efforts to recruit male educators of color, particularly for work in high schools. Connecticut has used 

programs like TEACH CT, Educators Rising, and NextGen Educators to promote teaching and support high 

school and college students, especially students of color, in becoming educators. The American Association 

of Colleges for Teacher Education has recently reviewed and recommended strategies for educator 

preparation programs to use in promoting candidate diversity. 

Extensive clinical experience is critical, including during a pandemic. To support new educators who were 

unable to complete their clinical training as a result of the pandemic, the Illinois State Board of Education, 

in collaboration with the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, created a

comprehensive virtual instructional coaching and mentoring program leveraging CARES Act funds. Residency 

programs, especially those that allow new teachers to earn income, have also shown promise in both 

supporting new educators and diversifying the pool of educators. These programs give teaching candidates 

extended, year-long opportunities to learn alongside mentor teachers in ways that are tightly coupled with 

their coursework. Candidates completing these experiences can provide crucial support for accelerating 

learning as students recover from the impact of COVID-19. For example, the Tennessee Department of 

Education used CARES Act funds to expand teaching residency programs.

Stabilizing the educator workforce requires listening to and empowering educators — and making needed 

changes to help them continue to support students through this unprecedented time. Navigating through 

adversity can be an opportunity to reset approaches to the educator workforce. Beginning with planning and 

leadership, states, districts, and schools can chart a new course that will improve education for both students 

and teachers by intentionally increasing educator diversity and creating the conditions that help diverse 

educators enter and remain in the classroom in order to effectively address the unique needs of all students. 
42

b. Supporting educator and staff well-being

Now, more than ever, supporting educator well-being is a critical priority for school and district leaders 

because COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-pandemic challenges in the educator workforce. The most common 

reason educators have cited for leaving school employment in the last year is stress, followed by insufficient 

pay and challenges related to remote instruction and technology.74 As educators continue working during a 

global health crisis, educator well-being and support will be essential to school and district success. Surveys 

show educator well-being is tied to feeling supported, valued, and heard by school and district leaders, 

as well as peers. Research shows that educator well-being is closely connected to educator retention and 

effectiveness in providing student support. 

As schools reopen, it is important to consider that educators and staff will also be returning to school 

changed. Some will be coping with grief, elevated levels of anxiety, and loss. Many teachers, including special 

education teachers and paraprofessionals, homeless liaisons, migrant education program personnel, teachers 

in correctional facilities, and mental health professionals, may be struggling as they watch the students 

they serve and care deeply about going through challenging experiences. And still others, like principals and 

others school leaders, will be continuing to wear multiple hats, for example as school instructional leaders, 

social workers, and nutrition service planners. To be effective in meeting student well-being and academic 

needs, the adults in the community must prioritize their own basic mental, emotional, and physical health 

needs. Thus, addressing the needs of all school staff must be a priority in planning for reopening. 

Mental health professionals are not the sole resource for addressing educator burnout and providing mental 

health care. Social and emotional wellness is a community responsibility that everyone plays a role in. Some 

educators have reported that being intentional in prioritizing their own self-care is restorative, especially 

as they balance the possible burnout and disconnection with their professional and personal dedication to 

education.

Connections and relationships that are important for students are equally critical for educators and staff. 

Responsive relationships and strong connections act as protective factors that have specific and tangible 

benefits that improve educator mental health. For school staff to create regulated, yet physically and 

emotionally calm and settled climates, they, too, must be emotionally connected in safe and responsive 

relationships. For communities that are implementing schoolwide social and emotional learning approaches, 

they find that all stakeholders, not just students, benefit. For example, in implementing schoolwide SEL 

approaches, Stratford Public Schools in Connecticut provided SEL professional development and found that 

the professional learning also acted as cathartic sessions for the educators and staff to relate to one another, 

which boosted adult morale. Small staff cohorts now lead the social emotional learning growth specifically 

for the adults in each school. 

Relatedly, any opportunities for educators and staff to be involved in reopening planning allow staff to 

contribute substantively to the process, feel that their voices are valued, and allow school leaders to 

delegate and share reopening responsibilities. Across all these relationships is the need for intentionally 

incorporating community-building and self-care in all activities in the school. For example, some school 

districts have staff tasked with building community, and report that they boost positive culture. Other school 

districts, such as Hillsborough County in Florida, leverage teacher leaders to take on COVID-19 lead roles in 

their schools. Efforts to prioritize communication and collaboration between staff and leadership nurtures, 

and models, a sense of connectedness that is crucial to supporting teaching and learning.
43

The pandemic should also prompt school communities to reevaluate compensatory time off and sick 

leave policies and practices. Policies should be applied equitably and consider hybrid or remote teaching 

accommodations for staff with health conditions, consistent with CDC guidance. At a minimum, school 

districts should provide time for educators and staff to get vaccinated if states or school districts are not 

providing on-site vaccination opportunities. To the greatest extent practicable, school districts should 

provide necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) or leverage other community resources to obtain the 

PPE required to effectively reopen schools. 

To build intentional systems that support educator and staff well-being, district and school leaders should 

focus on developing:

• School leader-to-educator support systems. Leaders can build in time for recurring debrief 

sessions with all staff members and, when necessary, hold debrief sessions after stressful days. This 

can be supplemented with unplanned drop-ins into classrooms as a positive touchpoint (e.g., leave 

a handwritten note highlighting the effective work that was observed). Leaders should also regularly 

survey educators to gather data on wellness, including staff perception on workload and morale. 

Leaders can use these data to identify gaps and to enhance current efforts. Leaders should also be 

a model for well-being; in addition to encouraging educators and staff to prioritize self-care, district 

and school leaders should model that self-care themselves (e.g., observing blackout times for work 

emails). Finally, during a pandemic, it is important for district and school leaders to communicate to 

teachers that they trust them as professionals. For example, Virginia issued guidance encouraging 

school leaders to build cultures of instructional risk-taking where educators feel flexibility to “fail 

forward” or learn from what went wrong. 

• Peer-to-peer support systems. School leaders can set shared staff norms on well-being 

expectations, such as how and when staff interact with one another (e.g., blackout times for email 

communication and boundaries for meeting times). School leaders can prioritize educator mentoring 

programs to build support systems and prevent burnout (for non-teaching staff such as social 

workers or school counselors, school districts can explore being creative in building mentorships 

across campuses). This can include a “buddy” system to build peer-to-peer support systems on a 

regular basis. Leaders can encourage these check-ins weekly or monthly. Some school leaders have 

reported providing weekly school staff support circle time that mirrors the practices in student 

circles and creating new systems for regular staff-to-staff shout-outs via morning announcements 

or bulletin boards. School district officials should welcome educator-initiated cross-district affinity 

groups for teachers of color and early career teachers.

• Considerations for educator workloads. School leaders can schedule staff planning time (including 

for non-teaching staff, such as school counselors, and operations and technology staff) into work 

hours, and to the extent practicable schedule a monthly planning day. This is an important way 

to ensure educators are set up for success within work hours and can prioritize personal self-care 

after the school day is over. School leaders should consider balancing meetings to communicate 

information and providing time to check in with staff. For example, rather than a daily meeting to 

communicate news, school leaders can send daily bulleted news updates via email to save time 

and instead provide some of the time for virtual or in-person office hours. In addition, schools and 

districts should consider how they can prioritize strategies and interventions to meet student needs 

so as not to place multiple responsibilities on individual educators.
44

• Transparency in district and school mental health supports. School districts should increase 

awareness of available school and district human resources support for all staff (e.g., who to contact 

and what supports are available). When possible, school districts should make human resource 

representatives present on school campuses regularly. School districts should strive to make 

accessible the health services staff need through employee assistance programs. This can include 

regular campus visits or easy user guides. Schools can also leverage local wellness resources from 

local health departments, community partners, or federal resources to provide wellness services 

remotely or visit school campuses following the proper safety and prevention protocols. This can 

include hosting on-campus wellness fairs, providing free wellness check-ups, free or reduced gym 

memberships from local community partners and other self-care.

• Intentional space for educators to recharge. In educator development plans, school districts may 

consider incorporating a focus on adult wellness and sustainability, with educators on a continuum 

of learning best practices to preserve their wellness and to support their peers in doing so. Also, 

leaders or culture committees can consider building a quiet and comfortable space, consistent with 

appropriate COVID-19 mitigations, for staff to recharge and reset daily at work. All staff members 

benefit from a space to recharge to better support students. 
45

Endnotes 

1

Eva, A. (2018). “How to Inspire Students to Become Better Citizens” (2018). Greater Good Magazine: University of California at 

Berkeley. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_inspire_students_to_become_better_citizens.

2

National Association of Elementary School Principals. NAESP Advocacy Survey December 2020. Retrieved from https://www.naesp.

org/news/naesp-releases-results-of-midyear-national-principal-survey-on-covid-19-in-schools/.

3

Quirk, A. (2020, July 28). Mental Health Supports for Students of Color During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic. Center for 

American Progress. Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/news/2020/07/28/488044/mental-health-support-students-color-coronavirus-pandemic/#:~:text=Black%20people%20have%20long%20been,to%20be%20disciplined%20than%20treated.

4

“Native and Indigenous Communities and Mental Health.” (2020). Mental Health America. Retrieved from https://www.mhanational.

org/issues/native-and-indigenous-communities-and-mental-health. 

5

Croft, M., Moore, R., & Guffy, G. (2019). Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of High School Students. ACT. Retrieved from: 

https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/reports/act-publications/mental-health-report.html.

6

Boccanfuso, C., & Kuhfeld, M., (2011). Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidenced-Based Nonpunitive Alternatives to Zero Tolerance. Child Trends. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Child_Trends-2011_03_01_RB_AltToZeroTolerance.pdf and Molyneux, T., (2015, Jan. 25). “Welcome Wave of Change: Positive Discipline and SEL in Schools”. Committee for 

Children. Retrieved from https://www.cfchildren.org/blog/2015/01/welcome-wave-of-change-positive-discipline-and-sel-in-schools/.

7

Korman, H., O’Keefe, B., & Repeka, M., (2020, Oct. 21). Missing in the Margins: Estimating the Scale of the Covid-19 Attendance 

Crisis. Bellweather Education Partners. Retrieved from: https://bellwethereducation.org/publication/missing-margins-estimating-scale-covid-19-attendance-crisis#Why%20aren’t%20students%20attending%20school?

8Children, Coronavirus, and the Digital Divide: Native American, Black, and Hispanic Students at Greater Educational Risk During 

Pandemic. (2020, Sept. 2). Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved from: https://www.prb.org/coronavirus-digital-divide-education/. 

Lost in the Masked Shuffle & Virtual Void: Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Amidst the Pandemic. (2020, Nov. 19). 

SchoolHouse Connection. Retrieved from https://schoolhouseconnection.org/lost-in-the-masked-shuffle-and-virtual-void/.

9

Harris, D.N, Liu, L., Oliver, D., Balfe, C., Slaughter, S., & Mattei, N. (2020). How American Schools Responded to the COVID Crisis. National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice: Tulane University. Retrieved from: https://educationresearchalliancenola.

org/files/publications/20200713-Technical-Report-Harris-et-al-How-Americas-Schools-Responded-to-the-COVID-Crisis.pdf.

10Nowicki, J., Keller, B., Bowman, M., Jaynes, M., & Squitieri, A. (2020). Distance Learning: Challenges Providing Services to K-12 

English Learners and Students with Disabilities During Covid-19. Government Accountability Office. Retrieved from https://www.gao.

gov/assets/gao-21-43.pdf.

11Nowicki, J. (2018, March). K-12 Education: Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities. Government 

Accountability Office. Retrieved from: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-18-258.pdf.

12Mitchell, F. (2020, Aug. 17). Covid-19’s Disproportionate Effects on Children of Color Will Challenge the Next Generation. Urban 

Wire: Children. The Urban Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/covid-19s-disproportionate-effects-children-color-will-challenge-next-generation; and Truong, D. (2021, March 9). ‘School Wasn’t Even Important’: For Many Local Students, 

The Pandemic Has Meant A Mountain of Adult Responsibilities. WAMU: American University Radio. Retrieved from: https://wamu.org/

story/21/03/09/local-students-pandemic-adult-responsibilities/.

13There is “evidence that empathic responses are dampened when the observer is of a different race than the observed, suggesting that teachers may be less likely to respond with empathy when a child of a race different to her own is exhibiting challenging 

behaviors or challenging home experiences.” Gilliam, W.,Maupin, A., Reyes, C., Accavitti, M., & Shic, F. (2016). Do early educators’ 

implicit biases regarding sex and race relate to behavior expectations and recommendations of preschool expulsions and suspensions? New Haven, CT: Yale University Child Study Center, 1–18. Skiba, R., Chung, C., Trachok, M., Baker, T., Sheya, A, & Hughes, R. 

(2014). Parsing Disciplinary Disproportionality: Contributions of Infraction, Student, and School Characteristics to Out-of-School 

Suspension and Expulsion. American Educational Research Journal. Retrieved from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?-

doi=10.1.1.923.5562&rep=rep1&type=pdf. pp. 7, 23-24.

14Levin, S., Leung, M., Edgerton, A., & Scott, C. (2020). Elementary School Principals’ Professional Learning: Current Status and 

Future Needs. The Learning Policy Institute: Palo Alto, CA. Retrieved from: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/NAESP_Elementary_Principals_Professional_Learning_REPORT.pdf.
46

15Johnson, E., (1996). School Facilities: America’s Schools Report Differing Conditions. General Accounting Office. Retrieved from: 

https://www.gao.gov/assets/hehs-96-103.pdf.

16Nowicki, J., MacBlane, B., & Watsula, D. (2020, June). K-12 Education: School Districts Frequently Identified Multiple Building Systems Needing Updates or Replacements. Government Accountability Office. Retrieved from: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-

494?source=ra.

17How Does Indoor Air Quality Impact Student Health and Academic Performance? (2020, Aug. 12) U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency. Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/how-does-indoor-air-quality-impact-student-health-and-academic-performance.

18“Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation” (2020, Sept. 22). Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/building-water-system.html.

19Kuhfeld, M., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Lewis, K. (2020). Learning during COVID-19: Initial findings on students’ 

reading and math achievement and growth. NWEA. Retrieved from: https://www.nwea.org/content/uploads/2020/11/Collaborative-brief-Learning-during-COVID-19.NOV2020.pdf.

20Dorn, E. Hanckock, B., Sarakatsannis, J. & Viruleg, E. (2020). COVID-19 and learning loss – dsparities grow and students need help. 

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23Ibid.

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26Ibid.

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50

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