Virtual School

If there’s one word that continues to surface with educators and what’s required of them to lead effectively, it seems to be empathy. We have seen many districts display a powerful, empathic leadership style throughout the pandemic. This could not be more true for the two leaders we spoke with from Tucson Unified School District and how they have navigated the challenges and opportunities the pandemic has created for their district.

In our latest podcast episode, we talk with Carl Hooker about his desire to see K-12 education become more like the 1989 movie Dead Poet’s Society. He believes we have the potential engage students to learn in unorthodox ways and to inspire them to pursue their dreams – now more than ever.

In our latest podcast episode of Opportunity Thrives, we had a chance to chat with Leslie Lenhart, the Communications Director for Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona. Leslie shares the district’s strategies to be very intentional and responsive during the pandemic, including many practical tips that others can implement within their own districts.

It goes without saying that school looks much different this year. With all of the uncertainty and change, this is an opportunity for school districts to offer virtual programs that provide families with alternative options to keep students in their home district.

Monica Burns believes that right now we have an opportunity to change education for the better, but first we must address the basics. In our latest podcast episode of Opportunity Thrives, Monica shares her perspective on the challenges and opportunities that digital learning brings to our schools and our communities.  

Without a doubt, district leaders anticipated learning loss when students returned to school this year –whether that was in person, virtually, or in a hybrid model. But it is still unclear just how substantial that learning loss will be long-term.

Adjusting to teaching and learning in a virtual environment is not easy as thousands of educators and students are experiencing right now. But when done well, online learning has the potential to increase student achievement.

In our latest episode of Opportunity Thrives, we talk with two superintendents about how they are evaluating their partners and how their relationships with vendors has changed since the pandemic.

In our 17th episode of Opportunity Thrives, a podcast committed to better supporting the needs of today’s secondary students, we explore this very question.

We know that education leaders are doing all they can to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and staff for this fall. For many districts, that has meant starting off the year with fully virtual learning programs.

Online learning was never intended to replicate classroom learning.  But that doesn’t mean it can’t be just as effective. Classroom learning is fundamentally built on the ability to interact with one another – student-to-teacher or student-to-student – in a face-to-face environment.  And any effort to replicate the classroom experience online will likely overlook the benefits of using technology.

In the latest episode of Opportunity Thrives, a podcast committed to better supporting the needs of today’s secondary students, parents share how remote learning has impacted their lives, the lives of their students and what they anticipate for the future.  

We know that education leaders are doing all they can to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and staff for the start of school this fall. Many districts are also navigating numerous requests from families to offer a virtual program. Districts may have addressed these concerns in their reopening plans and are now finding that the current situation requires further action.

As school districts across the country are preparing for back-to-school using either all digital instruction or a hybrid model, one concern we continue to hear from educators is the question of how to effectively build relationships with students in a virtual setting.

Now that schools and districts have navigated their plans for how to provide online and hybrid learning options this fall, many are evaluating their next challenge. How can educators provide options for students and families who are anxious about returning to school, and still keep them within their home school districts?

Discussions about the fall are continuing to evolve with districts evaluating potential back to school scenarios to keep students safe, but still learning. We all seem to be talking about our students these days, but few are talking to the students themselves.