Virtual Classrooms

Even school districts that had technology in place to accommodate remote learning before the pandemic saw lower scores than in previous years, although they tested above the state average in many subjects.

School districts in Northern Indiana are using online or blended learning options, learning management systems, smaller class sizes, new curriculum maps and targeted interventions to make up for recent learning loss.

A Washington, D.C., nonprofit is promoting a new approach to K-12 that replaces the old “factory model,” one-size-fits-all schooling with prerecorded lectures, small-group lessons and mastery-based testing.

The Chicago-based ed tech company is expanding its database of how-to guides, white papers, videos and other multimedia resources to help college and university faculty build hybrid and online courses.

Money from the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund will go toward laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hot spots, modems, routers and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff and library patrons.

Distance learning grants from the United States Department of Agriculture will expand educational opportunities for middle and high school students in rural areas to take college-level courses.

A preliminary report from the state Department of Public Instruction found negative impacts from the pandemic for all students, for all grades, for almost every subject, with in-person lessons yielding better results.

The latest student achievement data from the Maryland State Department of Education showed learning loss at all levels, with proficiency below 50 percent in most cases and especially low in math and science.

Technology is helping to meet students' needs while students help their teachers learn technology at Lawrence County Signature School in Alabama, which has persuaded some kids to rejoin the public school system.

The SHLB Coalition, American Library Association, Consortium for School Networking and State Educational Technology Directors Association successfully lobbied for a deadline extension to use emergency funds through June 2023.

A partnership between Florida International University and Factory360, a marketing agency in South Florida, intends to prepare hospitality students for the technology and protocols involved with hybrid events.

Los Angeles Unified School District will require students who are physically in class to be vaccinated starting this fall, but it’s creating up to six new virtual schools that could enroll 15,000 kids if necessary.

To meet evolving student expectations, the university has created a working group to explore investments and technology that would create infrastructure and a plan for remote learning options and online classes.

The Maryland district has seen waitlists at its schools shrink since last August as vaccines, loneliness or academic struggles motivated some students to stick with in-person classes, but interest still exceeds capacity.

Staff at Carroll County Public Schools in Maryland have proposed expanding the district’s world language offerings by having teachers lead online classes that students at other schools could access remotely.

Columbus City Schools has enlisted the family counseling organization Buckeye Ranch to help students dealing with depression, anxiety and other issues that coincided with social isolation over months of remote learning.

Many colleges and universities are holding classes online in response to COVID-19 but charging full price for a lesser product, including transportation and campus fees even though students aren’t on campus.

Schools in Michigan can lose state funding if 75 percent of students don't attend school on enough days, and Detroit Public Schools has seen virtual attendance fall below 70 on several recent days.