Virtual Classrooms

A report co-authored by the state and the national organization Attendance Works found that chronic absence increased by more than 8 percent compared to 2019, particularly among Black, Hispanic and high-needs students.

Having received one of the largest funding allotments in New York state from the American Rescue and Recovery Act, Syracuse City School District's priorities include summer learning and a virtual high school.

Teachers and administrators in the Philadelphia-area district mostly succeeded with an all-hands-on-deck approach to keeping students tuned in, including knocking on doors, wake-up calls and dressing up as a mascot.

Although it announced in December that in-person classes would resume in fall 2021, the nation's largest four-year university system is considering permanent online options for students who found them helpful.

The consolidation of two early learning programs, the personalized Homer program for very young children with the coding-focused codeSpark for slightly older kids, aims to prepare a new generation for STEM careers.

As part of its fiscal 2022 budget, Howard County Board of Education in Maryland has set aside funds for five additional technology positions and the Digital Education Center, a virtual learning program with 12 positions.

Starting with a soft open this summer, a consortium of 10 school districts in upstate New York will launch the Torch Academy, a virtual learning option for K-12 students to replace or append in-person classes.

Over the next three years, Mississippi's Vicksburg Warren School District will use Discovery Education's platform to curate digital materials for keeping students interested and connecting lessons to current events.

Looking back on a disruptive year of learning from home, high school seniors in Pennsylvania recall lessons in organization, work ethics and the challenges of interacting through video conferencing technology.

New York school districts are waiting for clarification on whether the state will require or merely allow them to have all students return to in-person classes this fall, and what that will mean for remote learners.

The Albuquerque Journal has noticed New Mexico schools are benefiting from MidSchoolMath, a startup in Taos whose interactive program teaches algebra through virtual games that help students remember core concepts.

A virtual event last week hosted the superintendent, the local chamber president and others to discuss how schooling has changed, lessons from the past year and the need to invest in internships and summer programs.

Maryland state officials and educators are planning to resume in-person classes five days a week this fall, with limited hybrid learning options for flexibility. But low vaccination rates have some parents concerned.

Between January and March at Eau Claire Area School District in Wisconsin, less than 20 percent of middle school students took all-virtual classes instead of hybrid, but they accounted for 39 percent of F letter grades.

After a lawsuit alleged the state of New Mexico failed to provide necessary devices and connectivity for students to participate in remote learning, a judge has ordered the state to assess the cost and get it done.

Though it already had enough devices for each student prior to the pandemic, the East Baton Rouge Parish school district now has 60,000 computers for 40,000 students as newer technologies are integrated into lessons.

Officials in Lubbock Independent School District already had a system in place to provide devices to all of its students last year when COVID-19 school closures kicked the program into overdrive.

For years, the Dougherty County School System has been staffing classrooms virtually with teachers from other locations through Elevate K-12. Nationwide teacher shortages bode well for the longevity of the program.