"A Path Forward: Equity, Access, and Optimized Learning During the COVID-19 Crisis: An Evolving

REIMAGINING RETURNING

“ In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” --President Dwight D. Eisenhower

In a time of unprecedented change when conditions are ever-evolving and ambiguous, responsiveness doesn’t

just become more important; it becomes THE strategy for organizations to endure and thrive. Districts, schools, and education agencies will need to consider three concurrent streams of work (adapted from McKinsey’s “Path to the Next Normal”) as they plan for School Year 2020-2021:

RETURNING: Determine multiple paths for a return in SY 2020-2021, with the expressed intent to address the needs of all students.

REIMAGINING: Rethink the way learning and teaching are designed so that the entire district community can thrive.

REVAMPING: Build agile and responsive practices to support all students and families in a time of crisis.

This guide presents information regarding how to use responsive practices to plan for a return of school operations for 2020-2021 and provides a four-step process for examining multiple return scenarios given considerable uncertainty and unknowns.

COMMUNICATE (All Phases)

IDENTIFY THE KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS

BUILD SCENARIOS

RECOGNIZE CONSISTENCIES AND PRIORITIZE

CONTEXT

WHAT WE LEARNED

Through the pandemic, we learned more about digital transformation of learning in a matter

of weeks than we had over the last ten years. The focus of many educational organizations

was rapid transformation. Education leaders grappled with how quickly in-school operations

could be shifted to at-home or distance learning. In most cases, district leaders’ goals were not to augment or transform teaching, but rather to change the method of delivery to virtual. Leaders tried new paths to personalize support for students and families who relied on buildings, programs, and most importantly, staff to access learning.

Most cycles of crisis management start with short-term responses and migrate to longer-

term planning. In the first weeks of responding to the impacts of COVID-19, most school district leaders were focused on meeting immediate needs: device distribution, meal delivery, and sustained, personalized, and regular communication regarding detailed daily lessons. With return planning primed to begin, leaders are now able to take the time and space to re-imagine operations and rethink the status quo. The closures and disruptions caused by COVID-19 have underscored that equity is not something to be addressed “at some point.” Ensuring that ALL students have the support they need to be successful is the most important thing we can do now. Addressing issues of equity requires structural changes to the way we teach, learn, deliver emotional support, provide special education/504 and ELL services, train teachers, engage with families, utilize universal design for learning, and incorporate scientific concepts of validity and reliability regarding grading practices. Leadership teams need to quickly learn what is and what is not working, and why. After all, September is just around the corner.

WHAT WE KNOW

Based on the health and safety requirements shared at the federal, state, and local levels, districts and schools may be asked to rethink everything from physical space to learning structures. Below are examples of how school districts might employ different strategies and tactics to safeguard the health and wellness of their communities during re-opening efforts.

LIMIT CONTACT (Students and Staff)

EXAMPLE TACTICS TO ACCOMMODATE

• Reduce class sizes if possible

• Adjust lunch protocols

• Stagger start and end times of the day

• Stagger days of attendance

• Intermittent closings

• Eliminate assemblies

• Communicate frequently with NJSIAA regarding sports practices/delays/game schedules

• Limit or redesign bus services

EXTEND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

EXAMPLE TACTICS TO ACCOMMODATE

• Summer extensions

• Learning day/evening extensions

• Weekend options

• Remote learning options

• Trimester or year-round scheduling

ENFORCE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

EXAMPLE TACTICS TO ACCOMMODATE

• Protective equipment (e.g. masks, gloves)

• Temperature checks

• Hand-washing and bathroom protocols

• Frequent sanitization + cleaning

• Temporary limits on attendees at family events

INDIVIDUALIZED STUDENT SUPPORTS

EXAMPLE TACTICS TO ACCOMMODATE

• In school and online mental health and trauma support

• Significant remediation including in-person and virtual help

• Wraparound services and frequent communication regarding community assistance programs

Many of the tactics suggested are short-term solutions; they are adaptations for traditional education systems that are immediately manageable. Districts and schools must choose tactics to meet their specialized communities’ health and safety requirements; what works for one district may not work for another. It is ESSENTIAL for school leaders to engage in frequent, sustained communication regarding the same with all stakeholders.

Schools will reopen, and there is no option to return to “business as normal.” Our communities have faced unprecedented trauma resulting from direct impact, loss, and economic instability resulting from COVID-19. We know that the inequities that already existed in schools have been given a new spotlight. The long-term response to and return from this crisis will demand something new from school district leaders to meet this challenge.

WHAT IS POSSIBLE

The first step to building a district strategic plan that uplifts all students is to understand that at their core, school districts have historically been designed to uplift some, but perhaps not all. This has never been more evident than during this pandemic crisis. Grounding ourselves in this painful reality allows us to build plans that change the narrative around universal student achievement and to design new systems aimed at creating opportunities for achievement for all. Only then can we ensure students attend school districts that can meet their diverse needs and unbounded, yet varied, potential.

Through this crisis, we have witnessed school districts, teachers, students, and families rapidly adapt to change. Barriers that prevented innovation such as testing, scheduling, and even physical environments have been suspended, and in their place comes possibility. We can make the choice to bring these learnings and experiences with us as we return to school. This historic time period is an opportunity for school leaders and school communities to actively choose what they will return to and what they will change.

The value of responsive leadership and structures that uphold the needs of all students is clear in great organizations. Responsiveness in teaming, planning, decision-making, and communication serve as guidelines for creating more agile and fluid organizations.

KEY PERSPECTIVES

Great school districts ground their work in providing personalized learning for all. To that end, here are some defining key terms to clarify perspectives.

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND ACCESS:

Educational equity and access provides the necessary opportunities to all by ensuring that each student has the right resources and supports to reach their individual potential.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING:

Personalized learning calls on educators to “[tailor] learning for each student’s strengths,

needs and interests–including enabling student voice and choice–to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible” (Aurora Institute). At its core, personalized learning centers around the learner; ensuring lessons are relevant, accessible, and ultimately build student ownership.

WHAT IS RESPONSIVE PLANNING?

“Not having a plan is a plan” –Dr. Noëlle Jacquelin

Planning is sometimes a process that is more valuable than the plan itself. WHO you engage and HOW you engage people says more about your values than your plan ever will. Therefore, school district leaders should take care that ongoing COVID-19 plans reflect a clear purpose, direction, and strategy while also creating opportunities for feedback and pivots. These concepts are particularly important right now during this time of great uncertainty.

A ‘pivot’ is a change in strategy without a change in direction (Ries, 2011). Organizations that endure and succeed through significant change are those that adapt accordingly without losing their North Star or core mission and beliefs. The organizations that succeed are the ones willing to plan for change and pivot as external conditions shift without losing their overall strategic direction.

Traditional systems of communication are built for traditional conditions. With information changing rapidly during this time of crisis, it is impractical to believe that our systems, as they currently exist, can be responsive to every need that arises. In times of crisis, new information comes frequently, sometimes by the hour. Such rapid shifts require rapid iteration. Teams that are not equipped with processes and habits that allow for this will have a steeper learning curve than teams seasoned with responsive practices. If there ever was a time to “grow” effective teams and leaders, that time is now. It’s been said that character is what you do when no one is looking, but in times of crisis, true character is what you do when pressure is applied. Anthony Kim and Alexis Gonzalez-Black (2018) offer six “New School Rules” that are important to consider right now as schools look toward the new school year. These “rules” are:

1) Plan for Change, Not Perfection

2) Build Trust and Allow Authority to Spread

3) Define the Work Before You Define the People

4) Aim for “Safe Enough to Try” Versus Consensus

5) Harness the Flow and Let Information Go

6) Schools Grow When People Grow

By using these rules as guiding principles when planning for a return to brick-and-mortar

teaching and learning, school districts can stay true to their goals and overall mission, without getting bottlenecked by consensus, misinformation, or employee burnout. These rules are especially relevant in times of intense change and essential for organizations to consider when planning their return come September 2020.

LAYERS OF LEADERSHIP ARE NECESSARY

“ Nothing but uncertainty is certain”—Alicia Keys

COVID-19 has tested people and organizations in an unprecedented way. We have had to dramatically modify the way we work while experiencing chronic personal, economic, and health-related stressors. These circumstances underscore the key traits of effective leaders to guide teams through uncertainty, adversity, and rapid change. While there are many attributes of successful leaders, with additional variation depending on their role, it is critical to develop effective layers of leadership as we deal with the COVID-19 crisis. What are we going to do when we come back? Upon whom can we depend? How do we lead through crisis?

Circumstances are dynamic and changing. There are many layers of people invested in school districts. It is recommended that district superintendents develop a project team that manages the logistics and manages the planning, a steering team in charge of making the big decisions and making sure the logistics happen, planning teams that provide recommendations. Superintendents need layers of leadership and feedback from all. It is important to have clear purposes for each team. It is important to understand who within teams are capable of making sound and quick decisions, which teams have operated well with ambiguity, and who needs to make key decisions. What are the long term interests and what team members must be involved to express these? These aspirations, fears, and legalities must be weighed and considered by school superintendents as we move school districts forward in the time of COVID-19.

There are short term implications that represent immediate needs. There are moderate term needs that must be considered. Finally, there are long term needs that have to be addressed. The work must be defined before people are enlisted. It is important to be clear to divide roles so efforts are not doubled. Team members can then be deployed to address various aspects so districts can face September in a caring, accessible, and prepared manner.

PLANNING FOR SCHOOL OPENING

We are planning for change, not perfection.

The goal of planning is to get directional clarity so people know where to focus their attention and how to make sense of situations as they come about. By planning for change, not perfection, we continually stay open to new, better, and different options we may discover along the way.

Project Habit

Superintendents should kick off work to increase the clarity of purpose, roles, and roadmap so that their teams are more agile in adjusting plans to meet their purposes.

Innovative Leadership Competency: Decide Deliberately

A good leader makes responsive decisions guided by priorities, purpose, and data from real experiences. They do this by:

• Employing a system for self-management

• Developing effective team structures

• Aiming for “Safe Enough to Try” over consensus

Accepting ambiguity can be challenging for those of us who prefer to live in the world

of certainty. We do not know the path this COVID-19 crisis will take us on next week, let alone this summer or fall. Through acknowledging our own limitations, we set the expectation that

we will be planning with uncertainty and adding in cycles for iteration to pivot as we learn

new information.

WHO TO INCLUDE?

Superintendents should pull together a team of experts from across the school district who are willing to embrace ambiguity, lead with optimism, and have creative confidence to design new solutions. This planning also offers an opportunity to engage with stakeholders outside of superintendents’ own circles, to learn more about family, student, and staff perspectives, experiences, needs, and expectations through surveys, interviews, and/or observations.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS

“The answer to fear is not to cower and hide; It is not to surrender feebly without context. The answer is to stand and face it boldly, look at it, analyze it, and, in the end, act”—Eleanor Roosevelt.

It is important for district leaders and their teams to get comfortable with, and distinguish between, what we know (facts), what we’re expecting (assumptions), and what we think (opinions) as these things will help district superintendents plan in the midst of uncertainty.

For example, here are some “Knowns”:

• Students will learn

• Digital literacy for teachers and students is no longer optional

• Students and families have experienced extreme disruption

• Students still need to receive services rendered by the school (special education, meals, etc)

• Staff is working with competing at-home priorities

For example, here are some “Unknowns”:

• What day we will open our school buildings

• If we have the right platforms to deliver asynchronous learning

• How to effectively conduct virtual pre-kindergarten and kindergarten

STEP 2: BUILD SCENARIOS TO ASSIST WITH PLANNING

"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas”—Shirley Chisholm

Due to the high number of known unknowns (not to mention unknown unknowns), there are

countless realities that districts can imagine for the return to school and the operations of the School Year 2020-2021. Below these scenarios and uncertainties are simplified by highlighting three possible realities for planning purposes. These are intended to orient district teams to different and equally important potential scenarios that will uncover how this year will be different from a typical school year while identifying what may need to change to accommodate new needs.

SCENARIO (A)

School opens with no contact limiting

SCENARIO (C)

Not in school with distance learning

DEFINING EFFECTIVE WINNING STRATEGIES

A strategy is a series of imperfect choices that we make with unknown information. That being said, we can make our best guess by building out the scenarios. You must plan, in the most

general sense, for all of them so that you can narrow your focus to one when your known

unknowns become knowns. Winning in this sense means succeeding in the new normal SY 20-21 will create. It is crucial to use this time to live in what is possible. Possibility begets creativity and creativity leads to transformational change. Determining how you “win” is completely dependent on your context, but generally planning for all scenarios helps to prioritize your efforts and resources. Leaders are using this as an opportunity to create a common definition of success for their teams and communities. This is the time to choose a common philosophy and set of values that uphold your organization’s and team’s commitment to equity by designing a system that works for all students, rather than some. You can do that by deepening your understanding of the unique needs and challenges of your most vulnerable students and their families through their experiences within each of these scenarios. It is critical at this stage to intentionally plan to support all students through the transition, not just some.

Key questions that will inform “how to win” include:

What does success look like?

How will you address the needs of all of your subgroups?

What might we need to reimagine? (systems or operations)

Which stakeholders are impacted and how?

What will be standard across our community vs. school-led?

How can we test out this scenario quickly and learn?

To catapult yourself into the future and uncover the nuances within district scenarios, build out scenarios in a way that feels authentic to your team and to your community. Remember that we are planning for change over perfection at this stage. It is recognized that over time, more information will become certain and district teams will continue to learn, so the idea of perfection will only lead to delayed decision-making.

Here are some ideas for how to gather more data:

• Empathize with stakeholders to learn more about their experiences in spring 2020 while capturing their needs from their teachers, school, and programs as we prepare for SY 2020-2021.

• Ideate and brainstorm virtually through shared digital platforms, creating separate scenario documents that might include the following concepts: needs, negative trends, positive trends, opportunities (professional and work related positive outcomes), headaches (professional and work related issues), hopes (personal goals and hopes), and fears (personal concerns).

• Prototype scenario plans to quickly get ideas on paper in different formats. Ensure all documents are in the languages your community speaks, reads, and writes.

Once district leaders have captured more data about the scenarios and needs of stakeholders, it is recommended that their teams examine the scenarios side by side. Charts can be created.

SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3

e.g. School opens with e.g. In school with social e.g. Not in school, with

no contact limiting distancing and safety distance learning

precautions

Focuses on the impact Supports teaching and Supports teaching and

(needs and gaps) of learning within the school learning remotely for the

remote learning during building for the majority majority of students.

spring 2020 on students, of students. Considers how distance

staff and community. learning will need to evolve.

Each district has unique issues, successes, needs, and challenges at this point of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. District leaders might consider some of the following topics to include in their side-by-side strategy analysis charts: transportation services, meal distribution, professional development, staffing, special education, ELL, remedial/Title I, student transitions (beginning of day, lunch, dismissal, etc.), employment contracts, and communication.

STEP 3: RECOGNIZE CONSISTENCIES AND PRIORITIZE

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”—Albert Einstein

As leadership teams complete the previous task, they will begin to notice “big rocks” - the topics that need to be addressed in most or all of the possible scenarios. These “big rocks” represent key processes and areas to tackle, redesign, and create for the next school year. The next step is to group these “big rocks” according to three different factors that will help when trying to determine what to initiate now, who to involve, and how to begin. Below are indicators for Impact, Ease, and Urgency, recognizing that each district’s situation may require additional considerations. Leadership teams are encouraged to develop indicators that meet their district’s unique needs.

IMPACT

It is recommended to first look at which factors are being elevated across multiple scenario canvases, as this is an indicator that significant design or redesign may be necessary regardless of which scenario ends up playing out. Leadership teams may want to adjust these criteria to include other factors such as strategic alignment, student impact, flexibility, and return on investment.

Equity Focus Lens: Our impact range falls from broad to targeted, meaning that no quadrant on the analysis matrix represents low impact. Targeted impact highlights that the factor may be more impactful to some stakeholders or certain subgroups. This is okay. Equity is not about giving everyone the same thing but giving everyone what they need. Do not be deterred by a rock that falls into “targeted” impact.

Equity Focus Questions: Who are you considering when you identify a rock as having “broad impact?” What rocks in your “targeted” impact section might have a profound impact on a subgroup of stakeholders?

BROAD IMPACT

Present in all scenarios. Teams know they must contend with this no matter what.

MODERATE IMPACT

Present in two or more scenarios. Teams know this is likely and therefore top of mind.

TARGETED IMPACT

Present in only one scenario. This can perhaps be addressed later, when teams have more clarity regarding which scenario ultimately feels most likely.

EASE

Some of these rocks will be variations of existing systems and structures, while other rocks will require new processes and systems of support. It is recommended that leadership teams identify which rocks will be easier to tackle and which ones will need time for a team to form and designs to be created. This thought exercise will help district teams to uncover feasibility, risk, and resource availability. District teams may choose to adjust these factors to include other ease criteria, such as cost and current staff capacity.

Equity Focus Lens: Remember, it has taken years to create our systems and it will take a

great deal of work to dismantle inequitable systems. Do not be hesitant to accurately identify

a rock as having higher difficulty if you recognize that it will require a departure from existing

systems that benefit only certain groups.

Equity Focus Question: Do the items that seem easier lead to recreating inequitable systems

and processes?

HIGHER EASE

We have a team that is responsible for doing this AND we have done this before. We know who is going to do it, how it will get done, and we are ready to start.

MODERATE EASE

We have a team that is responsible for doing this OR we have done this before. We have figured this kind of thing out before, and we can do it again.

HIGHER DIFFICULTY

We do not have a team that handles this AND we have never done this before. We will need to pull a team together for the first time to tackle this new challenge.

URGENCY

There is yet another layer of complexity into how we prioritize–urgency. Urgency is “importance requiring swift action.” In the middle of a crisis, everything feels urgent so leadership teams need to cut through the noise. Truly determining what is urgent requires that teams add an additional layer to what they know and do not know. When determining urgency, teams might consider two factors:

DEPENDENCY—information needed to make a final decision

“COMMIT BY” TIMELINE—teams need to know when certain decisions must be made so they can commit to deciding during this timeline.

Equity Focus Lens: Many decisions were made quickly and swift actions were taken to

address emergent needs in this crisis, such as the creation of meal delivery programs and the

deployment of devices to students. Leaders acted on imperfect information and designed stopgap

measures that now need to be expanded, formalized, or sustained through staffing and

funding.

Equity Focus Question: How can leadership teams connect with their stakeholders to ensure they have the most up to date information on what is urgent to them?

SAMPLE:

ROCKS

DEPENDENCY

COMMIT BY

Deploying 1:1 devices

Budget adjustments

ASAP

Upgrade of network and virtual learning platform

Legal consultation and budget adjustments

June 15

Special Ed, ELL, and Title I services

Personnel

June 20

Transportation services

Extended governmental school closure decision

July 15

Virtual professional development regarding online lesson design

Grant funds and realignment of regular budget

August 15

Leadership teams can further analyze results via a two by two matrix. They can start by drawing a two by two with “Impact” on the Y axis and “Ease” on the X axis. Teams can start with the items present in all scenarios, moving from broad impact through targeted impact. Once the teams have plotted their “rocks,” they can add in the layer of urgency—either by number the order of the items or by indicating by size the ones that are most important to address first.

STEP 4: COMMUNICATE

“Silence is an argument carried out by other means”—Che Guevara

When a rock is identified for redesign, leadership teams can likely expect to increase effort to adjust a process or structure that has existed in their organizations for a long time. Many of these big rock redesign efforts depend upon departments and team members who have built deep knowledge and expertise in these areas. It is critical for district leaders to be cognizant regarding the impact of swift change on the individuals who have taken great pride in related work, and when possible, leaders should strive to involve these individuals in the problem-solving process.

School district leaders are currently carrying a great deal of responsibility for the people in their charge. Leaders cannot, and should not, carry this weight alone. Leadership and ingenuity are available and relevant in all of a district’s community and within all ranks. Leaders are encouraged to lean on those who are stepping up amidst so much ambiguity. They should consider augmenting their inner core of problem-solvers with some of these new leaders. First, their perspectives and experiences can contribute to district leaders’ understanding of all the needs across their communities. Second, districts likely have previously untapped potential that

lies dormant within their organizations. What a great time to activate it! During these processes, it is recommended that leaders clarify roles and provide guidance by creating parameters.

A NOTE ABOUT GRATITUDE

Everyone is doing the best they can in these challenging times. It is important to remind ourselves that the need to act is essential but the need to care for others is paramount. Leaders and leadership teams should model grace and gratitude knowing that all of their decisions have varying implications for students, parents/guardians, employees, and the community at large.

A small expression of appreciation for people’s efforts may be the motivation for individuals, and organizations, to keep going in a positive direction during this very difficult and historic time period.

COMMIT TO COMMIT

The school district team and community will ask questions and make requests for certainty that are just not possible at this time. Even so, clear communication is still a powerful tool for trust-building and buy-in. Decisions regarding when to return to schools, how to reopen schools, and whether to extend remote learning will not be simple to clarify within a specific amount of time. To combat the anxiety of uncertainty, it is recommended that districts develop a high-level timeline of key milestones in their planning processes to share with stakeholders. This is different from a project timeline–the purpose of this timeline is to articulate dependencies while managing the expectations from others on what information will be shared and when.

When a request surfaces and school district leadership teams do not know the answer yet, one practice to try is “Commit to Commit.” This is an upgrade on the common, “I’ll get back to you.” When leadership teams do not have the necessary inputs or knowledge to answer a question, they can still make a promise or agree to a request–if they commit to following up by a certain date. The commitment will provide clarity to the requestor on when they will receive a reply, while also allowing leadership teams with a known amount of time to gather the necessary information. Without this, requestors may make assumptions of their own or feel unsupported, unheard, or unseen. All stakeholders must be reassured during this time regarding leadership commitment.

Crisis Planning methods adapted from: McKinney (2020); Ries (2011); Ryan (2020); Ries (2011); Reingold, Goetchius, and Hewitt (2020); Renjen (2020), and Kehr (2020).

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