COVID Resources
Spotlight: Effective Leadership Through COVID-19 & Beyond
Education leaders strive to deliver an equitable education in order for all students to thrive, not only during this challenging time, but beyond. This spotlight offers research-based insights and resources for leaders to inform decision-making that will support the needs of the entire school community and promote equity, excellence, and well-being.
But before we begin: Self-care impacts how educators show up in school learning environments. In this context, we describe self-care as “paying adequate attention to one’s own physical and psychological health and wellness, and taking an active role to preserve, protect, or improve one’s own health and well-being”(Pate, 2020). Read this brief for ideas designed to help you attend to this kind of care so that you can continue to effectively educate and support those who depend on you.
Equity and Inclusion Resources
Fair Funding and Allocation. These recent briefs highlight considerations for state and local education leaders as they budget for the school year with a focus on making decisions that support a fair and equitable education for all students. Read the guidance and learn about our Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation services.
Getting Better at Getting More Equitable: Opportunities and Barriers for Using Continuous Improvement to Advance Educational Equity. In this study, WestEd researchers examine how education leaders think about and use continuous improvement to address equity issues.
Diversifying the Teacher Workforce: Q&A with Saroja Warner. Learn how American schools can better serve students equitably through the creation of a diverse and culturally responsive teacher workforce.
Academic Achievement and Excellence
Preventing Students from Dropping Out During COVID-19 School Closures. With high school graduation rates up and dropout rates down over the past decade, educators are concerned that school closures could impact this progress. In this interview, REL West’s BethAnn Berliner spoke with one of the nation’s leading dropout prevention scholars, Dr. Russell W. Rumberger, to discuss strategies to keeping all students engaged and moving forward.
Converting In-Person Activities to Distance Learning Activities. Many of the strategies educators and leaders use during in-person settings can also be used in the distance learning environment — they just look a bit different. Learn more.
ESSA Requirements and Distance Learning: New Tools to Support Leaders. New REL West tools support the selection of evidence-based strategies for distance learning and other environments. Learn more.
Social and Emotional Learning and Well-Being
Addressing Students’ Social and Emotional Needs During COVID and Civil Unrest. This archived webinar, hosted by REL West, looks at the research about social and emotional needs and conditions for success. Representatives from RISE Colorado, Douglas County School District, and the Pritchard Community Student Voice Team share perspectives on how educators can best support the social and emotional needs of students, staff, and families. The webinar concludes with action-planning tips and strategies. Watch the webinar.
Community-Care Strategies for Schools During the Coronavirus Crisis. Read this brief for practical guidance to support education leaders’ efforts to grow and sustain school communities that are effective, cohesive, collaborative, and healthy, while coping with the stresses of social isolation, school closures, and changes to how services are provided.
Reaching, Teaching, and Empowering Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Learn about home-school-community partnerships and the importance of sharing responsibility for children’s learning during COVID-19. Read.
WestEd strengthens knowledge and policies to help teachers and administrators meet the rigorous demands of their work. By developing the effectiveness of our nation’s education leaders through research and carefully tailored programs, we ultimately contribute to improving student learning outcomes.
Visit our Teachers & Leaders web page for more resources and solutions, and stay tuned for more discussion about leadership in our E-Bulletin and on social media — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Posted on September 18, 2020