Giving Compass' Take:

• At Education Dive, Shawna De La Rosa examines how varying degrees of internet access and inconsistent teacher expectations hinder districts' remote transitions.

• What are possible long-term implications on students' education of ineffective remote transitions? Who is most at risk when it comes to remote learning deficiencies? 

Find resources to guide your giving to those affected by remote transitions in education.


A Center on Reinventing Public Education project tracking 82 school districts nationwide shows 33% still lack consistent expectations for teachers to deliver instruction, while half don't require teachers to give students feedback, The 74 reports. The data shows that, as of May 6, 59% of the districts analyzed are providing curriculum, instruction and monitoring student progress.

So far, districts’ responses have been hit or miss, with their success in transitioning to remote learning largely dependent on factors including the presence of 1:1 device programs and related training prior to the pandemic shutting down schools, the socioeconomics of families served, and geographic issues.

Home internet access is ultimately a determining factor in the success or failure of district's remote transitions. Hotspots and Wi-Fi won’t work, for example, for rural districts where some families live in areas so remote that they still lack infrastructure for internet service even if families can pay. Some of these locations also lack cell towers to tether a hotspot to.

The U.S. Department of Education’s directive that all schools move to online learning missed the fact that many districts nationwide face these circumstances, Troy Kilzer, director of schools for Chester County Schools in Tennessee, recently told Education Dive.

The lack of connectivity and new curriculum may cause a massive loss in reading and math skills. The “summer slide” has long been known to set students back. This year, the extended out-of-school period is expected to do excessive damage.

Read the full article about school districts' remote transitions by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.