2020 Re-Entry Resources
The rapid spread of the coronavirus presents unprecedented challenges in the United States and around the world. It is having profound effects on families, children, and communities. There is no blueprint for how to deal with a health crisis of this magnitude—and leaders of state and district education systems are on the front lines. They must determine how to protect the health of school communities, meet students’ basic needs, minimize disruptions, and provide academic instruction all while responding to breaking developments in real time. Supporting our chiefs, Future Chiefs, and other education leaders in this crucial moment is our top priority as an organization.
Since the end of February, we have been providing intensive supports, advising our members across the nation and connecting them with each other to share information, protocols, and strategies. Our team is also actively monitoring legislative developments as well as directives and recommendations from federal and state agencies.
This page is a curated list of resources from our members’ systems and other states and districts that we believe provides sound guidance for systems leaders in this challenging time. The page is updated regularly.
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2020 Re-Entry Resources
Linked below are guidance and resources for re-entry (Updated 7.24.2020):
- Chiefs for Change: This report explains how school systems are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides current information as well as a historical record of the work chiefs and their teams did immediately after the coronavirus began to spread. It is regularly updated to include how our members are redesigning nearly every aspect of schooling in an effort to protect community health and support student learning.
- Chiefs for Change and Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy: This report, The Return: How Should Education Leaders Prepare for Reentry and Beyond, outlines relevant research and provides key recommendations for reopening K-12 schools.
- Chiefs For Change and Grand Isle Group: School Reopening Workbook- A Tool for School Districts. This resource is a project planning tool for teams to use as a baseline 100-day work plan for operational aspects of school reopening. The work plan can be adapted to meet the individual needs of a district. The template includes various categories, such as specific roles, meeting frequency, and suggested milestones and deliverables. The work plan also outlines health and safety guardrails, detailing questions to consider to ensure the health and safety of students, employees, and families.
- Chiefs for Change, Council of Chief State School Officers, and McKinsey & Company: Working with the Council of Chief State School Officers and the consulting group McKinsey & Company, we are creating resources for state and district leaders who are developing and implementing plans for the 2020-2021 school year. This initiative involves synthesizing, codifying, and disseminating lessons from school systems across the nation and around the world. Materials will be available after the sessions.
The 3-part series for district chiefs in preparation for reopening include the following:
- Webinar 1 (June 25th, 2020): Practical Planning for Fall Scenarios. Webinar deck located here and recording available here.
- Webinar 2 (July 9th, 2020): Preparedness for Fall Reopening. Webinar deck located here and recording available here; and Day In the Life Toolkit Templates located here.
- Webinar 3 (July 23rd, 2020): Facing the Challenge: How to Monitor and Evaluate. Webinar deck located here and recording available here.
The 3-part series for state chiefs in preparation for reopening include the following:
- Webinar 1 (July 7th, 2020): Insights from abroad and system-wide support for reopening. Webinar deck located here and recording available here.
- Webinar 2 (July 21st, 2020): Stress-testing the Day 1 plan. Webinar deck located here and recording available here.
- Webinar 3 (Week of August 3rd): Building a “rapid response” capability: monitoring and ongoing supports
State and District Re-Entry Resources:
- Alaska Department of Education: Restart & Reentry Framework Guidance for K-12 Schools; Smart Start 2020 Webinar Series and Resources
- District of Columbia, Office of the State Superintendent of Education: Health and Safety Guidance for Schools, including prevention information that addresses the actions that schools either must take or should consider taking to protect students and staff and slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Louisiana Department of Education: Guidance includes- School Reopening Guidelines and Resources; K-12 Support Guidance for Summer 2020; Public Health Guidance; Strong Start 2020 Resources; Strong Start 2020 Pre-K to 12 Planning Guide; Early Childhood Planning Guide. Additionally, LADOE published Strong Start Instructional Materials Guidance which assists school systems in adapting their academic plans to include distance learning plans provided by publishers of high-quality instructional materials. This guide will be updated as publishers continue to build and refine their supports. School systems can use the Louisiana Academic Content PD Vendor Guide to identify vendors who provide initial and ongoing training for Tier 1 curricula and specialize in helping districts and schools with designing and implementing a cohesive academic system focused on high-quality curriculum, professional development, and assessment. Both guides can be adapted for use by all system leaders.
- Massachusetts Department of Education: Returning to School Guidance including guidance for school reopening plans and models.
- Mississippi Department of Education: Considerations for Reopening, which outlines a 3 month timeline of strategies for district leaders to plan for the start of the 2020-21 school year and will be updated in similar intervals based on information and needs.
- Rhode Island Department of Education: Back to school updates and guidance including health and safety guidance to reopen Rhode Island’s elementary and secondary schools and an aligned planning template for LEAs that outlines the critical components needed for a reopening plan. Completed templates are due July 17 for all LEAs. Additionally, Rhode Island now has a unified school calendar for all schools across the state for the 2020-21 school year.
- Tennessee Department of Education: Reopening Guidance with the updated toolkits: Continuous Learning Plans Template and Rubric; Reopening Schools – Overview Guide for LEAs, School Nutrition, Transportation, Special Populations, Finance, Technology, Wellbeing & Mental Health, Counseling, Early Childhood, Consolidated Funding, Academics, Charter Schools, Nonpublic Schools, Access & Opportunity, Postsecondary Transitions, and Career & Technical Education. Additionally, Tennessee has released 2 guide templates: a pathway selection tool designed to assist districts as they review and make plans based on considerations in the reopening toolkits; and a 2020-21 school calendar template, designed to help school districts make decisions on calendars for the 2020-2021 school year.
- New Orleans Public Schools: Press release and roadmap to reopening schools in 3 phases, including guidance on protecting vulnerable populations and when a child, staff member, or visitor becomes sick.
- Clarksville-Montgomery County School System: This page includes the CMCSS Reopening Plan (in English, Spanish, Korean, and German), opportunities to provide feedback, stakeholder communication, and FAQs regarding district reopening.
- Chicago Public Schools: This page includes CPS’s Preliminary Reopening Framework which provides considerations and recommendations for reopening schools.
- San Antonio Independent School District: This page is SAISD’s Safe School Start communications hub that includes a draft of the district’s school opening and instructional continuity plan, parental information for selecting a student’s academic option, parent communications, and city communications.
2020 School Closure Guidance and Resources located here.
About Chiefs for Change
Chiefs for Change is a nonprofit, bipartisan network of diverse state and district education chiefs dedicated to preparing all students for today’s world and tomorrow’s through deeply committed leadership. Chiefs for Change advocates for policies and practices that are making a difference today for students, and builds a pipeline of talented, diverse Future Chiefs ready to lead major school systems.
