July 8, 2020

Schools must reopen. But how, when and in what form?

In this episode of Schools on the Frontlines, host Carl Cohn talks with Nancy Albarrán, superintendent of San José Unified, the largest and most diverse district in Santa Clara County, which boasts a graduation rate of more than 90%. 

With fifty years of service as a counselor, teacher, district superintendent, State Board of Education member, and executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, Cohn brings a unique understanding of the challenges school districts face as they try to regroup and reopen in the fall. 

He asks Albarrán how the district is addressing the widely varying needs of students and staff in the large and diverse community it serves, and its plans for reopening schools. They also discuss the protests for racial justice, how the situation has created an opportunity for those in leadership positions to hear from students and the community about pain they have experienced as a result of systemic racism and how the district is responding. 

For more information about San Jose Unified, please see:

This is the second in a special series of podcasts hosted by Carl Cohn and sponsored by EdSource and the Ball/Frost Group.