At the start of last week, one school district had closed. By the end of this week, 99.9 percent of California’s nearly 1,000 districts and 1,200 charter schools had shut down as Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the entire state on lockdown.
Districts started feeding children with “grab and go” lunches and — with Newsom advising them to plan on being shuttered for months — making plans for online learning and non-classroom alternatives for the state’s 6 million students.
This week, Newsom’s education adviser and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond speaks to us about the state’s plan to partner with districts to share resources and find innovative ways to meet the learning needs of all students.
Plus, Jill Baker, deputy superintendent of Long Beach Unified (and a finalist to succeed current long-time superintendent Chris Steinhauser), describes the plans of the state’s third-largest district to begin providing standards-based and engaging online content that requires teaching differently.
For background to this podcast, check out the following from EdSource:
- California school districts learn more about what state expects during a long shutdown
- Nearly all California K-12 districts closed to avoid spread of coronavirus while few in rural remain open
- Education and Coronavirus: What’s the Latest?
- California students enrolled in special education face unique burdens during school closure
- What California parents and students should know about the coronavirus: a quick guide