What are four (4) things that educators and families should be thinking about to minimize the socioemotional and mental toll of/anxieties caused by this social emergency?

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• Breaks in between school work; have a well-planned day with every day routines established

• Mindfulness (e.g., Liberate: Meditation and Mindfulness App: https://liberatemeditation.com/)

• Regular check-ins and the giving of space for students to talk about how they are feeling and how they are adjusting to the change; create a safe environment to express feelings and thoughts (e.g., Pod Mapping for Mutual Aid; Source: the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective: https://batjc.wordpress.com/pods-and-pod-mapping-worksheet/)

• A virtual support group for parents (it can get overwhelming)

 

What are two (2) things that educators and families should be thinking about to maximize feelings of belonging, connectedness, worth, and learning?

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• Ideas for parents on how to spend the day with their children being at home 24/7 (For example, parents should take advantage of their children being at home to help them to organize their area of work)

• Strategies and structures for building remote communities through online platforms, video chats, conference calls, outdoor exercise, etc.

 

What do we need to know about culturally responsive-sustaining remote education?

 

Teachers need to know . . .

• How race, ability, class, language, gender, and other systems of identity influence learning, access to learning, and how we should think about education

• How power can translate to online environments (e.g., do boys and young men take up more space than girls and young women; does instruction privileged abled persons in ways that it does not privilege otherly abled persons, etc.?)

• How to ensure full participation from all students

• How to prioritize and address the questions/doubts raised during a lesson

• How to set a structure around continuous assessment and progress monitoring

• Lesson planning effectively with others (partnering with students, parents, and other educators) which provides scope and space for online activities and remote participation

• Different students have different learning pace and requirements

• Building student morale is very important as this is new and uncharted territory for students as well

• How to use multiple online and social media platforms so they can be flexible with which ones work best for their students

• How to communicate with and build meaningful relationships with families from different racial, cultural, linguistic, ability, and class backgrounds (Teachers need to pick up the phone and call parents and students; however, they rarely feel comfortable talking one-on-one and tend to lack the relationships necessary to get a clear picture of what families need)

• How to integrate arts, culture, and creativity in their lessons

• Techniques for student-centered, independent learning

• How to adjust remote lessons plans to meet the different needs of students

 

Families need to know . . .

• Changing dynamics require the creation of space for students to be actively involved in remote classrooms

• How to talk to students about their concerns and doubts and help them navigate through the change including technology set-up

• How to involve themselves in some sort of physical activity with students such as yoga, painting, etc.

• How to spend more time with students (they might have a lot to talk about)

• How to access free technology, free internet, and free tech support when things break down

• How to navigate multiple online learning platforms

• How to access other crisis supports such as food pantries, rent/mortgage/utility assistance, unemployment, etc.

• Ways to support children emotionally during times of crisis

• Contact information for other families in their child’s class/grade

• That they are positioned to shape their child’s education (i.e., stay on top of school, remain informed, make demands in service of your child(ren)’s education, etc.)

 

School leaders need to know . . .

• That race, socioeconomic status, ability, language, and other social forces exacerbate inequities in terms of access to resources, opportunities, power, culturally responsive instruction, and education writ large 5

• How to even the playing field using targeted universal solutions that more heavily support students who require it (Hold high expectation, but also hold the ladder)

• How to provide resources necessary to ensure access to and promote teacher competence around culturally responsive-sustaining remote education

• How to manage and coordinate between separate units which are operating from remote locations

• How to oversee the quality of communications between students and the teachers

• How to ensure that community/parents needs are taken care of

• How to ensure sufficient professional development opportunity for educators to help them navigate through changes

• All the students and teachers have access to the technology and equipment

• Academic assessments are designed keeping in mind the change in nature of the delivery of instructions and settings

• How to focus more on continuous assessment, as this will enable educators to easily identify students who are struggling with the shift

• How to regularly check-in with the staff members

• All of the things under “what should teachers know,” and how to support teachers in doing those things

• Effective outreach methods to families and students outside of the standard robocalls and emails—parent networks, community organizations, social media, community leaders, religious institutions, grocery stores, etc.

• How to help students and families access free computers, internet and tech support

• How to help students and families access mental and emotional support: online therapy, meditation, relaxation, arts, recreation, etc.

• How to help families access crisis supports such as food pantries, rent/mortgage/utility assistance, unemployment, etc.

• Knowledge and relationships in the school community so they can amplify and leverage resources and supports

 

Students need to know . . .

• That the adults in their lives will protect them from harm as best as we can (They need to feel safe and supported)

• How to access multiple online platforms

• (For older students) Some of the same resources above (mental and emotional support, free technology and internet, food pantries, etc.)

• Contact information for at least one trusted adult in their school (or a partner community organization) who can support them

• That they are the greatest fund of knowledge during these times of online connection; that building upon their current ability to interact, communicate and learn through web-based platforms is critical

 

What should we be doing?

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Teachers should be . . .

• Getting to know students and families, what they need and want, what they possess and can contribute to continued learning experiences (Use empathy interviews and Zoom-based focus groups for participatory planning and curriculum building)

• Learning to teach students at a distance and be patient because these are challenging times for all involved

• Developing talk sessions around different religions/cultures echoing the concept of unity

• Developing talk sessions around various modern world role models 6

• Reaching out one-to-one to families to build the relationships that are necessary to weather challenges

• Connecting with students through platforms that students are already familiar with and asking questions to get student input

• Identifying their own biases and assumptions when it comes to remote learning, and identifying how this might affect the learning experiences of students they teach

• Requesting help when they need it, knowing that they are not alone, while also logging questions, best practices, and other insights that come up in the process of remote teaching (i.e., reflective practice)

 

Families should be . . .

• Keeping in mind that this time is just as stressful for the child(ren) as it is for the adults

• Building community in their apartment buildings, homes, classes, neighborhood, constituencies, etc. to provide mutual learning and support

 

School leaders should be . . .

• Doing their very best to mitigate the possibility for COVID-19 to proliferate (particularly when working with vulnerable communities)

• Acknowledging how COVID-19 has been racialized and surfaced racist attacks on Asian Americans, and systematically communicating that all forms of racial intolerance is unacceptable

• Contributing things to the “what school leaders need to know” list above

• Making sure the basic needs of all students and families continue to be met (e.g. providing bagged meals, as students are learning)

• Identifying their own biases and assumptions when it comes to remote learning and identifying how this might affect the learning experiences of students

 

Students should be . . .

• Learning in ways that are unbiased and builds on their social and cultural assets as digitally connected beings

• Engaged in meaningful experiences and conversations with peers and educators around culturally relevant academic content and materials

• Challenged in ways that match high expectations and rigor with high quality instruction and learning support