Sara Gray

Building Back Better: Ensuring Equitable Funding for the Students Who Need it Most

May 28, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

By Catherine Holahan & EducationCounsel

The K-12 public education system has a long way to go towards providing truly equitable student experiences and outcomes for students — ones that prepare them to thrive in school and beyond. We know that in order to create equitable learning environments we must aspire to a number of key characteristics for schools — including culturally affirming curriculums, safe and empowering climates, and flexible designs that meet the needs of all learners.

It is also well known that without resources that are adequate and distributed equitably, it is nearly impossible to achieve a quality learning experience for every child. Unfortunately, the reality of the public education system is that funding has long been tragically inequitable, with the schools serving high-need students often receiving the least funding.

Perhaps more so than ever before, budget priorities and the distribution of resources will dictate our experience in a post-COVID world, and our schools will certainly feel the ripple effects of diverted funding and restructured priorities. The way in which decision makers navigate this financial challenge will have a lasting impact on a generation of young people — particularly on those who have been least served by our education system to date.

There is no “one size fits all” solution that we can prescribe to address the impending challenges. There is only the broad truth that district and school budgets will be reduced come the new school year, and the impact will be different in each state depending on how state and local leaders have chosen to fund public education in the past and the choices they make in managing the COVID-19 crisis. To make matters worse, this is happening at a time when students need more, not less, from our schools. The COVID-19 crisis has increased the need for additional learning time, as well as increased mental and physical health support. The crisis is also serving to highlight and widen existing disparities, with students from low-income families more likely to experience lost learning time, food insecurity, or lack of access to the internet or devices for online learning.

Nonetheless, there are key themes that districts need to consider as they try to build back better for all students. We have to first recognize and stay ruthlessly focused on what is essential for student learning. Student learning is more than just a process where they show up in the morning, leave in the afternoon, and come away educated. It is a holistic experience that is shaped by their teachers, their opportunities, and their environments — so it is these areas that require our attention and resources to come back better and stronger after COVID-19. At the present, this means following the funding from the top down to ensure that funding at every level is targeted to ensure that schools are receiving the funding they need to meet the needs of every student, and particularly those students with the greatest needs.

The most important thing right now is to remember that without equitable funding, schools will not be able to provide equitable learning environments. It is critical that elected leaders and policymakers are intentionally viewing resource decisions through an equity lens, being mindful of the disproportionate impact their decisions could have on the most vulnerable communities and students. The realized impacts of these decisions could mean less money in communities who need it the most, and a lesser educational experience for a generation of young people.

We’ve already seen how funding decisions made in the past have resulted in disparities for students who need resources the most. As recently as 2019, 15 states had a regressive distribution of funding for schools with high rates of poverty — meaning that schools with lower rates of poverty got more money, and schools with higher rates of poverty got less money. Additionally, 17 states had a flat distribution of funding — meaning that all schools got the same amount of funding, regardless of income. This ignores the fundamental truth that high-poverty districts need greater funding to fill in resource gaps and equitably educate students. It’s inequitable decisions like these that are going to be not only laid bare by COVID-19, but have their effects exacerbated in the face of further budget shortfalls.

The Alliance for Resource Equity outlines this relationship in their Dimensions of Equity Framework , which shows how school funding is directly tied to other critical aspects of equitable learning environments, such as the quality and diversity of teaching, student supports, and learning-ready facilities. The reality that decision makers must acknowledge is that equity of per-pupil spending is directly tied and positively associated with student outcomes — through factors such as class sizes, higher teacher compensation and retention, and early childhood support.

As we make our way through an ambiguous and uncertain COVID-19 landscape, we must be mindful of how the actions taken now will affect our communities and students in the coming weeks, months, and years. After a rocky transition to distance learning and wide variation of student experiences across the country, students deserve to return to learning environments that are ready to support them both emotionally and academically. We cannot assume that these conditions will manifest on their own — it is the responsibility of those holding the levers of power to ensure they become a reality — and a first step is through ensuring adequate and equitable funding. Together, we can build back better and do right by a generation of students — but only if we keep these principles in mind now when it matters most.

EducationCounsel is a mission-based consulting organization that combines its significant experience in policy, strategy, law, and advocacy to develop and drive policy initiatives — on the local, state, and national levels — to work toward closing opportunity gaps and improving education outcomes for all students. Learn more about their work at EducationCounsel.com

Remote Learning with the Head and the Heart

May 21, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

By The BELE Network

Research shows social-emotional learning has a demonstrable effect on school climate, student behavior and academic performance. It is a growing priority for educators who are committed to creating equitable learning environments for every student. However, with most students learning through screens and at a distance, it can be difficult to figure out how to build and sustain the relationships that are so critical to student success.

Recently, the BARR Center, an education non-profit dedicated to creating equitable learning environments, was invited by Minnesota’s Commission of Education to share practical strategies and data that schools can use to incorporate more relationship building into their distance learning plans during their Professional Development days.

Core to BARR’S work is the knowledge that education requires both the head and the heart. Currently, BARR works in 170 schools in eighteen states plus the District of Columbia, impacting more than 100,000 students, especially students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Their efforts to change teachers’ and students’ perceptions of themselves and each other has led to demonstrable positive outcomes, such as enhanced collaboration among teachers, more positive, intentional relationships between students and teachers, and improved academic achievement and graduation rates.

BARR educators and staff presented to more than 1,500 educators on best practices from Minnesota BARR schools around relationship-building during COVID-19 and how to enhance the three main relationships that BARR prioritizes:

Staff-to-staff
Staff-to-student
Student-to-student

The hour-long webinar also covered how technology could be used to engage students’ families, as well in their education.

For a recording of the Minnesota webinar, visit this link. The presentation deck and a one-pager are also available online.

Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is a strengths-based model that provides schools with a comprehensive approach to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students. Schools within the BARR Network harness the power of data and relationships to empower all students to thrive within and outside the classroom.

Designed by an educator, the BARR model is rooted in the belief that growth is possible and within reach for every school, with the same students and the same teachers.

The BELE Network is dedicated to reimagining our inequitable school system that has failed too many for too long, and is committed to transforming our classrooms into learning environments that nurture the intellectual, emotional and cultural growth of all students — especially students of color.

Learn more about BELE on our website, and access our resource library to make your learning environments more equitable.

Tips and Strategies to Support Undocumented Students Experiencing Homelessness

May 15, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

The BELE Network in partnership with Schoolhouse Connection

COVID-19 has disrupted the lives of millions of students across the country, but perhaps none feel this crisis as acutely as undocumented students experiencing homelessness, who may have difficulty accessing even the most rudimentary of safety nets. Thankfully, there are still plenty of folks on the front lines using proven strategies and tactics to ensure that they are getting the support that they need.

Schoolhouse Connection is one such group. As a non-profit working to overcome homelessness through education, they work to keep the needs of undocumented students in the spotlight. They recently led a webinar featuring a youth rights lawyer, a McKinney-Vento liaison, and a student with an immigrant background to highlight ways to support undocumented students and ensure that districts and schools are complying with McKinney-Vento. They have graciously allowed us to share a summary of it here.

The content of this post is adapted from a SchoolHouse Connection webinar led by Patricia Julianelle, Kathi Sheffel, and Mirka Mendez on April 28, 2020.

Before diving into the practical tips, it’s worth clarifying the rights of students experiencing homelessness.

What is the McKinney-Vento Act?

The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that ensures the right of students to go to school even when they are homeless or don’t have a permanent address. Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence are covered under this act. The Act aims to reduce barriers that have prevented many homeless youth from enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school.

Identified McKinney-Vento students reported their nighttime accommodations as:

Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (74%)
Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations (7%)
Living in emergency or transitional shelters (7%)
Living in a public or private place not designed for or regularly used as accommodations (e.g. cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations etc.)
Substandard is defined by the status of its utilities, infestations, mold, or other dangers

Unaccompanied youth and migrant students living in these situations are eligible for McKinney-Vento.

What are the education-related rights of undocumented children and youth attending PreK-12?

All children and youth living in the United States have the right to attend and participate fully in public schools, no matter their immigration status.
Schools cannot ask about a student’s or family’s immigration status, or take any actions that could discourage students from seeking enrollment.
Schools cannot require Social Security numbers or immigration/citizenship documentation.
Schools cannot contact ICE or any other law enforcement officials about students or families who may be undocumented.
Undocumented children and youth living in the United States have the right to participate fully in schools, whether that’s joining clubs or playing school sports, regardless of their immigration status.
If the student is also McKinney-Vento eligible, the school must address barriers to full participation in school activities, including transportation. However, foreign travel as part of a school activity is not advisable.

Two Complicating Factors for Determining McKinney-Vento Eligibility for Undocumented Students

“Sponsors” for unaccompanied minors can run the gamut from a family member to a perfect stranger the youth has never met before.

If you’re working with a student who has been placed with a sponsor, that does not mean that they are in an adequate, fixed nighttime residence.
This should not be the primary line of questioning when trying to determine a student’s eligibility.
There is no legal obligation for sponsors to continue taking care of the child, and often, sponsor situations fall apart.

It may be difficult to navigate conversations aimed at determining a student’s eligibility for McKinney-Vento, especially when they and their families may or may not be undocumented.

Questions designed to determine eligibility may engender fear or nervousness in the student or family,
You must be careful about how you ask those questions, who’s asking them, and in what kind of an environment, but this is especially true for undocumented students.
Make sure that you preface your questions with a disclaimer like the one here: We’re going to be asking questions that probably sound personal, but we’re asking you to see if you’re eligible for a certain program. The information you share with me is only for me to know, and nobody else.

Strategies and Practical Tips from a School District — Kathi Sheffel, McKinney-Vento Liaison for Fairfax County Public Schools

When determining McKinney-Vento eligibility for potentially undocumented students, it’s important to make sure that the whole process remains integrated. If students have already shared their story with school registration folks, the MV liaison should focus on asking specific questions about housing and not reinterview the student and family.

With schools closed, it becomes more difficult to communicate with students and parents because schools generally serve as points of contact. Districts must be more mindful than ever about confidentiality and reaching out to parents or doing anything that might jeopardize their housing situation or require in-person visits. This warrants a more creative approach, using email, texting, and calling people on students’ emergency care card.

With COVID, outreach has to include both information about MV and assisting with basic needs, while doing a lot of listening and offering support as families try to navigate the situation.

Referring families to services is a priority, but make sure that they’re eligible for whatever you’re referring them to. Some programs are not eligible for families without documentation, so it’s important to be sensitive to this.

A Student’s Perspective — Mirka Mendez, Graduating senior at UT-Austin

When enrolling at school, undocumented students will be reluctant to share any personal information that could potentially prove their eligibility out of fear, but it’s important to let students know ASAP that the school is there to help them. If students are coming from other countries where schools are just an educational setting and nothing else, they may not be aware of how much support a school can offer.

Let students know early on that whatever information they share with a school is confidential.

Make sure that you share information with both the guardian and the student. In some cases, the legal guardian may not be in close contact with the student so they may miss out on critical information.

Additional Resources

Immigrant Students: How Schools Can Help in English and Spanish)
McKinney-Vento webinar in Spanish (including a student presenter)
Help for Immigrant Families: Guidance for Schools
Undocumented Student Tuition Overview
Know Your Rights in 8 languages: Here and here
“MigraWatch” hotline: 1–844–363–1423
National directory of free or low-cost immigration legal services providers
DACA renewals
Temporary Protected Status updates
Public charge rule

SchoolHouse Connection is a national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through education. They provide strategic advocacy and practical assistance in partnership with early childhood programs, schools, institutions of higher education, service providers, families, and youth. For more information about their work, visit www.schoolhouseconnection.org.

For more tools and resources on how to build equitable learning environments, visit the BELE Network’s Equitable Learning Library. To see where the BELE Network’s partners work, visit our map.

Eyes on the Horizon: K-12 Schools After COVID-19

May 14, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

The National Equity Project’s Hugh Vasquez challenges the status quo to explore what’s possible on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis

By The BELE Network

As COVID-19 sweeps the country creating massive uncertainty in its wake, our friends at the National Equity Project have maintained their devotion to an honest, clear-eyed assessment of where we are and where we could be. In his article What If… We Don’t Return to School as Usual, Hugh Vasquez dives into the long-term impacts that COVID-19 could have on our education system, as well as the opportunities it presents to transform that system for the better — if we are bold enough to take action now.

Hugh presents a variety of “what ifs” that defy the status quo and look towards a brighter, more equitable future for our students. He challenges his readers to overcome doubting thoughts of “oh, we can’t do that” and instead reframe them in terms of “but what if we did” to get a glimpse of what’s possible as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis and re-enter a world of our own making. Read the full post here.

Hugh Vasquez is a Senior Associate at the National Equity Project who, since 2010, has developed and expanded their Leading for Equity work.

Learn more about BELE on our website, and access our resource library to make your learning environments more equitable.

Fostering Student Engagement During COVID-19

May 8, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

By The BELE Network

In the past month, educators across the country have grappled with the challenges posed by COVID-19, and are looking for ways to keep their students engaged through distance learning. The BELE Network previously heard from PERTS’ Dave Paunesku and Sarah Gripshover about how a team of teachers in Mineola, New York are using their Copilot tool to do just that, and the importance of authentically connecting with students to give and receive feedback in order to foster engagement.

In recognition of the great work being done during Teacher Appreciation Week, we followed up with these Mineola teachers to learn more about how Copilot is helping them connect with students, before and during COVID-19. Read more to see how they’ve transitioned Copilot remotely over the last month, and how it is informing their efforts to engage with and support their students during COVID-19. The following transcript of that conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Participants:

Jenn Maichin: Teacher Leader
Amy Trojanowski: Mineola Middle School Assistant Principal
Staci Durnin: 6th Grade Math Teacher
Heather Hazen: 6th Grade Math Teacher
Michele Frascogna: 6th Grade Math Teacher
Courtney Serio: Middle School Reading Specialist
Anthony Tramonte: 6th Grade ELA Teacher
Leslie Van Bell: 6th Grade ELA Special Ed. Teacher
Sarah Gripshover: Director of Research, PERTS

_______________________________________________________________

BELE: What are some of your top learnings and takeaways from your implementation of the Copilot program with your students?

Heather: It’s good that we started this conversation about feedback when we did. Prior to that, teachers would give students feedback, but students either didn’t recognize it or didn’t know what to do with it.

Jennifer: Exactly, the benefit of starting this process before the onset of COVID-19 is that we were able to deliberately focus on this aspect from the beginning. After going through the first cycle of Copilot feedback, we realized that students didn’t understand the feedback process, and so we created lessons designed to teach students the meaning and purpose of feedback as well as how to recognize the types of feedback. We also created follow up lessons that focused on identifying and practicing how to give and receive feedback. Now our students understand why feedback is so valuable, both for them and us!

Heather: Starting this process early also allowed us to build a positive, honest relationship with our students — one where students feel empowered to speak out, respond to emails, and offer their thoughts. This has been incredibly useful during distance learning because it allows us to adapt our teaching for the better, and students are happier and more productive because of it.

Michele: I’ve experienced the same thing with my students. After transitioning to distance learning, the data shows that students are recognizing the value of this deliberate effort to engage with them, because they can see me listening to their feedback and responding to their needs. This in turn means they’re more likely to speak up and offer even more feedback. They can tell that I care about them at this difficult time, and they appreciate that.

Anthony: One of the major challenges teachers are facing is keeping their students engaged and motivated right now. By incorporating my student’s feedback into my teaching, I’m actually seeing a higher level of engagement and motivation from my class. I’ve also found that it’s important not to treat this as “business as usual,” you have to connect with your students on an emotional level so you can assess their needs week-to-week. This lets you meet students where they are, and be a better teacher for them. When I see my students signing off with a smile on their face, knowing that they were heard — well that’s all we can ask for as educators.

Staci: Not only do we hear this from the students, but the parents as well! We see emails every week from parents thanking us for what we’re doing for their children. It’s so validating to see this response from both the students AND their parents.

Courtney: Going back to what Anthony said about acknowledging that this isn’t “business as usual,” it’s important to recognize that this is typically a fun part of the year for our students. They look forward to field trips, and 7th grade graduation, and other end of the year celebrations — all of which have been canceled. This is a frustrating, emotional, and disappointing time for all of us, so I’ve seen the value in spending the first few minutes of class checking in with them so that they know that we share those feelings. Despite all of that, I’ve seen a remarkable level of maturity from my students — they understand why all of these precautions are necessary.

Amy: I want to say how impressed I am with our teacher’s ability and willingness to tackle these challenges head-on. It’s worth noting that all of their deliberate focus on feedback has resulted in increased engagement from our students, and they have truly bought into their classes. As Assistant Principal, I interact with all teachers and classes, and seeing how Copilot’s feedback process has created a strong connection and investment between students and teachers is incredibly validating. This is a success on both an emotional and academic level.

Michele: That’s a great point Amy, many teachers are struggling to get their students to attend virtual classes — I’m not having that problem. We’ve created an environment where students want to show up, on camera, every day to interact with their teachers and peers.

Heather: I’ve seen the same thing in my class! Students are messaging each other outside of class about their schoolwork and telling me about it later. I’m glad to see them maintaining these interactions, albeit from a distance.

BELE: How else has the Copilot program helped to smooth the transition to distance learning for your students?

Heather: I’ve found that utilizing a “stars and steps” strategy is very helpful. Stars and steps is a strategy that was suggested by Copilot as part of our feedback cycles. We give our students praise on what they did well, and then offer constructive steps they can take to improve further.

Staci: I agree, giving them actionable steps for improvement is especially important now that we aren’t in the classroom with them every day. This is more time intensive for us, but we can see how useful it is for our students.

Leslie: We’ve also been able to track how our students are feeling via Google Forms. Students are giving us real-time updates throughout the week, and these response forms are constantly spitting out data that we can use to improve our teaching and emotional support for our classes.

Staci: These periodic check-ins also help us connect with our students because we can use specific things going on in their lives as discussion starters. We can ask students how their visit to grandma was this past weekend, or see if they had fun at family game night.

Heather: I’ve also found it’s important to encourage students to use this time to improve at extracurricular activities they’re interested in. If they want to spend some time getting better at their favorite video game, we give them credit for that!

BELE: Can you speak more to how your students have been responding and adapting to different challenges right now?

Leslie: It really depends on the student — some are directly affected by COVID-19 and are grieving the loss of loved ones. Our Copilot daily check-ins have given us greater insight into their individual situations so we can be more sensitive to their experiences.

Michele: I’ve heard my students talk about how staying organized has been a struggle for them. They have the time, but they’ve never had to keep track of when to attend meetings or classes and do homework. That’s a skill many students don’t have to work on until college! From that feedback, I was able to put together a weekly planner to help keep them organized day-to-day. I also encouraged them to schedule time to do things they enjoy, like watching movies or going outside. This helped them visualize how they can best use their time, and use the planner to balance school work and play.

Courtney: After Michele shared that with us teachers, I followed up with my students and heard similar feedback. From there I was able to go through a planning lesson with them and give them the tools to succeed. The cool part is now that they know how to organize their work, they like that they don’t have to pile it all into one day! They can make a schedule that works for them.

BELE: One recurring theme we’ve been seeing is that not all students have equitable access to distance learning tools like Wi-Fi or laptops. How have you taken steps to ensure that your students have access to the resources they need right now?

Leslie: As a district, we’re incredibly fortunate to have a 1:1 iPad initiative for our students — so everyone was able to gain access relatively easily.

Jennifer: I want to jump in quickly to emphasize that Mineola is not a particularly wealthy district. This is a vision that has been years in the making, to create this kind of environment for our students. With the onset of COVID-19, it meant that we were well prepared for the transition to distance learning.

Amy: To echo what Jennifer said, this is my 5th year in the district and this initiative started well before my time. Our commitment to blended learning that integrates technology to create personalized learning experiences for students has resulted in a digital ecosystem that is both extensive and familiar at this point. We’ve had iPads and applications embedded in our workflow and communications for so long that this transition was manageable and not limited by technology, rather enhanced. However, that’s not to say that everything was perfect from the start. There were still students without consistent internet access and fortunately we were able to partner with local providers to bring hotspots to students in need. This is also where Copilot feedback comes in handy — it serves as another valuable tool to understand where students are emotionally and helps us to identify areas of need in order to improve their working conditions and overall experience.

Staci: It’s also important to note that ensuring access is a case-by-case process. One example that comes to mind is a student with divorced parents who was moving back and forth between his mother and father. We know that his mother has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and we haven’t been able to contact the student, or get him to attend class. We’re still able to send him messages via email and through various apps on his iPad while working with social workers and other support systems to make a connection.

Heather: And even though he’s not online we can still see these consistent messages of support that we’re sending to him. He can see that we care, and that we haven’t given up on him — that means something. He finally came on today after two months, we were so overwhelmed with happiness to see him. He was positive and was quickly able to rejoin our community.

BELE: In closing, is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences these past few months?

Jennifer: I want to highlight the incredible effort that teachers have put in to make this happen. There is a deliberate focus on understanding the needs of our students, and responding effectively. It’s an amazing thing.

Sarah: The piece that stands out to me is that it may have been PERTS that developed the Copilot infrastructure, but it’s the teachers who have managed to continue building on our work. I’m glad our infrastructure didn’t hold you back!

Jennifer: That’s absolutely the case, Copilot has allowed us to be our authentic selves and didn’t put us in a one-size-fits-all box. The last thing I want to offer is this: implementing such a program can be a substantial undertaking, and some teachers might say that they don’t have time for it. However, the return on our initial investment has been enormous, and taking the time to reflect and address student feedback has created learning environments that are dramatically improved in the long run. Our students see this, they respect it, and they’re ready to show up because of it.

_______________________________________________________________

The BELE Network extends our sincere thanks to this exceptional team of Mineola Middle School teachers and administrators for taking the time to share their learnings with us. During Teacher Appreciation Week 2020, and every other week, we appreciate the great work teachers across the country are doing in order to support their students.

PERTS (Project for Education Research that Scales) is a nonprofit organization that helps educators apply evidence-based strategies in order to advance educational excellence and equity on a large scale. You can learn more about Copilot and the other work that PERTS is doing at PERTS.net

Learn more about BELE on our website, and access our resource library to make your learning environments more equitable.

Equitably Transitioning to Virtual Learning is Difficult but Necessary

May 6, 2020 by Sara Gray Leave a Comment

[Cross-posted from the BELE Network Medium]

By The BELE Network

Ensuring that tens of thousands of students have access to meaningful, continuous learning (when kids have varying access to technology) is no easy task, even without a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. But that’s what Detroit Public Schools Community District and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District pulled off in just a week, in partnership with EL Education. In simpler times, EL Education is a national organization that empowers teachers to unleash the potential of their students through their Language Arts curriculum, professional development and school model. But in the face of COVID-19, the EL Education team and its district partners quickly shifted gears, creating ten weeks’ worth of digital videos and paper packets topically aligned to the curriculum. Educators at Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District also partnered with EL to help format and revise the lessons and modules. These materials are freely available to students on YouTube and open source for educators across the country who are encouraged to use and adapt the material for their own classrooms.

The digital divide is already a formidable obstacle, but how can open source curriculum be developed for the vast and wide-ranging needs of students across and within grade levels? Sometimes the most equitable approaches are standardized — EL Education designed the curriculum so that every student received access to the same content and ensured that the prompts were simple enough so even the busiest caretakers could help students with their work. In addition, the overarching framework that guided the development of all the lessons means that a high school student in 11th grade could easily help their younger sibling in 3rd grade with their learning.

Though it’s not a perfect solution, living in imperfect times means that districts’ and EL Education’s ability to adapt quickly and equitably has ensured that thousands of students in Detroit and Charlotte are able to keep up with their learning and are encouraged to read, write, talk and think every day. And their broad applicability means that overburdened educators from all over can add these tools to their instructional toolkit.

The daily lessons are available on the EL Education website here. To learn more about the Detroit Public Schools Community District curriculum and download lesson packets or view videos, click here. For more information about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg curriculum and access to their learning materials, click here.

EL Education is a national nonprofit partnering with educators to transform public schools so that students “get smart to do good” and a partner of the BELE Network. For more resources to make your learning environments more equitable, visit the BELE library. To see what equitable education focused organizations are working in your neighborhood, check out the BELE Network Map.