By Public Impact, March 20, 2020

How can Multi-Classroom Leadership work when both students and teachers are at home?

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new slide deck from Public Impact provides considerations and recommendations for Opportunity Culture schools to continue achieving high-growth student learning, developing students’ critical social-emotional skills, and providing strong support to teaching teams.

Multi-classroom leaders and their teaching teams want to continue high-connection learning as they plan for an extended and unexpected period of at-home “school.” This deck provides guidance on how, based on research and Opportunity Culture experience, plus advice for lower-connection approaches when technology access limits schools’ options.

Multi-classroom leaders aim to maintain continuity as much as possible, continuing to fully lead their teams and team instruction. The recommendations here support that, but we recognize the varied challenges each student and teacher will face. Students may be limited in their access to live interactions with teachers, for example, by a shortage of at-home technology and family needs (such as supervising younger siblings). The recommendations here are intended to help the most students possible learn and thrive.

An optimal at-home design involves:
—Some face-to-face time for teachers and students to engage on-screen
—Limits on total screen time
—Ongoing use of the elements of excellent instruction:

• Connect with students and families
• Lead the (virtual) classroom to engage students
• Execute rigorous, personalized lessons for mastery & growth
• Monitor student learning data
• Adjust instruction to meet each student’s needs
• Share data with students and families

The deck briefly reviews the basics of Multi-Classroom Leadership, the research on its efficacy, and the research on all-online (no-face-no-face) teaching. It suggests high-connection and lower-connection learning options, and reviews the shifts needed in technology, roles, instruction, and schedules. It provides a basic action planner for making plans for your team.

View the slide deck here.