Quick Transition Helped Historically Underserved Students Stay on Track Academically
SACRAMENTO, CA – On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) released a new research report entitled California, New York and Washington charter schools: Response to the Pandemic. Their findings underscore those of the November 2020 Portrait of the Movement research by the California Charter Public Schools Association (CCSA). The research studies report how charter schools used their flexibility and autonomy to quickly transition to online learning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic helping to keep students learning.
According to CREDO’s research, charter schools in California, New York, and Washington states show standing capacity to adapt. Charter schools were able to transform to remote education delivery in less than a week. Washington State schools made the transition in two days and California schools in four days. CREDO also reports that the schools surveyed:
- stated their highest priorities were transitioning the instructional model, establishing communications, and providing services;
- reorganized curriculum and prioritized essential learning standards in a systematic way;
- saw teachers place increased emphasis on communications with all stakeholders and online platforms;
- and, recognized the impact of remote learning on student well-being and made extensive efforts to support students and families directly.
“The CREDO report reinforces our research that California charter public schools moved quickly to online learning and realigned staff roles so that students could continue their education, allowing them to be more prepared heading into the 2020-21 academic year,” said Myrna Castrejón, CCSA president and CEO. “Unfettered by bureaucratic obstacles, California charter public schools are uniquely positioned to deliver high-quality learning opportunities that put kids first and support families in this unprecedented time.”
CCSA’s Portrait of the Movement 2020-21: The Transition to Distance Learning Amid COVID-19 examines the best practices of charter public schools in California during the pandemic, offering valuable lessons to improve public education.
Among the report’s key findings, nonprofit charter public schools examined in the report worked to mitigate learning loss through strategies such as personalized support and instruction, the realignment of staff roles, and a focus on relationships to meet the unique needs of their students. Data also shows charter public schools that pivoted to online learning more quickly tended to serve a larger percentage of low-income students, helping these kids stay on track academically.
Portrait of the Movement 2020-21: The Transition to Distance Learning Amid COVID-19 also offers recommendations for policymakers, advocates, practitioners, and researchers to improve equity and academic quality moving forward such as conducting mixed-method studies on quality remote learning, as well as determining how remote learning impacted where parents enrolled their children.
As journalists continue to report on the impact the pandemic has on students and education, Jennie Kress, CCSA’s Managing Director of School Performance, Accountability, and Research and author of the report is available for media interviews. Please contact [email protected] to request an interview.