A Proactive Response to Interrupted Learning

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the K–12 education system, new complications in teaching and learning piled onto existing challenges caused by systemic racism. This meant that students of color felt the pandemic’s negative impacts more significantly than their peers.

To help school districts in Washington state respond proactively, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation created the COVID Response and Recovery Project. As part of the 18-month initiative, Education Northwest partnered with two school districts—Edmonds School District and Evergreen Public Schools—to co-design supports that would help district staff members, administrators, and teachers redesign systems and implement strategies to support student well-being and deliver more equitable outcomes for students of color.

How We Helped Our District Partners

• Conducted needs assessments and reviewed data to understand how the districts were serving students, which student groups were most impacted by pandemic-related challenges, and where the districts needed more support
• Developed districtwide equity-focused strategic plans
• Provided training and coaching on culturally responsive practice
• Supported the launch of multi-tiered systems of supports by developing practical tools and protocols and building district capacity
• Strengthened supports for multilingual students by analyzing various dual language program models, assessing teacher staffing ratios, and developing a timeline and guide for dual language programming
• Adapted our technical assistance to support districts through changing timelines, staffing disruptions, contract tracing, and a changing political landscape

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