A blueprint for back to school by American Enterprise Institute

Executive Summary

Families and communities need schools to be ready to reopen as soon as public health officials signal that it is safe. After all, the nation has recently been reminded just how vital schools really are. Schools con­nect students with peers and mentors, channel youth­ful energy into productive pursuits, teach essential academic skills and knowledge, and give overwhelmed parents room to breathe and work. Reopening schools in a manner that is safe and responsive to the needs of families and communities will involve novel chal­lenges. Leaders must begin planning immediately.

Together with a task force of accomplished educa­tional leaders—including former state chiefs, super­intendents, federal education officials, and charter network leaders—this report sketches a framework that can help state policymakers, education and com­munity leaders, and federal officials plan appropri­ately for reopening.

As communities and public officials start to think about the problems ahead, states, districts, and schools should consider at least six different buck­ets of work: school operations, whole child supports, school personnel, academics, distance learning, and other general considerations.

Adapting to the challenges of COVID-19 gives America’s schools the opportunity to provide what is uniquely possible in the schoolhouse while seek­ing new ways to fully use technology and community partnerships. We understand the enormity of these burdens. This is a moment when all of us—educators, families, and communities—must find ways to ensure that children get back the schools and con­nections so important to their young lives. When schools get the green light to go, they must be ready. That work starts now.

Introduction

Families and communities need schools to be ready to reopen as soon as public health officials signal it is safe. After all, the nation has recently been reminded just how vital schools really are. Schools connect stu­dents with peers and mentors, channel youthful energy into productive pursuits, teach essential aca­demic skills and knowledge, and give overwhelmed parents room to breathe and work.

This makes it urgent that schools find a way to reopen this fall, if at all feasible. Of course, reopening in a manner that is safe and responsive will involve novel challenges. That is why leaders must begin planning immediately. But let us be clear: A num­ber of public health officials—including the habitu­ally cautious Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—have indicated that they expect schools will likely be able to reopen this fall.

What will it take to get schools ready for this fall, amid enormous uncertainty? The path to reopen­ing must be based on the public health frameworks guiding the gradual relaxation of the intensive social distancing measures adopted this spring. Any con­sideration about reopening must consider the wide variability of circumstances states, communities, and schools confront.¹ Depending on the public health sit­uation, there may be waves of stopping and starting, partial or staggered openings, or other developments (determined by local health facilities, population vulnerability, and more).² These decisions will require robust community engagement to yield both coher­ent planning and community support.

Read the full report.

Notes

1. While this report will use the terms “district” and “school,” it is intended to be inclusive of a broad set of institutions including public schools, public charter schools, and private schools.

2. Neil M. Ferguson et al., “Report 9: Impact of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) to Reduce COVID-19 Mortality and Healthcare Demand,” Imperial College London, March 16, 2020, https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/ gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf.

FAQ

Who is writing this report?

AEI’s John Bailey and Frederick Hess are joined by a group of 19 supporting authors. These coauthors include former state chiefs, superintendents, federal education officials, and charter school network leaders.

What is this report about?

This report sketches a framework for reopening schools that can help state policymakers, education and community leaders, and federal officials plan appropriately for reopening schools when public health officials signal it is safe to do so.

Why is AEI putting this together?

Think tanks can bring together experts and veteran leaders who are versed in the particulars of what schools are facing and give them a platform to share their recommendations and guidance. Equally important, this group can do all this with a degree of autonomy and independence, which can be more difficult for professional associations or partisan entities.

Why release this report now?

Families and communities need schools to be ready to reopen as soon as public health officials signal it is safe. After all, the nation has recently been reminded just how vital schools really are. This makes it urgent that schools find a way to reopen this fall, if at all feasible. Reopening in a manner that is safe and responsive will involve addressing novel challenges.

Who is the intended audience?

We hope this report will prove useful for state and district leaders, but we suspect it might have particular value for community leaders, federal and state legislators, journalists, and concerned parents.