Tracking Back-to-School 2020-2021

We’ve all been paying close attention to the news and our local school communities, following the opening plans. MDR data experts have been capturing when and how school will be in session and which learning models each school will follow.  Although, some schools started a little later this year, as of this week, most schools are back in session.  However, the ways in which they deliver instruction will vary. Many will follow one of three learning models: Staggered, Remote, or Blended as defined below.

Here’s what else we’ve learned from the data:

Plans are changing and will continue to change

  • 63% of districts plan to have students in person at least some of the time
    • Of those, 24% are still unsure of what accommodations they will be making
    • And 60% are planning on some type of schedule change; nearly 15% don’t plan any schedule changes—meaning the plan right now is to have students in the classroom full-time
  • Almost 14% of districts nationwide do not plan to have students in school initially this fall
  • Of the districts planning some type of schedule change,
    • 31% are implementing blended learning programs
    • 67% are preparing for remote learning
    • 8% plan for staggered learning programs

These are the learning models most schools are adopting:

There is a lot of evolving information to keep track of right now and likely models of teaching and learning could continue to change throughout the school year.  What we know right now is that plans for re-opening are as diverse as each U.S. school district and their schedules and delivery models are evolving.  One thing is for sure, students will continue to learn, and teachers will teach, so stay in front of educators all year long.  Because it’s not just who you reach, it’s when and where you reach them.