TL;DR:
- Teachers and administrators need to build a runway to ensure student success in the 2021-22 school year.
- Assessments, interventions, social and emotional learning, and priority standards are among many things that need to be considered for the upcoming year.
- W.I.N. time provides daily or weekly time for academic interventions, enrichment, or tutoring.
Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the crew I ask that you please direct your attention to the monitors above as we review the emergency procedures. There are six emergency exits on this aircraft. Take a minute to locate the exit closest to you. Note that the nearest exit may be behind you. Count the number of rows to this exit. Should the cabin experience sudden pressure loss, stay calm and listen for instructions from the cabin crew.
Oxygen masks will drop down from above your seat. Place the mask over your mouth and nose, like this. Pull the strap to tighten it. If you are traveling with children, make sure that your own mask is on first before helping your children. In the unlikely event of an emergency landing and evacuation, leave your carry-on items behind.
Life rafts are located below your seats and emergency lighting will lead you to your closest exit and slide. We ask that you make sure that all carry-on luggage is stowed away safely during the flight. While we wait for take-off, please take a moment to review the safety data card in the seat pocket in front of you. Thank you for flying with us.
Teachers and administrators are beginning to prepare for the 2021-22 school year.
Important conversations include academic interventions, the master schedule, social and emotional learning, behavioral support, priority standards, and more. Regardless of your school setting, all school districts and school staff will need to build a runway. A plane cannot reach its final destination, much less cruising altitude, without an appropriate runway. Larger aircraft require a longer runway in order to have liftoff.
Building a Runway for Student Success: How Will We Prepare Students for Liftoff?
Passengers typically begin each flight by reading the safety instructions or the emergency card. School teams are currently experiencing a global pandemic that has disrupted teaching and learning. In preparation for takeoff, educators should carefully design safety instructions or procedures that prepare teachers, staff, and students for taxiing down the runway and a smooth liftoff.
It is important to remember that a runway cannot be built in August. In order to develop tools and resources for next year, staff must begin by identifying safety instructions or procedures. Click To TweetBuilding a Runway for Student Success: Procedures for a Safe Flight/School Year
Reflect with teachers and administrators. What are the procedures that need to be established in order for all students to have a safe flight in 2021-22? Key considerations may include:
- Summer programs
- Frontloading
- Credit recovery
- Formative assessment
- Focused interventions
- Scaffolding
- Social and emotional learning
- Personalized learning
- A master schedule that supports the needs of learners
- Counseling services
- RtI-A and RtI-B
- Priority standards
- Enduring understandings
- Blended learning
- Social skills
- Student goal setting
- Celebrations and small wins
- Instructional strategies
- Scheduled time for collaborative teams
- Trauma-informed classrooms
Each school will need to identify its existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats. A SWOT analysis can provide multiple perspectives on the needs of teachers, staff, and learners. Some school districts are surveying students and staff to determine next steps.
It is important to remember that a runway cannot be built in August. In order to develop tools and resources for next year, staff must begin by identifying safety instructions or procedures.
Building a Runway for Student Success: Make Sure Your Own Mask Is On First Before Helping Your Children
Schools across the United States offer What I Need (W.I.N.) time for students. W.I.N. time provides daily or weekly time for academic interventions, enrichment, or tutoring. Each student is assigned to an area of the school where an adult can support them and meet their needs. Schools need to focus on the ‘oxygen mask’ for school staff before the 2021-22 school year.
Similar to W.I.N. time for students, we need to ask staff what they need in order to support children. An oxygen mask may come in the form of free teletherapy, a regional facilitator who meets with teacher teams, team-building exercises, professional development related to trauma-informed classrooms, or a new master schedule that supports the needs of students and staff in a post-pandemic school.
Rather than telling all staff where the oxygen mask is located, administrators should ask staff what they need in order to support students during the upcoming flight. It will be easier for staff to navigate turbulence if their needs are met and they feel recharged prior to the first week of school.
Building a Runway for Student Success: Life Rafts and Safety Nets
Educators don’t enjoy discussing the possibility of an emergency landing or life rafts. However, it is important to have a plan in the event of an emergency. It is difficult to prepare for the upcoming school year because so much uncertainty exists.
Will we have a traditional school calendar? Will some schools still offer remote or hybrid learning schedules? How will we support the students who experienced trauma during the previous school year? How will we support the multiple readiness levels within one classroom?
Douglas Reeves and Larry Ainsworth (2003) wrote about the importance of prioritizing standards to identify what they called a “safety net curriculum.” When teachers and administrators identify what every student should know and be able to do, it will become easier to guarantee that each student has a safe learning environment and adjustments can be made throughout the flight. A safety net curriculum outlines the priority standards for a grade level or course.
Educators realize that several students will need additional support in order to reenter school and feel confident as a learner.
Which programs do we have in place to support the needs of each learner? Do we need to develop any new programs to provide students with emotional support, time for reflection, or credit recovery?
Most airline passengers experience anxiety about the flight, stress when the pilot announces a delayed takeoff, and anxiety when turbulence makes a rough flight. Airline attendants train for the unexpected and communicate with passengers before, during, and at the descent. Begin planning how your staff will modify and adjust to meet the needs of learners.
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Flight Attendants….Please Prepare the Cabin for Liftoff
As your staff prepares for the upcoming school year, begin with the end in mind. What does a safe departure look like for your school? What are the knowns and the unknowns? How can we prepare the cabin for liftoff? What are the needs of the passengers?
When there is turbulence during a flight, the passengers often look to the flight attendants and watch their body language. If you use the next six months to build the runway, you will continue to remain calm and supportive during uncertain times. Thank you for choosing to become an educator. Our students need you now more than ever before. Godspeed on your journey!
References
Ainsworth, L. (2003). Power standards: Identifying the standards that matter the most. Englewood, CO: Advanced Learning Press.
About Steven Weber
Dr. Steven Weber is the Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Fayetteville Public Schools (AR). His areas of research include curriculum design, formative assessment, professional learning, and school leadership.
