Center for American Progress

People over politics: Our best chance to return students to learning
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People over politics: Our best chance to return students to learning

Khalilah M. Harris explains how best to continue learning for students regardless of location.

In the year since schools were shuttered due to COVID-19, debates have raged about the reopening of schools.

Between the digital divide, increasing racial tensions and amplification of the many inequities students were facing before the coronavirus, the opening of schools became a wedge issue during the 2020 presidential election cycle and has remained so in the early weeks of the Biden administration. Despite all of those considerations, on top of the health of students and educators, very few policy recommendations have come forward with innovations to continue learning regardless of location.

It is time that federal, state and local governments refocus on students instead of talking points about whether school buildings should be reopened.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Khalilah M. Harris

Former Managing Director