Evanston Township High School District 202 issued the following announcement on Aug. 17.
With the 2020-21 school year beginning remotely at Evanston Township High School, the district’s Enhanced E-learning model focuses on an equitable remote learning experience for students. Beginning on August 17, the first day of the new school year at ETHS, students with varying learning styles and abilities are introduced to online learning platforms that are used in e-learning.
ETHS held its first e-learning day in 2019 (as a severe weather make-up day) and in the spring of 2020, quickly transitioned to e-learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This school year, Enhanced E-learning at ETHS works to address systemic inequities that already existed and meet challenges of virtual classrooms. Recognizing that there are disparities among students with access to technologies and types of spaces, ETHS teachers received training over the summer to learn how to create an accessible learning experience for all students. For example, teachers will work to provide multiple avenues for learning to prevent exclusion for those experiencing connectivity and other home-related issues that may pull students away.
The ETHS Enhanced E-learning model also takes into account the additional supports that will be required to establish close connections and relationships with both students and their families. ETHS has worked to repurpose the job roles of more than 30 district employees who are receiving training to work directly with students. Efforts will focus on students who may require more follow-up in order to stay connected and get the most out of their e-learning experience. The model also incorporates social and emotional supports to help keep students engaged. For example, some students may benefit from specific asynchronous activities to balance the fatigue of screen time.
The equity focus at ETHS requires new and innovative collaboration among all levels of staff. Prior to the first day of school, district leaders worked to identify and reach out to students and their families about concerns and challenges from the spring semester. “We want every Wildkit to get the best possible start to the school year,” remarked ETHS Assistant Superintendent and Principal Marcus Campbell. “And we realized that this meant following up with some students even before their new teachers connected with them.”
The Enhanced E-learning model also provides a significant benefit to ETHS employees who will have new opportunities to support students. While many school districts must go through the process of furloughs or reduction in force, ETHS is working to avoid these types of measures by redefining the roles of some staff. Assigned staff will have personal “caseloads” and will work to closely monitor attendance as well as assignments and needed supports. As part of this work, staff will stay in regular contact with students and their families to provide real-time support, keep track of progress, and follow up where needed.
“We are all educators at ETHS, and this means that every staff member plays a part in the support and success of our Wildkit students,” said ETHS Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. “We are reinventing education in response to this pandemic, and this requires all hands on deck. I am so proud that our Wildkit family is ready to do whatever it takes to help in these difficult times.”
For more information about the ETHS Reopening Plan, visit the ETHS website.
Original source can be found here.
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