The start of the 2020–21 academic year illustrated the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of school-aged students and their families, and has heightened the need to catalyze the systems that support them.
AIR partnered with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) and the Partnership for Children and Youth to develop three resources on how expanded learning providers, districts and schools across California have been working together to build on prior investments in California’s expanded learning system and best meet the needs of students during this unprecedented time.
The resources, funded by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and published by PACE, are informed by interviews with California field experts and practitioners:
- Expanded Learning Partnerships A Foundation for Rebuilding to Support the Whole Child (PDF) provides key principles for school and expanded learning partnerships—informed by insights from leaders and practitioners from across California—that policymakers and practitioners should consider as they move from reopening to rebuilding.
- Planning Integrated Whole Child Supports: Key Questions for Collaborative Discussions (PDF) is a companion tool intended to help schools and expanded learning providers develop a comprehensive plan for designing and implementing integrated services for students and families.
- Learning Hubs: In-Person Learning for the Whole Child (PDF) explores a prevalent learning hub model and offers considerations for local policymakers, schools, and expanded learning partners. We include guidance for the design and operations of learning hubs and identify the policy levers that support the model.
