K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
SREB is convening educators and leaders across our states to find ways to help schools through challenges they face due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are compiling these resources for educators, districts and states on topics including online teaching, district planning, students with disabilities, school counseling and more.
Resources from Virtual Schools
Virtual Schools in SREB States, links to the region’s statewide online learning sites
From Georgia Virtual Learning, student courses and teacher training, available free to all
- Course content by subject
- Webinars focused on using Georgia Virtual course content.
- Just in Time for Teachers: Digital Learning Days 1 to 2 hour course
- Effective Online Teaching 30-hour course
- Online Support for Special Needs (Open 3/25)
Georgia Department of Education digital learning resources
Strategies for Teaching Online
Helping teachers and students make the switch to remote learning, from Microsoft
Strategies for e-learning webinar recording from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (recorded on March 17)
The Technical College System of Georgia partnered with SkillsCommons and MERLOT to create a free online resource to help both teachers and students prepare to start teaching and learning online.
Teach Your Course Online is designed to help teachers quickly set up a home teaching space, select and set up a camera, microphone, lighting and all other gear they need to teach and to create a safe and effective online class culture.
Online Learning Resources
These websites provide free resources that can be accessed by teachers, parents and students. Many include specific guidance on ways to use their materials amid school closures caused by COVID-19.
WideOpenSchool.org brings together content from a diverse group of companies to help students, teachers and families find free and reliable educational resources. Developed by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit provides education and entertainment recommendations for kids and their parents, with help from dozens of partners.
Going 3-D with Gather, Reason, Communicate framework website. This site is a collection of vetted, three-dimensional lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and state standards developed from the Framework for K-12 Science Education. The lessons were developed by teachers across districts and states utilizing local phenomena.
Discounted or temporarily free remote learning resources:
Teaching Channel is currently offering teachers 30% off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Subscribers can get access to 1,400+ classroom videos and take any of Teaching Channel’s 20+ PD Express courses to earn a certificate of completion. Teachers can use code SUMMER to save 30% and then FREEPD to get access to the entire PD Express course library.
PowerUpEDU has a robust portfolio of solutions that include several offerings facilitating Distance or Remote Learning. They have created a resource for teachers on their Virtual Learning page, including free offers from partners like Microsoft, Spiral and Swivl.
School Counseling and Mental Health
American School Counselors Association Toolkit: Choosing a College When You Can’t Visit Campus (A Guide for Students)
Tips and guidelines for parents, counselors and mental health professionals on talking to children, crisis response, countering stigma and more, from the National Association of School Psychologists
Updates and Resources from the American School Counselor Association
Making Schools Work Conference featured speakers Joe Hendershott, Ed.D., and Dardi Hendershott, Certified Wellness Coach, of Hope 4 the Wounded, LLC, encourage teachers and school leaders to visit their website to access free podcasts, webinars and articles on how to help wounded students and support educators. www.hope4thewounded.org
College Admissions Process
As a service to students and families, National Association of College Admissions Counselors has created an online tool that is a central resource on changes to the college admission process due to the coronavirus outbreak. The tool includes information from colleges and universities nationwide on campus closures, deposit deadlines, and other admission-related changes.
The tool updates automatically in realtime as we receive input from postsecondary institutions
- The Common App provides information regarding disruptions such as the coronavirus. If you are impacted, you can reach Common App’s dedicated support team via email. Fee waivers may be available if you are facing unexpected loss. Students who are having difficulty sending official test scores also have the option of sending self-reported scores to colleges.
- Financial aid questions may be a concern. Federal Student Aid’s website includes information for students and parents, such as whether students can keep financial aid if their campus is closed and loan repayment questions.
Planning for Closures and Continued Learning
Guidance for Schools and School Closures from CDC
Education Week School Closure Map
From the Kentucky Department of Education, Non-Traditional Instruction Guidance is a planning and toolkit document covering everything from preschool to social media to special ed.
From Miami-Dade County Public Schools:
- Instructional Continuity Plan for Emergency School Closures
- Distance Teaching and Learning
- Coronavirus Prevention and Contingency Measures
Advice for K-12 districts creating local response plans, from Guilford County Schools in North Carolina. And Guilford’s plan
Practical actions to prepare for continued student learning. An overview of models, plus guiding questions and concrete actions from Instruction Partners
No Kid Hungry is offering emergency coronavirus grants to support local school districts and nonprofit organizations in their efforts to ensure kids get the nutritious food they need.
EveryoneOn provides information on free and low cost internet to help low-income students and families access to online education.
Students with Disabilities
Educating All Learners Alliance – To help ensure the continuity of special education services during remote instruction and to spotlight best practice approaches for schools and educators, an alliance of national education organizations has come together to ensure equity for all learners
Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Outbreak (U.S. Department of Education, March 12)
Website accessibility and online education, a March 17 webinar from USDOE Office of Civil Rights
Accountability and Assessment
Resources on assessment and accountability from the Center for Assessment
Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Education, March 12
Federal Guidance and Action
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S.
Department of Education
Federal COVID-19 Stimulus Package: Funds for K-12 and Postsecondary Education - SREB’s summary of the Education Stabilization Fund portion of this emergency relief package.
State Department of Education Resource Pages
COVID-19 Effects on the Teacher Workforce
In April, my mom called me with the news that my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Metcalfe, who was rounding out his 42nd year of teaching, had died from COVID-19. I knew him from class, of course, but I also went to school with his son for 13 years and his family attended my grandparent’s church.
He was respected, loved and honored for his excellent teaching. His funeral was an all-day parade of cars through the high school parking lot, where community members waved and shouted condolences to his family. My mom said the cars stretched down the street for miles.
Promoting Student Collaboration in the Age of COVID-19
As schools and districts prepare for
the new year, student and staff safety is top of mind. Many are
buying extra cleaning supplies and developing protocols for
social distancing, wearing masks and proper hygiene.
At SREB, we hear daily from teachers and leaders in search of strategies for delivering quality instruction while meeting safety guidelines. They ask:
“How do we reconnect with “lost” students who lacked access to online learning this spring?”
“Will social distancing require teachers to lecture to students sitting in rows?”
Webinar Follow-Up: School Counseling From a Distance
Supporting Students During COVID-19
View the Webinar Recording
This webinar, hosted by SREB in
partnership with Common Application Inc. (Common App), built on
the previous webinar of the same name on how to provide school
counseling services virtually. In this webinar, a panel of
leading experts in school counseling shared their insights
on how they are supporting students’ academic, college/career,
and social-emotional needs when schools are closed or have moved
to online instruction.
School Counseling From a Distance
Supporting Our Students During COVID-19
View webinar recording
In this webinar, Brian Coleman of Chicago Public Schools and 2019 ASCA School Counselor of the Year, shared his insights on how to support students’ academic, college/career, and social-emotional needs when schools are closed or have moved to online instruction. Brian stressed the importance of having a strategy first before diving in. Important things to consider are the legal and ethical issues involved, school district policies, and what technology tools your students have access to.
Sample video. In this video, Mr. Coleman describes the Self-Assessment project for Juniors at Jones College Prep during the COVID-19 school closure.
Advice from North Carolina Virtual School Leaders
Handling Extended School Closures
View webinar recording
As states across the country manage the COVID-19 global pandemic, districts and schools have been forced to rethink teaching and learning methods as they have moved to digital learning and online platforms. In this webinar, state virtual school leaders in North Carolina will share resources that could be useful in other states and districts.
Advice from Georgia Virtual School Leaders
Handling Extended School Closures
View webinar recording
As states across the country manage the COVID-19 global pandemic, districts and schools have been forced to rethink teaching and learning methods as they have moved to digital learning and online platforms. In this webinar, state virtual school leaders in Georgia will share resources that could be useful in other states and districts as they grapple with extended school closures.
College Admissions: Supporting Low-Income Students
The New NACAC Deposit Fee Waiver Form and Other Useful Resources
View the recorded webinar
Social distancing in response to the coronavirus crisis has caused the loss of students’ and their families’ employment and changes to financial situations. In this webinar, Andrew Moe, director of admissions at Swarthmore, provided an overview of access issues in the admissions process as well as the many other micro-barriers students from low-income backgrounds face when applying to college.
K-12 Education Recovery Task Force to Serve 16 States
Leaders from 16 states will serve on a new regional Education Recovery Task Force to help states determine the best strategies for reopening K-12 public schools, providing each student with the support they need, and planning for a possible COVID-19 resurgence and future emergencies, the Southern Regional Education Board announced today.
Better Together
After weeks of struggling with the
fallout of COVID-19 — working remotely, social distancing,
helping neighbors when we can — I’m quite sure no one needs to be
told that we’re living in “unprecedented times.” That seems clear
enough.
Our teachers are coping with a digital environment that most were not trained for, trying to maintain their focus on equity to be sure every child has a chance at a quality education, meanwhile managing houses and budgets and families and concerns about their health, as we all are. It’s more than anyone was prepared for.
CTE Centers: Answering the Call for Care Amid COVID-19
Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” In this unprecedented time of crisis, many are rising to be helpers. All across the United States, healthcare workers are leaving their families and risking their lives to take care of all who are suffering with the coronavirus. Schools and career and technology centers are also coming together to donate much-needed resources and use their equipment to make face masks for those on the front line.
Virtual Labs for STEM and CTE Teachers and Students
We know that this is a challenging time for teachers across the country. Many of you have been plunged into the world of virtual learning without a lot of time to prepare. Following sudden school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve had to move quickly to shift your carefully planned lessons online so your students can continue learning at home. And those of you who are STEM and career and technical education teachers in particular face unique challenges as you work to adapt hands-on learning experiences to a virtual format.
What Admissions Professionals Want You to Know
Advice for School Counselors and Access Advisers During COVID-19
View webinar recording
The sudden onset and rapid spread of the coronavirus has caused many unforeseen consequences in (and rapid changes to) the college admissions process. In this webinar, Rick Clark, director of admissions at Georgia Tech and nationally-known author, shared the most up-to-date information that school counselors need to know about virtual interviews and campus visits, May deposit deadlines, incomplete high school transcripts, entrance exam testing, financial aid appeals and more.
School Counseling and Mental Health
Tips and guidelines for parents, counselors and mental health professionals on talking to children, crisis response, countering stigma and more, from the National Association of School Psychologists
Updates and Resources from the American School Counselor Association
Online Professional Development Support for Educators
As we enter our second and third
weeks of school closures and social distancing, I am amazed and
proud of our educators. I see school systems scrambling to feed
children. I see teachers preparing lessons, packets and online
resources. I see principals giving weekly messages, reading
bedtime stories online, leading virtual parades and calling every
teacher for weekly check-ins. I see heroes. But to be
quite honest, I saw these heroes before the advent of COVID-19.
Right now, our teachers need extra support.
Keep Next Year’s Teachers on Track
Immediate and longer-term policy actions for student-teachers
With colleges and schools closed for COVID-19, state leaders will need to act quickly to keep 60,000 teacher-candidates on track to graduate and enter the workforce in Southern states next year. SREB convened college of education and K-12 leaders from five states to discuss barriers and share ideas, and a new brief recommends short-term policy changes.
Distance Learning for Rural Schools During Extended School Closures
As we move further into the
COVID-19 crisis, rural schools across the U.S. are struggling
with how to continue students’ learning amid school closures. In
recent weeks, SREB instruction coaches have been collaborating
with educators in our region on how to deliver learning
virtually, and we’ve learned about the specific challenges rural
schools are facing.