posted on
Week of 4/5/2020
Connecticut entered its third week of school closures, and district distance learning plans are underway in earnest.
To support collaboration and information sharing, ConnCAN updated its “Comprehensive List of CT District Distance Learning Plans.” The list now contains over 155 district plans, with guiding links to help parents, students and community members access vital curriculum and lessons. ConnCAN plans to update the list periodically as more districts make their plans public.
In an effort to learn about student experiences with distance learning, ConnCAN facilitated a listening session with youth from Grow Hartford, a grassroots organization aimed at improving food justice in the Hartford area. Youth had vastly different experiences with district communication, technology and food access, and work quality. Their experiences were largely dependent on teacher quality and whether their schools had already integrated technology into their daily routines. Grow Hartford’s feedback is essential, and ConnCAN will continue to work alongside these youth advocates to support their organizing efforts.
Last week, ConnCAN hosted a listening session with Building One Community’s POWER Parents. In that call, parents expressed their frustration and concerns with the Stamford Public School distance learning plan. Overwhelmingly, parents believed that the plans were disjointed, complicated and poorly communicated, especially across languages. ConnCAN plans to support the POWER Parents as they organize for a clearer, streamlined and equitable distance learning plan for their children. Additionally, ConnCAN will provide education policy information and data to inform their advocacy efforts.
Rounding out the week, ConnCAN went live with a Distance Learning Family Survey (in Spanish, as well) to understand perspectives across the state. This way, we can build a policy platform that reflects the concerns and needs of a representative group of CT families. In the upcoming weeks, ConnCAN plans to ramp up its listening sessions in order to hear from families directly.