Cleaning up last week, I came upon a pre-pandemic photo of a holiday party at my children’s elementary school many years ago. It seemed a cruel time capsule of traditions remote learners cannot share: holiday foods from many cultures, dreidel playing, homemade holiday cards and Christmas tree decorations, musical performances in front of a live audience.
 
When and if classes return to full-on in person learning, we’ll all be a little different. For now, we bring you ways to answer children’s coronavirus questions. We look at the latest research on flipped classrooms and efforts to break the cycle of systemic poverty and low academic achievement, along with some extraordinary ways a district is helping undocumented children deal with trauma.
 
We also look forward to hearing your stories, and want to thank all who have contributed to our fundraising campaign, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020. We still need your help to produce thoughtful, in-depth education news, so if you haven’t yet, become a member and make a tax-deductible contribution now!

‘Backpacks full of boulders’: How one district is addressing the trauma undocumented children bring to school

They didn’t turn in their work for remote school. Their parents were threatened with courts and fines

PROOF POINTS: 114 studies on flipped classrooms show small payoff for big effort

As Harlem Children’s Zone moves to export its model nationwide, Obama’s Promise Neighborhoods offer cautionary tales

OPINION: As we reimagine schooling, let’s reimagine gun violence prevention, too

As the pandemic trudges on, what to say to our kids

OPINION: The pandemic is no excuse to lose focus on kindergarten readiness