 Dear reader,
Perhaps the only thing we can be sure of during this dark month of January is uncertainty. Students in many parts of the country are back to remote learning, while the pandemic continues to create widespread disruption, absences and safety concerns in districts that have stayed open.
“Everyone is in the same wait-and-see place,” Phyllis Fagell, a school counselor in Washington, D.C., told me while she waited in her school’s parking lot where she was getting tested for Covid before returning to the classroom. Like educators everywhere, she’s aware of how difficult these times are for children, and urges “a little extra kindness, support and compassion.”
That’s not easy when many of us are already at the end of our ropes; some school districts successfully kept Covid cases low – until omicron hit.
As we enter the third year of the pandemic, change is happening everywhere, from the way fifth graders see their futures to how higher education is adapting and how students – and counselors – are thinking about college vs. careers in the trades. These are among the stories we bring you this week, during this fraught and complicated new year. As always, we love hearing from our readers, so let us know what’s on your mind. And thanks again to all who supported The Hechinger Report this holiday season!
Liz Willen, Editor
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