Reopening

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to reopen school buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky speaks during an event in Wilmington, Del., to announce President-elect Joe Biden's health care team on Dec. 8, 2020.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky speaks during an event in Wilmington, Del., to announce President-elect Joe Biden's health care team on Dec. 8, 2020.
Susan Walsh/AP
Federal CDC Director: Teacher Vaccinations Are Not a Prerequisite for Reopening Schools
Evidence suggests schools can safely conduct in-person learning before teachers are fully vaccinated, the CDC director said Wednesday.
Evie Blad, February 3, 2021
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3 min read
Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing Feb. 3, 2021.
Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing Feb. 3, 2021.
Susan Walsh/AP
Federal Miguel Cardona Pressed by Lawmakers on Tests, Reopening Schools, and Transgender Students
The nominee for secretary of education stressed the value of COVID-19 relief and that schools must be "free of harassment and discrimination."
Andrew Ujifusa, February 3, 2021
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11 min read
Lisa DiRenzo gives her students instructions as they sit in desks spaced for proper social distance at the Post Road Elementary School in White Plains, N.Y.
Lisa DiRenzo gives her students instructions as they sit in desks spaced for proper social distance at the Post Road Elementary School in White Plains, N.Y.
Mary Altaffer/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Teachers in Schools, Capitol Insurrection Lessons, Biden’s Reopening Plans: Survey Results
See the latest survey findings from the EdWeek Research Center, which is polling educators monthly during the pandemic.

Holly Kurtz, February 2, 2021
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7 min read
Rep. Jahana Hayes , D-Conn., addresses delegates during the Democratic convention for the 5th District in Waterbury, Conn., on May 14, 2018.
Rep. Jahana Hayes , D-Conn., addresses delegates during the Democratic convention for the 5th District in Waterbury, Conn., on May 14, 2018.
Jim Shannon/Republican-American via AP
Federal Q&A Q&A: Rep. Jahana Hayes on Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theories and the COVID-19 Aid Schools Need
Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, also discussed the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and how talking with students "refills my cup."
Andrew Ujifusa, January 29, 2021
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11 min read
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives for an event with President Joe Biden in the White House on Jan. 21.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives for an event with President Joe Biden in the White House on Jan. 21.
Alex Brandon/AP
Teaching Profession Anthony Fauci: 'Get Teachers Vaccinated as Quickly as We Possibly Can'
In a town hall with teachers, Fauci said there is "some light at the end of the tunnel" with the availability of effective vaccines.
Madeline Will, January 28, 2021
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3 min read
A clean face mask on top of scattered sharpened pencils
David Benito/iStock
School & District Management Opinion We Are Pediatricians. Here's How to Reopen Schools Safely
A partnership between North Carolina school districts and pediatric researchers from Duke University offers guidance for reopening schools.
Danny Benjamin & Kanecia Zimmerman, January 28, 2021
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4 min read
A parent, center, completes a form granting permission for random COVID-19 testing for students as he arrives with his daughter, left, at P.S. 134 Henrietta Szold Elementary School on Dec. 7, 2020, in New York.
A parent, center, gives consent for random COVID-19 testing for students as he arrives with his daughter, left, at P.S. 134 Henrietta Szold Elementary School in New York last December.
Mark Lennihan/AP
School & District Management Can Schools Really Reopen in 100 Days? How Staffing Could Hobble Biden's Plan
President Biden's vow to reopen schools depends on one of the biggest uncertainties in K-12 right now: assembling enough staff to run them.
Catherine Gewertz & Stephen Sawchuk, January 27, 2021
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10 min read
A staff member holds the door open for kids on the first day of school at Goodwin Frazier Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020.
A staff member holds the door open for students on the first day of school at Goodwin Frazier Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas, last August.
Mikala Compton/Herald-Zeitung via AP
School & District Management New CDC Research Backs Biden Push for In-Person Schooling
New studies add to evidence that schools can reopen safely, if they follow strong pandemic safety protocols.
Sarah D. Sparks & Mark Lieberman, January 26, 2021
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8 min read
Houston Health Department LVN Alicia Meza prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 3, 2021, at a Houston Health Department's COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Houston.
A nurse prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month at a clinic run by the Houston Health Department.
Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Children and COVID-19 Vaccinations: What to Know
As states roll out vaccination plans, teachers may be near the front of the line. But vaccines for most kids are months away.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 26, 2021
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4 min read
Cyndi Pristello, a school wide support teacher at JoAnna Connell Elementary School, greets students and their families on April 18, 2020, as they drive through the school's parking lot during a drive-by parade. The school will begin online classes on April 20 after being closed due to the coronavirus shutdown.
A teacher greets students and families during a drive-by parade in Erie, Penn. Many schools around the country remain closed, and some teachers say they're taking heat for it.
Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News via AP
Teaching Profession Has the Public Turned on Teachers?
The rift over when school buildings should reopen has caused teachers to feel like they've lost public support. But have they?
Madeline Will, January 25, 2021
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12 min read
Public School 95 in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn is one of many schools in New York ordered to close due to a flare-up of coronavirus cases in the area on Oct. 5, 2020.
Public School 95 in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn is one of many schools in New York ordered to close due to a flare-up of coronavirus cases in the area on Oct. 5, 2020.
Kathy Willens/AP
Federal Biden Launches New Strategy to Combat COVID-19, Reopen Schools
The president plans a more centralized strategy that includes broader vaccine efforts, more data on the pandemic, and new school guidance.
Evie Blad, January 21, 2021
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5 min read
A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Coral Gables, Fla, on Jan. 12, 2021.
A syringe is prepared with the COVID-19 vaccine in Coral Gables, Fla. Teachers in the state are back in buildings, but not yet eligible for shots.
Lynne Sladky/AP
Policy & Politics Some States Order Schools to Be Open. But Teachers Can't Yet Get the Vaccine
In places where teachers are required to be in school buildings, they need to be higher on the vaccine priority lists, many argue.
Sarah Schwartz, January 15, 2021
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4 min read
First-grade teacher Megan Garner-Jones, left, and Principal Cynthia Eisner silent clap for their students participating remotely and in-person at School 16, in Yonkers, N.Y., on Oct. 20, 2020.
First-grade teacher Megan Garner-Jones, left, and Principal Cynthia Eisner silent clap for their students participating remotely and in-person at School 16, in Yonkers, N.Y.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Federal Biden Calls for $130 Billion in New K-12 Relief, Scaled Up Testing, Vaccination Efforts
President-elect Joe Biden proposed new aid for schools as part of a broader COVID-19 relief plan, which will require congressional approval.
Evie Blad, January 14, 2021
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5 min read
Maddi Dale focuses on her remote French class in her bedroom in Lake Oswego, Ore., on Oct. 30, 2020.
Maddi Dale focuses on her remote French class in her bedroom in Lake Oswego, Ore., in late October.
Sara Cline/AP
Teaching & Learning Districts Retreat to Remote Learning Even as Biden Calls for Reopening Schools
A new study shows a big jump in the percentage of districts moving to remote-only instruction since November.
Catherine Gewertz, January 14, 2021
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4 min read
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