COVID and Schools

The full impact of the pandemic on high school graduation rates is still emerging. Students who were in elementary school when schools closed may need extra support now.

Four years after New York City overhauled its summer program to blend academics and recreation, lawmakers want to know if it’s working.

Chicago Public Schools raised pay and added staff with the help of federal COVID aid. The loss of that money is fueling leadership turmoil.

Applicants whose grants requests weren’t funded in August may get awards now.

School districts must allocate the last round of federal pandemic relief by Sept. 30 and spend it by January, though Colorado schools may get an extension for the spending deadline.

Newark Public Schools was granted a federal extension allowing school districts to wrap up projects funded by federal COVID relief dollars as it continues to deal with its facilities needs.

Schools have until January 2025 to spend the last of their COVID relief dollars, unless they seek an extension. Federal officials have signed off on extensions in 4 states, and more plan to apply.

Schools are adding staff, offering new training, or emphasizing social and emotional skills. But educators say they need more help.

A coalition of rural school districts pooled their resources to buy state-of-the-art equipment and offer students more opportunities in their own backyard.

In an interview this week, León detailed how teachers talked about plans to use artificial intelligence in the classroom, the district’s ongoing facilities needs, and how COVID relief dollars supported schools.