Charter operators are offering online degrees as a plan B for their alumni

Bangladesh schools had very low attendance because children were kept home to work and conditions were unsafe for girls, ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities. BRAC, one of the world's largest and most comprehensive NGOs, has built new schools addressing all the reasons, at home and school, that were preventing children from attending.

After the pandemic forced schools to close, educators in Detroit had to take on the role of "detectives" in order to track down missing students and help them stay on-track. After realizing the extent of the impact the coronavirus had on students and their families, educators resorted to persistent follow-ups, food deliveries, tracking families based on need, and providing grief counseling to help them cope with family losses and their changing environments.

School districts and cities in California are looking to create their own local Wifi networks as a long-term solution to the digital divide, and an alternative to hotspots. Some are even becoming internet service providers themselves (ISP) — efforts, they say, that will make it easier to provide internet access to those who can’t afford it.

“Let’s Learn NYC!” Is the New York City Public School System's answer to teaching students via television. The program is one of many around the country, which began at a FOX station in Houston. Through the program, students are able to watch science, math, and even dance lessons. The program has been scaled and adapted to a variety of large cities like San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, and others.

Project Rebound helps formerly incarcerated students navigate and succeed in pursuing their higher education goals. The program works with potential candidates, whether they are incarcerated or have completed their sentences, and provides aid in meeting basic needs like gas, food, shelter, as well as legal advice referrals and navigating technology. By 2021, 14 California State University campuses plan to be using the program. As of 2016, there were 180 students participating in the program and the number more than doubled by 2019.

The School Support Hotline in Rhode Island is helping teachers and parents experience smoother virtual classroom experiences by answering questions and providing support for tech issues, along with translation services in over 200 languages. The hotline was started by the Highlander Insitute, an education nonprofit, and is staffed by 40 fellows, who are part of Fuse RI Initiative, and are educators themselves. After its first month of operation, over 200 parents had called into the hotline with questions.

When Clark County School District moved to an all-remote plan for school, it distributed 10,000 devices, close to 20,000 students had no way to connect their online classes. A parent, with the help of a SCSD teacher and a board of education member, created a Facebook group to help spanish-speaking families express if they needed a device for their kids and help fill those needs. The group gained traction and attention and has since received 550 device requests, fulfilling 162. The group relies on monetary and computer donations from individuals and businesses.

Students at two Philadelphia schools are getting to know the ins-and-outs of the democratic system by actively participating in the operations of their schools. Students at Philly Free School meet weekly with faculty and staff where they help decide how to spend the school's money, if popcorn should be banned and who should be hired. At Revolution School, students helped decide what fall reopening plans would look like.

Mott Haven and Broome Street Academy serve students in the child welfare system and at-risk students. Before the pandemic, they were already preparing for crisis intervention. The two have provided students with services that fall outside of the educational spectrum, things like cash grants and weekly counseling. By doing so, they hope students can focus on classes. Now, they might be a model for other schools around the country.

East High High School in the Rochester City School District is three years into an Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) with the University of Rochester and has seen measures of success, most notably the fact that suspensions fell from 2,5000 in 2015 to 300 in 2018. Although there is still work to be done, success strategies include giving more autonomy to the principals and changing how unions and schools bargain with each other.