School Leaders Share Remote Learning Strategies During the National Emergency
Beginning on April 2nd, members of the Learning Counsel’s EduJedi Leadership Society began holding virtual panel discussions to address challenges and solutions during the national emergency. These conversations have produced valuable insights about remote instruction, serving special needs students, selecting digital curriculum, maintaining staff wellness, and more. Full recordings are posted as they are edited and can be found here.
Beaver County School District, UT
“Our parents immediately became teachers in this. We were pleasantly surprised to find we were as ready for this as we are.”
Superintendent David Long described how teachers initially escalated their screen time, sometimes spending an entire day on video conferencing. To protect staff well-being, the district paired colleagues in a buddy system and required daily contact between partners. Leaders advised teachers to halve their usual lesson plans at first and focus on essential learning objectives so workloads remain sustainable.
San Diego County Office of Education
“We didn’t realize in the first two weeks the depth of the emotional support that was needed.”
Dr. Erin English emphasized the rapid need for emotional care. The county began hosting restorative circles for teachers and staff, providing a space to share personal concerns and grieve the loss of normal routines and daily interaction with students.
Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative, River Valley Technical Center
“A sort of a perfection is being worked out right now nationally.”
Terry Vest explained that their first response was to publish a concise online course for teachers—one to three hours long—to help them transition to remote instruction; over 600 teachers enrolled. Vest cautioned districts to limit the number of different digital tools teachers must learn, noting that each new program requires training for both staff and students. He also stressed that student self-direction is a major challenge; in his experience, consistent communication can be maintained without daily live meetings, relying instead on periodic Zoom check-ins and asynchronous feedback through email and comments.
Garland ISD, TX
“Just like everybody else, we got caught in the middle of our spring break with this.”
Jasna Aliefendic outlined Garland’s early actions: extending spring break, publishing accessible online resources, and organizing device distribution to households in need. Teachers typically schedule Google Meets during regular hours, while high school staff often add an evening session. To avoid overwhelming families, Garland limits assignments—secondary students receive two assignments per course each week—and stresses quality over busy work.
Key supports include single sign-on for applications (Garland ISD uses Enboard) and curriculum department guidance. Providing teacher-facing learning plans reduces stress and lets educators focus on small-group tutorials and live help sessions.
St. Vrain Valley Schools, CO
“It’s hard to say, but don’t waste a good crisis.”
Kahle Charles described how St. Vrain used the crisis to expand its online presence and align staff. The district reassigned learning leaders—curriculum coordinators, instructional technology coordinators, and coaches—to support specific schools directly. Central offices prepared two weeks of online learning and established hotspots across the city to give families internet access. Materials created are parent- and student-facing, and teachers are focused on engagement while principals adapt to shifting school structures in a virtual environment.
Buckeye Union High School District, AZ
“Making the transition from using technology as an enhancement tool to making that the main delivery mode is a huge lift for everyone.”
Eric Godfrey shared that the district made thousands of outreach calls—contacting over half of their 4,800 students by phone—to ensure engagement. Collaboration and professional learning among teachers increased significantly. Buckeye is also addressing the social and emotional loss students feel as extracurricular activities, proms, and ceremonies are canceled, seeking creative alternatives to preserve important milestones.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD
“We offered low-challenge work upfront, learned the tools, and slowly ramped up toward greater rigor.”
Matthew Nickerson explained Anne Arundel’s approach: set predictable times for introducing new lessons while respecting teachers’ office hours and avoiding expectations of around-the-clock availability. Live lessons may be recorded so students can watch later. The district is cautious about relying on third-party platforms for younger students—for example, changes in YouTube’s terms of service created unexpected constraints for content intended for children under 13—so they are actively finding compliant alternatives.
Pomona Unified School District, CA
“The first priority was ensuring that all teachers and students have technology and internet access at home.”
Ellen Palmer recounted Pomona’s device distribution challenges, including interruptions when staff members tested positive for coronavirus. The district is exploring contactless options—such as lockers—to distribute chargers and devices safely. Pomona also launched a technical support helpline that initially crashed due to demand but was reorganized into a call-routing system. For teacher support, the district expanded online professional learning widely: for example, nearly 400 staff participated in STEMScopes training in a single week—an opportunity that would have been difficult in traditional in-person formats.
These leadership reflections highlight common priorities: support teacher and student well-being, reduce overload by focusing on essential learning, coordinate tools and access carefully, provide clear curriculum guidance, and invest in scalable professional learning. Districts that combine technical solutions with emotional support and pragmatic expectations are finding ways to serve students effectively during this unprecedented disruption.