Regional Collaborations for Education & COVID-19
By: Kristi L. Donaldson, Ph.D. & Andrew Diemer
Missouri’s general guidance on coronavirus has put all of the school reopening decision-making on local districts. While state guidance allows for more flexibility and consideration of local educational contexts and needs, it provides for little continuity in plans. In St. Louis, the Redefining K12 in STL Coalition is pushing for a regional reopening plan and coordination between city and county school districts to address educational, health, and equity concerns that permeate district boundaries. In today’s blog, we explore the potential of regional collaborations in addressing COVID-19 public health concerns and inequities across school districts.
Regional Collaborations
Decisions made in one county or area often also impact surrounding communities. We see this currently with the spread of coronavirus, and even with educational opportunities and economic growth. For example, workforce development often takes a regional approach by aligning apprenticeship and education programs to existing or growing industries in the area, and dually serve to build individual skills and support the region’s economic prosperity. Regional collaborations can benefit communities by addressing common problems, pooling resources, and providing economies of scale to challenging issues.
The St. Louis region is home to many different cities and communities, all interconnected by highways, education systems, and local and Fortune-500 businesses. In 2018, an estimated 27 percent of residents in St. Louis County and 40 percent in St. Louis City worked outside their county of residence (see the Table for rates by school district within the county). It’s common for parents to work within the boundaries of one school district and have their child educated in another. There are also many private schools in the area, including the Archdiocese of St. Louis, all of which draw enrollment from the city and county. Given the degree of commuting, mobility, and interdependence among St. Louis’ different areas, a regional approach to controlling COVID-19 and addressing educational inequities may be needed.
In addition, parents and caregivers have long encountered a challenging balancing act between work and family demands. COVID exacerbated many of these issues with illness and hospitalizations, new work-from-home expectations, and balancing essential work with school and childcare closures. Disparate school reopening plans may create new problems for families and also affect the virus spread. Coordinated plans could provide more consistency for families, help control the spread of the virus in the region, allow employers to better respond to employee challenges with school closures, and also ensure more equitable responses to educational disparities across the region.
Redefining K12 in STL Coalition
Several local organizations in St. Louis are pushing against individualized reopening plans and demanding one, cohesive plan for the entire area. The Redefining K12 in STL Coalition calls for a collaborative, regional approach to school reopenings that will:
Address racial/ethnic educational inequality in the region
Enable more systemic responses to COVID and other issues
With the ultimate goal of better serving all St. Louis-area students and families, not just those in one particular district. The Coalition is comprised of students, parents, community members, and members of St. Louis-area organizations, non-profits, school districts, and school boards, including American Friends Service Committee, Bridge 2 Hope St. Louis, EdHubSTL at Innovation Hall, Expect Better, Metropolitan Congregations United, STEMSTL, WEPOWER, and the Maplewood Richmond Heights school board.
Out of surveys and community conversations with St. Louis stakeholders, the Coalition developed five demands for St. Louis districts:
Tech Equity & Clear Expectations for Virtual Learning
A Clear, Collaborative Plan for Safe Reopening
Redefine School Safety
Support Students with Disabilities
Prepare Students for St. Louis’ Jobs of the Future
In addition to these demands, the Coalition calls for more stakeholder input on reopening committees, specifically from teachers, cafeteria workers, parents, and maintenance and janitorial staff. More stakeholder input could ensure districts are accounting for all needs and context, including factors not currently or explicitly addressed plans. The coalition calls explicitly for input on additional resources needed for schools to open (or remain open) safely, and the specific needs of students and student groups, such as students with disabilities. Since districts will be continually assessing and revising their plans as the academic year progresses and virus levels change, broad stakeholder engagement should not be limited to first-day-of-school plans.
Examples of what this might look like, in light of the above demands, are:
Coordinating purchasing and maintenance of technology devices (e.g., iPads, laptops, hotspot) to address inequities in resources and availability across districts
Evaluating ways to address the digital divide by expanding internet/broadband access through sustained and long-term solutions
Reconsidering what safety could look like in schools. Demand #3 calls for reinvestment of school resource officer funds into counselors, teachers, trauma training, anti-racism work, and direct student care.
More information on the Redefining K12 in STL Coalition and their demands can be found here.
Table: Percentage of Workers Working in Missouri and Outside County of Residence, by St. Louis County School District
