Virtual Learning, Now and Beyond

The pandemic-fueled expansion of online learning will certainly persist beyond the pandemic, and schools must ensure that the transition creates accessible, high-quality options for all students. Most recently, the surge in COVID-19 Omicron variant cases and persistent ambiguity around whether and how to close schools reinforces the fact that we have failed to build intentional on-ramps to virtual education. State and local leaders can employ evidence from past online learning efforts, emerging best practices, and data from the pandemic to understand how to build a path forward that capitalizes on the potential of online learning, while avoiding the pitfalls. Virtual learning is not going away, but it must improve, especially for students of color and those facing economic insecurity. The bottom line is that students cannot afford to repeat the emergency distance learning that took place in 2020 and 2021. This brief provides a guide for education leaders and policymakers building a path to sustainable and quality virtual learning. It includes four steps school system leaders can take in the short and longer term to harness the potential of online learning, avoid pitfalls that made it ineffective, and ensure students have equitable access to high-quality learning opportunities that meet their needs.

Assessing the Impact and Effectiveness of a Community Leadership Development Program on Black Leaders

Community leaders working in Black communities are faced with countless challenges yet require unique skills for which evidence-based training is often limited or difficult to find. The current study employed a mixed-methods approach using archival data to evaluate a promising and much needed neighborhood leadership program for Black community leaders, the Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program. The three primary foci of the program were to examine who were selected as fellows, the goals fellows presented with upon entering the program, and the primary outcomes following immediate program completion and follow-up. Nineteen fellows have matriculated through the program, and all completed pre- and post-surveys, and were each contacted about current awards and other leadership successes. Additionally, seven fellows were interviewed about their experiences with and outcomes following the program. Surveys demonstrated important gains in knowledge and skill development for fellows. Following participation, many fellows developed their own organizations, and some secured funding and received awards for their community leadership work. Three key themes emerged from coded interviews, namely (1) characteristics of those who seek a community leadership training, (2) successes in community impact and activities observed among fellows following program completion, and (3) skills-based outcomes for fellows following program completion. The COVID-19 pandemic and killings of Black civilians by police also impacted participants' responses. The role of blackness in Black community leadership was observed across themes that emerged. Overall, this is a promising community leadership program with important implications for leaders who serve Black communities.

Teaching and Learning as "CANVAS Ambassadors" during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Faculty Experiences at One Historically Black College and University

In this article, we explore the experiences and self-reflections of faculty as CANVAS Ambassadors at Morgan State University, a Historically Black University in Baltimore, Maryland, during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The university transitioned to remote/online instruction using the CANVAS™ learning management system in March of 2020. The findings include several themes and lessons: the positive impact on colleagueship when faculty train faculty, the ability to close technology gaps, and the opportunity to broaden overall faculty teaching and learning development at the university. The paper suggests an example of transferable learning experience to other universities and suggests future research plans in preparation for unpredictable teaching and learning in education.