Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

EDITORIAL:

School district uses lessons of pandemic to improve instruction

The coronavirus pandemic reaffirmed a truism we already knew as a society: There’s no one-size-fits-all way to effectively educate children.

When schools shut down and switched to distance learning, there was no question that many students would struggle with that format. But one of the rare pleasant surprises stemming from the crisis was that some students flourished while learning remotely.

Adroitly recognizing this, the Clark County School District has developed a pilot program that will offer students three choices of learning approaches — traditional classroom instruction, distance learning and a combination of the two.

This forward-thinking initiative will be rolled out this fall at 17 schools, where student performance will be evaluated during the school year to determine whether the program boosts academic achievement and student wellness.

In which schools will blended-learning be available?

CCSD’s blended-learning program is being implemented at the following schools: Culley Elementary, Goynes Elementary, Johnston Middle School, Lied STEM Academy Middle School, Lincoln Elementary, Twin Lakes Elementary, Western High, Wolf Elementary, Fertitta Middle School, Guinn Middle School, Mack Middle School, Ortwein Elementary, Brown Junior High School, Lunt Elementary School, Miller Elementary School Academy for International Students, Walker International School Elementary, White Academy of the Performing Arts Middle School

Enrollment for these schools will be zoned as opposed to open, so the blended-learning choice will be available only to students within the schools’ attendance boundaries.

Each school applied to be sites for the program.

“Our goal is to research it, document the results and then hopefully expand it,” CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara said during a recent video chat with the Sun’s editorial board. “So we’re really excited about kicking it off this August.”

The development of the program speaks well of CCSD. It shows that the district didn’t simply ride out the pandemic, but used it as a vector point to shake up the traditional model of education and build a more modern system based on the needs of students.

Jara said the initiative came about after the district issued a system-wide call to school staff asking, “What does the future of schools look like?” Dozens of educators responded, and participated in discussions about how to improve our public schools.

The blended-learning pilot program is a commendable step that would help fulfill both the academic and social needs of students.

It’s one of several advancements the district is making in that direction. The district has adopted a “Kids First” agenda that also includes an overhaul of its grading system and enhanced mental health services for students and staff, among other initiatives.

Thanks to Nevada lawmakers, CCSD is on good footing to carry out its agenda coming out of the pandemic. The Legislature passed an array of pro-education bills during this year’s legislative session, including a suite of proposals to boost recruitment and retention of school counselors, psychologists, social workers, etc. Bills supporting suicide prevention and training for students and employees also cleared the process.

Lawmakers also approved funding measures, including a mining tax restructure that benefits K-12 schools, that will inject $500 million into public education over the next two years.

With solid support from state leaders and an innovative agenda in hand, CCSD is poised to come back from the pandemic better than before.

After a year of bleakness for many of our children, the future looks brighter for students across the board.