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Even after the school system gets back to normal, things will never be the same. CDL has been tough-- that goes without saying. Across the board, students are having trouble engaging and learning. PPS in general, and Grant HS in specific, are lucky to have the financial means to support students and learning. But not all: there is a student in my mentor class who is registered as being houseless; I don't know where he goes to get internet access though I could guess why he keeps his camera off.  The reason that the district is not forcing teachers to use specific platforms or teaching methods is because this has never been done before. Were this permanent, that could change, but thank the stars that it is not. Yet permanent changes will happen. For all of the struggle and chaos, teachers, willing to engage, are learning that there are some advantages to distance learning. Students who struggle socially and emotionally are in some cases shining, being able to attend school from the comfort of their homes. (on the flip side of this there are students who live in stressful home environments, who would rather be anywhere else.) There is a layer of confidence that speaking aloud in public, or performing in front of a crowd, that is being lost, and will be felt for years to come, but, being forced to use more digital instruction, some teachers are finding it easier to address "the bigger picture", rather than focus on day-to-day details of their subjects.

So, as time goes on, I think  education will become a sort of hybrid, utilizing the good parts of internet connection, while returning to the norm of face-to-face  learning.

To paraphrase one of the teachers that I interviewed,
"We are changing the tires while driving the car."

But we will, get there.

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 Seth Miller, SPED teacher at Grant H.S.

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 Seth Miller, SPED teacher at Grant H.S.

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"Generally, i find it helpful to think about students with learning difficulties of any capacity as having possibly the same bandwidth, or "gas in the tank" as a neurotypical person. however, when it comes to completing tasks that a neurotypical person could complete using very little gas, a person with learning differences has to burn more gas to complete each section, depending on their individual deficits. often most of their "gas," or bandwidth, really whatever analogy you want to use, is being used up by merely existing in school as a physical space. it's so stressful for them to actually be in the building, around their peers, that they can't get past the bottom tier of maslow's; they're stuck in flight or freeze mode for most of the school day. thus, a lot of our work is around coping skills to manage that anxiety so they can complete tasks.

Distance learning has presented an interesting problem with accommodations in that the typical accommodations students need to use aren't always applicable. for instance, my classroom is exclusively made up of students with emotional difficulties -- basically, they're often average or above average intelligence, but they function much lower than even a typical learning center student; they tend to be more akin to students in intensive skills classrooms.

With that context in mind, i'll answer question 4 first: a huge upside to my students not being in the building is they, generally speaking, are much more able to receive GE level instruction because so much of their gas/bandwidth isn't being burned by them being physically present in the building. almost all of them are in more GE classes than normal, and those who are attending are either equally or more successful in these classes because of the distance format.

3. My role is far more of case manager and family outreach than it was previously. i'm doing a lot of coaching with families on how to support their students at home; i am writing a lot of step-by-step guides to help students' families with completing academic work."

2. The challenges SPED students have are probably exactly as you'd expect: they overwhelmingly are part of the high-risk communities. overall, those who are struggling can't get individualized help in a school setting, and are often fighting against inconsistent bedtimes, etc... -- all the hallmarks of high schoolers at home who aren't typically motivated to attend school at the best of times.

1. i don't know what more accommodations can be implemented other than support with one-on-one meeting times and access to technology. there's not much else, to my mind, that could help support students.

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The Emotional Effects of CDL on Extracurriculars, Student Life, and Mental Health 

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The Emotional Effects of CDL on Extracurriculars, Student Life, and Mental Health 

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For many high school students, access to after-school activities is an important resource for sustained physical and mental health. In the time of CDL and COVID-19, both athletics and the arts - needing in-person interaction by virtue of their practice - are unable to carry over to CDL in a meaningful way. Even in cases where art programs can be creatively transferred over to zoom, the experience of being around a community of peers is taken away from students who depend heavily on socialization to make it through a day of school life.

Oregon City High School is definitely struggling in this regard, among others, more than the Portland Public Schools. This may come to a lack of resources both from the school and in the personal lives of their students, and is yet another tragic reflection of the material debt within many educational institutions, now exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.

Inconsistent schedules and lacking key pillars of social life/after-school programs (for some, sources of upward mobility through scholarships) erode students' sense of community. All that is left are the obligated assignments, synchronous class time, and damaging effects of isolation and confinement. Academic resources are barely keeping up (my administrators are fielding so many emails they were unable to return requests), and everything else for students is having an even greater struggle. - Tyler S

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Grant High School Boundaries and Demographics

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Grant High School Boundaries and Demographics

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Grant High School is a smaller district, drawing students from NE Portland, in the Grant, Jefferson, Madison, and Cleveland districts, amongst a few others.

It is a high-income, recently gentrified region, where home values average $750K-1million dollars.

Of 1,972 students and 97 teachers, 34 admin staff, Grant student population is:

69.69% White
7.5% Latino
5.83% Black
2.74% Asian
.3% Pacific Islander
.56% Native American
13.38% Mixed

There are 12 actively monitored ELL students.
538 TAG
139 SPED

1056 Male-identifying
899 Female-identifying
18 non-gender-identifying

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Mike Stead, Oregon City High School Vice Principal 

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Mike Stead, Oregon City High School Vice Principal 

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Mike Stead did not return multiple interview requests.

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Flexible teachers swim, stubborn teacher sink (or at least flounder a bit more). 

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Flexible teachers swim, stubborn teacher sink (or at least flounder a bit more). 

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After interviewing several school staff members and comparing results to staff at other schools, we found a pattern in those who were able to see the benefits of CDL and those who were struggling to stay positive. A common theme across the board was people mourning the loss of regularity and normalcy. However, the ability to climb that hurdle, or to not dwell on those feelings, based on these interview, seems to better allow both teachers and students to focus on the matter at hand. As a teacher or administrator, the ability to lead also relies on the ability to inspire and persevere. If all of your energy is spent on resisting change, you won’t have any energy left to provide hope.

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Katrina Arras, Mt. Tabor MS Science Teacher

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Katrina Arras, Mt. Tabor MS Science Teacher

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1. Katrina, like the rest of PPS, is mainly using Canvas to make weekly modules, assign work, grade, and plan class meetings. She also uses a variety of other online tools to supplement her class experience. Mainly, padlet, jam board, cahoot, google docs, nearpod, and formatives.
2. For her, it’s helpful having Canvas as a place to center everything. Unlike Google Classroom, which they used in the spring, Canvas is able to integrate other platforms like Nearpod, into weekly modules. This also allows for easy grading without ever having to leave Canvas. What she doesn’t like is the student and parent facing problems. For students, there are many frustrations with Canvas including that it doesn’t save progress on assignments, it’s difficulty to access old work, and it can be formatted differently teacher to teacher. From a parent perspective, they only see a small snapshot of what their students are completing, no detail descriptions of what assignments are due when. This can be especially difficult when students are falling behind and parents are left unaware.
3. The main platforms teachers use are mandated by the district. Thinks like canvas, synergy, and google meet are required. Smaller interactive platforms like padlet and nearpod are optional but encouraged to increase student engagement.
4. Katrina has mentioned the quietness of online learning is something that really stands out to her. In a classroom setting, there would normally be discussions about assignments, group work, and off topic chatting in between activities. She says she misses that about online learning and it’s clear the kids do too. Mt Tabor recently, within the last couple weeks, started affinity groups. They have yet to gain any real traction.
5. Grading is on a proficiency scale. Students meeting expectations will receive a proficient grade. The rage is developing proficiency, close to proficient proficient, and highly proficient. Assessments are given 75% weight and classwork is given 25%. From Katrina’s point of view, this grading system makes sense during distance learning since it’s more flexible. However, from both students and parents, there’s frustration about the expectations being unclear.
6. Students spend the 45 minute sessions per week in live google meets. Then they are expected to spend two 45 minute periods independently working on class assignments.
*These are notes from Summer's live interview.

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How will this pandemic change education? 

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How will this pandemic change education? 

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Talking with the principal at Hosford Middle School, as well as some other content area teachers, it is clear that CDL has worked for some students. For quieter students, as well as those who may have been the victims of bullying, online school provides a safer place for them. Some teachers have even noticed increased participation from shy students. Caitlin Klenz believes there will continue to be an online option for students in the future. She even mentioned an increase in new all-online schools popping up. While we need to prioritize opening schools back up when it's safe, many still see the possibility of including an online option as a positive thing for certain students.

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Oregon City School District Demographics 

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Oregon City School District Demographics 

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Over 900 total staff in district.
7,245 total students in district.
Student to teacher ratio: 21-1.
Racial demographics unavailable for whole district on public sources.

Student Count By School:

Beavercreek Elementary: 535

Candy Lane Elementary: 196

Gaffney Lane Elementary: 539

Holcomb Elementary: 557

Jennings Lodge Elementary: 231

McLoughlin Elementary: 638

Redland Elementary: 545

Gardiner Middle School: 823

Ogden Middle School: 889

Oregon City High School: 1940

Oregon City Service Learning Academy: 180

Clackamas Academy of Industrial Sciences: 172

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Jessica Murray--Performing Arts Teacher at Grant High School PPS

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Jessica Murray--Performing Arts Teacher at Grant High School PPS

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1. She has had no restrictions as to what platforms to use, but has employed Canvas, Flipgrid, Google Suite, Zoom, and Padlet. While originally preffering Google Classroom, she has found that Canvas is a much better platform because she can access more resources through it.

2. As a dance teacher, she likes that students can post videos easily to flipgrid, though some students either A. live in small spaces without room to dance, or B.  don't like to see themselves on video. She mentioned students who work for hours on assignments, doing dances and recording them, then delete the video because they don't like how they look. She thinks Padlet is great and is the closest thing to an online community in her class. She uses YouTube videos a lot to teach about the cultural and historical roots of different kinds of dance.

3. It is entirely her choice what platforms she uses, and she has already dropped some and found new. Still evolving. She describes the process like "changing the tires while driving the car."

4. As a performing arts coach, she thinks that online learning has been a detrimental loss to student community. "A wound we will live with for a long time." She is not, however, worried for the extroverts--the ones who would have starred in the performances. "They will be fine," she said. "I'm worried for the shy kids- who make up the chorus. Just that moment of being on stage in front of a live audience helps them build tremendous courage--and those kids won't be getting that this year."

5. Teachers are being asked to grade easier and consider the circumstances each student is facing. Students have the option of pass/fail.

6. Hard to say in a performance arts class. She knows that some students can film their choreography on flipgrid and be happy with it on the first try, while others will nitpick themselves for hours, doing it over and over again.

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From our interviews we found some common themes among our schools and districts: The question of how this pandemic will systematically change education, the widening inequities between students, social connection lost through CDL, but also a shared sense of struggle and optimism about how we can fix our flawed education system.

While for many, things have become worse in CDL, many have admitted that schools have never worked for every student. Maybe now, there is an opportunity to rebuild and rethink our education system, so that we can begin to address the many inequities in our society.

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88 teachers total.
Demographic and retention information is unavailable on public sources.
With this circumstance, one can assume the staff is overwhelmingly white in representation.

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Ann Henson, Oregon City High School ELA Teacher

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Ann Henson, Oregon City High School ELA Teacher

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1. GC, Padlet, Kami, Quizlet. Some teachers are also using other platforms like Seesaw/Flipgrid, but mostly SpED/lower grades.

2. GC is not an integrated LMS. Students must go to other websites to access content rather than embedding. Also, attendance is a nightmare on GC, esp. for those who are standards/proficiency-based.

3. GC mandated for grades 4-12, Seesaw for K-3. Beyond that, HS has a lot of flexibility, including the building purchasing Padlet/Kami.

4. Some clubs (I imagine most, though I know two for sure) are thinking about going completely dark this year - everyone is too overwhelmed to participate/facilitate (both students and teachers). Lots of pressure from parents to offer more, but we don't have the capacity, esp. when students don't either.

5. All over the place. I'm thankful that I've done a lot of study in equitable grading, because it has given me the ability to let go of a lot of things, and keep my practice similar to in person in a lot of ways. I watch my colleagues (esp those who resist change) drowning. Some have switched to proficiency and eased their loads. Some are still assigning the same amt of work and ignoring ODE guidelines. I feel like we're coming to a reckoning at some point this year. We're about to implement a new "No F" policy for CDL that I'm super appreciative of.

6. Depends on their schedule. Some folks only have 2-3 classes, while others have 6 or 7. It's about 1/3 synchronous to 2/3 asynchronous for each class per district guidelines, but not everyone is following that - there's a lot of extra being assigned in Honors/AP/ACC courses.

*These are direct quotes of Ann's answers to an electronic questionnaire.

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1. She uses Canvas, Google Meet, and Padlet regularly. She is also starting to introduce more interactive platforms like Nearpod, Peardeck and Jamboard.
2. She likes Canvas' speed grader function. Aarika likes the fact that everything is digital and for that reason she is creating less waste. She also likes being able to directly message students. With Google Meet, she likes the new breakout room function. She also likes that she can send students into groups for extra support and doesn't have to broadcast it. She does not like the lack of ability to check in with students one-on-one. She worries too about engagement. "What is engagement in an online setting?" she asked. It's also hard to tell what students may need, and it's harder to know what supports to provide them with.
3. Some platforms are mandated, like Canvas. But with others, teachers have a choice. PPS has a contract with Google Meet and Zoom, so they can choose.
4. There has been a lot of social interaction lost with the roll out of CDL. After schools switched to being online Aarika said, "we realized how much schools do for kids, and what is lost when we're not together." At Hosford, there are a lot of affinity groups such as QSA, BSU and a Latinx heritage group. There are also clubs such as chess club and anime club. While these groups do provide some with a chance to connect with their peers, Aarika still worries that students are missing a lot of peer social time.
5. Hosford uses a proficiency based grading system. Initially they were going to use a pass/fail system, however ODE has said they had to start giving out grades. Aarika does not like this as she feels like we can't accurately assess students in this online format. She is frustrated and worried about students who need extra supports, who she feels like are the ones who are really falling through the cracks.
6. Students spend the mornings doing synchronous work, and afternoons doing asynchronous work. This looks different in every class, but for the most part Mondays and Tuesdays are synchronous, Wednesdays and Thursdays are either synchronous or content area teachers do group work. Friday's are a "check-in" day. Students show up for the first 5-10 minutes for instructions on what to compete, and then can leave. Sometimes Aarika holds students who need extra help, or ones who haven't been turning in work.
*These are Adelina's notes taken from a live interview with Aarika Elwer

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Brian Ruby, Oregon City High School Sped Teacher  

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Brian Ruby, Oregon City High School Sped Teacher  

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1. It's difficult to have accommodations in this environment. I would say extended time on assignments is most common. Teachers will provide notes or other text to students upon request.

2. Students don't have opportunities for one on one. Or more teaching. Or reteaching. Some students are facing more challenges now in this environment.  in particular anxiety and focus. Students also are facing issues at home in their personal lives.

3. My role in total has not changed much. I am trying to help students.

4. I am hopeful we go back to brick and mortar school in the Fall of 2021. I am hopeful we have a vaccine and students will get what they need. I dont see a solution to making CDL successful for all students. I believe we will have options for students. I believe this pandemic has brought us back to humanity in many ways.

*These are direct quotes of Brian's answers to an electronic questionnaire.

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Emily Roth, Speech Pathologist Hosford MS

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Emily Roth, Speech Pathologist Hosford MS

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1. I provide accommodations to all my students throughout my sessions since they are all in special education.  They get accommodations such as extended time for responses, visual support, directions broken down, small groups, etc.
2. My special education students are facing huge challenges in distance learning, especially those that are higher need students in our Intensive Skill Center classes.  They struggle greatly with social communication, expected behaviors, understanding how others feel, etc. during in person school and CDL makes it even more challenging for them to participate.  I also have students that require visual support and high levels of prompting that is best delivered in person.  The screen time can be overstimulating to my students.  Many of my students with autism struggle with being flexible and adapting to change.  This change in their routine has been very difficult.
3. My role has changed in that I don't get to know students as well as I would like, and I don't get to spend as much time with them.  I have to use different materials and supports that aren't ideal.
4. One positive about CDL is that I am scheduling more meetings with parents of high needs students to do some communication coaching for the home. Hopefully we will see greater progress with students if parents and caregivers are learning new ways to improve speech and language skills at home with their children.
*These are direct quotes of Emily's answers to an electronic questionnaire.

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Shannon Andrews, ELD Teacher Mt. Tabor MS

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Shannon Andrews, ELD Teacher Mt. Tabor MS

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1. Shannon's ELL students are receiving relatively similar accommodations for CDL; they have one hour a day for designated instruction with her and the rest is spent in content area classes. Before and during CDL, this was not sufficient. Especially for newcomers, who need much more time for 1:1 instruction.
2. Most of what Shannon does with students now is help them navigate tech. To some extent, that's what all teachers have to do now, but with ELL students, they face larger barriers when all of their platforms are in English in addition to all of their instruction.
3. Shannon also spends much of her time driving to her students houses delivering hard copies of material so students don't have to struggle with tech to the same extent. However, that adds another level of challenge in planning deliveries and reviewing their work once they're finished.
4. Shannon expressed that she feels a lot more confident with tech as a result and that she's had access to ELD curriculum. She also feels more connected to her students than ever.
*These are Summer's notes taken from a live interview with Shannon.

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Jill Liddle, Assistant Principal Mt. Tabor MS

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Jill Liddle, Assistant Principal Mt. Tabor MS

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1. CDL policy is decided on a broader level. First by the governor, then the school leadership and the school board.
2. According to Jill, CDL has and will continue to change education for the better. She says teachers are provided with space and time to collaborate in ways that were not available previously. They have 2 content team meetings to work on curriculum, and a grade level meeting to talk about students. They are learning tech tools at record speeds with urgency that is created by being in a pandemic. She says the change that has happened has been embraced and struggled through without opposition.
3. The school offers live meet trainings, asynchronous trainings, 1:1 support as needed or in small groups, and continued availability for support through tech office hours daily.
4. Seeing folks learn new skills and persist through these condition makes Jill hopeful for the future.
*These are notes taken from Jill's answers to an electronic questionnaire.

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1. School policy is set at a district level. They are, however trying to ground it in a social/emotional focus. Further Pare it down for teachers.( Interesting though classes are being taught at double-speed, cramming a whole year into a single semester- so as not to overload class sizes.) But at admin level asking "How can we do this in a more palatable way?" and "How can we make it work?" (nobody seems to have an answer to that, unfortunately.)
2. Admin cannot contractually tell teachers which platform to use so long as school tech/email is not being used for personal reasons. Most teachers are split between Google classroom/Canvas/Google meets/Zoom.
3. Teachers are trying to supplement the social experience with things like Flipgrid Breakout Rooms, and Kahoot.
4. Grant had no grades last spring- only pass/fail. Admin encourages teachers to be flexible and not stick to due dates/regular policy, while still using "good instructional practices."
nonetheless, Grant HS has had better attendance and overall grades during distance learning (I am going to research this--in my mentor class kids are constantly no where to be found when called upon, screens black after taking attendance, and I'm hearing a lot of stories about teenagers who don't do assignments and are flunking areas they never had trouble in before.) If it is true that Grant has better grades/attendance than before, then mitachek notes that as a well-funded school, most of the kids have access to tech at home, as well as private tutors.

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1. The CDL policy is decided at the district level. Many people, including principals might be asked to participate in the district meetings, but ultimately might not have a say in what happens. PPS has a big strong union, and according to Caitlin, has traditionally not agreed to much. She hasn’t been able to adequately advocate for students and teachers at the district level, but has more freedom in deciding what classes look like at Hosford. Synchronous and Asynchronous minutes were decided at the district level. But what actually happens in classes is the teachers decision. The schedule initially was very loose and there was a lack of understanding. She believes students need more structure. The district reacted to this loose schedule by making teachers have check-in hours on Fridays, which she thinks is a good thing.

2. According to Caitlin, there is an opportunity to change what wasn’t working. For kids who were falling behind it still isn’t working. Caitlin said that we need to think about how we can imagine a better, more equitable system. Many people didn’t think distance learning would work, but it's working better than they imagined. This shows us that change can happen. For some students CDL has worked out better. Caitlin thinks that maybe in the future, there needs to be an online option. Some schools are already starting that are completely online.

3. Caitlin and the school's vice principal, Amy Slaughter, hosted 18 hours of PD in the first three weeks of school. They made PD over the summer and learned how to use these systems so that they could better support teachers.

4. She is hopeful that for some students online learning works better for them. Some are improving through online learning. She is also hopeful about the uprising to address racial inequities. She worries about the future of the Earth, but is reminded that this time last year, young people walked out of school for a climate strike. There is a high level of passion, and as teachers, we must learn how to direct their passions into the right avenues.

*These are Adelina's notes taken from a live interview with Caitlyn Klenz

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1,984 students total
75.6% White
14.7% Hispanic
1.8% Asian
0.8% African American
0.6% American Indian
0.4% Pacific Islander

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1. What platforms are you using in class during CDL (Canvas, Padlet, Google classroom etc.)?

2. What about these platforms do you like? What is falling short of student needs?

3. Do teachers decide what platforms to use, or are they mandated by the district.

4. What effect has online learning had on the student community? Are there any motions to supplement the social experience being lost (ex: affinity groups, clubs etc.)

5. What does grading look like in your school now? How do you feel about it?

6. How much time do students spend in synchronous time vs. asynchronous time?

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1. What kinds of accommodations are students getting in CDL? Do you think it is sufficient?

2. What challenges are students facing in online learning?

3. How has your role changed this year?

4. What are you hopeful about? Has there been any good changes brought about in distance learning?

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1. How is the CDL policy for your school decided?

2. Do you think COVID and CDL will change education? If so, how?

3. What kind of training/ development is your school offering during CDL? How did your school train teachers to navigate online systems?

4. What makes you hopeful during this time?

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Total Students: 741

Classroom Teachers (FTE): 34

Student/Teacher Ratio: 21.5

Percentage of teachers with 3+ years experience: 97%

Average teacher salary: $64,763

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Demographics:

Student population: 700

Classroom teachers: 37

Student/teacher ratio: 18.9